Do you listen to music in a foreign language that you don't understand?
 

Many/most of us, I'm sure have heard the odd hit song that's in a foreign language, 99 luftballons by Nena from the 80s comes to mind. There are a couple of brain cells that say there are a couple/few more, but those cells don't also include the details of the song/artist.

In the last 10 years or so, I discovered and listened to a bunch of Melody Gardot. Pandora tossed a bunch of some French female vocalist in with that. I don't understand French, but the songs were good and fit well with the rest of the music in that "channel".
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I recently seeded a new channel with "AnnenMayKantereit" which is a German group. About half of what Pandora adds is also in German and half is in English. I'm digging it, and the more that I listen, the better it gets, despite me not understanding more than the occasional word. But it's going to be educational, because I do occasionally look up a word or title so I'll probably start learning more words.
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Anyone else listen to music for the musicality rather than understanding the lyrics?

A couple of quick examples from my collection

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Then there's this. Entirely nonsensical lyrics (sounding vaguely English, according to the composer) and became a big hit in Italy.

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Nice! Both are excellent!

I also have some Spanish language in my rotation here and there that I'd forgotten. I generally like a good voice, but I've noticed over the years that there are some folks that don't have what would normally be considered a good voice, but that can sing in a way that they are enjoyable to listen to. It's often, I'm not sure what to call it, first thought was "folk" music, but I'd not sure that's exactly right. It seems like it's often Spanish language, sometimes Zydeco or Cajun-style or even country/blue-grass. I'm not sure what it is about it, but it's good.

It's hard to go wrong with Ry Cooder on the guitar.

Only "Der Kommissar" by Falco. :)

Does Rap count?

<iframe style="border: 0; width: 350px; height: 470px;" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=2008797922/size=large/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/tracklist=false/track=1115946336/transparent=true/" seamless><a href="https://losramones.bandcamp.com/album/oye-vamos">¡Oye Vamos! by Los Ramones</a></iframe>

I have enough trouble with the languages I do speak. For years I thought Manfred Man Earth Band was singing, "wrapped up like a douche in the middle of the night." Decades later I learned the lyrics were actually, "Revved up like a deuce in the middle of the night." Ugh!

Hey Dix, you will get a kick out of this.

Ithink this was written couple years after I was born but it took someone this long to come up with this. <iframe width="1280" height="720" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/SQCxzsJAxY8" title="Joe Cocker With a little help from my friends live at woodstock. misheared lyrics. #madewithfilmora" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe>

Lol, exactly. :)

There's a song that I listen to that is a female vocalist, sounds like she's singing words, but they aren't words. They are just random groups of syllables. I want to say Massive Attack, Portishead, Morcheeba, someone like that, but I couldn't find it. Basically the same thing.

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Can't help with that, but you mentioned Zydeco; Buckwheat Zydeco and Clifton Chenier are a couple in my rotation. Good cookout music.

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This also qualifies for the covers thread
<iframe width="853" height="480" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/fihRViR8_C0" title="Marie Laforet-Paint It Black (Music-Video)" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe>

Also like this one. Most songs you cant understand all the lyrics anyway so a foreign language just makes it more exotic.
<iframe width="853" height="480" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/BJ2GDR4ge_A" title="Marie Laforêt - Que calor la vida (Audio Officiel)" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe>

You heard it correctly. He explains mafred mann changed the lyric.

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<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/W3q8Od5qJio?si=bjlUd8DYj7dQ4jDX" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe>

Almost any opera.

Puccini

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And Mozart

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And Timbiriche. Saw them live in Mexico City. Fantastic act.

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And one most will recognize and can sing along with, even if it is in Spanish.

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I listen to opera sometimes. Bought a book that summarized the plots of a few of the better known. Knowing what they’re singing about in Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg in no way improves the experience.

You win! :)

Here's one I listen to based off my artsy little grande belleza movie. The translation is in the youtube comment section.

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See the post 2 down.

More Ry:
edit- good car content
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You're right, Wagner can be tedious, especially if you've sat though the Ring Trilogy. But he rocks in the Apocalypse Now helicopter scene. Not opera but from an opera.

Check out a movie called Aria. It is great and is like music videos for opera.

I also think it's nice when bands take the time to learn English.

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But it's fun to hear it in their own language:

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I saw this woman perform this aria live in NYC. I don't speak French but I knew what she was sayin'!

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I wonder if it is Laure Le Prunenec?
She might be a bit wilder than what you describe though.

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I do not...but I did enjoy both the English and German language versions of the song you mention (99 Luft balloons). I was stationed in Germany and lived on the economy when it came out and often heard both versions (but spoke enough German that I understood both). At the time, we (military) expected Soviet tanks to roll through the Fuld Gap any day...so it was pretty relevant). I had listened to the German version quite a while before hearing the English version.

Loved her voice...and her accent in the English version.

I like her more current music as well...but do not regularly consume it. She looks/performs quite well for a 64-year-old.

But, I prefer her songs in English (like this one):

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I used to be able to sing 99 Luftballons and knew what the words meant. Now I just enjoy listening to it.

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Alizée - J'en ai marre !
(something about "my skin is soft, in this bubble bath, my red fish" blah blah who cares)
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Edith Piaf - Non, Je ne regrette rien
(I regret nothing)
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Heilung | LIFA - Krigsgaldr LIVE
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YouTube is getting difficult to use these days

One of my favorites:

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When I was in grad school I would listen to Italian opera while studying. I can't read while listening to lyrics that I understand and opera was more powerful than other music forms. I'd be happy to listen to it again today but the spirit just has not moved me.

Thank you! I liked that...so I listened to several other of her songs...all nice. Pretty mellow.

It reminded me just how long it had been since I had used French (hard to follow for me). Here is a version with English subtitles. She does a lot of "Have You Ever Been Mellow" sort of music, which is nice when you are in that mood. Like Nena, her songs in English are also very nice.

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Only a few songs from Santana.

BTW, I'm trilingual. I speak English, Spanish, and Southern smart ass.

I was about two glasses of wine into the evening, saw the "Southern Smart Ass" thing, spit my glass of wine onto the computer screen in laughter.

Now I'm back to one glass of wine into the evening (and cleaning my computer screen). Damnit. :)

You owe me.

I think all of the vocals that the redhead sang are all in English except for the guy at the beginning.

But it's darn hard to understand most of what she said.

I don't listen to it much, but I do like Zydeco music.

My second year of college, a guy showed up in the dorms that had gone to HS and his first year of college in Germany (father in the military). He listened to them, Nitzer Ebb, and Front 242.

I like watching the weather reports in a foreign language best......:)

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