Favourite non-English songs

[alfstone]

...I was fogetting PFM, probably the only Italian pop band known in English-speaking countries:

Ah, yes. Italian prog rock. I have their live album "Cook". A friend of mine had "The World Became The World" which I liked and wanted to buy (but I was young and lacked money). I seem to recall that "The World Became The World" had English lyrics though. Probably recorded specifically for the North American market. I don't remember if "Cook" has any singing (haven't listened to it in a long, long time). I thought it was mostly instrumental, but I could be wrong.

64, I went to a concert by PFM a couple of years ago, and I can assure you that they are still great musicians, even if the youngest of them is more or less 60 years old. They have an incredible energy, the drummer Franz Di Cioccio sings and jumps "all concert-long" better than a teenager...

[64Guitars]

re: "Komm, gib mir deine Hand" by The Beatles

It may come as no surprise that this is a favourite of mine ; D

That could be a whole other thread - English songs re-recorded in a different language for a foreign market. One example that comes to mind is Abba's 1980 album "Gracias Por La Música" which is Spanish covers of their hits which they re-recorded (vocals only, I assume) for the Latin American market.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gracias_Por_La_M%C3%BAsica_%28album%29



If anyone wants to start another topic about these re-recorded English songs in other languages, be my guest. It might be interesting.

[64Guitars]

Though it doesn't seem to have had much success in North America (probably banned for the sound effects ), this one reached #1 in the UK.

Serge Gainsbourg and Jane Birkin - "Je t'aime... moi non plus"  ("I love you... me neither") [1969]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GlpDf6XX_j0

[64Guitars]

I don't know this one but it reached #6 on the US Billboard chart in 1962. It's from the film "Rome Adventure" starring Troy Donahue. The song was originally recorded by Betty Curtis but it was Emilio Pericoli's cover that charted in North America.

Emilio Pericoli - "Al di là"  ("Beyond") [1962]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qbghDLobFy8

[bruno]

Always liked this version - have it on vinyl. I'm a big fan of Dominic Miller - a great guitarist.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IC3C1EhQBn0

[Hilary]

Bit of a cheat, but Bill Wyman's Je suis un rockstar


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZYHZUlf_z6o

Does anyone know which one I mean if I say the girl singer - 90s probably, with the fake Morrocan(?) rap section (male) - bit vague I know!

ps: - why don't I ever get these bloody links right - how hard can it be!

[Blooby]

There's a pro-shot PFM concert on YouTube where Ian Anderson sits in for "Bouree" and "My God" from Aqualung.

My favorite non-English song has to be "Se a Cabo" by Santana because it has one of the greatest guitar solos ever cut. 

Blooby

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tuyViB4_3JQ

[Hilary]

Always liked this version - have it on vinyl. I'm a big fan of Dominic Miller - a great guitarist.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IC3C1EhQBn0

Lovely

[64Guitars]

A bit of a hybrid with Neneh Cherry's parts in English and Youssou N'Dour's (except the chorus) in Wolof, a Senegalese language, and French. Reached #3 on the UK charts in 1994. I love this song.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wqCpjFMvz-k

[64Guitars]

I don't think this song charted in English-speaking countries but I think it's a fairly well-known song from Cat Stevens' "Catch Bull at Four" album, which was his most successful album in the USA. Sung in Latin, I believe.

"O Caritas"  (O Love) [1972]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IlzRFHVs9Zo