My Ten Favorite Songs in a Language I Don’t Speak
The list is pathetically short
Believe it or not, I do listen to music that’s not Springsteen or The Smiths. What I don’t listen to nearly enough is what Americans call “world music,” which is anything not from the English-speaking world. We’re fine with German bands like the Scorpions or Swedish legends like ABBA, as long as they sing in a language we monolingual Yanks understand.
I was thinking about this a few days ago while listening to the Gipsy Kings outstanding version of “Hotel California.” Being from Texas, you would expect that I at least listen to music from Mexico, but then you’d also expect that in five decades I would have learned enough Spanish to do more than curse and order food in a taqueria. You’d be wrong on both counts. There are a woefully small number of non-English songs that have made their way into my regular listening rotation, and I’m listing the majority of them here.
This is also a plea for help. Several writers on this site have done their best to expand my musical worldview with their articles, most notably Rui Alves. I need suggestions for non-English songs…please leave me some in the comments.
“Un Amor” — Gipsy Kings
This is one non-English singing band I have listened to for decades, and in a way the band itself sums up everything I am not when it comes to international flavor. They are of Romani descent, from southern France, and sing in Catalan and Spanish. If you’re looking for mix of pop, rock, flamenco, and salsa, you can’t go wrong with Gipsy Kings.
“99 Luftballons” — Nena
If you’re an ’80s kid, this song was inescapable. It was perhaps the only anti-war song of the era that you could actually dance to, and though there was also an English version, the German original is far better. I should be able to understand more of this one, having taken two years of German in high school. Sadly, as with Spanish, all I can do is curse and order bratwurst.
“La Bella Maria De Mi Amor” — Antonio Banderas
There’s something grossly unfair that one man can be this handsome and also have this voice. In the 1992 film The Mambo Kings, Antonio proved he may have missed his true calling.
“Rock Me Amadeus” — Falco
Yes, it’s a goofy song. It also hit #1 on the Billboard charts in the US in 1985. As with “99 Luftballons,” there is an inferior English version available. Avoid it at all costs.
“La Bamba” — Ritchie Valens
This may be the first non-English song I ever heard, and it’s surely one of the most famous in the US to this day. It’s still sad to think what Ritchie might have accomplished if he had lost the coin flip with Tommy Allsup and not died in the plane crash that also killed Buddy Holly and J.P. “The Big Bopper” Richardson on February 3, 1959.
“Fred Astaire” — Clarice Falcão
This one from Brazilian actress and singer-songwriter Clarice Falcão was brought to my attention by an article on this site. Unfortunately, I didn’t bookmark the story and cannot remember who wrote it; if it was you, let me know in the comments, and thanks. It makes my day better every time I hear it.
“Malagueña Salerosa” — Chingon
If you watched the end credits of the film Kill Bill Vol. 2, you’ve heard this song. It’s performed by filmmaker Robert Rodriguez’s band, taking a mariachi classic and giving it a rock makeover.
“Oye Como Va” — Santana
Surely you didn’t think guitar god Carlos Santana would be left off this list? He’s the first person I thought of when starting this article, and rightly so.
“Ave Maria” — Franz Schubert
I was born right after the end of the Second Vatican Council, so unlike my poor mother I had no need to become proficient in a dead language to understand what was going on at Mass; the sheer beauty of this song makes me almost wish I had. It’s been performed by heavyweights like Luciano Pavarotti and Andrea Bocelli, but my favorite version comes from Jessica Wilson and the Choir of Trinity College, Cambridge.
That’s my ten favorite songs in a language I don’t speak. Like I said earlier, give me suggestions for more in the comments. And since I mentioned it at the start of this piece, here’s the Gipsy Kings version of the Eagles classic “Hotel California.” It really is amazing.
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