How important is language for you to dig a song?

[Bard2dbone]

My Spanish is weak, but several of those made me smirk.

I got what (I think) you were saying about the songs 'just sounding wrong' with translation. THat was part of why I thoug ht of Tish. She is possibly the only singer in the world who makes it sound right.

Look her up. You'll see what I mean. I think her website is www.mundotish.com.

 

[Alvaro Martín Gómez A.]

Look her up. You'll see what I mean. I think her website is www.mundotish.com.

Very interesting, man. I'll try to get some recordings from her. Thanks for the link!

 

[winston]

I don't really care what language a good song is in. Just bought the wife Seu Jorge's "The Life Aquatic" soundtrack which features Jorge (a Brazilian) singing a bunch of David Bowie songs in Portuguese. Also love Gigi (Bill Laswell's wife) who sings in Ethiopian. I can comprehend Spanish and French pretty well but often just get off on the mellifluous tone of songs in those languages before considering the meaning. If someone's got soul it comes through no matter the language.

Sometimes when I hear a song in an unfamiliar language my ear resolves the phonemes into English phrases with often hilarious results. I remember listening to an album of Norwegian folkloric music by Ole Ivars. It sounded like the Swedish Chef from the Muppet Show singing about "Humpty Dumpty rocking chairs" and "unproductive days in school" among other things.

Also, there's something undeniably cute about Japanese girls singing pop songs in phonetic English...

 

[905]

Haha, Ole Ivars!

I feel sorry for you
That's probably the best example of a pop band making music solely and exclusively for 90+ year olds.

 

[ric1312]

Agreed.

You might also want to look into Iron Maiden. Some songs the guy just flies off with the operatic vocals, but usually you can make out what he is saying. The Number of the Beast is esepcially good.

Have you heard the maiden album "brave new world," I'm not a huge maiden fan, just because the songs start to sound the same to me after a while and the singer does the same thing over and over. But, this album is a departure from their usual sound without going to far outside the box, if you havn't already check it out. My fav from them.

 

[Richard Lindsey]

I find I can enjoy the songs on some level whether or not I can understand the lyrics. With a good song and a good singer, something gets communicated regardless of verbal comprehensibility, and that's what I react to. For example, Milton Nascimento is one of my favorite singers on earth, but I can't speak Portuguese or understand it when spoken (I can read a very little bit). And I listen to a ton of African music, none of which I can understand, whether it's in Yoruba, Douala, Zulu, or Swahili. And Oum Koulthoum I find spellbinding despite my utter ignorance of Arabic. A great singer just has "it," and I believe you can hear that even if you don't know the words.

On another note, I think I know what Alvaro means about some songs just not sounding right in certain languages. I have [EDIT: I should say "had"--I thought I still had it, but Bard's comment led me to walk over to my LP rack, and it wasn't there any more, reminding me that i'd given it away a while ago] a record on which Ruben Blades sings in English. His English is excellent, and the lyrics are very good, but it just doesn't sound right to me. I'd rather listen to his records with Seis del Solar (Buscando America, anybody?).

 

[Richard Lindsey]

Very interesting, man. I'll try to get some recordings from her. Thanks for the link!

Hey Alvaro, on another note, do you know a Colombian singer/songwriter/guitarist named Claudia Gomez? I think she's from Medellin. I have a couple of her records, and I love her stuff. (Even though I don't speak Spanish--as with Portuguese, I only read a little.) She was living in the US for a while, and she had a record out on a label my old band was also on, which is how I got hip to her stuff. (The record was Tierradentro, on Green Linnet.)

 

[Alvaro Martín Gómez A.]

(Buscando America, anybody?).

A true classic. "Decisiones" is worth the admission alone.

 

[Bard2dbone]

On another note, I think I know what Alvaro means about some songs just not sounding right in certain languages. I have a record on which Ruben Blades sings in English. His English is excellent, and the lyrics are very good, but it just doesn't sound right to me. I'd rather listen to his records with Seis del Solar (Buscando America, anybody?).

Are you talking about 'Nothing But The Truth', the one that had 'The Miranda Syndrome' on it? That is one of my favorite minimalist grooves ever. I named my daughter Miranda because of that song.*

*Seriously. I really did. My wife and I couldn't come up with a name we both liked for several months. Then 'The Miranda Syndrome' started playing on the radio, and I started ainging along "Carmen Mirandaaaaa, won't you come home ooOOooOOOooOOoh. Won't you come home." and Melanie said "Miranda. Hmmmm? I don't hate that." And I said Miranda Roy? That's not all that bad." And my daughter was named.

And I prefer Ruben in Spanish, too. I used to own Buscando America. I wore it out.

 

[Alvaro Martín Gómez A.]

Hey Alvaro, on another note, do you know a Colombian singer/songwriter/guitarist named Claudia Gomez? I think she's from Medellin. I have a couple of her records, and I love her stuff. (Even though I don't speak Spanish.) She was living in the US for a while, and she had a record out on a label my old band was also on, why is how I got hip to her stuff.

No, man. Never heard about her, but I've just found Invalid Link Removed. If Antonio Arnedo is behind her, it must be really good stuff.

 

[Richard Lindsey]

Are you talking about the one that had 'The Miranda Syndrome' on it? That is one of my favorite minimalist grooves ever. I named my daughter Miranda because of that song.*

*Seriously. I really did. My wife and I couldn't come up with a name we both liked for several months. Then 'The Miranda Syndrome' started playing on the radio, and I started ainging along "Carmen Mirandaaaaa, won't you come home ooOOooOOOooOOoh. Won't you come home." and Melanie said "Miranda. Hmmmm? I don't hate that." And I said Miranda Roy? That's not all that bad." And my daughter was named.

And I prefer Ruben in Spanish, too. I used to own Buscando America. I wore it out.

Hmm, can't remember if that was the one. I gave it a way a while back. Could be. I've still got my copies of Buscando America, Escenas, and Agua de Luna, on vinyl. And Ruben at S.O.B.'s in NYC, sometime in the later '80s, was one of the best live shows I've ever seen.

 

[Richard Lindsey]

No, man. Never heard about her, but I've just found Invalid Link Removed. If Antonio Arnedo is behind her, it must be really good stuff.

Check her out if you get a chance. I think she's really talented--one of those people who deserve to be more famous than many of the singers who actually ARE famous, if you know what I mean.

 

[Alvaro Martín Gómez A.]

Check her out if you get a chance. I think she's really talented--one of those people who deserve to be more famous than many of the singers who actually ARE famous, if you know what I mean.

Link Removed

 

[Bard2dbone]

Hmm, can't remember if that was the one. I gave it a way a while back. Could be. I've still got my copies of Buscando America, Escenas, and Agua de Luna, on vinyl. And Ruben at S.O.B.'s in NYC, sometime in the later '80s, was one of the best live shows I've ever seen.

Then do you remember the song I described, or another where a barfly writes a letter to the Pope?

I used to warm up with the groove from Miranda Syndrome. And I tried to convince the guys in my band to cover Letter To The Vatican.

"So she wrote a letter to the Vatican
she's gonna write a letter to him
'Dear Pope' send me some hope, or a rope
to do me in."

Sound familiar at all?

 

[Richard Lindsey]

Then do you remember the song I described, or another where a barfly writes a letter to the Pope?

I used to warm up with the groove from Miranda Syndrome. And I tried to convince the guys in my band to cover Letter To The Vatican.

"So she wrote a letter to the Vatican
she's gonna write a letter to him
'Dear Pope' send me some hope, or a rope
to do me in."

Sound familiar at all?

Yes! That was it! Wasn't there also a song done, or at least written, with Lou Reed?

 

[Bard2dbone]

Yes! That was it! Wasn't there also a song done, or at least written, with Lou Reed?

Hopes On Hold was with Lou Reed. The Miranda Syndrome was with Elvis Costello. I just looked it up.

 

[hamster]

In Portugese, Mas Que Nada sounds great!

Oaria raio
Oba Oba Oba
Mas que nada
Sai da minha frente
Eu quero passar
Pois o samba esta animado
O que eu quero e sambar
Este samba
Que e misto de maracatu
E samba de preto velho
Samba de preto tu
Mas que nada
Um samba como esse tao legal
Voce nao vai querer
Que eu chegue no final


However, the Babelfish translation don't sound so sexy....

Oaria ray
Oba Oba Oba
But that nothing
It leaves my front I I want to pass
Therefore the livened up samba this What I want and to sambar
This samba That and compound of maracatu and samba of old black color
Samba of black color you
But that nothing a samba as this tao legal
Voce nao go to want
That I arrive in the end

Groovy baby

Hamster

 

[The Alexander]

Doesnt matter to me. Sometimes vocals in a different language than what we are used to can add a unique nuance to the song that you could not get any other way.