It doesn’t have to be in English to be good, does it?

[josie]

49 minutes ago, mcnach said:

Oh, haven't I met a few of those! 

They'd repeat the exact same words, only more slowly and loudly, instead of trying a different way to say what they want to say. It's hilarious, if frustrating at the time. Especially when they're... abroad trying to talk to the locals.

Ah, thick people are fascinating 😛

Merkins are worse than Brits for that imho. I've seen excruciatingly loud arrogance from Merkins far too many times. I especially remember standing in a check-in queue in a little provincial airport in Germany, 20+ years ago, behind a very large man with a USA passport who alternated shouting at the check-in woman with loudly telling the rest of his party that it was a disgrace she didn't speak "English". This was before I had my UK passport - when she saw my USA passport I could see her heart sink. The change in her face when I started the conversation by apologising in German for my poor German I still treasure. 

To get back on topic, there's some lovely stuff in Welsh. I love a folk/electronica duo, Solarference, they sing a few in Welsh but none of the ones on YouTube. Well worth checking out if you like that sort of thing though. 

https://www.youtube.com/user/solarference

[RedVee]

13 minutes ago, Woodinblack said:

The majority of people? Why would the majority of people want to learn a fringe language like English with only 340M natives speakers vs Mandarins 840M natives?

 

Oh yes, I forgot about all of those world renowned Mandarin speaking bands.......😉

[LeftyP]

I was on holiday in Switzerland a few years ago and came across Peter Mafay on a German TV channel.  He is huge in Germany.

 

[josie]

41 minutes ago, RedVee said:

Oh yes, I forgot about all of those world renowned Mandarin speaking bands.......😉

 

[Skinnyman]

1 hour ago, RedVee said:

I think you will find that all of the bands that have made it big worldwide use English for their lyrics. 

I think the reality is that they use the international language of the Internet - which is of course, American. We shouldn’t delude ourselves that foreign bands who choose not to sing in their own language are singing in English English. They’re singing in the language of good ol’ Uncle Sam.

[josie]

1 hour ago, RedVee said:

I think you will find that all of the bands that have made it big worldwide use English for their lyrics. 

The OP and thread title is "good", not "big worldwide". I've been lucky enough to spend some time in Santa Cruz de Tenerife over a few years and the standard of street and small club music is awesome. I don't even know the name of some of the bands I've spent hours on a park bench entranced by. 

[RedVee]

Like I said it is nothing to be ashamed of being in the minority.............I wouldn't worry about it, you have your opinion and I firmly have mine.

 

[BreadBin]

As @josie has already mentioned Welsh - what about Gwenno? 

[bazzbass]

I have damaged hearing and find it hard to pick up lyrics, so the language is a non issue for me.

I am amazed at how many cultures have an instrument that sounds like the Bouzouki . 

[Mykesbass]

Saw the fantastic Songhoy Blues in Brighton last night. Was amazed at how many people were singing along! The singer did ask at one point if people knew what they were singing 😀

[EliasMooseblaster]

10 hours ago, josie said:

Merkins are worse than Brits for that imho. I've seen excruciatingly loud arrogance from Merkins far too many times. I especially remember standing in a check-in queue in a little provincial airport in Germany, 20+ years ago, behind a very large man with a USA passport who alternated shouting at the check-in woman with loudly telling the rest of his party that it was a disgrace she didn't speak "English". This was before I had my UK passport - when she saw my USA passport I could see her heart sink. The change in her face when I started the conversation by apologising in German for my poor German I still treasure. 

To get back on topic, there's some lovely stuff in Welsh. I love a folk/electronica duo, Solarference, they sing a few in Welsh but none of the ones on YouTube. Well worth checking out if you like that sort of thing though. 

https://www.youtube.com/user/solarference

I found myself in a similar position in the south of England, no less! Back when you still had to buy your train ticket from a person at a desk, I found myself queuing at the station behind a group of three or four Merkins. I forget what they were asking about, but I remember the woman in the booth had a strong Jamaican accent. Now fair enough, I know that it can be a difficult accent to understand if you're not used to it, but she was speaking English. But whereas most of us might have replied to her with, "I'm sorry, I didn't quite catch that" or similar, the chap who was doing the talking simply turned to his travelling companions and said, "I can't understand a word she's saying."

Maybe not, mate, but she can certainly understand what you just said...

[SpondonBassed]

17 hours ago, LeftyP said:

I was on holiday in Switzerland a few years ago and came across Peter Mafay on a German TV channel.  He is huge in Germany.

I'm very big in Liiliput.

[skankdelvar]

28 minutes ago, SpondonBassed said:

I'm very big in Liiliput.

Not so much in Brobdingnag, Laputa, Balnibarbi, Luggnagg and Glubbdubdrib. 

NOI, just saying.

[SpondonBassed]

1 hour ago, skankdelvar said:

Not so much in Brobdingnag, Laputa, Balnibarbi, Luggnagg and Glubbdubdrib. 

NOI, just saying.

Dang, My own petard just went off in my face.

I've been righteously pantsed by Skank.  It is hard to think of a greater honour sir.

Edited January 29, 2019 by SpondonBassed

[Guest oZZma]

3 hours ago, SpondonBassed said:

I'm very big in Liiliput.

You remembered me about the swiss post punk band Liliput

It took me a while to realize in which weird foreign language did they sing...

Well, it was just bad English 🤣

 

Anyways they alternatively also sang in German. 

 

 

[Guest]

19 hours ago, RedVee said:

Like I said it is nothing to be ashamed of being in the minority.............I wouldn't worry about it, you have your opinion and I firmly have mine.

 

Makes me wonder why you bothered posting in this thread as you have no interest in the subject. Smacks of trolling to me.

[Owen]

18 hours ago, BreadBin said:

As @josie has already mentioned Welsh - what about Gwenno? 

Plenty of good stuff in Welsh, but I think Gwenno sings in Cornish. 

[Owen]

 

[FinnDave]

Here's one that was popular when I lived in Finland. The title means 'Love is white as snow' or close to that.

 

[ZilchWoolham]

21 hours ago, Skinnyman said:

I think the reality is that they use the international language of the Internet - which is of course, American. We shouldn’t delude ourselves that foreign bands who choose not to sing in their own language are singing in English English. They’re singing in the language of good ol’ Uncle Sam.

And while we're thinking clearly, let's not forget that the majority of successful UK artists/bands do the same, and have done for a very long time. 

[Earbrass]

Here's two in Finnish, and one in Saami:

Pekko Käppi / K:H:H:L - Mun Vereni ("my blood")

Värttinä with the Philomela choir: Emoni ennen (you have to translate the whole line : Noin lauloi emoni ennen : roughly means "thus my mother used to sing")

Mari Boine: Cuovgi Liekkas (radiant warmth)

 

[RedVee]

3 hours ago, FDC484950 said:

Makes me wonder why you bothered posting in this thread as you have no interest in the subject. Smacks of trolling to me.

Go take a look at the title of this thread, it is a question is it good or is it not good !.Obviously opinions will differ and I gave my opinion which is quite within the Forum rules. Playing the troll card just because you do not agree with someones opinion is really pathetic!

[BreadBin]

7 hours ago, owen said:

Plenty of good stuff in Welsh, but I think Gwenno sings in Cornish. 

Her last album was Cornish, but she has released in Welsh too. Again, no idea what she is saying but it sounds fabulous. 

[Guest oZZma]

On 29/01/2019 at 00:08, RedVee said:

I think you will find that all of the bands that have made it big worldwide use English for their lyrics. That's the truth and you can either take it or leave it.There is nothing wrong with bands singing in their native tongue but they won't get farther than their own country in regards to success. And maybe that is what they want, but it most certainly does not appeal to me and the majority of people.But there is nothing wrong being in the minority!

IMO the reason is not only that English will be understandable by most people, it also lays in the fact that English "sounds" really good and "musical" for almost every music genre, which is not true for many other languages (for example romance languages in a rock context sound awkard)

Vocals are not only the tool to deliver a text, are a musical instrument themselves, if it sounds terrible it will not work much, regardless of how good can the music or the lyrics be

IMO @RedVee made a good point, not "trolling" at all.

Edit: I'm not saying that those languages sound terrible in general, but that they are VERY difficult to fit in some kinds of music. As I listen mostly to rock-related stuff, I speak more specifically about that kind of context. 

Edited January 30, 2019 by oZZma

[Rich]

7 hours ago, RedVee said:

Go take a look at the title of this thread, it is a question is it good or is it not good !.

Yes, the question was is it good. Your main argument seems to be about commercial success, which is something else entirely. 

Edited January 30, 2019 by Rich