Why don't the British like songs in a foreign language?

[Boris Sprinkler]

Similary the English speaking muscians and music listners feelings of superiority towards anything foreign.

I wouldn't say it was superiority but merely empathy. You are able to identify more and therefore gain more enjoyment from music (lyrics) you fully understand and have more meaning to you. I don't listen to alot of US rap as it deosn't reflect my life experience. However, I do like skinnyman because as a Londoner, I can empathise with some of that stuff.
I have a Luc de Vos album at home, haven't got a scooby what he is singing about but i enjoy listening to it.

 

[CharlieAddict]

total rubbish

then explain why the music industry in holland is so shite.
okay...better still, name some class dutch artists (this excludes the usual euro-techno bollocks...)

 

[dylanredefined]

To be fair, that's because it is a bunch of Nazis

I know people who own that ones just eccentric the others bit odd into dressing up as SS troopers at the weekend.

 

[ramjamclub]

I have a fair bit of none-English language music in my collection, including my latest purchase of Sahara Blue by Hector Zazou.

I have that one in my collection.....It's an old album though, must have had it 10 years or so.

 

[ramjamclub]

then explain why the music industry in holland is so shite.
okay...better still, name some class dutch artists (this excludes the usual euro-techno bollocks...)

you are so missing the point, read the thread starter and start again.

 

[Reno]

To be fair, that's because it is a bunch of Nazis

Oh how we laughed and it's like nobody ever thought of it before:

Germans = Nazis !!!


..and wait for it.....


...all German music = Nazi marching songs !!!!!!

Really, it never fails. So funny !


*whipes away tears of laughter*

 

[Structaural]

We went to a concert last night of Georgos Dallaras, a famous Greek singer.
The audience was 95% Dutch and 5% Greek expats. You can safely say the over 90% of the audience could not understand the lyrics of the songs.
We just love the sound of his voice, which is just amazing.
The British charts are hardly even blessed with a song in a foreign language.
Dutch charts have music from Spanish, Turkish, French, Italian, German and even Indonesian singers. I took some great songs in Spanish and Greek back to England and played them to family and friends. they could not appreciate them as it they were not in English. Does this mean that the British are xenophobic when it comes to music? It seems just a shame when there
is so much good music waiting to be dicovered if one could just get over the language barrier.
I must have more than 100 cd's in other languages than I understand but still appreciate.

Well he's playing the Palladium in 5 days so someone in the UK likes him...

 

[goldenecitrone]

To be fair, that's because it is a bunch of Nazis

I don't care what anyone says, Herman Goerring had an amazing baritone. And Goebbels on the bongos, need I say more?

 

[dash_two]

I always thought of the Germans as practically inventing Electronic Music As We Know It.

 

[ViolentPanda]

It's not about the Dutch but the British attitudes to foreign music.

The problem with that statement is that you're using mass popularity as a gauge. The charts aren't really an accurate reflection of either British attitudes or British tastes, just of "mass appeal".

 

[gorski]

The problem with that statement is that you're using mass popularity as a gauge. The charts aren't really an accurate reflection of either British attitudes or British tastes, just of "mass appeal".

So, why a similar phenomenon in book publishing or films [by comparison to the Continent] or scientific research or, in general, the US etc.?

 

[CharlieAddict]

you are so missing the point, read the thread starter and start again.

point taken.
i thought the dutch liked foreign music cos theirs were so crap thats all...

 

[Pigeon]

Oh how we laughed and it's like nobody ever thought of it before:

Germans = Nazis !!!


..and wait for it.....


...all German music = Nazi marching songs !!!!!!

Really, it never fails. So funny !


*whipes away tears of laughter*

To be fair, loads of German language artists- DAF, Rammstein, even Nuebauten- have deliberately played with that association. There's something about the "crack-crack-crack" German diction that does inevitably have those associations, particularly if the songs are shouted/barked.

 

[goldenecitrone]

To be fair, loads of German language artists- DAF, Rammstein, even Nuebauten- have deliberately played with that association. There's something about the "crack-crack-crack" German diction that does inevitably have those associations, particularly if the songs are shouted/barked.

I like stuff by Element of Crime and Hildgegard Knef. No barking there. Still, not understanding the words must make quite a big difference.

 

[billy_bob]

There isn't a single person alive who doesn't like Ca Plain Pour Moi.

OP disproved

 

[Brockway]

We went to a concert last night of Georgos Dallaras, a famous Greek singer.
The audience was 95% Dutch and 5% Greek expats. You can safely say the over 90% of the audience could not understand the lyrics of the songs.
We just love the sound of his voice, which is just amazing.
The British charts are hardly even blessed with a song in a foreign language.
Dutch charts have music from Spanish, Turkish, French, Italian, German and even Indonesian singers. I took some great songs in Spanish and Greek back to England and played them to family and friends. they could not appreciate them as it they were not in English. Does this mean that the British are xenophobic when it comes to music? It seems just a shame when there
is so much good music waiting to be dicovered if one could just get over the language barrier.
I must have more than 100 cd's in other languages than I understand but still appreciate.

Do you mean British or English or both?

 

[Reno]

To be fair, loads of German language artists- DAF, Rammstein, even Nuebauten- have deliberately played with that association. There's something about the "crack-crack-crack" German diction that does inevitably have those associations, particularly if the songs are shouted/barked.

That's only the case if you don't know much about what goes in in Germany in terms of music. A tiny minority of bands have played on/with that and the notoriety of busting taboo's may make them more noticable in other countries. 99 percent of bands in Germany don't sound anything like that.

F.S. Blumm, Lali Puna, Stereo Total, Peter Licht, Der Plan, Holger Hiller, The Notwist, Andreas Dorau, Foyer Des Arts, Ideal, Wirtschaftswunder and most others didn't/don't sound remotely like they are about to annex Poland:

 

[Firky]

Are you joking? I love brazilian and south american hip hop & dnb. One of my favourite bands is Belgian (Vive le Fete), I have shit loads of Spanish stuff, Ojos de Brujo for instance. I'd say that music that isn't sung in English accounts for at least 1/3rd of my music collection. I don't consider myself an exception, my mate's are just as bad!

Check this fella out, I think he's class:

http://www.djpatife.com.br/

 

[Flashman]

Françoise Hardy, Coralie Clement, Benjamin Biolay, Ute Lemper, France Gall, Hildegard Knef, Chantal Goya.

No idea what they're all on about but I have stuff by them, and I'm English.

 

[Bazza]

I'm English and I love world music. I think the English language lends itself well to music more than others however I'm a big fan of African music in particular as well as some Cuban, Brazilian and French stuff.

Particular foreign language faves of mine are Pirates Choice - Orchestra Baobab, Salt Rain - Susheela Ramaan and the Buena Vista offerings.

Ooh, German vocals in dance music work well too.

 

[Bazza]

Would you say Fela Kuti sings in English? He does in many songs...my favourite artist, check him out.

 

[ViolentPanda]

So, why a similar phenomenon in book publishing or films [by comparison to the Continent] or scientific research or, in general, the US etc.?

Because the phenomena are similar but not analogous.

There's always, in most fields of artistic and academic endeavour, going to be a "mainstream" and a "fringe". Participation in one doesn't of course necessitate non-participation in the other, a person may well have "popular (i.e. chart) music in their collection as well as fringe foreign language stuff. In fact, given the trend for exotica in consumption, it's quite likely.

 

[gorski]

What pomposity!!!

Indeed, the very term "world music" speaks volumes.... If we're serious - it's quite irritating...

 

[Shippou-Sensei]

the majority of my music is probably japanese

well over 50% i'd guess

 

[ramjamclub]

Originally Posted by ramjamclub
We went to a concert last night of Georgos Dallaras, a famous Greek singer.
The audience was 95% Dutch and 5% Greek expats. You can safely say the over 90% of the audience could not understand the lyrics of the songs.
We just love the sound of his voice, which is just amazing.
The British charts are hardly even blessed with a song in a foreign language.
Dutch charts have music from Spanish, Turkish, French, Italian, German and even Indonesian singers. I took some great songs in Spanish and Greek back to England and played them to family and friends. they could not appreciate them as it they were not in English. Does this mean that the British are xenophobic when it comes to music? It seems just a shame when there
is so much good music waiting to be dicovered if one could just get over the language barrier.
I must have more than 100 cd's in other languages than I understand but still appreciate.

Do you mean British or English or both?

The English are British
English as a language
is that clearer?

 

[Treacle Toes]

There is sometimes a 'world' of difference between being English and British if you talking about culture and experience.

 

[Treacle Toes]

I think the English language lends itself well to music more than others

Have to disagree with you there Bazza I think that this is a perception created by the fact that music in English is more widely explored, promoted, and produced.....I mean there is a lot of crap stuff sung in English but just because of production and distribution it can become popular iyswim..

 

[chilango]

Dunno.

I've got music sung in *pauses to think*:

english, welsh, irish, icelandic, french, spanish, catalan, portuguese, basque, gallego, occitan, german, russian, ukranian, arabic, turkish...and probably more.

Most of this isn`t "world" music, but pop, punk, reggae etc.

 

[Treacle Toes]

Dunno.

I've got music sung in *pauses to think*:

english, welsh, irish, icelandic, french, spanish, catalan, portuguese, basque, gallego, occitan, german, russian, ukranian, arabic, turkish...and probably more.


Most of this isn`t "world" music, but pop, punk, reggae etc.

ermmmmmmmmmmmm from all over the world?

 

[Johnny Canuck3]

I think that we get overexposed to our own language in music, because the english language music industry is so huge.

When good tunes in other languages come along, people will listen. Just look at numa numa.

Or Malaguena Salerosa.