Listening To Something In A Foreign Language...

[Axelinger]

is like listening to gibberish. Sorry, but I just find anything sung in anything other than English to sound like gibberish. If a person isn't able to understand the words, WTF is the point of listening to it? Falconer released an album in Swedish several years back with a few tracks also done in English, and I found it unlistenable. The music was decent enough, but that warbling of unintelligible vocals killed it for me. It's like hearing half of a song. If one could somehow erase the vocal track and listen to it purely as an instrumental, I'd be the first in line to hear it, but to hear a jumble of words I don't understand simply kills a song for me. Do I watch foreign movies without subtitles? Absolutely not. What kind of a dope would sit there trying to decipher things without a Star Trek voice decoder? I posted my disappointment over the Falconer album at a board somewhere, and a handful of fools started yipping back with politically correct, uber-tolerant bullshit with accusations of racism. Racism? Over a white dude singing in Swedish, which an English-speaking, old white guy can't comprehend?? Anyway, what's your take on this? Do you just phonetically follow along with the gibberish, er vocals, or does it merely sound like Peter Griffin making up sounds to the words he doesn't know on his Christmas album?

[Dark]

I don't mind. I don't listen to lyrics anyway. I couldn't tell you what any of the songs i've ever heard are about I consider the voice an instrument so just listen to the sound of it.

[Dead Planet]

English only for me as I do listen to the vocals...but bands are welcome to sing in any language they want...i just won't be listening...

[All Nights Reserved]

I think only English speaking people can find this disturbing. I never really cared about lyrics. I listen to music because of the music.

[Thomas/Coastline]

I like Japanese AOR/MHR like Ambience, Earthshaker, Grand Prix etc. I don't want to miss out on great music just because of the vocals in some other language than English. Ok, Earthshaker used some English words now and then but it's mostly Japanese.

[Grey]

I like Hevisaurus. I probably wouldn't listen to them if I could understand the lyrics since they're aimed at children.

[Kristian]

Only English and Danish work for me.

[KarpetRydOFunk]

I've already stated this elsewhere, but I listen to Sigur Rós, which is an Icelandic band that sings in both Icelandic and Vonlenska. Vonlenska is a gibberish language they made up. So, that should answer your question.

[Gibbo]

I don't mind, provided what's being sung fits the song - I listen to a lot of 'extreme' metal bands, many of which sing in their native tongue, and it doesn't bother me at all.

 

A band like Rammstein just wouldn't sound 'right' if they sang in English.

 

What DOES put me off is when a foreign band sings in English, but the translation of their lyrics is awful ...

[Geoff]

Preaching to the choir here. There's a thread on this forum on a band called Band-Maid, I think it was, where I stated my thoughts on this quite clearly. In the end I bailed on the thread, not because I don't 100% stand by what I said, but because it was just getting stupid and annoying and a pretty straight forward point could not be seen.

 

I totally, 100% agree with your reference to a movie. It would be stupid to watch a movie in a foreign language without subtitles. It would be stupid to read a book in Japanese if you don't know Japanese and cannot decipher it. It would be stupid to live in Lebanon if you did not speak Lebanese. It would be stupid to apply for a job in a Brazilian Brothel if you did not speak Brazilian.

 

Yet it is not stupid to listen to music in a language you cannot understand?

 

It's not that I don't "get" the whole "it's just another instrument" thing... I just think it's silly. I wouldn't listen to a hard rock CD with an aeroplane engine over the top of it. Nor would I listen to a hard rock CD with a cat meowing all over it, or dogs barking.

 

A small part of me could understand it if the band in question was doing something completely unheard of and if that was the only place you could hear something so out of this planet. But most the time it's just a solid hard rock band that you could just as well hear 1000 other bands doing a similar thing, but with lyrics you can understand.

 

And I still question how often these people who supposedly enjoy these foreign singers actually listen to the stuff. I'd love to see some top 10 foreign band lists from the late 1980's / early 90's from these people. How often do they reach for Bonfire and instead think, no! Today I will play Tanner's 'Auster Iitem' (sp?) instead. Or who actually plays a Ladies Room or Jacks N' Jokers CD instead of Shotgun Messiah or Skid Row?

 

Anyway, sorry for the rant. I think the whole thing's a massive toss and maybe people just like sounding different for the sake of sounding different... even if the whole concept is just stupid. I did notice that several people who immediately said "Oh man, I don't care about the lyrics I don't even notice them!" have been sited in Steel Panther threads saying that they are musically good, yet they whinge about their lyrics being too much...

[Jez]

Oh Jesus!!.. Here we go again!! Just read back over this....Nuff said

 

 

http://heavyharmonies.ipbhost.com/index.php?showtopic=33288

[Dark]

Wow that was getting heavy.

 

I agree with Dan's post in that thread. It's all about the sound as a whole for me too.

[glam_junkie]

Wow .... if you only listen to music with english lyrics then some of you must be missing out on the Icelandic melodic rock sensations "ísskápur ostur"!

 

Their hit "rostungurinn og pennaveski" it almost the best song ever.

And...damn, if "kúla kúla ananas" doesnt have the best riffs ever then I don't know what song does.

[Stefan]

Wow .... if you only listen to music with english lyrics then some of you must be missing out on the Icelandic melodic rock sensations "ísskápur ostur"!

 

Their hit "rostungurinn og pennaveski" it almost the best song ever.

And...damn, if "kúla kúla ananas" doesnt have the best riffs ever then I don't know what song does.

 

[Geoff]

 

Wow .... if you only listen to music with english lyrics then some of you must be missing out on the Icelandic melodic rock sensations "ísskápur ostur"!

 

Their hit "rostungurinn og pennaveski" it almost the best song ever.

And...damn, if "kúla kúla ananas" doesnt have the best riffs ever then I don't know what song does.

 

 

 

It's the truth, though. I don't sing ever in my life and only my baby boy has ever actually heard me sing aloud. But even I belt out the lines of my favourite songs in the car alone. And in saying that, I'm sure we all do that. But how can you actually sing along to "rostungurinn og pennaveski" or "kúla kúla ananas?" I mean, musically both songs are stunning, but what, really, is the point in listening to them?

 

It also discredits these supposed fans from ever being critical of a vocalist ever, too. Because they supposedly don't listen to the lyrics or vocals, then I may as well sing on all their CDs. In this world, it doesn't actually matter anymore if someone can sing or not, as it's clearly irrelevant. Fuckface from The Darkness is as good a singer as David Coverdale, apparently? Because you're not even listening to the guys, what does it matter?

 

Sorry, here I go again. My apologies. I find it such a frustrating topic because you're basically saying to the guy at Pizza Hut - "Man, I LOVE your ham and pineapple pizza. It's just that I hate ham. So could you leave the ham off my ham and pineapple pizza next time?"

[Glen]

I don't mind. I don't listen to lyrics anyway. I couldn't tell you what any of the songs i've ever heard are about

 

I am astonished by that remark.

[Dark]

So is my missus. She is a real lyrics person and doesn't understand how i can let them go in one ear and out the other. Having said that since this thread has started i have started picking up on certain lyrics when i can make them out clearly.

[Glen]

So is my missus. She is a real lyrics person and doesn't understand how i can let them go in one ear and out the other. Having said that since this thread has started i have started picking up on certain lyrics when i can make them out clearly.

 

wow.

 

Some of my favourite albums I know every lyric, and am always fascinated to read about the meaning behind some songs.

 

Very important for me.

 

So all you hear is a bunch of riffs and melodies??

[Dark]

Yep, i hear an overall sound/vibe/emotion/power to a track which i either like, dislike or think is average.

[Geoff]

Yeah, I just don't get it either. At it's core a song is a combination of two things and to just have no interest in one of the two things just makes no sense to me at all. These poor dudes who go to singing classes and pour their heart and soul into their lyrics and songwriting... all for nothing for some. Just cannot comprehend it...

[Dark]

It's more about the delivery. I may not like the original release of a certain song but a i may take to a cover of it because it has more power or sounds like it's performed with more feeling. The lyrics are most likely identical so they aren't a factor.

 

I do hear lyrics i suppose because i can sing along to a fair few tracks. I just don't comprehend them as sentences if you get my drift. For instance i used to be able to sing along to Du Hast by Rammstein but i don't understand german. The words just sound good together

[Glen]

Youre weird ;-)

 

So you like the new Ten release then? If you dont register the stupid lyrics about dragons etc.....

[Dark]

Thanks

 

I may do when hear it. I think it was pretty important the missus picked the songs played at our wedding. She discounted some because the lyrics were completely inappropriate. I thought they sounded nice though

[Kristian]

Lyrics are semi-important to me. Steel Panther has some killer tunes, but they are totally ruined for me, by stupid perverted juvenile lyrics, such a shame.

 

It's not that I think the lyrics always has to be about really meaningful deepfelt shit. I totally dig Bowling For Soup, and get the humor in most of their songs.

 

Judging from the posts in this thread, it's clearly very individual, what people think.

[DaHun72]

Not understanding the lyrics and therefore not listening to a song or band is similar to not holidaying overseas because you don't know the language. It's just music, just a holiday, enjoy. If you want to find out more, delve further, you always can.