Foreign Languages in Songs Trivia

1. The theme song from 1962 film "Rome Adventure" reached Number Six on the Billboard Hot 100 Charts. The Italian tune was "Al Di La"... but who had the hit?

From Quiz U.S. Hits With Non-English Lyrics

Answer: Emilio Pericoli

The film starred Troy Donohue and Suzanne Pleshette; they eventually were married (for a short time) in real life. Pericoli never had another U.S. hit record. When last seen Topo Gigio was a gondolier in Venice.

From Quiz Do You Speak My Language?

Answer: Spanish

The song was originally released in 1982 and managed to reach only number seventeen on the singles chart. The re-release in 1991 hit the top spot, the only Clash single to break into the top ten, although 'London Calling' did manage to get to number eleven in 1979. Mick Jones sings lead on the song, with Joe Strummer singing the Spanish version of the lyrics as back-up singer. The translation was done by the Ecuadorian mother of the sound engineer, according to songfacts.com and quoted by Wikipedia.

From Quiz Lost in Translation III

Answer: "Been Caught Stealing" - Jane's Addiction

The original lyrics went thus: "I've been caught stealing; once when I was five. I enjoy stealing. It's just as simple as that. Well, it's just a simple fact. When I want something, I don't want to pay for it."

From Quiz Hits Sung In A Foreign Language

Answer: Domenico Modugno

Dean Martin did record the song but his version only reached #12 on the charts. Modugno's version was the big hit and award winner. Carosone charted once with "Torero" that hit #18 in 1958 and Granata also had one hit - "Marina" which charted #31 in 1959.

From Quiz U.S. Hits With Non-English Lyrics

Answer: Sukiyaki

He was a very popular singer in Japan. "Sukiyaki" held the Number One spot on the Billboard Hot 100 charts for three weeks; it was his only Top 40 hit in the U.S. In 1985 Kyu was killed, along with 519 others, when their airliner crashed into a mountain in Japan. He was only 43 years old.

From Quiz Foreign Language Lyrics

Answer: German

When "Rock Me Amadeus" reached number one on the United States Billboard charts, it made Falco the first singer whose principal language was German to record a number one song in the USA. Falco was from Austria and tragically died in the Dominican Republic in 1998 as the result of an auto accident. Lines in the question mean, "He had debts, for he drank, but all the women loved him, and they all shouted, 'Rock me, Amadeus'."

From Quiz Lost in Translation IV

Answer: "Shy Boy" - Bananarama

Originally this sounded like that: "He used to be a shy boy, until I made him my boy. I never missed a heart beat, just sitting in the back seat."

From Quiz Hits Sung In A Foreign Language

Answer: "Al Di La"

"Eh, Cumpari" was a big hit for Julius LaRosa in 1953, "Begin the Beguine" was Artie Shaw's biggest hit in 1938 and although "Arrivederci Roma" is something of a standard that has been recorded many times by many people, no version has ever charted top forty.

From Quiz Ich Bin Ein Lyrics!

Answer: 'Sukiyaki'

'Sukiyaki' by Kyu Sakamoto actually reached number one on the US charts in 1963 (the only song in Japanese that ever made the Top Ten in the US). The US title has nothing to do with the song itself.

From Quiz U.S. Hits With Non-English Lyrics

Answer: El Watusi

Ray's record made it to Number 17 on the charts and was his only Billboard hit. In 1993 Ray won a Grammy for his album "Ritmo en el corazón ("Rhythm in the Heart")." It featured Celia Cruz and was for "Best Tropical Latin Album."

From Quiz Do You Speak My Language?

Answer: Jonathan King

Jonathan King had several UK hits, some under his own name and others credited to bands such as Weathermen, The Piglets and Bubblerock. 'Una Paloma Blanca', which is the Spanish for 'white dove', was released as Jonathan King and reached number five on the UK Singles chart. King was jailed in 2001 for offences against teenage boys dating back to the 1980s. The other names offered as options have also had brushes with the law, some more serious than others.

From Quiz Lost in Translation II

Answer: "Lil' Devil" - The Cult

The original lyrics are: "Livin' in a shack in a one-horse town. Trying to get to heaven 'fore the sun goin' down. Lizard in a bottle, yeah. Dizzy in a haze for 40 days. Hey there, little devil." "Lil' Devil" appeared on the 1987 album "Electric".

From Quiz Hits Sung In A Foreign Language

Answer: Kyu Sakamoto

"Sukiyaki" was also a big #3 hit for "A Taste Of Honey" in 1981 when they applied English lyrics to the melody. However, the lyrics were not a translation of the original version. The Japanese title of the song was "Ue O Muite Aruko" meaning "I Look Up When I Walk". Sakamoto was one of the unfortunate souls killed when a JAL 747 slammed into Mount Fuji in 1985. Ozaki, Katayama and Maruyama were all Japanese professional golfers.

From Quiz Ich Bin Ein Lyrics!

Answer: 'La Bamba'

'Soy Capitan, Soy Capitan.'

From Quiz U.S. Hits With Non-English Lyrics

Answer: Lolita

The song was recorded by many singers in several languages. Petula Clark's English version was her first Number One UK hit. Besides the U.S., Lolita's version was a major hit in in such diverse countries as Germany, Australia, Japan, and Norway.

From Quiz Do You Speak My Language?

Answer: Sukiyaki

The title bore absolutely no relation to the lyrics, but was chosen, apparently, as it was a word which English speakers would recognise. The lyrics actually refer to a man whistling and trying to control his tears. The song was a huge international hit for Sakamoto, reaching number one on the Hot 100 in the USA and number six on the UK Singles Chart in 1963. An English language version by the band called A Taste of Honey was a 1981 success in the USA but does not seem to have crossed the Atlantic.

From Quiz Lost in Translation V

Answer: "Monkey Gone to Heaven" - Pixies

No, it is: "There was a guy. An under water guy who controlled the sea. Got killed by ten million pounds of sludge from New York and New Jersey. This monkey's gone to heaven."

From Quiz Hits Sung In A Foreign Language

Answer: "Dominique"

The Singing Nun was Sister Luc-Gabrielle whose real name was Jeanine Deckers who recorded in Europe under the name Soeur Sourire. Eventually, she left the Order and ultimately committed suicide in 1985.

From Quiz Ich Bin Ein Lyrics!

Answer: 'Michelle'

I thought about 'Sont les mots qui vont, tres bien ensemble,' but that would be 'these are words that go very well together' which is too identifiable from the English words. 'Tres bien ensemble, tres bein ensemble' does appear in the song and is not repeated in the English part.

From Quiz Foreign Language Lyrics

Answer: Japanese

"Sukiyaki" was a hit by Kyu Sakamoto and up to 2013 is the only Japanese language song to reach number one in the USA. It is about a man walking with his head up and whistling so his tears will not fall. Sukiyaki is a Japanese hot dish and has nothing to do with the song, which has a Japanese title of "Ue o Muite Arukou." The title of "Sukiyaki" was simply used because it would have greater appeal and recognition qualities to English-speaking listeners. Lyrics mean: "I look up when I walk / So the tears won't fall / Remembering those happy spring days / But tonight I'm all alone."

From Quiz Do You Speak My Language?

Answer: Overlanders

'Michelle' was the only chart success for the band, but it was a huge one. The song arrangement was by Tony Hatch, who was well known for his work with Petula Clark and Jackie Trent, who he later married. Paul McCartney provided most of the lyrics to the song, which includes the French words: 'Michelle, ma belle, sont des mots qui vont très bien ensemble'. The song was included on the 1965 album 'Rubber Soul'.

From Quiz Lost in Translation IV

Answer: "Ashes to Ashes" - David Bowie

It used to be this though: "Ashes to ashes, funk to funky. We know major Tom's a junkie. Strung out in heaven's high, hitting an all-time low."

From Quiz Lost in Translation III

Answer: "Gone Daddy Gone" - The Violent Femmes

The lyrics were intended to be: "Beautiful girl, love the dress. High school smiles, oh yes. Beautiful girl, love the dress. Where she is now I can only guess. Cause it's gone daddy gone, the love is gone."

From Quiz Lost in translation I

Answer: "Brimful of Asha" - Cornershop

The original lyrics were: "There's dancing. Behind movie scenes. Behind the movie scenes. Sadi Rani. She's the one that keeps the dream alive. From the morning, past the evening, to the end of the light."

From Quiz Hits Sung In A Foreign Language

Answer: The Sandpipers

They recorded a Spanish version of "Louie, Louie" that peaked at #30 in 1966, had a #17 hit with an English language song in 1970 entitled "Come Saturday Morning", then vanished from the scene.

From Quiz Ich Bin Ein Lyrics!

Answer: 'Eres Tu'

The original Spanish lyrics do not match a later English version, but did get some airplay.

From Quiz U.S. Hits With Non-English Lyrics

Answer: Jeannine Deckers

She was the first Belgian born singer to have a Number One hit in the U.S. In 1983, after enduring career setbacks and ongoing financial hardship Jeannine and her close friend, Annie Pechler, committed suicide by taking overdoses of barbiturates and alcohol. Ms. Deckers was only 51 years old.

From Quiz Do You Speak My Language?

Answer: Hold on Tight

All the listed songs reached the top ten for the Electric Light Orchestra, as the band was originally known. The band's mixture of rock band and a string orchestra gave them several hits, with 'Hold on Tight' being the last one to feature in the UK Singles Chart top ten. It managed number four in 1981. The verse in French is a direct translation of the first verse: 'hold on tight to your dream' 'when you see your ship go sailing' and 'when you feel your heart is breaking' became 'accroche-toi à ton rêve', 'quand tu vois ton bateau partir' and 'quand tu sens ton couer se briser'.

From Quiz Lost In Musical Translation

Answer: Wooden Heart

Presley sang: "Can't you see I love you Please don't break my heart in two That's not hard to do 'Cause I don't have a wooden heart And if you say goodbye Then I know that I would cry Maybe I would die 'Cause I don't have a wooden heart There's no strings upon this love of mine It was always you from the start Treat me nice Treat me good Treat me like you really should 'Cause I'm not made of wood And I don't have a wooden heart Muss i denn, muss i denn Zum Stadtele hinaus Stadtele hinaus Und du, mein schat, bleibst hier?" ("Got to go, got to go, Got to leave this town, Leave this town And you, my dear, stay here...") Presley had a Number One hit with "Wooden Heart" in the UK in 1960, but it was only a 'B' side on "Blue Christmas" in the USA. A Joe Dowell cover did top the US charts in 1961.

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