American pop music hits that are not sung in English.

Cafe Society
1

On the Hatsune Miku Facebook page someone posted about the problems of Miku and other Vocaloids becoming mainstream in American culture. I believe the biggest issue is the language barrier. Almost all of Miku’s recordings are sung in Japanese. As with foreign films, it seems that people prefer their music to be sung in a language they understand, although I personally think people are stupid and missing much of what the world has to offer, but that’s not why I called you here.

This raised the question, what are some top 40 US hits that were sung in a language other than English?

Off the top of my head I got;

Volare by Domenico Modugno (1958)

Quando, Quando, Quando by Tony Renis (1962)

But there must be some more recent than this.

2

Ca plane pour moi

3

99 Luft Balloons

4

Rock Me, Amadeus (mostly).

5

Dominique - #1 on the US pop charts in Dec 1963.

6

I wouldn’t call them “pop” but Rammstein’s “Du Hast” and “Ich Will” got quite a bit of airplay on rock radio stations. Come to think of it, “Amerika” did too.

7

Sukiyaki - Kyu Sakamoto

8

Eh, Cumpari!

9

Did the German version even chart in America? (Or Canada, the UK, or Australia, for that matter?) (It’s Luftballon, btw, just to nitpick.)

10

La Bamba

11

“Eres Tu” by the Spanish group Mocedades was a Top Ten hit in the USA in 1974.

12

Yes, the German version charted in the USA and reached #2 on the Billboard charts. Nena recorded an English version called “99 Red Balloons,” but while that version reached #1 in England, it never cracked the American charts.

13

Hell, Richie Valens didn’t hardly speak Spanish, himself! OTOH, it’s not like the lyrics were by Cervantes.

14

Santana’s version of Tito Puente’s “Oye Como Va” was a #13 hit in the USA, in 1970.

15

“Macarena” by Los Del Rio

16

Guantanamera (The Sandpipers)

17

Hadn’t heard this one before. The version by Plastic Bertrand Hit #47 in 1977 in the US and #8 in the UK a year later.

Did (non-English) Der Kommisar by Falco break into the top 40?

18

I checked that one. I believe the version that charted in the US was bilingual as it had girls singing/speaking in English throughout it.

19

Bidi Bidi Bom Bom by Selena.

20

Falco’s peak US chart positions according to Wikipedia:

“Der Kommissar” #72
“Rock Me Amadeus” #1
“Vienna Calling” #18

However, the version of “Rock Me Amadeus” I heard on New York radio had little or no German. The version played on MTV had all of the German lyrics.