# American pop music hits that are not sung in English. **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [February 22, 2012, 2:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-pop-music-hits-that-are-not-sung-in-english/613582 "2012-02-22T02:02:16Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![randwill](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/a3d4f5/32.png) [@randwill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/randwill)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2012, 2:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-pop-music-hits-that-are-not-sung-in-english/613582/1 "2012-02-22T02:02:16Z")
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. ---
**Author:** ![tomcar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7993a0/32.png) [@tomcar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tomcar)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2012, 2:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-pop-music-hits-that-are-not-sung-in-english/613582/2 "2012-02-22T02:41:32Z")
Ca plane pour moi ---
**Author:** ![tomcar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7993a0/32.png) [@tomcar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tomcar)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2012, 2:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-pop-music-hits-that-are-not-sung-in-english/613582/3 "2012-02-22T02:42:34Z")
99 Luft Balloons ---
**Author:** ![bbernardini](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/d6d6ee/32.png) [@bbernardini](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bbernardini)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2012, 2:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-pop-music-hits-that-are-not-sung-in-english/613582/4 "2012-02-22T02:45:49Z")
Rock Me, Amadeus (mostly). ---
**Author:** ![wedgehed](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8edcca/32.png) [@wedgehed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wedgehed)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2012, 2:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-pop-music-hits-that-are-not-sung-in-english/613582/5 "2012-02-22T02:50:43Z")
**Dominique** - #1 on the US pop charts in Dec 1963. ---
**Author:** ![jz78817](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jz78817/32/1028_2.png) [@jz78817](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jz78817)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2012, 2:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-pop-music-hits-that-are-not-sung-in-english/613582/6 "2012-02-22T02:51:50Z")
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. ---
**Author:** ![dropzone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dropzone/32/7515_2.png) [@dropzone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dropzone)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2012, 2:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-pop-music-hits-that-are-not-sung-in-english/613582/7 "2012-02-22T02:56:12Z")
Sukiyaki - Kyu Sakamoto [![]( " - YouTube") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mvuO0BsEEss) ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2012, 2:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-pop-music-hits-that-are-not-sung-in-english/613582/8 "2012-02-22T02:58:04Z")
[Eh, Cumpari!](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eh,_Cumpari!) ---
**Author:** ![Kamino\_Neko](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kamino_neko/32/34_2.png) [@Kamino\_Neko](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kamino_Neko)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2012, 3:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-pop-music-hits-that-are-not-sung-in-english/613582/9 "2012-02-22T03:03:22Z")
> [@tomcar](#): > > 99 Luft Balloons Did the German version even chart in America? (Or Canada, the UK, or Australia, for that matter?) (It’s Luftballon, btw, just to nitpick.) ---
**Author:** ![Ponch8](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ponch8/32/9883_2.png) [@Ponch8](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ponch8)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2012, 3:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-pop-music-hits-that-are-not-sung-in-english/613582/10 "2012-02-22T03:11:17Z")
La Bamba ---
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2012, 3:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-pop-music-hits-that-are-not-sung-in-english/613582/11 "2012-02-22T03:13:36Z")
“Eres Tu” by the Spanish group Mocedades was a Top Ten hit in the USA in 1974. ---
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2012, 3:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-pop-music-hits-that-are-not-sung-in-english/613582/12 "2012-02-22T03:15:34Z")
> [@Tengu](#): > > Did the German version even chart in America? (Or Canada, the UK, or Australia, for that matter?) (It’s Luftballon, btw, just to nitpick.) 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. ---
**Author:** ![dropzone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dropzone/32/7515_2.png) [@dropzone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dropzone)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2012, 3:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-pop-music-hits-that-are-not-sung-in-english/613582/13 "2012-02-22T03:15:36Z")
> [@Ponch8](#): > > La Bamba Hell, Richie Valens didn’t hardly speak Spanish, himself! OTOH, it’s not like the lyrics were by Cervantes. ---
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2012, 3:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-pop-music-hits-that-are-not-sung-in-english/613582/14 "2012-02-22T03:19:57Z")
Santana’s version of Tito Puente’s “Oye Como Va” was a #13 hit in the USA, in 1970. ---
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2012, 3:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-pop-music-hits-that-are-not-sung-in-english/613582/15 "2012-02-22T03:21:31Z")
“Macarena” by Los Del Rio ---
**Author:** ![Terr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/839c29/32.png) [@Terr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Terr)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2012, 3:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-pop-music-hits-that-are-not-sung-in-english/613582/16 "2012-02-22T03:30:20Z")
Guantanamera (The Sandpipers) ---
**Author:** ![randwill](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/a3d4f5/32.png) [@randwill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/randwill)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2012, 3:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-pop-music-hits-that-are-not-sung-in-english/613582/17 "2012-02-22T03:33:33Z")
> [@tomcar](#): > > Ca plane pour moi 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. https://www.youtube.com/embed/bVDfmn_TMkI?feature=oembed&wmode=opaque Did (non-English) **Der Kommisar** by Falco break into the top 40? ---
**Author:** ![randwill](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/a3d4f5/32.png) [@randwill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/randwill)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2012, 3:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-pop-music-hits-that-are-not-sung-in-english/613582/18 "2012-02-22T03:38:42Z")
> [@astorian](#): > > “Macarena” by Los Del Rio 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. https://www.youtube.com/embed/YfhTKx43ezU?feature=oembed&wmode=opaque ---
**Author:** ![Peanuthead](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peanuthead/32/360_2.png) [@Peanuthead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peanuthead)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2012, 3:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-pop-music-hits-that-are-not-sung-in-english/613582/19 "2012-02-22T03:43:00Z")
[Bidi Bidi Bom Bom](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_K6D4Jh3hWg&feature=fvst) by Selena. ---
**Author:** ![AnalogSignal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/analogsignal/32/1085_2.png) [@AnalogSignal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AnalogSignal)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2012, 4:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-pop-music-hits-that-are-not-sung-in-english/613582/20 "2012-02-22T04:23:19Z")
> [@randwill](#): > > Did (non-English) **Der Kommisar** by Falco break into the top 40? Falco’s peak US chart positions according to [Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Falco_%28musician%29#Singles): “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. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-pop-music-hits-that-are-not-sung-in-english/613582.md?page=2)