# American songs with foreign lines? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [April 8, 2005, 3:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-songs-with-foreign-lines/298333 "2005-04-08T03:25:28Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![I\_Love\_Me\_Vol.I](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/i_love_me_vol.i/32/521_2.png) [@I\_Love\_Me\_Vol.I](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/I_Love_Me_Vol.I)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2005, 6:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-songs-with-foreign-lines/298333/21 "2005-04-08T06:37:44Z")
**Kid\_A** wrote: > [@](#): > > The Arcade Fire. A couple of there songs contain French lyrics. > > Haiti and Une Annee Sans Lumiere. > > Both of these songs contain more than just a phrase in French though. They don’t count. \*\*The Arcade Fire \*\* are Canadian (Montreal) and I believe they are native French speakers. I’m pretty sure that \*\*Rufus Wainwright \*\* is also French-Canadian so he’s out. Just because you hear a song on American radio doesn’t mean it’s an American song. ---
**Author:** ![Snooooopy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ee7513/32.png) [@Snooooopy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snooooopy)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2005, 6:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-songs-with-foreign-lines/298333/22 "2005-04-08T06:37:49Z")
The Blake Babies’ cover of “Temptation Eyes” has a few lines of French sprinkled in it. I had no idea they were French until I looked the lyrics up online; I thought Juliana Hatfield was saying, “There’s more, baby!” And although the recorded version of Ben Folds Five’s “Song For The Dumped” contains no foreign phrases, in the music video, he sings part of it in Japanese. ---
**Author:** ![I\_Love\_Me\_Vol.I](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/i_love_me_vol.i/32/521_2.png) [@I\_Love\_Me\_Vol.I](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/I_Love_Me_Vol.I)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2005, 6:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-songs-with-foreign-lines/298333/23 "2005-04-08T06:40:37Z")
oh-- almost forgot-- how about “Danke Schoen” by Wayne Newton? ---
**Author:** ![JimOfAllTrades](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@JimOfAllTrades](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JimOfAllTrades)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2005, 6:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-songs-with-foreign-lines/298333/24 "2005-04-08T06:57:06Z")
Electric Light Orchestra, “Hold on tight (to your dreams)” It contains one verse in (I think) French: Accroches-toi a ton reve Accroches-toi a ton reve Quand tu vois ton bateau partir Quand tu sents ton coeur se briser Accroches-toi a ton reve. And although I don’t speak any French, it looks like to me it’s more or less the same as the normal chorus: Hmm…hold on tight to your dream Yeah…hold on tight to your dream When you see your ship go sailing When you feel your heart is breaking Hold on tight…ooh…to your dream But in French. Side note: For some reason I can’t listen to this song without wanting to crank it up. It’s just one of those songs that kinda cooks. ---
**Author:** ![ddgryphon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/8c91f0/32.png) [@ddgryphon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ddgryphon)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2005, 6:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-songs-with-foreign-lines/298333/25 "2005-04-08T06:58:54Z")
Randy Newman has a song – I believe it is called Chicago – in which he quotes from Volare, does that actually count. he uses the words, but not the tune. "There in the courtyard here in Chicago Down by the river, Where no one goes. We can be married There in the courtyard By this old Spanish Priest That no one knows and he’ll say: Nel Blu di pinto, di pinto di blue Felice di starre, di starre lassu" etc. . . In fact does Volare count or does it have an extra-english origin? I’ve always enjoyed Blondie’s song Rapture – it was fun, ahead of its time and had a pretty cool riff in it. Plus sneaking the word F\*\*\*ing onto the raido for 5 seconds gets it some cool points too. Speaking of bad French Rap, Betty’s Carnival Album contains a cut called Millineum Man in which all the rap is in French. Go figure. Not great, but a killer bass line and a catchy tune. ---
**Author:** ![Mycroft\_Holmes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a5b964/32.png) [@Mycroft\_Holmes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mycroft_Holmes)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2005, 9:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-songs-with-foreign-lines/298333/26 "2005-04-08T09:10:17Z")
Well, it’s not technically American, but how about “Games Without Frontiers” from Peter Gabriel, which contains the line: Jeux sans frontieres > [@Leviosaurus](#): > > But the best all-time crap use of French in an American song has to be “Rapture” by Blondie. Blondie does a better job of using French in “Denis”: Denis Denis, avec tes yeux si bleux Denis Denis, moi j’ai flashe a nous deux Denis Denis, un grand baiser d’eternite Denis Denis, je suis si folle de toi Denis Denis, oh embrasse-moi ce soir Denis Denis, un grand baiser d’eternite ---
**Author:** ![Mycroft\_Holmes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a5b964/32.png) [@Mycroft\_Holmes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mycroft_Holmes)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2005, 9:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-songs-with-foreign-lines/298333/27 "2005-04-08T09:12:01Z")
> [@Askance](#): > > Amazed to find I’m the first to suggest _Psycho Killer_ by **Talking Heads** Well, you actually weren’t (check out post #5 by **Lisa-go-Blind** 😃 ---
**Author:** ![threeorange](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b9e5f3/32.png) [@threeorange](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/threeorange)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2005, 10:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-songs-with-foreign-lines/298333/28 "2005-04-08T10:21:09Z")
**Third World Man** by **Steely Dan** includes the lines (Italian in italics): When he’s crying out I just sing that Ghana Rondo _E l’era del terzo mondo_ He’s a third world man ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2005, 12:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-songs-with-foreign-lines/298333/29 "2005-04-08T12:51:45Z")
> [@I Love Me](#): > > \*\*I’m pretty sure that \*\*Rufus Wainwright \*\* is also French-Canadian so he’s out. His father’s American and he was born in the US, so he’s probably a US citizen, though he grew up in Montreal. There’s also Martin Mull’s **Ah, France** , with bits of French sprinkled in the lyrics. ---
**Author:** ![asterion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/4da419/32.png) [@asterion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/asterion)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2005, 1:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-songs-with-foreign-lines/298333/30 "2005-04-08T13:12:05Z")
Caress Me Down by Sublime No, I do not know the lyrics, but I’m sure they’re dirty. ---
**Author:** ![Ichbin\_Dubist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/51bf81/32.png) [@Ichbin\_Dubist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ichbin_Dubist)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2005, 1:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-songs-with-foreign-lines/298333/31 "2005-04-08T13:20:25Z")
Hmm. Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody” has “Bismillah!”, which is Arabic for “in the name of God” (methinks). And, I guess, “mama mia,” Italian for “my mother.” French: There’s “Cherchez La Femme” by Dr. Buzzard’s Original Savannah Band, a wacky 70s hit. Innumerable country tunes referring to Louisiana. Spanish: War, “Spill the Wine.” The Clash, “Spanish Bombs,” “Should I Stay or Should I Go.” Numerous Los Lobos tunes. A few songs by the Pixies are in Spanish: “Isla de Encanta” and “O My Golly!” for starters. The Texas Tornadoes’ cover of Bob Dylan’s “To Ramona” has a whole verse in Spanish. Freddy Fender has had a few bilingual hits, come to think of it. Native American: Jazzman Jim Pepper’s beautiful “Witchi Tai Yo” is mostly in (I think) Creek. Someone might be able to identify whether the Cherokee in Moon Mullican’s “Cherokee Boogie” is real Cherokee or fake Cherokee. I don’t think it’s impossible a Western swing band playing in the 20s and 30s couldn’t have picked up a bit of Cherokee in Oklahoma. Africa: several South African languages crop up on Paul Simon’s _Graceland,_ and there’s Portuguese on _Rhythm of the Saints_. “The Lion Sleeps Tonight” has at least one word from the original Zulu song (wimoweh). Hawai’ian: Poi Dog Pondering, “U Li La Lu.” John Prine, “Let’s Talk Dirty in Hawaiian.” The Beatles and Peter Gabriel (and probably others) re-recorded songs in German. ---
**Author:** ![Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e47c2d/32.png) [@Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biffy_the_Elephant_Shrew)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2005, 1:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-songs-with-foreign-lines/298333/32 "2005-04-08T13:20:52Z")
> [@Sublight](#): > > “The Sun King” (Italian or Spanish) by the Beatles The “foreign” verse of “Sun King” is a gibberish mixture of Spanish, Portuguese, Italian, and English words. (It took me a while to get “que can eat it.”) ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2005, 1:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-songs-with-foreign-lines/298333/33 "2005-04-08T13:24:49Z")
> [@Thank Ye Sai](#): > > Don’t forget Michael Jackson in “You’ve Gotta Be Starting Something” when he sings “homo sai homo sa homakasa” Isn’t that Farsi for send in the little boys? If 75 year old Stephen Sondheim sees this post, you’ll be guilty of causing his death. Canadian Leonard Cohan’s “The Partisan” has a French verse. ---
**Author:** ![newcrasher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/b3f665/32.png) [@newcrasher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/newcrasher)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2005, 1:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-songs-with-foreign-lines/298333/34 "2005-04-08T13:49:40Z")
**Mr. Roboto** ---
**Author:** ![Labdad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/439d5e/32.png) [@Labdad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Labdad)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2005, 2:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-songs-with-foreign-lines/298333/35 "2005-04-08T14:02:03Z")
The bridge to “Veracruz” by Warren Zevon: Aquel dia yo jure Hacia el puerto volvere Aunque el destino cambio mi vida En Veracruz morire Aquel dia yo jure (On that day I swore To the port I will return Even though destiny changed my life In Veracruz I shall die On that day I swore) ---
**Author:** ![HelloKitty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/ecccb3/32.png) [@HelloKitty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HelloKitty)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2005, 2:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-songs-with-foreign-lines/298333/36 "2005-04-08T14:15:34Z")
There’s a song by James Taylor on **That’s Why I’m Here** that has a verse in Portuguese: “Only a Dream in Rio”: quando a nossa mae acordar anraremioz au soi quando a nossa mae acordar cantara pelos sertao quando a nossa mae acordar todos os fillos saberao todos os fillos saberao e regozijarao Such a beautiful song…wish I knew what this verse was saying!! ---
**Author:** ![Mycroft\_Holmes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a5b964/32.png) [@Mycroft\_Holmes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mycroft_Holmes)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2005, 2:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-songs-with-foreign-lines/298333/37 "2005-04-08T14:42:05Z")
> [@HelloKitty](#): > > Such a beautiful song…wish I knew what this verse was saying!! I speak Portuguese and I can’t figure it out. “anraremioz au soi” and “regozijarao” are not Portuguese. Luckily I googled, and the correct lyrics are: quando a nossa mãe acordar andaremos ao sol quando a nossa mãe acordar cantará pelo sertão quando a nossa mãe acordar todos os filhos saberão todos os filhos saberão e se alegrarão Which translates as: when our mother wakes up we’ll walk in the sun when our mother wakes up she’ll sing for the wilderness when our mother wakes up all the children will know all the children will know and be happy. sertão is pretty hard to translate. It originally meant the Brazilian hinterland, so basically anything beyond the settlements along the coasts and rivers of Brazil. I guess the closest thing in English would be frontier or wilderness. ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2005, 2:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-songs-with-foreign-lines/298333/38 "2005-04-08T14:44:10Z")
In “Saturday in the Park” by Chicago there is a line in pseudo-Italian. _… A man selling ice cream singing Italian songs [unclear improvised Italian] Can you dig it? Yes, I can! …_ ---
**Author:** ![Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e47c2d/32.png) [@Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biffy_the_Elephant_Shrew)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2005, 2:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-songs-with-foreign-lines/298333/39 "2005-04-08T14:44:41Z")
**HelloKitty** ’s post reminded me of the Spanish coda in Crosby Stills & Nash’s “Suite: Judy Blue Eyes.” ---
**Author:** ![AwSnappity](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a3d4f5/32.png) [@AwSnappity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AwSnappity)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2005, 3:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-songs-with-foreign-lines/298333/40 "2005-04-08T15:00:36Z")
> [@I Love Me](#): > > Just because you hear a song on American radio doesn’t mean it’s an American song. Yes, but the OP wrote: > [@Superdude](#): > > I’ll also allow La Bamba and 99 Luftballons, as each was released on American radio, despite being ONLY in Spanish and German, respectively So it’s pretty clear that he’s not too concerned with what constitutes an American band or not, as long as the song was released in America. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-songs-with-foreign-lines/298333.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-songs-with-foreign-lines/298333.md?page=3)