Of course - Nana Mouskouri also sang in Latin - one of her selections being the best version (IMHO) of “Ave Maria” I have heard.
It is easier to do in a Romance language than it is in Korean.
Frère Jacques
Frère Jacques
Dormez vous?
Dormez vous?
Sonnez les matines
Sonnez les matines
Ding ding dong
Ding ding dong
I used to deliberately mangle the English version of that in an attempt to make other carolers laugh. “Fling a torch, Jeanette, Isabella. Fling a torch in the stable… Run!”
I was bad.
I recall the majority of the lyrics of several French and Latin songs I used to sing in the Society for Creative Anachronism.
I didn’t really expect this to turn into a listing of specific foreign songs people know, but I guess that it shows that I apparently do have something affecting my memory, since pretty much everyone else here remembers lyrics without issues.
Same here. Just yesterday I was singing along to Neunundneunzig Luftballons (99 Red Balloons). I hadn’t even realized that having heard it so many times in my teenage years, the sounds of the words are kind of permanently imprinted in my brain.
A Elbereth Gilthoniel
Silivren penna miriel
O menel aglar elenath
Na chaired palandiriel
Fanuilos le linnathon
Nef aiar, si nef airon.
I know a few tiny snippets of songs in Portuguese.
I’m with Bo. I don’t know the words (unless I look them up) but there are several songs that have been in my “all my music” playlists enough that I can sing along.
“Onyonghasayo” - Skankin Pickle (Korean)
“Chica Mi Tipo” & “Caress Me Down” - Sublime (Spanish & partly in Spanish)
“Song For The Dumped (Japanese Version)” - Ben Folds Five (Japanese)
“Pathetique” - Andrew Bird’s Bowl of Fire (some words in German)
“Sie Lieb Dich (She Loves You)” - Beatles (German)
In 2002 we all learned to sing along to backwards English, too, thanks to Missy Elliot
When I took a French class in high school, we learned La Marseillaise. But I sure didn’t remember it for very long.