Can you remember lyrics of songs in foreign languages?

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. :slight_smile:

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 :slight_smile:

When I took a French class in high school, we learned La Marseillaise. But I sure didn’t remember it for very long.