# English-language pop songs rendered in other languages **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [May 26, 2015, 1:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/english-language-pop-songs-rendered-in-other-languages/720875 "2015-05-26T13:21:50Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![amanset](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/8dc957/32.png) [@amanset](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amanset)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2015, 12:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/english-language-pop-songs-rendered-in-other-languages/720875/41 "2015-05-28T12:43:58Z")
Spotify, being Swedish, seems to have a ridiculous amount of dodgy Swedish covers of English songs. I’m coming across them all the time, for example only yesterday I found “Det Här Land Är Ditt Land” (“This Land is Your Land”) by Mikael Wiehe: [Mikael Wiehe - Det här är är ditt land (Allsång på Skansen 2010) - YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RA8zsI0L0FQ) Looking at Wikipedia he has an entire album of Dylan songs in Swedish: > **[Dylan på svenska](https://open.spotify.com/album/01TN1Jnvk8ZFvqf8PQVEA9)** > > Mikael Wiehe · Album · 2007 · 15 songs. Talking of which, this is a weird one although the other way round. Säkert! is the name that Annika Norlin uses when she records in Swedish. When she records in English she is Hello Saferide. But that got all sorts of confusing when she recorded “På Engelska” (“In English”) as Säkert!, doing English versions of Säkert! songs. Finally, anyone that has seen Orphan Black knows about the awesome German version of “These Boots Are Made For Walking”: [Die Stiefel sind zum Wandern](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aIwRy1mLysQ) ---
**Author:** ![naita](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/naita/32/5862_2.png) [@naita](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/naita)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2015, 1:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/english-language-pop-songs-rendered-in-other-languages/720875/42 "2015-05-28T13:04:23Z")
> [@Machine\_Elf](#): > > I also recall [99 Red Balloons](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/99_Luftballons) from the 80’s, although the original was actually in German, with the English-language version being released after that. So maybe that don’t count. You wrote the OP, you decide what counts. When the Eurovision song contest required contestants to sing in their country’s language, making an English version was a frequent occurence, ABBA’s Ring, Ring and Waterloo being well known examples. And making Scandinavian language versions of popular songs was common in general in the 50s through to the 70s. Here’s “Cat’s in the cradle” in Norwegian: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PxKLga-9DaQ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PxKLga-9DaQ) ---
**Author:** ![EmilyG](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/emilyg/32/364_2.png) [@EmilyG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EmilyG)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2015, 1:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/english-language-pop-songs-rendered-in-other-languages/720875/43 "2015-05-28T13:47:17Z")
> [@amanset](#): > > Finally, anyone that has seen Orphan Black knows about the awesome German version of “These Boots Are Made For Walking”: [Die Stiefel sind zum Wandern](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aIwRy1mLysQ) There’s also a [French version.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sl5yH4SwInk) ---
**Author:** ![ftg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ftg/32/2801_2.png) [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2015, 3:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/english-language-pop-songs-rendered-in-other-languages/720875/44 "2015-05-28T15:42:52Z")
> [@terentii](#): > > Holy crap! This far into the thread, and no one’s mentioned Petula Clark, who recorded in at least four languages (English, German, Italian, and French)?!? :eek: This reminds me: I collect covers of _Needles and Pins_. She did one in [French](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LReRpCTAl80). The Ramones also did a cover, and then the Brazilian semi-Ramones tribute band Raimundos did a cover of _that_ in Portuguese! That is, a Ramones-style version. But I can only find English video versions.☹ ---
**Author:** ![Quercus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/7ab992/32.png) [@Quercus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quercus)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2015, 4:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/english-language-pop-songs-rendered-in-other-languages/720875/45 "2015-05-28T16:46:24Z")
The Repo Man soundtrack had the Plugz doing “Hombre Secreto” (Secret Agent Man). ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2015, 4:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/english-language-pop-songs-rendered-in-other-languages/720875/46 "2015-05-28T16:49:43Z")
[Chinese Mule Train](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O2ULDEG7Z3w), courtesy of Spike Jones, cultural ambassador. ---
**Author:** ![Annoying\_Buzz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/eb8c5e/32.png) [@Annoying\_Buzz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annoying_Buzz)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2015, 12:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/english-language-pop-songs-rendered-in-other-languages/720875/47 "2015-05-29T00:33:56Z")
They Might Be Giants - Greek #3 [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/kpKrSLiN5nc/maxresdefault.jpg "Greek #3 - They Might Be Giants") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kpKrSLiN5nc) ---
**Author:** ![mbh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a6a055/32.png) [@mbh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mbh)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2015, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/english-language-pop-songs-rendered-in-other-languages/720875/48 "2015-05-30T18:51:25Z")
“Torn” > **[Torn (Ednaswap song)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Torn_(Ednaswap_song))** > > "Torn" is a song written by Scott Cutler, Anne Preven, and Phil Thornalley. It was first recorded in 1993 in Danish (renamed "Brændt", Danish for "Burnt") by Danish singer Lis Sørensen, then in 1994 by Cutler and Preven's American rock band Ednaswap, and in 1996 by American-Norwegian singer Trine Rein. > "Torn" is best known as Australian singer Natalie Imbruglia's 1997 debut single. Her version was produced by Thornalley and peaked at number one on the singles charts of Belgium, Canada, Denmark... Originally by Ednaswap, but they did not release any recorded version. Danish version by Lis Sørensen, titled “Brændt” (which translates to “Burnt” in English), in 1993. Ednaswap released an English version in 1995. Natalie Imbruglia’s cover became famous in 1997. ---
**Author:** ![JRDelirious](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jrdelirious/32/9531_2.png) [@JRDelirious](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JRDelirious)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2015, 7:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/english-language-pop-songs-rendered-in-other-languages/720875/49 "2015-05-30T19:54:41Z")
**Il Divo** doing [_All by Myself_](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sE0zQitDcSg) and [_Unbreak my Heart_](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DJNzmNB48no), in Spanish. They also do Heart’s [_Alone_](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w-7FMUPzddM) but for some reason I can’t watch the vid due to a copyright block on YouTube. ---
**Author:** ![blondebear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blondebear/32/1022_2.png) [@blondebear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blondebear)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2015, 8:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/english-language-pop-songs-rendered-in-other-languages/720875/50 "2015-05-30T20:29:48Z")
Pete Townshend’s prayer/song _Parvardigar_ in [German](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ptxAeIK5MFI). [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/english-language-pop-songs-rendered-in-other-languages/720875.md?page=2)