# Foreign covers of rock songs. **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [January 12, 2005, 12:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foreign-covers-of-rock-songs/284293 "2005-01-12T00:06:24Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Shirley\_Ujest](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/45deac/32.png) [@Shirley\_Ujest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shirley_Ujest)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2005, 12:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foreign-covers-of-rock-songs/284293/1 "2005-01-12T00:06:24Z")
I rather enjoy listening to foreign covers of popular rock songs. I have somewhere around here a wonderful version of **Ring of Fire** by a mexican accordian player to a tejano beat. On the **EuroTrip** soundtrack, there is a cover of **My Generation** done in french by a band I can’t remember at the moment. I would love suggestions of something similar, whether an entire album ( soundtrack or otherwise) to classic songs re-done either in another language or just a new spin on a goodie. Mucho Gracias. ---
**Author:** ![Tentacle\_Monster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ba9def/32.png) [@Tentacle\_Monster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tentacle_Monster)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2005, 12:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foreign-covers-of-rock-songs/284293/2 "2005-01-12T00:13:30Z")
Try Laibach’s version of _Sympathy for the Devil_ sometime. _Entirely_ different timbre, but somehow more fitting. Laibach is a German band, but they sing _Sympathy_ in English. ---
**Author:** ![edwino](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/35a633/32.png) [@edwino](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/edwino)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2005, 12:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foreign-covers-of-rock-songs/284293/3 "2005-01-12T00:37:58Z")
There are two compilation discs from Cost Plus World Market (“Rhythms in Common” and “Handful of Rhythms”) that have a bunch of these. Mostly, they are pretty crappy, but there are some good ones, like the aforementioned _Ring of Fire_ by Mingo Saldivar. Also, Angelique Kidjo covering Gershwin’s _Summertime_, Sade’s _Sweetest Taboo_ by Les Nubians, and Alabina covering The Animals’ “Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood.” ---
**Author:** ![The\_Cat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b9bd4f/32.png) [@The\_Cat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Cat)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2005, 12:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foreign-covers-of-rock-songs/284293/4 "2005-01-12T00:39:20Z")
The life aquatic soundtrack has some great acoustic David Bowie covers in what I believe is portuguese, but I’m not certain on the language. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2005, 12:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foreign-covers-of-rock-songs/284293/5 "2005-01-12T00:42:19Z")
> [@Tentacle Monster](#): > > Try Laibach’s version of _Sympathy for the Devil_ sometime. _Entirely_ different timbre, but somehow more fitting. Laibach is a German band, but they sing _Sympathy_ in English. Laibach is a Slovenian band, taking their name from the German translation of Ljubljana, Slovenia’s capital. But, yeah, they do most of their songs in either German or English. Anyhow, they have a whole album of Beatles covers. Actually, they cover pretty much the entire Beatles album _Let It Be_. It’s pure mad genius. ---
**Author:** ![Shirley\_Ujest](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/45deac/32.png) [@Shirley\_Ujest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shirley_Ujest)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2005, 12:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foreign-covers-of-rock-songs/284293/6 "2005-01-12T00:42:40Z")
I found by **Social Distortion**** Ring of Fire** which is quite good. I can’t find, t hrough Napster, Sympathy for the Devil. Nuts. ---
**Author:** ![Shirley\_Ujest](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/45deac/32.png) [@Shirley\_Ujest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shirley_Ujest)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2005, 12:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foreign-covers-of-rock-songs/284293/7 "2005-01-12T00:47:37Z")
I can find SFTD, but not that version. :smack: ---
**Author:** ![Shirley\_Ujest](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/45deac/32.png) [@Shirley\_Ujest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shirley_Ujest)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2005, 12:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foreign-covers-of-rock-songs/284293/8 "2005-01-12T00:52:41Z")
[quote] Rhythms in Common\*\* This is the CD that I have that I cannot presently find. I \*\*love \*\* it. ---
**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:** [January 12, 2005, 12:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foreign-covers-of-rock-songs/284293/9 "2005-01-12T00:54:07Z")
Shonen Knife has done some interesting covers - the 3 that best fit the topic are the 2 Ramones covers (I Wanna Be Sedated, and Suzy is a Headbanger), and Joan Jett’s Cherry Bomb. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2005, 12:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foreign-covers-of-rock-songs/284293/10 "2005-01-12T00:59:32Z")
> [@Tengu](#): > > Shonen Knife has done some interesting covers - the 3 that best fit the topic are the 2 Ramones covers (I Wanna Be Sedated, and Suzy is a Headbanger), and Joan Jett’s Cherry Bomb. Ooo! I’ve always like their cover of “On Top of The World.” Stereo Total does some interesting Beatles covers, including a version of the Beatles’ “Drive My Car” called “Tu Peux Conduire Ma Bagnole.” ---
**Author:** ![Shirley\_Ujest](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/45deac/32.png) [@Shirley\_Ujest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shirley_Ujest)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2005, 12:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foreign-covers-of-rock-songs/284293/11 "2005-01-12T12:17:16Z")
**Paging Freejooky** Please pick up the white courtesy phone 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Windwalker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/5e9695/32.png) [@Windwalker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Windwalker)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2005, 12:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foreign-covers-of-rock-songs/284293/12 "2005-01-12T12:24:48Z")
I’m not sure which came first, but Claude Francois did a French version of the Temptations’ “Oh What A Night”. Or The Temptations did an English version of Claude Francois’ “Cette Annee-La”. To be honest, if it is originally an English song, I’m not even sure if the Temptations were the first. In any case, nice song, in both languages 🙂 :wally (on me) ---
**Author:** ![fishbicycle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/aeb1de/32.png) [@fishbicycle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fishbicycle)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2005, 1:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foreign-covers-of-rock-songs/284293/13 "2005-01-12T13:27:35Z")
I’ve got a version of The Doors’ “Light My Fire” by a Japanese group called The Mops. It’s sung in phonetic English ("…\*you know that I would be a ri-ya…"). It’s part hilarious and part trainwreck. ---
**Author:** ![hawthorne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/c89c15/32.png) [@hawthorne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hawthorne)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2005, 2:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foreign-covers-of-rock-songs/284293/14 "2005-01-12T14:05:53Z")
[Margarita Pracatan](http://www.bubbygram.com/margaritapracatanmain.htm) ---
**Author:** ![Jonathan\_Chance](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jonathan_chance/32/701_2.png) [@Jonathan\_Chance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jonathan_Chance)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2005, 2:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foreign-covers-of-rock-songs/284293/15 "2005-01-12T14:23:23Z")
Absolutely the greatest of these is ‘Norwegian Wood’ by **Cornershop**. They’re an Indian (london-based) band and put the Beatles sitar-loving pretensions to shame with this one. And it’s in punjabi (I think). Absolutely brilliant. I’ve driven Beatles freaks out of my house with it it’s so good. ---
**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:** [January 12, 2005, 2:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foreign-covers-of-rock-songs/284293/16 "2005-01-12T14:23:46Z")
**Sie lieb Dich** and **Komm Gib Mir Diene Hand** are exactly the way the Beatles wanted their songs in German. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Shirley\_Ujest](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/45deac/32.png) [@Shirley\_Ujest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shirley_Ujest)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2005, 2:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foreign-covers-of-rock-songs/284293/17 "2005-01-12T14:45:43Z")
[Pure Evil](http://www.margaritapracatan.com/mp3/Track%2011.mp3) ---
**Author:** ![paulberserker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c4cdca/32.png) [@paulberserker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/paulberserker)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2005, 2:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foreign-covers-of-rock-songs/284293/18 "2005-01-12T14:57:01Z")
Theres always the Gypsy Kings version of Hotel California, from the Big Lebowski soundtrack. I like that better than the original. ---
**Author:** ![eno801](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/c2a13f/32.png) [@eno801](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eno801)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2005, 3:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foreign-covers-of-rock-songs/284293/19 "2005-01-12T15:04:13Z")
hey shirley would that be wally gonzales’ version of ring of fire? ---
**Author:** ![BurnMeUp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/91b2a8/32.png) [@BurnMeUp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BurnMeUp)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2005, 4:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foreign-covers-of-rock-songs/284293/20 "2005-01-12T16:58:50Z")
Some of my faves: Shonen Knife - Daydream Believer Balzac (Korean Misfits wanna-bes)- Ace of Spades Pizzicatto 5 - Girl from Ipanema I also have some unknown Korean band covering “Out of Touch” by Hall and Oats in Korean. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foreign-covers-of-rock-songs/284293.md?page=2)