This is an unusual song from a Bollywood film; it’s very Western, uptempo and jazzy.
Please don’t hate me – Volverás, by Ricky Martin (yes, he helped compose it). I was so intrigued by its melody, chord progression, etc., that I transcribed it using Forte (delaying my dissertation by a week, but anyway…:))
I do understand Spanish pretty well, but not Irish, and I’m also moved by certain Irish-language songs, like this one by Clannad – Coinleach Glhas an Fhomair (not the later New Agey version, but the original folkier one).
For the Ricky haters, here’s a wonderfully moving, but more “serious,” Spanish-language song – Eliades Ochoa’s version of Al Vaivén de Mi Carreta.
[quote=“White SIFL, post:1, topic:778974”]
… Even if you don’t understand the words.
I’m American - I don’t speak or understand french - but this song really resonates with me:
[/QUOTE]Thanks for this. I just ordered a couple of her albums.
For certain values of “moved”, there’s Burzum “Det Som Engang Var”.
More mainstream: Kyu Sakamoto “Sukiyaki”. Can’t understand a word, but his pained, plaintive voice perfectly conveys his heartbreak.
Because it literally makes my spine tingle, Prisencolinensinainciusol. It’s actually on my funeral song list. I defy anyone to not be moved by it.
That was…horrifying.
Yeah, ummm… interesting. Can I be one of the dancers at your wedding?
I’m not a huge anime fan, but I do like Attack on Titan, and I realized a big part of that is the music.
The original overarching theme is bold, and an odd amalgam of Japanese and German opera.
(There’s a version by violinist Taylor Davis, but it’s an instrumental, so not legally part of this thread…)
There’s even a video titled “Further Proof that the Attack on Titan Theme Goes With Literally Everything”…
But the closing theme is completely different; lyrical and haunting.
Don’t know if Latin counts, but Ave Marie, sung well is very moving
One of my favorites! ETA: Here’s the version I’m more familiar with that will give a little more context.
I have a CD in the car by Italy’s ‘Il Volio’ and I dunno what they’re singing, but it’s so gorgeous, I don’t care. One favorite is ‘Per Te’. heavenly. There’s something about Italian tenors and singers in general…Bellissimo.
pulykamell, you’re a kamel after my own (funereal) heart. Love that version - thought I’d go shorthand retro.
Aw, JKellyMap don’t it just make you have to… dance?
digs, you can’t dance at my wedding, but you sure can shake it up at my funeral 
Lots of interesting choices here dopers - some I’m familiar with, others not at all; so thanks for the new musical pathways. Except for the yodelling. That’s a psychopathway.
The African Bantu languages seem almost to predicate the soukous genre of music. Congolese singer Mbilia Bel sings in Lingala, a language whose syllables are all clearly enunciated with almost equal stress, which is a perfect fit for the music:
I suppose this is technically a foreign language, even though it’s the native tongue of my country of origin, because I don’t actually speak it. Anyways, it’s called Poi E, by the Patea Maori Club, and was a big hit in New Zealand in 1982. Warning: It’s a product of its time, but it’s upbeat and fun.
Absolutely. I retract my sour reaction. I guess if had said “memorial service” rather than “funeral,” I would have been more prepared for something fun like that!
In fact, you have inspired me to request that KC and the Sunshine Band be played at my memorial service. Shake that thing!
… for posting a song in German years ago, but was in der Hölle, here’s my contribution:
Pink Martini, an American band, makes a fair number of songs in other languages. My favorite is Sympathique.
Soukora, Ali Farka Toure & Ry Cooder, sung in Bambara.
Ederlezi in Romani
Polegnala E Todora in Bulgarian
Akatsukino Ito in Japanese
Egil’s Saga in Old Norse/Icelandic