When I saw the thread title, I was expecting it to be about BTS.
Released as a single only in Japan, Queen’s, “Teo Torriatte (Let Us Cling Together),” has its chorus in Japanese then repeated in English.
Jessica Paré’s cover of “Zou Bisou Bisou”, from Mad Men, made the Canadian Hot 100 (just barely).
If I wasn’t an old-ass lady, I’d be out there dancing to reggaeton right now. Even still, I can’t sit still in my seat if Gasolina by Pit Bull comes on. Made it to #32 on the Hot 100.
Right, “Fake Love” and “Idol” are just two of their songs, mostly in Korean, that have made the Billboard charts recently.
Der Kommissar by Falco did pretty well in several countries.
Yeah, I couldn’t think of any other singles either. Only albums like Mendes’s 1993 Grammy winner, Brasileiro, which is one of my favorite world genre albums. One Note Samba is another that reached a wide audience on the Jazz Samba album (Getz/Byrd/Jobim) which hit #1.
The Belle Stars Iko Iko is the one I remember but all those YouTube videos suck.Here’s the original Billboard hit by The Dixie Cups. Yes, this sounds better than all the Belle Star ones I found, which all seemed to be video tapes of VH1.
Were charts kept during WWII? If so, “Lili Marlene” would probably have been on them. It was immensely popular with Allied troops. During the war, it was recorded in English, German, and French.
Elvis Presley’s “Muss i denn” (aka “Wooden Heart”) was at No. 1 for six weeks in the UK in 1961, but was not released on a single in the United States until November 1964, where it was the B-side to “Blue Christmas.”
BTW, “Bei Mir Bist Du Schön” (“Bay Mir Bistu Sheyn” in Yiddish) means “You’re Beautiful to Me.”
Sadeness by Enigma (#5 on the Hot 100) seems to be a combination of French & Latin
I prefer Slim Gaillard’s “Bei Mir Bist Du Pork Chops.”
Would “Iko, Iko” by the Dixie Cups (and many others–original by James Crawford under the name “Jock-A-Mo”) count? Though nobody seems to be sure if it’s based on one language/creole, a combination of languages/creoles, a telephone game butchering of languages/creoles, etc.
If you can’t understand it, it’s foreign, right?
Bidi Bidi Bom Bomby Selena was a big hit.
And just for shits n giggles: Let’s Talk Dirty In Hawaiian by John Prine.
Not necessarily — it could be authentic frontier gibberish.
Asereje (The Ketchup Song)
Waka Waka by Shakira
Je taime, originally by Serge Gainsbourg seems to have done very well internationally. In Australia it was a Top 10 for TV sex symbol Abigail.
And if I could encourage some scope creep - the opposite of foreign languages is indigenous languages, which may also not be English. The Warumpi Band had the first hit in an Australian Aboriginal language with Jailanguru pakernu in Luritja.
Joe Le Taxi by Vanessa Paradis (the ex-Mrs Johhny Depp) was a top 5 hit in the UK and ireland.
Trio’s Da Da Da charted in a number of countries.
Someone’s gotta go back for a shit-load of dimes!