# Instrumentals Or Foreign Language Songs Topping The Charts **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [September 2, 2012, 5:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/instrumentals-or-foreign-language-songs-topping-the-charts/633459 "2012-09-02T17:46:45Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**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:** [September 4, 2012, 4:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/instrumentals-or-foreign-language-songs-topping-the-charts/633459/21 "2012-09-04T16:23:09Z")
> [@Mr.Miskatonic](#): > > None recently that I can think of, but in the 80’s the themes from Miami Vice (#1) & Hill Street Blues (#10) made the charts. Don’t forget Axel F (#3). ---
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2012, 5:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/instrumentals-or-foreign-language-songs-topping-the-charts/633459/22 "2012-09-04T17:56:56Z")
If “topping the charts” means reaching #1 on the Billboard charts, only a handful of foreign language songs have done that. The list includes: Volare - Domenico Modugno Dominique - the Singing Nun (Sister Smile) Sukiyaki - Kyu Sakamoto La Bamba - Los Lobos Rock Me, Amadeus - Falco Macarena - Los Del Rio The following #1 songs are PARTLY sung in another language: Before the Next Teardrop Falls - Freddy Fender There have been far more instrumentals to reach #1. The list includes (I know, I know, SOME of these songs have a few words or a few sung syllables… I still call them instrumentals, but you may not): Tequila - The Champs Happy Organ - Dave “Baby” Cortez Calcutta - Lawrence Welk The Stripper- David Rose Orchestra Telstar - The Tornadoes Love Is Blue- Paul Mauriat Grazing in the Grass -Hugh Masekela Love Theme From “Romeo and Juliet” - Henry Mancini Love’s The - Barry White’s Love Unlimited Orchestra TSOP (The Sound of Philadelphia)/“Soul Train” Theme - MFSB Pick Up the Pieces - Average White Band The Hustle - Van McCoy Theme from “SWAT” - Rhythm Heritage A Fifth of Beethoven - Walter Murphy “Star Wars” Theme - Meco Rise - Herb Alpert “Chariots of Fire” Theme - Vangelis “Miami Vice” Theme - Jan Hammer ---
**Author:** ![installLSC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/54ee81/32.png) [@installLSC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/installLSC)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2012, 6:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/instrumentals-or-foreign-language-songs-topping-the-charts/633459/23 "2012-09-04T18:38:13Z")
> [@Boyo\_Jim](#): > > This can’t be. There were tons of huge instrumental hits from the Big Band era. For instance, Glenn Miller’s _In the Mood_ and Benny Goodman’s _Sing, Sing, Sing_ (which despite the title had no lyrics). Is it possible there were no charts in the 30s and 40s? The “Billboard” charts only date back to 1940 (first #1 was by the Tommy Dorsey band, with Frank Sinatra on vocals). A number of magazines published charts before then, but they often charted songs instead of individual recordings. Plus they were released fairly irregularly so they aren’t taken as seriously as today’s “Billboard” charts. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2012, 9:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/instrumentals-or-foreign-language-songs-topping-the-charts/633459/24 "2012-09-04T21:15:22Z")
> [@installLSC](#): > > The “Billboard” charts only date back to 1940 (first #1 was by the Tommy Dorsey band, with Frank Sinatra on vocals). A number of magazines published charts before then, but they often charted songs instead of individual recordings. Plus they were released fairly irregularly so they aren’t taken as seriously as today’s “Billboard” charts. And the first official Gold Record was **Chattanooga Choo Choo** , by Glenn Miller, in 1942. ---
**Author:** ![Waterman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/b2d939/32.png) [@Waterman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Waterman)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2012, 5:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/instrumentals-or-foreign-language-songs-topping-the-charts/633459/25 "2012-09-05T05:37:41Z")
> [@astorian](#): > > There have been far more instrumentals to reach #1. The list includes (I know, I know, SOME of these songs have a few words or a few sung syllables… I still call them instrumentals, but you may not): > > Tequila - The Champs > Happy Organ - Dave “Baby” Cortez > Calcutta - Lawrence Welk > The Stripper- David Rose Orchestra > Telstar - The Tornadoes > Love Is Blue- Paul Mauriat > Grazing in the Grass -Hugh Masekela > Love Theme From “Romeo and Juliet” - Henry Mancini > Love’s The - Barry White’s Love Unlimited Orchestra > TSOP (The Sound of Philadelphia)/“Soul Train” Theme - MFSB > Pick Up the Pieces - Average White Band > The Hustle - Van McCoy > Theme from “SWAT” - Rhythm Heritage > A Fifth of Beethoven - Walter Murphy > “Star Wars” Theme - Meco > Rise - Herb Alpert > “Chariots of Fire” Theme - Vangelis > “Miami Vice” Theme - Jan Hammer You left off the following Billboard Hot #100 instrumentals for 1955 to 1979 that reached #1: Poor People of Paris - Les Baxter Orchestra (1956) (a few la-la-las) Sleep Walk - Santo & Johnny (1959) Theme From “A Summer Place” - Percy Faith (1960) Wonderland By Night - Bert Kaempfert & His Orchestra (1961) Stranger on the Shore - Mr. Acker Bilk (1962) Frankenstein - Edgar Winter Group (1973) ---
**Author:** ![phxjcc](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/8491ac/32.png) [@phxjcc](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/phxjcc)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2012, 7:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/instrumentals-or-foreign-language-songs-topping-the-charts/633459/26 "2012-09-05T07:28:43Z")
Peter Gunn Theme - the Mancini one, not the blues brothers’ one Theme from Taxi (Angela by Bob James) ---
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2012, 11:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/instrumentals-or-foreign-language-songs-topping-the-charts/633459/27 "2012-09-05T11:40:57Z")
> [@Waterman](#): > > You left off the following Billboard Hot #100 instrumentals for 1955 to 1979 that reached #1: > Poor People of Paris - Les Baxter Orchestra (1956) (a few la-la-las) > Sleep Walk - Santo & Johnny (1959) > Theme From “A Summer Place” - Percy Faith (1960) > Wonderland By Night - Bert Kaempfert & His Orchestra (1961) > Stranger on the Shore - Mr. Acker Bilk (1962) > Frankenstein - Edgar Winter Group (1973) I was just running down a long list of #1 singles and picking off the ones I recognized right away as instrumentals or as foreign language songs. I Was bound to overlook a few. And in a few cases, I just didn’t know the songs, and couldn’t identify them as instrumentals. ---
**Author:** ![Abortion\_Fanatic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/76d3ee/32.png) [@Abortion\_Fanatic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Abortion_Fanatic)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2012, 5:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/instrumentals-or-foreign-language-songs-topping-the-charts/633459/28 "2012-09-05T17:40:15Z")
> [@ftg](#): > > Americans are becoming far more culturally isolated. [Look](http://www.filmfestivaltoday.com/breaking/new-york-foreign-language-films-in-the-us-market) at foreign language films: > > “According to Toby Miller in the 1960s imported films accounted for 10% of the US box office, in 1986 we had 7% and now less than 1%.” > > While music and film undergo different market forces, the main commonality seems to be phobic-level views toward foreign language materials and the perception of these being “niche” products. Here’s an interesting list of [Foreign Language Films](http://boxofficemojo.com/genres/chart/?id=foreign.htm) at the Box Office by gross. I have the feeling than unless it’s an Asian martial arts type flick, many Americans seem to just want to wait for the English version to be made. ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2012, 5:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/instrumentals-or-foreign-language-songs-topping-the-charts/633459/29 "2012-09-05T17:46:22Z")
> [@ftg](#): > > Americans are becoming far more culturally isolated. [Look](http://www.filmfestivaltoday.com/breaking/new-york-foreign-language-films-in-the-us-market) at foreign language films: > > “According to Toby Miller in the 1960s imported films accounted for 10% of the US box office, in 1986 we had 7% and now less than 1%.”… I don’t dispute these numbers, but i question how much it reflects the reality of actual viewership. With premium TV channels and streaming Netflix, I watch far more foreign films than I ever saw at the theater, both in total numbers and as a percentage of my total viewing. ---
**Author:** ![Waterman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/b2d939/32.png) [@Waterman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Waterman)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2012, 5:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/instrumentals-or-foreign-language-songs-topping-the-charts/633459/30 "2012-09-06T05:03:07Z")
> [@astorian](#): > > I was just running down a long list of #1 singles and picking off the ones I recognized right away as instrumentals or as foreign language songs. I Was bound to overlook a few. And in a few cases, I just didn’t know the songs, and couldn’t identify them as instrumentals. Sorry if I offended, as I was not trying to critique your post, I was just trying to point out there were more instrumentals than listed. ---
**Author:** ![Peanuthead](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peanuthead/32/360_2.png) [@Peanuthead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peanuthead)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2012, 5:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/instrumentals-or-foreign-language-songs-topping-the-charts/633459/31 "2012-09-06T05:21:10Z")
**Sergio Mendes and Brazil 66** had a pretty big hit with _Mas Que Nada_. From what I’ve read, one of the singers was American and didn’t speak Portuguese so she learned the song phonetically. Damn good job I think! ---
**Author:** ![Grestarian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grestarian/32/3227_2.png) [@Grestarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grestarian)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2012, 9:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/instrumentals-or-foreign-language-songs-topping-the-charts/633459/32 "2012-09-14T21:31:44Z")
I seem to recall the instrumentals for. . . [ul] [li]The Sting (The Entertainer/Maple Street Rag?)[/li][li]Star Wars (Theme from the Cantina Scene)[/li][li]2001 A Space Oddity (Thus Sprache Zarathustra?)[/li][/ul] …were thoroughly overplayed every 15 minutes on the airwaves when those movies came out. Also, as an aside, I remember my mother noting that “Sukiyaki” was a traditional musical passage lacking any lyrics at all but the overplayed radio piece was mostly popular because of the words that were added [Much like _El Condor Pasa_ for S&G.] —G! [Standard lyrical quote replaced by an instrumental sound-bite here.] ---
**Author:** ![Sahirrnee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sahirrnee/32/13937_2.png) [@Sahirrnee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sahirrnee)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2012, 10:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/instrumentals-or-foreign-language-songs-topping-the-charts/633459/33 "2012-09-14T22:49:38Z")
I don’t know how I forgot _Autobahn_ by Kraftwerk. ---
**Author:** ![Biggirl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biggirl/32/3294_2.png) [@Biggirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biggirl)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2012, 10:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/instrumentals-or-foreign-language-songs-topping-the-charts/633459/34 "2012-09-14T22:57:49Z")
Surely some recent Reggaeton song has reached into the top 50. Or maybe it’s because I live in a heavily West Indian and Hispanic corner of the US that I hear this on the radio so much. ---
**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:** [September 14, 2012, 11:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/instrumentals-or-foreign-language-songs-topping-the-charts/633459/35 "2012-09-14T23:21:48Z")
> [@Grestarian](#): > > Also, as an aside, I remember my mother noting that “Sukiyaki” was a traditional musical passage lacking any lyrics at all but the overplayed radio piece was mostly popular because of the words that were added The writers of the song would be fairly surprised to hear that. There was an instrumental cover of it that came out in the UK before the original did. That may be what your mother was thinking of. Also, and English language cover came out in the 80s. (Also, El Condor Pasa wasn’t actually a traditional tune, either, though Simon was incorrectly told it was.) ---
**Author:** ![SCAdian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scadian/32/3292_2.png) [@SCAdian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SCAdian)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2012, 11:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/instrumentals-or-foreign-language-songs-topping-the-charts/633459/36 "2012-09-14T23:30:41Z")
How about _Hooked on Classics_? ---
**Author:** ![AnalogSignal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/analogsignal/32/1085_2.png) [@AnalogSignal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AnalogSignal)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2012, 5:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/instrumentals-or-foreign-language-songs-topping-the-charts/633459/37 "2012-09-15T05:40:53Z")
Korean hit “Gangnam Style” has entered the [Billboard Charts](http://www.billboard.com/column/chartbeat/weekly-chart-notes-psy-adds-style-to-the-1007949392.story#/column/chartbeat/weekly-chart-notes-psy-adds-style-to-the-1007949392.story) at #64. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Me](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d2c977/32.png) [@Mr.Me](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Me)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2012, 5:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/instrumentals-or-foreign-language-songs-topping-the-charts/633459/38 "2012-09-15T05:45:43Z")
> [@AnalogSignal](#): > > Korean hit “Gangnam Style” has entered the [Billboard Charts](http://www.billboard.com/column/chartbeat/weekly-chart-notes-psy-adds-style-to-the-1007949392.story#/column/chartbeat/weekly-chart-notes-psy-adds-style-to-the-1007949392.story) at #64. It’s the [#1 song on iTunes](http://ituneschart.com/itunes-music-chart/) right now. ---
**Author:** ![DfrntBreign](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/f6c823/32.png) [@DfrntBreign](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DfrntBreign)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2012, 3:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/instrumentals-or-foreign-language-songs-topping-the-charts/633459/39 "2012-09-15T15:28:29Z")
> [@DMark](#): > > \ > Also, feel free to mention/post links to some of your old favorites - but would be most interested in any new instrumentals/foreign language songs that perhaps came close to becoming big hits here in the US? I don’t know from charts, but these all seemed to get a lot of airplay at one time or another. [_Europa (Earth’s Cry Heaven’s Smile)_ by **Santana**](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ot6pSrKT1oc) [_Trademark_ by **Eric Johnson**](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TB6HA350kv8) [_Sylvia_ by **Focus**](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P0ly_bCQ2dY) [_Blue Wind_ by **Jeff Beck**](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8X4DzA_IXFM) [_Birdland_ by **Weather Report**](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ae0nwSv6cTU) [_In Memory Of Elisabeth Reed_ by **The Allman Brothers Band**](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DcpwMZKPsQM) [_Merengue_ by **Malo**](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=igZ-1MQgE_w) [_The Gold Bug_ by **The Alan Parson Project**](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=octsUxfcoW8) [_Time Is Tight_ by **Booker T and the MGs**](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GUGsZgkjrco) [_Apache_ by **Incredible Bongo Band**](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X-aU8u8NziI) [_Sunshine Day_ by **Osibisa**](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MeH3OdgGHso) [_Day At The Dog Races_ by **Little Feat**](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xzNeFYcIIc4) Newer (relatively)? Okay. Destined for greatness? Uhh… [_Gaia Tribe_ by **Sonny Landreth** (with **Joe Satriani** )](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KozQkUlEs44) [_Nomad_ by **Santana**](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5lPslO08EKM) [_Spanish Steppes_ by **Alan Morse**](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KehI0MH6qks) ---
**Author:** ![Jaledin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Jaledin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jaledin)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2012, 3:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/instrumentals-or-foreign-language-songs-topping-the-charts/633459/40 "2012-09-15T15:40:57Z")
I’m getting hungry for some Green Onions. That was a big one iirc. Don’t agree abut Americans being too dumb to enjoy foreign language stuff – aside from the bossa nova craze, most, e.g. French pop stuff is incredibly shitty, including stuff from francophone countries all over. Eta I think I have an lp of groove Holmes playing star wars music. Late sixties, early seventies so much good stuff that got AirPlay. Chameleon of course but also shadow of your smile and all those great tunes that everyone knows how to play, as in they are standards. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/instrumentals-or-foreign-language-songs-topping-the-charts/633459.md?page=1)