# Rock songs with non-English lyrics? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** music\ **Created:** [January 31, 2003, 4:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rock-songs-with-non-english-lyrics/151804 "2003-01-31T04:16:06Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![tullsterx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e9bcb4/32.png) [@tullsterx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tullsterx)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2022, 1:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rock-songs-with-non-english-lyrics/151804/61 "2022-10-18T13:44:39Z")
ELO - Hold on Tight has a. . . I think it’s French. … verse. ---
**Author:** ![EinsteinsHund](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/einsteinshund/32/8400_2.png) [@EinsteinsHund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EinsteinsHund)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2022, 2:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rock-songs-with-non-english-lyrics/151804/62 "2022-10-18T14:02:48Z")
The Manic Street Preachers’ “Revol” has the part German/part Spanish(?) lyrics: _Lebensraum_ _Kulturkampf_ _Raus, raus_ _Fila, fila_ (I’ve always thought that the last line was “Führer, Führer”, but lyrics sites say otherwise) [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/vf91dTrLkgA/maxresdefault.jpg "Manic Street Preachers - Revol (Video)") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vf91dTrLkgA) ---
**Author:** ![JKellyMap](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jkellymap/32/15880_2.png) [@JKellyMap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKellyMap)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2022, 2:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rock-songs-with-non-english-lyrics/151804/63 "2022-10-18T14:14:29Z")
I lived in Mexico most of each year from 1997 to 2003 — they heyday of Cafe Tacuba and Maná, plus Alejandra Guzmán, Elefante, and many more\* — so my answer to the OP is “about three hundred.” \*plus Puerto Rico’s Ricky Martin, mentioned in the OP, but I’d only consider about 20% of his songs “rock.” ---
**Author:** ![JKellyMap](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jkellymap/32/15880_2.png) [@JKellyMap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKellyMap)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2022, 2:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rock-songs-with-non-english-lyrics/151804/64 "2022-10-18T14:17:30Z")
> [@Junior\_Spaceman](#): > > Something about Canadians, I guess Also April Wine’s “Just Between You And Me.” In one chorus, they sing “Seulement Entre Toi et Moi”. ---
**Author:** ![EinsteinsHund](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/einsteinshund/32/8400_2.png) [@EinsteinsHund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EinsteinsHund)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2022, 2:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rock-songs-with-non-english-lyrics/151804/65 "2022-10-18T14:35:54Z")
I thought of an interesting one: German indie legends Flowerpornoes did a cover of R.E.M.'s “Losing My Religion” in 1993 called, well, “Remcover” in German. The lyrics are only loosely directly translated, but they keep most of the motives of the original. [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/Nq8lvgEKxzs/hqdefault.jpg "Flowerpornoes - REMCOVER") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nq8lvgEKxzs) ---
**Author:** ![Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mean_mr.mustard/32/3865_2.png) [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mean_Mr.Mustard)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2022, 2:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rock-songs-with-non-english-lyrics/151804/66 "2022-10-18T14:56:25Z")
Let’s not forget the Sanskrit “jaI guru deva, om” from the Beatles “Across the Universe”. mmm ---
**Author:** ![its\_the\_daddy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/bb73d2/32.png) [@its\_the\_daddy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/its_the_daddy)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2022, 4:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rock-songs-with-non-english-lyrics/151804/67 "2022-10-18T16:22:02Z")
In “Hit me with your rhythm stick”, the wonderful Ian Dury includes a number of French and German phrases in the lyrics: [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/0WGVgfjnLqc/hqdefault.jpg "Ian Dury and The Blockheads – Hit Me With Your Rhythm Stick (Official HD Video)") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0WGVgfjnLqc) ---
**Author:** ![digs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/digs/32/14889_2.png) [@digs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/digs)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2022, 4:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rock-songs-with-non-english-lyrics/151804/68 "2022-10-18T16:53:14Z")
> [@typhoon](#): > > > [@](#): > > > > **The Beatles “Sun King” from Abbey Road.** > > [It’s gibberish](http://www.iamthebeatles.com/article1029.html), though. I prefer to believe it’s in an actual language. But it’s one that no one understands. > John also wrote In John Lennon’s “#9 Dream”, there is a chorus which is either in a foreign language, complete gibberish, or someone’s idea of a joke. > > It goes “ah bowakawa pusé…” It’s “Ahhh bowakawa pusé pusé” Three Hs, and _pusé_ is not a word in that language, but _pusé pusé_ is well understood. . But on a more serious topic, if you’re going to sing a phrase in French in your rock song, resist the urge… unless you have good pronunciation and a decent accent. Sorry, but Americanized ‘Frann-say’ or ‘Eye-talian’ is a pet peeve of mine… ---
**Author:** ![JKellyMap](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jkellymap/32/15880_2.png) [@JKellyMap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKellyMap)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2022, 1:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rock-songs-with-non-english-lyrics/151804/69 "2022-10-19T01:21:27Z")
Zappa and the Mothers have two versions of “Sofa” on their terrific (no, really — it’s actual music) album _One Size Fits All_: one in English, the other in German. ---
**Author:** ![Mars\_Horizon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mars_horizon/32/2804_2.png) [@Mars\_Horizon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mars_Horizon)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2022, 2:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rock-songs-with-non-english-lyrics/151804/70 "2022-10-19T02:26:41Z")
This is a very old thread. I’m surprised no one has mentioned “J’aurais toujours faim de toi” by The Police > **[The Police - Hungry for You (J'Aurais Toujours Faim de Toi) Lyrics |...](https://songmeanings.com/songs/view/5926/)** ---
**Author:** ![suranyi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e36b37/32.png) [@suranyi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/suranyi)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2022, 3:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rock-songs-with-non-english-lyrics/151804/71 "2022-10-19T03:11:59Z")
I assume the OP meant to add “and are well-known in the US.” Because I know dozens, maybe hundreds, of rock songs in foreign languages. But they are by foreign artists only known in their home countries. ---
**Author:** ![Dag\_Otto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/439d5e/32.png) [@Dag\_Otto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dag_Otto)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2022, 3:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rock-songs-with-non-english-lyrics/151804/72 "2022-10-19T03:54:20Z")
> [@digs](#): > > Sorry, but Americanized ‘Frann-say’ or ‘Eye-talian’ is a pet peeve of mine… Americanized Eye-talian, you say? [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/r_EBFvzyje8/hqdefault.jpg "Adriano Celentano - Prisencolinensinainciusol (HQ-Audio)") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r_EBFvzyje8) ---
**Author:** ![SanVito](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sanvito/32/2805_2.png) [@SanVito](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SanVito)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2022, 4:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rock-songs-with-non-english-lyrics/151804/73 "2022-10-19T16:41:19Z")
> [@Jinx](#): > > Speaking of McCartney (and Wings), what/who is the Mull of Kintyre? Is that Gaelic? Somehow related to the name McIntyre, perhaps? The [Mull of Kintyre](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mull_of_Kintyre) is a place - a coastal headland in South West Scotland - hence mists rolling in and all that. Mull is an anglicised version of the Gaelic word Maol, meaning rounded hill or summit. Kintyre is the name of the peninsular on which it sits. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rock-songs-with-non-english-lyrics/151804.md?page=3)