# Your Favorite Songs in English From Bands Who Dont Speak English As a First Language **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [May 17, 2020, 5:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-songs-in-english-from-bands-who-dont-speak-english-as-a-first-language/853964 "2020-05-17T05:00:53Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![LLCoolL](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/llcooll/32/3596_2.png) [@LLCoolL](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LLCoolL)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2020, 9:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-songs-in-english-from-bands-who-dont-speak-english-as-a-first-language/853964/41 "2020-05-19T09:11:21Z")
ABBA and the Scorpions have been cited by many others, and were the first two bands I thought of. So I won’t dwell any further regarding them. “Jerk it Out” by the Caesars: The late Adam Schlesinger of Fountains of Wayne was in another pop band called Ivy, whose lead singer (Dominique Durand) is from France. Her accent is quite evident on many of their songs. “The Edge of the Ocean” was used in a number of movies (e.g., _Angel Eyes_, _Music and Lyrics_, _Shallow Hal_) and TV shows. The Cardigans (Sweden) are pretty well known in the USA with several hit singles. My favorite is “Erase/Rewind”: [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/6WOYnv59Bi8/maxresdefault.jpg "The Cardigans - Erase / Rewind “Director's Cut”") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6WOYnv59Bi8) ---
**Author:** ![cmkeller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmkeller/32/118_2.png) [@cmkeller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmkeller)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2020, 1:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-songs-in-english-from-bands-who-dont-speak-english-as-a-first-language/853964/42 "2020-05-19T13:15:11Z")
[Lara Fabian.](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lara_Fabian) Her English-language hits are [I Will Love Again](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IxC8MZ1RS-c) and [Love By Grace](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=je4X0N86sMc), but I’m crazy about her entire eponymous debut album. She’s Belgian, and like Celine Dion, her career began in French-language music, but for some reason, her attempt to cross over into the English-language market was not nearly as successful. ---
**Author:** ![Gray\_Ghost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c0e974/32.png) [@Gray\_Ghost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gray_Ghost)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2020, 1:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-songs-in-english-from-bands-who-dont-speak-english-as-a-first-language/853964/43 "2020-05-19T13:24:46Z")
Does[99 Red Balloons](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/99_Luftballons) count if I prefer the German version? So did the band, evidently. ---
**Author:** ![Ponch8](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ponch8/32/9883_2.png) [@Ponch8](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ponch8)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2020, 1:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-songs-in-english-from-bands-who-dont-speak-english-as-a-first-language/853964/44 "2020-05-19T13:38:48Z")
My answer would be the songs of Milli Vanilli, but Rob and Fab weren’t the actual singers. ---
**Author:** ![naita](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/naita/32/5862_2.png) [@naita](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/naita)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2020, 1:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-songs-in-english-from-bands-who-dont-speak-english-as-a-first-language/853964/45 "2020-05-19T13:43:45Z")
Emmylou - First Aid Kit ---
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2020, 1:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-songs-in-english-from-bands-who-dont-speak-english-as-a-first-language/853964/46 "2020-05-19T13:53:42Z")
> [@DrForrester](#): > > Shonen Knife - [Top of The World](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q_benmP9I3o) > > Turn the volume to 11. You’ll be glad that you did. I really dig the Japanese bands that sing mostly nonsense English lyrics just because they like the way they sound and rhyme. I started my trip down that rabbit hole back in the early Eighties with [The Plastics](https://youtu.be/Gi5un_z6A9M) ---
**Author:** ![Shoeless](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shoeless/32/7099_2.png) [@Shoeless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shoeless)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2020, 2:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-songs-in-english-from-bands-who-dont-speak-english-as-a-first-language/853964/47 "2020-05-19T14:36:05Z")
Anything by **Triumvirat** , a.k.a. “the German E.L.P.” ---
**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:** [May 19, 2020, 3:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-songs-in-english-from-bands-who-dont-speak-english-as-a-first-language/853964/48 "2020-05-19T15:14:54Z")
PFM (aka Premiata Forneria Marconi\*), Italy’s premier prog rock band, has occasionally sung in English. \*Translated: Award-winning Marconi Bakery. ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2020, 5:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-songs-in-english-from-bands-who-dont-speak-english-as-a-first-language/853964/49 "2020-05-19T17:47:17Z")
> [@eschereal](#): > > I rather liked that song _Who Can It Be Now_. Not sure what those guys native language was. > [@madsircool](#): > > Men at Work? They’re Aussie. If you’ve ever had the pleasure of chatting with an Aussie, you too would leave wondering what language he was speaking. ---
**Author:** ![BrickBat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ac91a4/32.png) [@BrickBat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrickBat)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2020, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-songs-in-english-from-bands-who-dont-speak-english-as-a-first-language/853964/50 "2020-05-19T18:46:13Z")
Anything by ‘Nightwish’ Here’s a good one: [Nightwish - Wanderlust - YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l2UD5VdaNU8) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-songs-in-english-from-bands-who-dont-speak-english-as-a-first-language/853964.md?page=2)