I like to listen to music that has a great feel to it and in languages I do not speak or understand. That way I can enjoy it without the burden of terrible lyrics. ☺️
I have a few that I listen to a lot:
Amatz by Shanti Dope - Filipino rap
Mundian To Bach Ke by Punjabi MC - upbeat Bollywood style
Life on Mars by Seu Jorge - just him and a guitar
Update: I have created a Spotify playlist with the songs so far. I will continue to update the list as new songs get added. If you find your song on the list but meant a different version please DM me a link to the one you want. Enjoy!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hBTNyJ33LWI I like rammstein’s zick zack, I know they are lambasting plastic surgery but as a trans person I love enthusiastically shouting CUT IT OFF when the chorus happens in a sort of ironic way
“Baba Yetu” - we learned it for the choir. Luckily, i found a translation, so we now know that we are not ordering fridges or something. Look for “baba yetu stellenbosch” for a nice version.
Several Japanese songs, such as Summer of Goodbye, Message in Rouge and Contrails
Garland of a Hundred Flowers - My neighbours’ national anthem can’t be this cute! (Nepali)
Halls of Hueyteotl and Baba Yetu (both Swahili, both from video games)
The lyrics of Rouge no Dengon are really good. It’s about a woman who’s on a train, leaving town to get away from her cheating husband. She left a “message in rouge” for him to find in the bathroom, that she won’t be back until he changes his ways. She’s actually going to his mother’s house, and she’ll have his mother call him to scold him in the morning.
If you’re familiar with the song as the opening theme to Kiki’s Delivery Service, it really really fits Kiki’s character as she listens to the song while leaving home for the first time. You might get the feeling that the themes of the song are things relates to herself: independence, anxiety, maturity, and female solidarity. And of course, if you watch the movie, those are all things she experiences in her new town.
Basically it’s a REALLY REALLY good song and absolutely perfect choice for the movie it’s in. I also love the singer’s other Ghibli movie song you mention, Contrails/Hikoukigumo.
Dragostea Din Tei (“Numa Numa”) is unironically one of my favourite songs. It wouldn’t have blown up as a meme if it didn’t go so hard.
Pepas by Farruko is another bop.
Pentagram - Bir (Turkish metal) Arkona - Yarilo (Russian folk metal)
I’m a basic bitch, so some of the first that came to mind have already been mentioned by others:
- Papoutai - Stromae (along with some other of his songs)
- Baba Yetu - Christopher Tin
- Dragostea Din Tei - O-Zone
To those, I’ll add some other meme songs / songs that have been used in English-speaking media:
Also the ultra-popular ones everybody already knows and I won’t bother to link, such as Bad Apple, Gangnam Style, the K-Pop Demon Hunters soundtrack, etc.
A rap about abes odyssee. Probably. Thats what the title and video say. Got some serious flow.
Con Te Partirò - Andre Bocelli
遙か彼方 - ASIAN KUNG-FU GENERATION
アイワナビー - Stance Punks
I Samma Bil - Bo Kaspers Orkester
A 67-Es Út - Republic
Papaoutai - StromaeRush Job - Sheena Ringo
Swamp - Mid-Air Thief, but the whole album Gongjoong Doduk is pretty good.
Dixie - Harmonium
Le tombeau est vide - Chromb!
For fun:
El Corazón - Hard n Phirm
Honorable mention that might not technically count:
Prisencolinensinainciusol - Adriano Celentano
El Coo Cooi - Voodoo Glow Skulls
Liebeslied - KMFDM
[온스테이지2.0] 이날치 - 범 내려온다(with 앰비규어스 댄스컴퍼니)
Ado, especially Elf
La Forêt by Lescop
Music from Sigor Ros comes to mind.
