I do. I think songs, and music for that matter, goes beyond the language barriers and touches the heart and the soul directly. There is music that makes you cry even though you don't understand the lyrics or even though there are no lyrics.
Perhaps this is why classical music is so effective, words aren't use to show the variety of human emotions and sentiments that can be captured through music.
[question posted by augustine87]
responses and comments:
yes i do. i am in a band and when we play abroads we need to play atleast some local music on that country. also that anime is very popular i also listen to it specially the songs that are played on my favorite anime series. [se7enthbird]
i like the smap, i like ooguro maki, i like also doraemon and slum dunk. samurai x and dargon ball. i grew up with Voltes V and mazinger Z. trigun is one of the best but i dont know why they have not repeated here. [se7enthbird]
Yeah I listen to music in English French Spanish and Italian. I don't understand every word but ... most of the time that doesn't matter if it's a good song I'll still get that vibe. Socrates or Plato I forget at the moment which used to say that we should fear music changing because as it did so would our societies. I personally don't fear music changing as it just always does, but i think that shows how seriously people take music for it's power to move people. [Esoteric1]
Yes, music does move people. Aside from being able to move people though, I think it is also therapeutic. It benefits the well-being of people. [augustine87]
Yes, I have listened to songs sung in Italian, Spanish, Turkish and Thai. I might not have always understood them but I wold always enjoy singing along to them. Usually when the singers have a feeling for their songs as you say you don't need to understand the words, you just get an idea of what you think they are singing about. Emotions are very, very powerful. Thanks for sharing this idea with us. [wickedangel]
Thanks. I agree, powerful emotions can be expressed through music. The most powerful emotion that can be expressed through music for me is sadness. And since it has a "weeping" sound, I love songs with a violin arrangement. [augustine87]
yes, One of my favorite bands is German, I don't understand everything they say but I can understand some of it. The band is actually what got me to try and learn German. [vanamite]
Well, not exactly in other languages. There are many English songs that have been interpreted in our language, Filipino. Many of them not exactly down to it's literal meaning. We have a lot of singers who could actually imitate an English song close to the original. That is more especially so with songs of bands. In our country, we really appreciate English songs interpreted locally, properly arranged and recorded. It seems that once it is translated or interpreted to our language, there is more feelings or emotions to it. [rbnstr08]
I beg to disagree. I'm a Filipino too, and I hate foreign songs translated into Filipino. If Filipinos have so much talent, why won't they express it by writing and composing original songs rather than copying from those already written? I hate this trait of the Filipinos, sorry. But it doesn't mean I'm not a fan of OPM, because I am. I just don't like it that we copy others, when I know for a fact that we can do better than that. [swirlz]
Actually,sometimes I linsen to songs in another language on purpose,which gives me a very diffrent feeling of the language.I think when a language is singed,it gives much more meaning than when it is speaked.But if you can understand the lyrics,you can't help understanding,so you are not able to just focus on the dialect,the rhythm,the tune. Anyway,sometimes I like listening to a song without thinking what it's talking about,especially one in a beautiful language I don't understand. [elflying]
Yes I do. I love listening Japanese music. Actually, it started when I became an anime enthusiasts. I like listening to it and sometimes I even sing it. Because of anime, I became more interested and studied some basic nihonggo for me to understand some of the lyrics. Recently, I'm also listening to Korea and Chinese music, although I'm not that fascinated on it :D [kylie_quistis]
Good for you! When you listen to songs over and over again, you start getting into the language itself. And then you find out, when you learn what the lyrics mean, that the words are really beautiful all along. Isn't that great? :D [augustine87]
I remember when I was a little girl I would always hear Italian music drift down from my Aunt's apartment above us. Whenever she would do house cleaning or she was cooking a big meal she would have the Italian music on. Now as an adult I myself listen to it from time to time. Mostly songs that I remember my Aunt used to listen to. I even sing along to some of them & yes I also know SOME of the words but deffinately not all of them. I can hardly speak the lanuage, but some of the songs are just so beautiful that it really doesn't matter that I can't understand the words. [robsbrooklyngirl]
Yup! Especially the ones that are used in Movies, videogames and TV series, etc. I love Korean movies and series and some Japanese and Chinese too and I had researched for the song lyrics and even memorized most of them. There were a time when I would listen to Final fantasy soundtrack and I just love it even when I haven't played the game. There are really sounds that we associate with emotions and it makes watching or playing more fun and enjoyable. [chrysz]
I listen to music in different languages so I can get a feel for that culture. I listen to Lorie in French, she is like Brittney Spears, only wholesome. I listen to Ricardo Montaner in Spanish. I listen to Rammstein in German but I can't get into Opera, it's a love it or hate it thing with me, and I don't love it. [gitfiddleplayer]
How true. I too feel that music transcends all barriers and that is why instrumental music also has a distinct charm of its own. It is after all the combination of the notes and the rhythm that touches a cord deep within us and that is why we are enchanted by the music without bothering about the words. However, I should say that I do have a partiality for my regional language[mother tongue] film songs, similar ones in other languages and those songs that I became acquainted with in my school days some 40 years back. We are so used to some special kind of music that has a timeless relevance and makes us respond at all times. [kalav56]
I guess I only have less than 5 foreign songs, I mean English is foreign to us but aside from english like chinese or japanese songs. I like "Because I'm a Girl" by Kiss. I like "Life as a Boat" by Rei Fu. And I guess that's all. lol They're both mellow, "Because I'm a Girl" is a love song and "Life as a Boat" is a song about life and all that. [MGjhaud]
I've never heard of the one by Kiss but that song by Rei Fu is in my playlist. It was one of the ending themes of the anime Bleach. :D [augustine87]
Yes, I listening to songs in English, French and Japanese. Although sometimes I didn't understand the meaning of lyrics exactly, but I can feel it from the deep heart. I think music has no boundary. [LucyZhang]
why not i think music is comman language in the world!i love to hear other country's music sometime i will throught will be more nice ! [phxautopatrs]
Yes, I do but rarely. I only get to listen to songs in other languages from the radio that makes it as a hit, in the airwaves, mainstream here in my country. Oh, I also remember visiting another place and being in a Chinese restaurant and they have Chinese music on, playing while people are dining. It's quite interesting. Even though I could not understand what the song meant, I liked it. I believe in the saying that "Music is the Universal Language." [MariaD]
How? if you do not understand the language,how you understand what them say?maybe he/she swear or speak about love,or about satan where do you know this.Or you listen only the backround.I have a news for it is a music specil for the people who listen only the backround it is call house. [ediona]
I listen to chinese language songs; particularly mandarin, although I don't speak nor understand the language. I can pick up some simple words but that's just about it. anyway I love mandarin songs especially ballads, even though I don't understand the lyrics...but the rhythm and melody is really nice. [kevsgirlalways]
No. But I have heard of it. I like the Mexican Salsa music. I think it sounds sexy! [cream97]
i listen to. i mainly listen to somthings in languages that are not my mother tongue. but i listen in mother tongue too. i think songs have no language. any language song can make any one happy. [subha12]
I prefer to listen to songs sang in the languages can speak and talk(swedish and english).Beacuse I want to know what I´m listen to [Kahawa]
ya i do listen to such songs. it may happen that you might not even get a word out of the song but sounds like a melody to ears. then why not listen to it... but i usually try to listen it more than once so that i can catch up with the words and then keep humming the tune and the words even if i have got some words wrong because it really should not make any difference as far as you are happy with it. isn't it my friend??? SOUL IS WHAT MATERS AND NOT THE PHYSICAL BODY IN TYHE SAME WAY ,music is what really matters and not the language . T.C BYE AND HAPPY POSTING [mayurnagekar]
i love different Japanese songs, special those songs from animes. like the song "let me be with you" from the anime "chobits". i really like it even thou i can't understand what its lyrics is all about, and you know even thou i can't understand it i have still memorized its lyrics. hehe i really love that anime.lol [jobenmakapangyarihan]
love them too. The soundtrack might be one of the strongest selling points of anime. And an advantage of listening to songs in other languages is learning a new language! Yay! [augustine87]
YEs, I do listen to foreign songs and I even sing them too, before. I used to sing a Japanese and Spanish song that I've memorized the lyrics just by listening to them. I don't know what the lyrics mean but the melody is so good that I was able to sing them with feelings. [steney]
Yes I do. I listen to foreign songs sang in an unfamiliar language. I usually choose those which are good in melody. Actually, I have mp3s of the songs I like in foreign language. [wrangel15]
Yes, i love it when i feel like dancing with the tune. I understand english and tagalog but i love thalia and jlo songs. I look at dictionary translation to know what is the essence of the song. When i already know the meaning, i feel that i am not wrong of choosing that song and i can really relate. [alexigne]
yes I like to listen to music from various languages. most of them are folk songs of other countries like italy, spain, cuba and africa... [sankhasubhra]
yeah..i do....and for me... other languages song especially the classical songs really captures my interest to listen such songs...promise..** [MinamiKesh]
Yeah. I enjoy listening to songs in Chinese, English and French. No matter what language the song is written in, it sounds beautiful and nice to me. I like soft music best for it can make me feel quite relaxed after a whole day's busyness. [May2008]
I don't listen to it regularly but, occasionally I will, and I enjoy opera. I like to sing a long so it is hard for me to listen to music I don't understand the words to. [ladym33]
Yes,i do.i listen songs for their tunes,not for languages.i always listen to English,French,Japanese and Chinese songs.Sometimes i want to learn a language because a song,such as French. [gengeng1985]
I absolutely do. I love all kinds of music and have a large collection of music from all over the world. I was heavily influenced by some of my dance teachers who exposed us to new music authentic to its different countries of origin. I also have baby fluency in French and am learning German, and since I love music, it helps me learn the language much faster since I can correlate it with a close passion of mine. [skydancer]
yes in church were i attend mass the latin songs are sung... i didnt first understand latin but thru the years i learned some latin prayers.... which is part to the tridtine mass liturgy... [coverboiz]
I would listen to Spanish songs. They sound romantic. And I could understand a little of that language! But if I don't understand the language then I dont think I would listen to it. [shynie]
I listen to Public Radio a lot and they have a show on weekday evenings that is all Hmong music etc. I love the sounds and their voices. Their music is beautiful even though I do not understand a single word of what they are singing about. HAPPY POSTINGS FROM GRANDPA BOB !!~ [webeishere]
i really like salsa music as well as latin jazz. this music is often in spanish and i have been able to pick up a bit of spanish here and there...also, i have listened to french music and chinese music which i like also (i generally get multi cultural cds out from my library to listen to.) [cher913]
yes i do especially those guys tha rap in spanish language, i like the rhythm even though i dont understand what they say, i like a mixture of spanish rap with some english chorus i also do enjoy some french raps too, some contemporary fench,mexican songs also sound good to me sometimes [delaks44]
THe songs I listen to that are in another language is anything by Rammstein, and Kuloem Tekee Taiteilijan by Nightwish. Rammstein sings in German and the Nightwish song is in Finnish. [motorheadbanger]
yes I do. music has no borders, though offer on the radio doesn't go much further than local language and English. It's almost a miracle listening something in any other European language, though once in a while there is a world wide hit in French or Spanish, or... or nothing else. [overwings]
I do. I love the song "First Love" by Hoku (i think). The melody is so beautiful although I don't understand most of it since it's only the chorus which has some english parts. Also, I'm an anime fan, and so I get to listen and be impressed by Japanese/Chinese songs.. [Elfwand]
I have some CDs by The Medieval Baebes and they sing in Latin, French, German and Celtic. I cannot understand a word of the songs but they are wonderful to listen to. They harmonize so well and sign so beautifully, they are great to relax to as well. [recycledgoth]
I do, but not as much as many others do. In fact,many years ago I just didn't want to listen any songs that I couldn't understand the lyrics. but then the range has been increased because I have improved my english so much since that time and that helped me to understand the songs in english. but that still doesn't mean I am listening to the songs written in other languages because although by native language is Turkish, I am listening the English songs because I understand them but if we should mention about other languages that we don't understand, then flamenco makes it true for me. I have started studying spanish a few months ago but I didn't have the time to improve my spanish a lot, so I doN't understand it yet but I still listen to flamenco songs, the lyrics are still important for me. I just don't understand them but the way the vocals sing the song is important and I would like to learn that too. I am also an amateur guitarist, and interested in flamenco style but I can't say I am good at it yet. I hope one day I will have a chance to improve myself both on flamenco and spanish. Would love to sing and play those songs :) By the way, my favourite flamenco musician is Paco de Lucia. He is a true legend and I love , I adore his style! I wish my spanish was good enough to understand the songs which had lyrics. [the_ruler]
Wow! Good for you! I have been trying to master the guitar for years but I just am not dedicated enough. Recently, I took up the violin because I really love its music. I promised to play the violin for a friend's wedding someday. I really hope I could do it. :D [augustine87]
A great deal of the music I listen to is in a different language. I listern to a lot of electronica, industrial etc which is way more popular in Europe than on this side of the pond, so a lot of it is German, Belgian etc....I've always preferred the actual music to the lyrics, so this is fine for me [inked4life]
That's true for me to. Sometimes, the notes are enough to convey the meaning. I have encountered some songs wherein the lyrics do not make sense at all (just rants and curse words) so the melody is being devalued. If only lyricists took their jobs more seriously... [augustine87]
I listen to songs in different languages as well... sounds cool. [voldo29]
i do i like music in spanish [palina77]
Yes, I do. In fact, they help me to learn other languages too. Whenever I like a song, I will look up the meaning. So, it's like gaining a new knowledge, learning while having fun. [YennLing]
True, true. It does help us learn other languages. I know a little bit of Chinese, Korean, Japanese, Spanish, and French from songs. :D Well, it's usually an expression of love, i.e. Wo ai ni, Sarangheyo, Je't aime (did I spell that right???) [augustine87]
yeah, all the time! My mother language is dutch, so i do listen all the time to songs in other languages. Most of the time the songs and groups are english. But i do listen also to german groups and like groups from Finland, ... they are pretty dang good to! =D [wiifreepoints7]
I love listening to songs in other languages. They are normally very good songs. [sassygirlanne007]
You are absolutely right. It is the sound, more so than the words. Translations from one language may not be as effective as the original, so I just try to listen to the melody, rather than the words. I have traveled a lot of the world and love music that I, Totally, don't understand a word. It must be the vibrations. Sound and emotion are universal. [yesah65]