Do You Listen to Songs of Completely Foreign Language?

Hong Kong
July 20, 2008 6:11am CST
I listen to Japanese or French songs sometimes and my friend loves Korean songs, but we don't really speak the language. What about you? Do you have to understand the lyrics or do you just listen to it because of the melody?
5 people like this
20 responses
@Vladilyich1 (1454)
• Canada
20 Jul 08
I listen constantly to foreign music. My personal favorites are Alla Pugacheva, Red Army Choir, Vladimir Vysotski. My wife is into Croation music with Ivo Robic and others. Almost never will you hear English music in our house.
@youless (112091)
• Guangzhou, China
20 Jul 08
Yes, I do. Most of the time I will listen to English songs. I like to collect nice songs. As long as they are nice songs, they will be in my collection. I have collected several French songs although I don't understand them. And I even have one Mongolian song. That's a surprise, isn't it?:) I love China
1 person likes this
@jpso138 (7851)
• Philippines
20 Jul 08
Well, there are songs that I listen to even if I don't understand the language. Some of them are Irish songs and songs of Andrea Bocilli. I like the tunes and the songs as well. As much as possible, I try to learn what they mean. But if I won't be able to understand, then I just enjoy the tune.
@risris24 (712)
• United States
20 Jul 08
I listen to a lot of Italian songs, I am Italian but do not fluently speak the language. I mainly only understand bits and peices but I enjoy the music and find it fun to sing along.
@MizukiZHR (611)
• China
20 Jul 08
In fact I only listen to Japanese songs.I am a Chinese but I like Japanese songs very much.I can understand the lyrics and I also think it is a good way to learn a language through listening to songs in it.
1 person likes this
@KellyMate (361)
20 Jul 08
no
1 person likes this
• United States
24 Jul 08
Yes I do. I love Edith Piaf. She sings in French and even though I know a few words in French I don't know enough to understand all that she sings. But I love her voice and the music.
@secretbear (19448)
• Philippines
13 Sep 08
hi wonderice! i listen to Japanese songs too! i like listening to the melody, the sound even if i don't understand the lyrics. most of the times i'd research for the lyrics so that i can sing with it. at times i'd research for the translations of the lyrics too but most of the times i'd forget the meaning so i'd just settle with singing it without understanding it. ^__^;; i have a lot of Japanese songs stored in my computer and i listen to them once in a while. i'm actually a fan of a few Japanese boy bands and pop/rock bands and singers. i also enjoy listening to Korean songs too, especially Korean love songs. the music is just really sweet and soft and a little sad. before i used to research for the lyrics and translations but the Korean language is so hard to speak and memorize. so i gave up and just settled on listening to the song.
• India
14 Sep 08
Music has no barriers. It is a universal language in itself. So, often I listen to songs in completely different languages. In India there are 26 official languages and the south Indian languages are completely non-understandable to me, yet I listen to Tamil songs. I also listen to European songs and Japanese songs sometimes when they sound good to the ear.
@squaretile (3778)
• Singapore
8 Aug 08
yes sometimes i do but not very often cos it's not easy to get access to it. in singapore, korean songs are very popular because we get a lot of korean dramas on our local free to air television. i don't understand the lyrics of course, except for a few phrases like 'i love you' or 'thank you'. but i can always appreciate the melody.
@writersedge (22563)
• United States
7 Aug 08
I listen to French Canadian songs. A few that I was taught the words to, I understand completely, slow ones I pick up some words here and there, but the fast ones, I have no idea what they're saying. I like the dance music, some blues, and some of their country stuff the best.
@jpso138 (7851)
• Philippines
13 Sep 08
Yes, I do. I listent to Italian songs as well as Irish songs. There are songs that I do not know the meaning but I like the tune so I do listen.
@tessah (6617)
• United States
21 Jul 08
i absolutely LOVE rammstein, and theyre a german band. http://youtube.com/watch?v=nHWicNDkbpw&feature=related
@Jerrybbb (67)
13 Sep 08
Kind of ok but I like to understand the lyrics too
• Canada
20 Jul 08
Well, my husband Vladilyich1 said it all. Here are a couple links to foreign languages songs that my husband and I like. Ivo Robic singing in Croatian http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PHcc-lc9tJA Ivo Robic singing in German http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fNyGuxJ9BmU&feature=related Our favourite song by Alla Pugacheva (Russian) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oIFmhye6fqw Something by Vladimir Vysotsky (Russian) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hWEOaosGDi0 And The Red Army Cchoir (Russian) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oQEjwKs_hpg He was absolutely right when he said that it's very rare that English music is heard in our home.
• Canada
21 Jul 08
My musical tastes have changed a lot in the last few years. My favorite band of all time is ABBA and I got a hold of some of their hits in their native language. I also like Josh Groban who sings in Italian and French as well as English. I love Andrea Boccelli who is Italian. I find the music is so soothing and the voices are amazing, you don't have to understand the language to enjoy the songs.
• Malaysia
21 Jul 08
i love listening to chinese songs, particularly in mandarin. dont understand the language at all but i love listening to the rhythm and melody.
@gr8life (6251)
• Malaysia
21 Jul 08
Hello wondericequeen, We are a weird family. Since I work for Japanese, I listen to Japanese songs and watch Japanese movies. Oh, yes, I love Korean songs and movies too. I don't speak both languages. My husband speaks Russian and a few other languages and so he listens to all kind of songs in these languages. I listen to them too *smiles* Sometimes, I was so excited that I tried to follow but with my own 'pronunciation' of the language which I don't even speak a word and being laughed at by my husband. My son loves Russian songs, Polish songs and 'I-don't-know-what-language' songs. I think we don't need to understand the language or the lyrics just to like the song.
@I_LUV_U (2519)
• India
21 Jul 08
Oh really, you do!? Interesting! I have never, I've sticked to Indian only as I'm from India. Nope, not even English. I just can't bear the change now, it has habituated.
@xialinye (1403)
• China
21 Jul 08
i like listening english and french songs.i can sing about 50 english songs.yes,i can't really speak well in that language.i sing them in the karaoke with my friend,although i don't sing well.i do understand the lyrics and i think it's not difficult for me to understand.