Music Transcending Language?

[Buenchico]

Yesterday I posted a Youtube vid of a Dutch singer, Danny Vera, that met with widespread approval here. However he was singing in English, which obviously made it easy for people to enjoy his music.

Today I'll post my favourite track from the Dutch band Racoon, to see if anyone else here enjoys it despite the fact that it's entirely in Dutch. (No, I don't speak Dutch!).

So, will you give it a try?

[JimF]

I think it's fine so long as you're prepared to treat the voice as just another instrument. I'm a huge fan of the Cocteau Twins despite Liz Fraser's "lyrics" generally just being sounds rather than actual words.

That said, there are times when the words are there to tell a story, so not understanding them can detract the whole, as it were.

[Mamyalynne]

Lovely tune, obviously soulful but a little frustrating not knowing what was being said/sung.

[Buenchico]

Thanks, both.

I have to admit, Jim, that I rarely pay much attention to the lyrics in any song. It's not unusual for me to hear a song, say, from the sixties on the radio that I must have heard well over a thousand times over the past half century or so and to find myself thinking "Oh, so THAT'S what the lyrics are about!"

[royfromaus]

I think it starts something like...

Well, I'm rumbling in this JCB
I'm five years old, my Dad's a giant, sitting beside me

[JimF]

Par contre, I always follow the lyrics when I get a new album!

[Buenchico]

Er. can I have some of what you're on please, Roy? It must be damned good stuff!

"There is a lot to say
And lie a lot more
A lot of dredging to uncover
Although digging still hurts a lot
I am a jerk but I am learning

An ocean to flee into
Never have to be jealous
Love to vent your heart
An ocean
How delicious would it be"

[royfromaus]

It was a joke but as lyrics mean nothing to you, then you will not have recognised the song that it reminds me of.

[andy-hughes]

I think it's absolutely possible to enjoy singing in a language you don't understand.

I used to love French prog giants Magma (Steve Davis is a massive fan, and financed a UK tour for them!) even though I don't speak a word of French - it's just the drama of it all that got me.

Plenty love Icelandic band Sigur Ros who don't even both singing in their own fiercely complex language, they have invented another language specially for their songs. Nice!

[Buenchico]

That's a new one altogether to me, Roy!

Jim: I'd have trouble following the lyrics of the vast majority of albums that I own, as most of them are in an assortment of African and East European languages, together with some Spanish and Portugese from Latin America ;-)

We seem to be in agreement, Andy! This Korean folk song features in the repertoire of many choirs across the world and it seems to matter not that neither they, nor the members of their audiences, actually know what the words mean!

[Patsy33]

The more I listen to it, ( Racoon) the more it grows on me. Quite relaxing, and those beautiful strings again...Lovely.

[Buenchico]

Thanks, Patsy.

I think that I must have been listening to it too much - I can't get the melody out of my head!
;-)

[tomus42]

I'm never really bothered about the language in a piece of music. The melody is the main thing. I like a lot of opera arias for example without having a clue what they're about because they're in Italian or German. This was a nice song but it didn't particularly grab me.

[retrocop]

A Welsh male voice choir is as good as any other lyrics imo. :-)