In the English-speaking world, most of the time, hit foreign language songs struggle to make any significant mark. Therefore, very often some such songs are translated to the English language to entice the English-speaking world. Read on to know about few such songs.
“Macarena” by Los Del Rio
Launched in 1996, this song became extremely popular right from the start. However, “Macarena (Bayside Boys Remix),” that replaced the Spanish lyrics with English ones, was the version that made it number one in the Billboard Hot 100. You may have listened to both versions unnoticeably, but the English version struck more chord with listeners initially.
“Major Tom (völliglosgelöst)” by Peter Schilling
Peter Schilling originally recorded “Major Tom (völliglosgelöst)” in the German language. When the song was released in 1983, it became an instant hit in all of Europe. To make it a global success, Peter Schilling re-released the song in English as “Major Tom (Coming Home)” a year later. It made it to number 14 in US Billboard Hot 100 and reached the top of charts in Canada too.
“Gloria” by Umberto Tozzi
Umberto Tozzi’s Italian love song Gloria that was originally released in 1979, was so popular that it was recorded three times. After the initial version created waves in Europe, Jonathan King translated the song into English and performed as well a year later. Exactly three years later, Laura Branigan recreated her own version that became a massive hit in the USA.
“Der Kommissar” by Falco
The 1981 German song by Falco was rewritten in English and released precisely after a year. This English version became a hit in America and reached number five in the rankings. Incidentally, Laura Branigan of “Gloria” fame also recorded a song, ‘Deep in the Dark’ that used the melody of ‘Der Kommissar’.
“Comme d’habitude” by Claude François
‘My Way’ was originally a French song performed and released by Claude François in 1967. Canadian singer and songwriter Paul Anka, during one of his stays in France, heard the song and was so impressed that he decided to recreate it in English with Frank Sinatra. Funfact, thedirect translation of “Comme d’habitude,” is “As Usual”; however, the song is known as “My Way”.
“‘O Sole Mio” by Giovanni Capurro and Eduardo di Capua
This is the oldest song on the list as it was written in 1898. The original song was written in the Neapolitan language, which is spoken in Naples, Italy. In 1949, Tony Martin created the song “There’s No Tomorrow”, which was inspired by the 1898 original. Elvis Presley’s ‘It’s now or never’ was another inspired version that created waves in the USA in 1960.
