8 ms·
Ask HN: What is your best native song that is unknown due to language barrier?
Sometimes I wished more people could know some of my amazing childhood songs which are unknown due to the language they are sang at and the country in which they became popular. I wonder are there songs like that in your country. Here are some of my personal favorites:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1mieEeD0Kfk
(Brit Olam/ Matti Caspi)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bE5cHysMf5o
(Hine Hine/Matti Caspi)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VV2rGPHvB8g
(Lakahta et Yadi/ Yehudit Ravitz)
- pravenj 6y agoNot only language barrier, many pieces of great music and dance, specially from oral cultures like mine, go unnoticed most of the time. Few songs to listen for the added variety and by local singers from Nepal: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HfsipZhqlOk https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HfsipZhqlOk https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cXyJuVPInH4 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cXyJuVPInH4 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sjD3ayZUTEM https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sjD3ayZUTEM From other parts of the World: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k7lJ69mQe6o https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k7lJ69mQe6o https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3NIIPUfmr_4 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3NIIPUfmr_4 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ql3wuNvSa6U https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ql3wuNvSa6U I have started making a Visual encyclopedia of unwritten and undocumented cultures of the world, currently focusing on Nepal. http://www.viewpedia.org http://www.viewpedia.org
- bobe__ 6y agoHere is the most catchy Slovenian folk song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qJcevebMrqU&ab_channel=MartinJakopi%C4%8D https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qJcevebMrqU&ab_channel=Marti... (Golica is a mountain, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Golica https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Golica)
- msadowski 6y agoI would go with “Dni których jeszcze nie znamy” by Marek Grechuta: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=oG6pEolAKm8 https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=oG6pEolAKm8
- abraxas 6y agoSomewhat better known Polish song from the same period might be Zegarmistrz Światła Purpurowy https://youtu.be/A41PF4lUkrg https://youtu.be/A41PF4lUkrg It was used as a score for a recent Polish game "This War of Mine"
- galfarragem 6y agoVery easy to listen, my favourite album in Brazilian Portuguese - Elis and Tom: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fiKfu7sQXA8 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fiKfu7sQXA8 Easy to listen - Amor Electro - Portuguese band: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LwCyqvpJZwE https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LwCyqvpJZwE More difficult to listen - Ornatos Violeta - Portuguese band with brilliant but honest lyrics: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GRDr4ivis4o https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GRDr4ivis4o Even more difficult to listen - Zeca Afonso - songs against former Portuguese dictatorship: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gaLWqy4e7ls https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gaLWqy4e7ls
- zshaikhonline 6y agohttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5jsFAIn-csU https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5jsFAIn-csU
- aviditas 6y agohttps://m.youtube.com/watch?v=IKmPci5VXz0 https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=IKmPci5VXz0 Hasta la Raíz by Natalia Lafourcade She's one of few artists that I can listen to her entire discography as a playlist and enjoy every single song. I love finding new music in other languages so I appreciate this post.
- axaxs 6y agoGreat idea, I love finding music I'd typically have never heard about, foreign or other. I can't wait to go through this thread later. Just to participate I'll share one I consider obscure, though it's not my language and I don't speak it(Gaelic), I find it calming. https://youtu.be/r1CuSimHpTw https://youtu.be/r1CuSimHpTw
- internetbird 6y agoThanks for this recommandation. Realy liked it! I love Gaelic/Scotich music and instruments
- newyankee 6y agoNot my native language but this song is catchy: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=94AW2X8KH9Q https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=94AW2X8KH9Q
- lurker137 6y agoThis one brings back memories: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OCfFdUavHNw https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OCfFdUavHNw (Ethiopian singer Mahmoud Ahmed) Teddy Afro is also one the greats. Here is an upbeat one with some historical cinematic: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xKrw9LIkAeU https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xKrw9LIkAeU
- dustinhopkins 6y agohttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gjnrtCKZqYg https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gjnrtCKZqYg - a catchy tune from south india
- culopatin 6y agoSome of my favorites from the south of the planet: The intro ends at 0:14 and I can never keep my feet still with this song: https://youtu.be/yf6kTjLVG2Y https://youtu.be/yf6kTjLVG2Y A band with an incredible history. The singer is an Italian-Scottish born after his family escaped China. He attended the same school as Prince Charles but ran away one year before graduating. Somehow landed in the middle of the mountains in Argentina and started a reggae band that would morph into what’s in the link below. The most influential band of the underground music in Argentina in my opinion. https://youtu.be/-hGUyebsf60 https://youtu.be/-hGUyebsf60 https://youtu.be/jlUXIfPt5tk https://youtu.be/jlUXIfPt5tk And a band with lyrics you wouldn’t understand even if you knew the language: https://youtu.be/AG_0HlSSUdw https://youtu.be/AG_0HlSSUdw https://youtu.be/pntSoXv-cqU https://youtu.be/pntSoXv-cqU
- phil3k 6y agohttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8T9eJDFwt3U https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8T9eJDFwt3U Recent group from Austria (sung in dialectic Austrian-German)
- deleted 6y ago[deleted]
- ktothe 6y agoWas expecting Bilderbuch.
- stzup7 6y agoOldies: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Z2FmAzArl4 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Z2FmAzArl4 (Baldorba / Benito Lertxundi) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IthTQD6XonM https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IthTQD6XonM (Eperrak / Anje Duhalde) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YRXmWm-sCzA https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YRXmWm-sCzA (Xorieri mintzo zen / Erramun martikorena) Modern: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c8bc3kQF040 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c8bc3kQF040 (Lau Teilatu / Itoiz) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HwgPX3XUnsc https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HwgPX3XUnsc (Ilargia / Ken zazpi)
- robotmay 6y agoI'm an English folk musician and it's perhaps surprising to many people, considering the prevalence of English and our modern music, that we as a country have lost a huge amount of our songs and music over the years. We have however re-entered a folk revival since the 70s and it has combined with the national pastime of peculiar hobbiests having documented a lot of really obscure things. But anyway, my partner sings one of our oldest documented songs, which I would classify as fairly unknown outside of historical circles and in an older form of English that is quite tricky to decipher: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Kr2LRpx4Uyk https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Kr2LRpx4Uyk I learn quite a few tunes and songs from various countries and it's interesting as to which I find immediately feel familiar to me. Scandinavian, French, Belgian, Breton, Quebecois stuff etc is very popular in folk circles here in the UK and I both listen and play a lot of it. Though a lot of us might struggle to sing along you might be surprised at how far some traditional songs travel :D
- robotmay 6y agoThese days I live in Wales and there's one band here I really quite like who sing in both Welsh and English: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=xnLAg_O0NJA https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=xnLAg_O0NJA
- angrais 6y agoDaft question: how do we know if the pronunciation is correct in the song your partner is singing? Given its in an older form of English and English is not well known for being spoken as you read it (like Latin).
- robotmay 6y agoGood question! I'm not super knowledgeable about it myself. I think anything from that far back is likely to be a reasonable amount of guesswork, but there are often some indicators as to how things are pronounced. A good one I've seen before is looking at rhymes; if it's likely that two words were intended to rhyme in a song/poem etc it can help indicate some pronunciation. I've seen this used for Shakespeare original pronunciation studies which is quite interesting. From personal experience of trying to play old tunes (rather than songs), I definitely have to make my own interpretation of it based on my own experience. Sometimes you do come across some truly perplexing notation though, that really makes you wonder how it sounded originally. Some of the tunes in the Playford collection are super weird but as Playford was basically Top of the 17th Century Pops you have to assume it _did_ sound good however they used to play it :D
- constantinum 6y agoFrom across Indian subcontinent: In India, music and songs are predominately from movies as a source. So collected a few numbers that might be earworm or makes you tap your feet. 1. 1957 - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=69pPYkGiEAQ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=69pPYkGiEAQ 2. 1975 - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R2HQGNuIY-Y https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R2HQGNuIY-Y 3. 1991 - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AyUe_BWqoOE https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AyUe_BWqoOE (fourth most popular song in a poll conducted by the BBC World Service worldwide in 2002) 4. 1956 - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XtV2i4JWzJg https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XtV2i4JWzJg 5. 1952 - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MwXL_xznCmc https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MwXL_xznCmc
- falsecaca2 6y agohmm
- pyb 6y agohttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gzlHucbD76U https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gzlHucbD76U
- sgroppino 6y agohttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-X5LySoOiIA https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-X5LySoOiIA or https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6-6Li3CKflQ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6-6Li3CKflQ and the original one in (Brazilian) Portuguese https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RezuYwS0ngI https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RezuYwS0ngI
- galfarragem 6y agoOld song that became so relevant and accurate recently, also from the brazilian Raul Seixas, "The day that the world stopped": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H8zbYY41Vus https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H8zbYY41Vus A bit of trivia: Paulo Coelho started his career composing songs to this guy.
- sgroppino 6y agoIndeed! The guy was a true Nostradamus!!
- onecommentman 6y agoMimaamakim - Idan Raichel Project ממעמקים - עידן רייכל Zajdi zajdi - Tose Proeski Vökuró - Björk Native to somebody...
- austincheney 6y agoI have noticed on YouTube a revival of traditional Mongolian music as modern rock/pop. As a dumb American that only speaks English I have no idea what the lyrics are but I really enjoy the music.
- jet_32951 6y agohttps://m.youtube.com/watch?v=HaHI04Ydhrg https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=HaHI04Ydhrg is a song I learned as a child: "ganbate" (頑張って) has the sense of "don't quit now, look how far you've come" and it's been a talismanic thought.
- onecommentman 6y agoGortoz a Ran - Denez Prigent Muzinge - Samite of Uganda Makambo - Geoffrey Oryema Koloman - Sona Dibate The Moon Over Mtatsminda - version on Jan Garbarek album Like potato chips, hard to stop once you start... Again, native for someone
- 5cents 6y agoA few Nordic contributions: Byssan lull: https://youtu.be/ogYC4LgqqnM https://youtu.be/ogYC4LgqqnM A lullaby I think all Norwegian children have heard their beds, but it's actually Swedish Til ungdommen: https://youtu.be/CieUTG8Z6Z0 https://youtu.be/CieUTG8Z6Z0 The song became very beloved after 22.07.2011 and I think close to everyone here will get tears in their eyes when they hear it Mitt hjerte alltid vanker: https://youtu.be/27JqZ8eEZlw https://youtu.be/27JqZ8eEZlw Since it's Christmas soon. Very popular in Norway, although it's originally Danish I guess it demonstrates the close historical relationship between the Nordic countries
- lowkeynthorough 6y agoHey could you help me track down this probably Norwegian folk like song? Most likely its a oneoff song by some band but many on that thread have been keft hanging for years... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mAZcAhIAUto&t=0m36s https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mAZcAhIAUto&t=0m36s
- 5cents 6y agoHi, sorry, I've really tried to track it down, but I don't recognise neither the melody nor the lyrics. I see that it is called "Draken flyger" by Henrik Wallgren in the end. He is Swedish I think, but the lyrics are probably written closer to Norse
- lowkeynthorough 6y agoThanks!! i have tried chasing that lead.. (found only childrens songs on youtube so I thought it might be based on a childrens song.. your posts above those were awesome but guess not the same style haha) Also there was a deckhand on that ship called Henrik Wallgren[0], guess it could be the same person wonder how likely you think that is.. [0] https://youtu.be/VHeAlOcHeSI https://youtu.be/VHeAlOcHeSI
- dairylee 6y agoI wonder if Florence + the Machine took inspiration from Byssan lull for Jenny of Oldstones in Game of Thrones as the melody sounds almost identical. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eTa1jHk1Lxc https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eTa1jHk1Lxc
- dorchadas 6y agoI speak Irish (not my native language, though), and there's a bunch of them. Here's some of the more traditional, 'sean-nós' songs: Amhrán Mhúinse - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=By0QM8mlr28 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=By0QM8mlr28 (English lyrics are in the description) - This is probably my favorite of all Irish sean-nós songs. It's super haunting, and made even sadder by the fact the woman who wrote the song didn't get her wish to be buried in her home area. Coilín Phádraig Shéamuis - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EOjSOAxN9Wg https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EOjSOAxN9Wg -- Typical song about immigration, quite melancholic. Also, Iarla Ó Lionard does quite a lot of good work in the sean-nós tradition (he was heard on the film Brooklyn); here's one of my favorites by him - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=35U1sOOjdDg https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=35U1sOOjdDg FInally, it's hard not to mention Seosamh Ó hÉanaí/Joe Heaney/Joe Éinniú, a native speaker from the Galway Gaeltacht - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zrSL3YtzP_w https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zrSL3YtzP_w And, for some newer works in the language that I enjoy An Cailín Álainn - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n5l82gO7tuw https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n5l82gO7tuw Pócaí Folamh is Cloigeann Tinn - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d0L54BJFRnw https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d0L54BJFRnw Siar go Conamara - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7tywACdkAgc https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7tywACdkAgc All of these songs are sung by natives, which, sadly, is getting less and less common as the native speaking areas dwindle and as summer camps get millions of views translating the latest English language hit for summer school kids with awful pronunciation to sing.
- playingchanges 6y agoNot my native country but Tuareg Rock is my new favorite forgotten world genre. A a great example - ‘Long Live The Sahrawi Army’ by El Wali https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=_hoWwf1Sibg https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=_hoWwf1Sibg Link to a good wiki on the genre - https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Desert_blues https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Desert_blues
- boruto 6y ago[Telugu] Carnatic music: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l89ZaBqYiTA https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l89ZaBqYiTA https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YxvZR3gF9uk https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YxvZR3gF9uk Movie songs: https://youtu.be/VXKFDk1f4Ns https://youtu.be/VXKFDk1f4Ns https://youtu.be/N-J2YjDtBGs https://youtu.be/N-J2YjDtBGs https://youtu.be/3RrA8OOxtkk https://youtu.be/3RrA8OOxtkk https://youtu.be/alm844msx6E https://youtu.be/alm844msx6E https://youtu.be/1Jh-fsP2Ya8 https://youtu.be/1Jh-fsP2Ya8 https://youtu.be/Ha1BQP3ACoc https://youtu.be/Ha1BQP3ACoc
- Rivosa 6y agoThis is considered a classic in morocco: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dA_xG7rTxiA https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dA_xG7rTxiA Also this remake: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EkjWq0Z5t3k https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EkjWq0Z5t3k
- marttt 6y agoEstonian here. * Worst song ever in the history of space (they were hoping to go to the Eurovision with this, and iirc almost succeeded; later they were actually invited to the Paris Fashion Week to perform this on stage): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2dllo85ZSUk https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2dllo85ZSUk (Winny Puhh - Meiecundimees üks Korsakow läks eile Lätti / Korsakow, a guy from our area, went to Latvia yesterday) * There is something very Estonian about this (not only the landscapes, it's actually a funny song, but very heart-warming): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GVfPf006Vw0 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GVfPf006Vw0 (Orelipoiss - See alles jääb / Organ Boy - This Will Remain) * A camp classic from the 1990s, sung and performed by a former chemistry teacher: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SoZG75CTB7g https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SoZG75CTB7g (Onu Bella - Ma võtsin viina / Uncle Bella - I Drank Some Vodka) * Something I discovered recently -- stunning conteporary folk. It's an old spell from Estonian folklore: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7-Kpt0fFgME https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7-Kpt0fFgME (Duo Ruut - Tuule sõnad / Words for Wind) * Maybe the most popular contemporary folk group in Estonia these days: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BP3wAfIIhAo https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BP3wAfIIhAo (Trad.Attack! - Kallimale / To My Dearest) * An influential acapella group: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9cjuTYZBWOI https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9cjuTYZBWOI (Estonian Voices - Kättemaks / Revenge) * Another widely loved singer is Mari Kalkun, mostly interpreting older songs in the Võru dialect: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AClRxNvbiZY https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AClRxNvbiZY (Mari Kalkun - Mõtsavele mäng / Forest Brother Game) * Ah, and I'll also add Vennaskond, a punk (sort-of; hard to define actually) group that was strangely loved by everybody in the 1990s, inclunding those who generally hated rock music. This song is not typical for them, but I sometimes listen to this when I want to be sad: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oppqjn1voWo https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oppqjn1voWo (Vennaskond - Depressiiv-maniakaalne psühhoos / Manic Depressive Psychosis)
- ysfah 6y agoIn Malaysia, it has to be Getaran Jiwa by P. Ramlee. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6L1_empGNvg https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6L1_empGNvg
- agent008t 6y agoRussian songs by Viktor Tsoi from the late 80s: Spokoynaya Noch (Quiet Night): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SOYkG5VMhp8 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SOYkG5VMhp8 Peremen (Changes): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eg7BFXss1hE https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eg7BFXss1hE Zakroi za mnoi dver, ya uhozhu (Close the door behind me, I am going away): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ind9EPBzh-Y https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ind9EPBzh-Y
- pravenj 6y agoListening and trying to understand a lot of folk music I found out that it is not only language barrier, but a lot of music is unwritten and undocumented. So I started working on a site to try and provide visual documentation for such music and cultural practices (currently heavily inclined towards Nepal). Site at http://www.viewpedia.org http://www.viewpedia.org