Entertainment For Lively Minds
Foreign Language Cover Versions?
Posted by Cookieboy on 23 August 2009 - 6:37am.
I'm always on the lookout for unusual cover versions, particularly foreign language ones.
Can anyone make some recommendations? This is the sort of thing I'm looking for.
- More from Cookieboy.
- Login or register to post comments
-
Laibach - Geburt Einer Nation
A cunningly disguised version of Queen's One Vision.
From The Homeland
Will do some Spanish ones later
Norwegian Wood
by Cornershop. I've always liked this version "Norwegian Lukree"(?) taking back the sitar for india!!
spotify:track:6Y3eSyYWYQCa4iXJTp29WM
Hey Cookieboy
This could become one of my favourite postings. I love cover versions..the worse the better! If I can locate a link to such stuff I will post it later. In the meantime...
Whisky in the jar
This song by Frida Boccara (Le Whisky de Papa) sounds awfully familiar...
http://open.spotify.com/track/0cWVlmHIkGVp65QGF91W4n
But for a more straight cover you can't beat Rachid Taha (I am still feeling chuffed and smug in equal measures about seeing him do this live with Mick Jones appearing as guest)
Not sure
if this counts, but I was looking for Sweet Sensation's "Sad Sweet Dreamer" recently on Spotify to add to a playlist, and found this...
http://open.spotify.com/track/1tUxCC47GaycE7HbdM89ek
From Mexico and Spain
into my arms
floating in a pool in crete back in 1999 when nick cave's 'into my arms' came on the radio excactly the same but sung in greek
not bad
A gift from Poland...
There are lots here:
http://www.aprilwinchell.com/audio/
Mostly German covers, but a good selection.
Wanna hear Me & Bobby McGee in Italian?
You may do so right here. A rather ragged live version from Italy's Janis Joplin, but then again Janis Joplin was never anything other than ragged.
How about Penny Lane in German?
Well, it's not a direct translation, but the spirit is good. On a German tip, there's also a very fine version of 50 Ways To Leave Your Lover by Ulla Meinecke, but I can't find it on youtube.
Last Train To Clarksville in Italian...
I like this - it's rougher and more garagey than the Monkees.
Talking Italian
"Get Off Of My Cloud":
"Norwegian Wood":
In footage of "I Cameleonti" from their later years, they all look like Mikki Disco from The Fast Show's Channel 9.
The Pixies' cover of "Evil Hearted You" in Spanish
Seu Jorge - "Life On Mars" in Portuguese
(For those who don't know, he's done loads of Portuguese Bowie covers.)
Jake the Peg (and his extra leg) - in Swedish
Sometime in the early 70s(?), Rolf Harris recorded a Swedish version of Jake the Peg (and his Extra Leg). It was called Sven Gren (med sitt extra ben).
I'm afraid I don't have a YouTube link to it, but I wish I did.
Rolf - he's still got it...
Dylan
Zim's "Like A Rolling Stone" in Italian
Celentano
This thread is epic. May it never die.
This is one of my favourites. Celentano's version of Stand By Me. Goosebumps:
Was there no end to their talents?
The Beatles even covered themselves in German
As did Peter Gabriel
Two entire albums of German language material. Remixes of PG3 and PG4
The 12" of Biko also included a German version of Here Comes The Flood, in the Exposure arrangement (rather than the PG2 arrangement)
Not in a foreign language
But a fine arab tinged cover of Galvanize here
This site has some fine, odd foreign language covers for downloading
http://www.aprilwinchell.com/audio
Tom Lehrer in swedish
Back in the 60s, swedish comedian Lars Ekborg made a whole LP with swedish translations of Tom Lehrer's songs. Here is one of them:
Alas, the translations are not very good... but at least fairly entertaining.
But the funniest "translation" I know must be this one:
This is a pop song by lebanese pop star Azar Habib, with a fake translation to swedish only based on mishearing the original lyrics as actual swedish. And the result is hilarious, but I am afraid that the humor is only understandable to swedes. And to this an animation that is so bad that it is funny too.
"Ease on down the road" in swedish
One more... Michael Jackson's old hit "Ease on down the road" was a hit in swedish, with new lyrics, based on making a similar-sounding title. "Ease on down the road" sounds almost like "Ni som kan ro", which means "You who can row". But the song is not silly humor, but a political one!
The singer is Björn Skifs, internationally most known for his band Blues Swede and their 70's hit "Hooked on a feeeling".
Teardrop Explodes
The Treason 12 inch has a French version. Something about 'traison'.
Traison (C'est Juste Une Histoire)
off the NME Dancin Master cassette
Bill Bailey !?
I loved Bill Bailey singing the Commodores 'Three Times a Lady' in German.....
I also remember growing up in Swansea and hearing "Kiss me Honey Honey"
in Welsh (partially in Wenglish): which I think came out as 'cusanwch fi hunni hunni'
I now live in Italy, so am used to bizarre translations: much of this was actually to do with censorship in the '60's: apparently the words of Barry Maguire's 'Eve of Destruction' was mutilated beyond recognition.
This a big name Italian band 'POOH' . . .yes I know, with their 'version of .. well, I think you'll guess . . stay calm, Eric . .
Bill Bailey - Drei Mal Eine Dame
Tom Waits in Swedish
Back in about 1989, a Swedish band called Bad Liver och Hans Brustna Hjärtan did an entire album of Tom Waits songs in Swedish. Some of the lyrics weren't exact translations, but modified lovingly to fit in with a Gothenburg setting. It's not a bad album, actually.
Here they are, doing their interpretation of "The Heart of Saturday Night", "Lördagshjärta":