Ask Lemmy

99 Luftballoons - Nena https://open.spotify.com/track/2IJftBfq7pJ43tfnOR0RB3?si=Tj9rOKguQkOmpb3jJM27uw

Rammstein

Prisencolinensinainciusol by Adriano Celentano

https://youtu.be/-VsmF9m_Nt8?feature=shared

Snow - Informer

So many. I like music and I like languages so when there are lyrics there's a good chance it's not English.

• Dead can dance - The Host of Seraphim - moody female vocals with backing instruments and synth that resembles religious sad hymns (not even in a real language)
• 王菲 Faye Wong《四月雪 April Snow - melancholy mandarin pop from 2003
• Hocico - Ecos - Mexican electro-industrial on the aggressive side
• Juno Reactor - Conquistador (part 1 and 2) - technically 2 songs, in Latin, Spanish and I think Xhosa. Same person who did the music from the matrix, these are sort of a musical interpretation of South American history
• Sepultura - Ratamahatta - Brazilian metal
• All about Lily Chou-Chou OST - Arabesque(アラベスク) - fictional band with female vocals, beautiful melancholy song in Okinawan
• Fly, Fly My Sadness - The Bulgarian Voices Angelite with Huun-Huur-Tu and Moscow Art Trio - Mongolian throat singers (if you've never heard this technique, it's incredible and unlike anything else, this song isn't the best example though, search for huun huur tu videos) and an ethereal Bulgarian choir.
• The Mirror Conspiracy ft. LouLou - Le Monde - French lyrics, chillout downtempo electronic
• Björk - Úm Akkeri - Icelandic version of her song The Anchor Song
• Yothu Yindi - Djäpana (Sunset Dreaming) - a classic 1989 Australian song in Yolŋu and English. Not my favourite but I wanted to have the continent represented here.
• Thievery Corporation - Satyam Shivam Sundaram - another downtempo chillour from the same group, this time in Hindi
• Daler Mehndi - Tunak Tunak Tun - too catchy not to mention, Punjabi pop, hilariously cheesy video clip

There are so many more. I didn't even touch Caribbean patois or Arabic or Polynesian languages etc. I'm very big on global music though, especially with a strong beat and lyrical themes on anti-colonialism...

Off the top of my head,

Psy - Gangnam Style

Rammstein - entire catalog

The Hu - most of their stuff

Manu Chao - clandestino

I got really into German punk a few years ago. Some of my favorites.

Die Ärzte Schrei nach Liebe

Wizo Raum Der Zeit

Die Toten Hosen Hier kommt Alex

Bella Ciao

Eivør - Trøllabundin

I have listened to it so much that I know the lyrics perfectly, and it's even possible my pronunciation is close to correct, yet I don't speak a word of Faroese.

Numa Numa Yay, Numa Numa Yay, Numa Numa Numa Yay!

La Bamba

Kind of a joke but the song is catchy.

Salsa Tequila

The guy is a Norwegian comedian I think & he bet his friends that he could get a dumb song into the Billboard top 10 or something. I believe he succeeded in a few European countries.

The song is absolutely ridiculous considering he doesn’t speak Spanish, but it’s just a funny story.

Anything by stromae really. In some of his songs you can even hear the emotion he conveys without understanding any French

Dragostea Din Tei (aka, the "Numa numa" song) is always a hit.

I recently found this song, Kai Tangata, by Alien Weaponry. They're a New Zealand band, and the song features a lot of Maori warriors and the entire song is sung in Maori. Really amazing imagery in the video, shows off a lot of combat and Haka.

Nier Replicant & Nier Automata soundtracks

All in chaos language (a.k.a. pure gibberish).

Stromae - Papaoutai (I found out it existed because Pentatonix did a cover of it)

That guy's also got some other interesting songs, with quite a bit of social commentary: carmen, Fils de joie, tous les mêmes, Santé

France Gall - Ella, Elle L'a

Ederlezi

I think that would describe half my catalog :-/

• Finnish Iskelmä
  • Stig - Puumaa mä metsästä
  • Arttu Wiskari - Sirpa
  • Lemon - Nainen Tummissa (cover of Lady in Black)
• Thai
  • จ๊อบ บรรจบ - ดูเธอทำ (Job 2 Do - Doo doo doo)
  • Soreng Santi (สรวง สันติ) - Kuen Kuen Lueng Lueng (cover of Iron Man … sort of)
• most versions of Bella Ciao (except La Casa de Papel for some reason)
  • Bella ciao cantata dal coro R'Esistente del Pratello
• the “fun” stuff coming out of Ukraine
  • О.Пономарьов М.Хома Т.Тополя Є.Кошовий Ю.Ткач П.Чорний - УКРАЇНА ПЕРЕМОЖЕ
  • Andriy Khlyvnyuk x The Kiffness - Ukrainian Folk Song ARMY REMIX
  • Cвітоглядець - Bayraktar

Basically anything Sigur Rós does.

Though, half of their music is in a "language" nobody speaks.

My playlist of Armenian music is inappropriately huge. You will regret asking this question.

• Garabala - Habrban

• Serj Tankian ft. Larisa Ryan - Ari Im Sokhag

• Serj Tankian - Artsakh

• Garik and Sona - Mayro I do not have a huge crush on Sona Rubenyan shut up.

• Adana Project - Gini Lic maybe turn off the subtitles unless you hate Turkey as much as Armenia does...

• Sevak Amroyan - Yarkhushta aw fuck yeah

• Nare Gevorgyan - Mer Ergire

I have many, MANY more. I am not remotely Armenian, just a huge SOAD fan who fell down a youtube rabbit hole one day...

Camille - Ta douleur

Yelle - A Cause Des Garçons (Tepr Remix)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JqYhuwu614Y

Dude so many! I'll link some favorites old and new.

All things Rammstein. I speak an elementary amount of German so maybe this doesn't count. If you only know Du Hast, you really should check out more of Rammstein. These are a few of my recent favorites. (each video is probably nsfw if you have a puritanical office.)

• Angst - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ONj9cvHCado
• Deutschland - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NeQM1c-XCDc
• Zeit - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EbHGS_bVkXY

Sigur Ros

• Sæglópur - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qiFgfPiJHyA

Sakanaction is a great Japanese band that a friend introduced me to years ago.

• Sayonara wa Emotion - さよならはエモーション - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_wlRFsmceo0
• 多分、風。- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8lx0vLTH_yg
• Shintakarajima - #新宝島 - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LIlZCmETvsY

Tiziano Ferro (bit older song but I still dig it)

• Perdono - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EnGjr_czU1E

Las Ketchup (It got old fast for me but this was a huge hit at the time)

• Asereje https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V0PisGe66mY

King and Jester

• Forester- лесник - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2BdJ8piaEkA

Hikaru Utada

• Automatic - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-9DxpPiE458

Juli (Love her voice. One of my favorite voices)

• Perfeckte Welle - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ad8ukI7Z-b8
• Irgendwann - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Npdk6IxqjFE

Annenmaykantereit (Told myself if I ever learn piano this would be one of the first songs)

• Barfuss am Klavier - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tERRFWuYG48

Mylene Farmer

• Belle Journee - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=huZTRymyfpU

Grand Corps Malade & Camille Lellouche (Had this one on loop for awhile when I first found it)

• Mais je t'aime - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ss-xmvLGFw

Passi

• Le Monde est à Moi - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dvwSVCnLF1Q

Panzer AG

• Bereit - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sJ0KjI8Oxug

That's a decent list of some of my favorites. (please excuse the wonky formatting. I can't get it to behave.)

Indian Folk Metal -- Bloodywood - Dana Dan

• some chill, maybe non-angsty rap

• Ievan Polkka

• Коробейники

• 跟我在一起 the number of 天s in this song hits the feels.

Love this thread. Here are some of my favs off the top of my head. My music tastes are all over the place.

• Elis Regina - Aguas de Marco
• Molchat Doma - Sudno
• DakhaBrakha - Baby
• Vinicio Capossela - Ovunque proteggi
• Francis Bebey - Sanza Nocturne
• Silvio Rodriguez - Al Final de Este Viaje
• Amadou & Mariam - M'Bifé
• Mariah - 心臓の扉 (Shinzo No Tobira)

Tanz mit Mir by Faun

The entire sound track for FLCL by The Pillows.

When that show was new, I could sing them all. Kinda. I certainly had no idea what the words were, but I listened to them enough that I could fake it lol

"Prisencolinensinainciusol" by Adriano Celentano. I don't know if we could really say what language it's in, but I definitely don't speak it.

https://youtu.be/-VsmF9m_Nt8

The entirety of NieR and NieR Automata's vocal tracks. Most of them are actually just gibberish.

French?

• Florina - Va Va Vis
• The Longest Johns - Santiano (only partly in french, but damn bro)
• Cedric Watson - La Vieille Chanson De Mardi Gras

Pretty partial to Japanese pop myself. I'm learning Japanese partially so i can understand the songs. Yoasobi's songs are a good general recommendation, I would recommend Yoru ni Kakeru, Gunjou, and Seventeen.

Poi E - Patea Māori Club

Äppelknyckarjazz by Movits! Such a great album.

The whole genre of City Pop is awesome.

Who killed UN Owen https://youtu.be/eCyf9C6dHYE?si=IcV5ZkNFNGBexBey

This, which I remember from the FIFA 06 soundtrack: https://youtu.be/M-rZ3602Lm8?feature=shared

Jane Air, Junk

Rammstein, Moskau

Afterhours, Vedova Bianca (There's an English version that was used in Mr. Robot)

Gangnam Style, O Fortuna (Carmina Burana), stuff by Hildegard von Bingen