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the future of Dutch and German lyrics

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Sean Trane View Drop Down
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    Posted: August 01 2023 at 11:10
Spanish is definitely the second-biggest pop/rock language on the planet.


Originally posted by Stressed Cheese Stressed Cheese wrote:

Originally posted by Hrychu Hrychu wrote:

Maybe English is just more attractive (IMO it absolutely isn't).
That's because you're not Dutch. I'm not speaking for all Dutch people, but I find it hard to take Dutch vocals seriously. I also can't stand Dutch movies or shows unless they're comedic. I like some Dutch-language songs, but that's more despite of the langauge. I know some other people who feel the same, and know some Germans who don't like their own language that much either.

Of course trying to appeal to markets outside of the Netherlands and Belgium, and the fact that over here, everybody speaks English anyway play a role too. But for me at least, it's not an appealing language at all. Not for music, at least.


As a Belgo-Franco-Canadian working in North Holland (West-Friesland), I must say that communicating is not always easy, because ABN is not exactly the norm in either the NL or VL.

Isn't Focus' Harem Scarem's vocals in Dutch?? TongueLOLClown

I have no problem with Dutch or Flemish films (except that I won't understand everything). In rock, whatever few attempts to sing in "Dutch" have been +/- convincing (Clouseau or the excellent Spinvis), but indeed, if Golden Earring had stuck to Dutch texts, I doubt that Liefde Radar would be known worldwide (maybe in Aruba and Sumatra).

Originally posted by Cristi Cristi wrote:

Most people do not listen to music out of their comfort zone, let alone in a language they do not understand. 


Tons of people listen to international pop songs without having an idea of what the lyrics are all (or not) about. 

Originally posted by someone_else someone_else wrote:

English may sound smoother and more familiar in songs than the native language of German or Dutch speaking peoples, so many artists (at least in the prog niche) have adopted it as a language of song. It seems unlikely to me that this is motivated by attempts to reach the Billboard Hot 100. Most Italian prog artists seem to have less problems with singing in their own language. It seems unlikely to me that this is motivated by attempts to reach the Billboard Hot 100.


Italians and Germans have much wider home markets than NL+Vl. However, if a singer sings in "Dutch", he's obviously not aiming outside the home market. I have no idea if the Schlagers have important social/political texts , but there were bands in the turn of the 70's that were calling their music Polit Rock (Ihre Kinder, if memory serves).
Grobschnitt was more credible in German than in English, IMHO.

The French world is a bit of an exception, because a lot of singers have a certain way with lyrics (les chansons ā textes) and


Edited by Sean Trane - August 01 2023 at 13:13
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote moshkito Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: July 31 2023 at 15:55
Originally posted by someone_else someone_else wrote:

English may sound smoother and more familiar in songs than the native language of German or Dutch speaking peoples, so many artists (at least in the prog niche) have adopted it as a language of song. 
...

Hi,

This is the part of our discussion and the type/style of music that hurts everyone, and makes it once again, the new law that the one who sells the most is right, and that would mean that anything in any European or worldly language could not possibly compete with English.

French has its emotional side and expression, that is less mental, than English if you start with Shakespeare.

Italian is very expressive on a personal level, and has been for a long time, even in opera.

Spanish has done well, but I think their tradition to the flamenco and the guitar, have hurt the development of new music styles. But the singing style still stood up ... a sort of "solo" voice amidst the instruments.

Germany is a bit different for me. The schlagger is a copy of western music. The "krautrock" is something that is completely anti-western music in its expression, in favor of something else that we have a hard time describing and discussing. But you know that it is intense and strong. Reminds me of some AD2 lyrics, that we think are psychedelic and in the end, they are much less psychedelic than they are a really pointed finger at various things. And the translations of a lot of these things falls off badly, since we do not understand or get the feeling behind it.

You can see Italian quite well in the translations for PFM, Le Orme and Banco. In all cases, the Italian sounds much prettier and the words do not throw off the singer's ideas and concepts. But in English, the words are a bit less clear and make the understanding of the pieces more difficult.

Result? If they have to sing in English ... their inner soul is probably already gone, because they can not express in English the soul that their language possesses, they were born with ... and it won't sound quite right. And here, many folks are letting metal and growl hide the language altogether .... which is another story.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Sem__ Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: July 31 2023 at 15:37
Dutch sounds great in music, not biased! Sounds better in something like kleinkunst than in rock IMO because it's not a very melodic language.

But its Americanisation, it's the worst in East Flanders, the amount of random English lingo in regular speech is honestly quite annoying. You just have to look for it, and you will spot it all around you, everywhere.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote David_D Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: July 31 2023 at 11:37

Another album with German lyrics, I enjoy very much, is Hölderlins Traum.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote someone_else Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: July 27 2023 at 03:11
English may sound smoother and more familiar in songs than the native language of German or Dutch speaking peoples, so many artists (at least in the prog niche) have adopted it as a language of song. It seems unlikely to me that this is motivated by attempts to reach the Billboard Hot 100. Most Italian prog artists seem to have less problems with singing in their own language. It seems unlikely to me that this is motivated by attempts to reach the Billboard Hot 100.

You can find some rare examples of prog in Dutch in this thread.


Edited by someone_else - July 27 2023 at 03:13
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote David_D Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: July 26 2023 at 06:50

I think the question of liking vocals in various languages is much a matter of being open and getting used to listen to them,
but it might be a good idea to include translations of the lyrics to English - it can be done much easier today.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote David_D Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: July 26 2023 at 06:11
Originally posted by siLLy puPPy siLLy puPPy wrote:

It's how a native language is used. While German is a difficult language to put to song at least for non-German speaking ears, there are cases where it works quite well and can be popular.

Industrial metal band Rammstein has enjoyed great success singing exclusively in German.

I can enjoy very much German vocals like for instance on Nina Hagen Band's debut (1978).

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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote moshkito Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: July 23 2023 at 11:56
Originally posted by siLLy puPPy siLLy puPPy wrote:

It's how a native language is used. While German is a difficult language to put to song at least for non-German speaking ears, there are cases where it works quite well and can be popular.

Industrial metal band Rammstein has enjoyed great success singing exclusively in German.
...
Hi,

Having been involved in several languages and literature. the one thing that one learns really quick is that translations stink and then some. So, I have seen several translations from the Portuguese original of Camoes famous poem (Alma Minha Gentil) and have read at least 5 translations and they were all awful to my mind, in that the original feeling and flow of the words is simply not there, and an elegant academic translation is not the answer for something that is dramatic and (in modern terms) cinematic! A couple of translations were literal, and they missed the point also.

My dad also did several translations of Shakespeare, two of which are (apparently) still used in Portugal ... I find that weird ... but in comparing the two, I found that he tried hard to make sure that you knew how the character felt ... and that made for a nice translation.

Rock music is tough. We have not "allowed" several cultures to develop these things ... we automatically dismiss ANGE, MONA LISA and some other French folks, and their music is so very much like the emotional material on a lot of their history and arts ... so we still won't bother listening to the Decamps Project, because it is in French, and the music itself is far out.

The idea of the Euro was to facilitate the commerce in Europe between so many nations. The idea of a "common language" had the same idea, with one serious issue here ... the market for the material was in America more than anything else ... if you took America out, no one would be complaining about the different languages, but here, it is a problem ... and the inevitable comment is that folks won't listen to anything out of their comfort zone which is true ... you're not quite going to change the country and western music over here on the West Coast in Oregon and Washington states ... but as soon as you leave Portland, you will rarely hear anything else.


Edited by moshkito - July 23 2023 at 11:56
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote David_D Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: July 23 2023 at 11:25
Originally posted by Cristi Cristi wrote:

Most people do not listen to music out of their comfort zone, let alone in a language they do not understand. 

I may doubt if that's true when talking about Prog, but if it is, it would be good in my opinion to appreciate more other cultures. Smile



Edited by David_D - July 23 2023 at 12:58
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote siLLy puPPy Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: July 23 2023 at 07:10
It's how a native language is used. While German is a difficult language to put to song at least for non-German speaking ears, there are cases where it works quite well and can be popular.

Industrial metal band Rammstein has enjoyed great success singing exclusively in German.



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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote moshkito Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: July 23 2023 at 07:07
Hi,

If the music itself ... DOES NOT SING ... it won't matter what language it is on.

PERIOD.

I had no issues to Sadistic Mika Band singing in Japanese.

I had no issues with Amon Duul 2 singing in German.

I had no issue with Banco singing in Italian.

I had no issue with Ange singing in French.

We might as well say that we forgot what "progressive" meant ... and are now bitching because it ain't the format that we think it should be! C'mon, if you want a lollipop go get one in your favorite flavor, but stop telling others their flavor is wrong and should not be licked!


Edited by moshkito - July 23 2023 at 07:08
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Cristi Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: July 23 2023 at 06:52
Most people do not listen to music out of their comfort zone, let alone in a language they do not understand. 
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote David_D Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: July 23 2023 at 06:39

^ Well, it's meant as a suggestion not only for German and Dutch bands but for other nationalities too, as I see it as a more general problem.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote suitkees Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: July 23 2023 at 05:54
^ I think most are not even looking for a compromise, and why would they. For the Dutch, and I guess for the Germans too, English is the second language and most speak it rather well. Other than audience reach and commercial reasons, it might also be that writing/singing in English also create a kind of distance and maybe in English we accept silly lyrics a bit easier.

As an example:
"There are nine million bicycles in Beijing
That's a fact
It's a thing we can't deny
Like the fact that I will love you till I die."

In Dutch this would sound utterly ridiculous, in English this - apparently - was very popular... Sleepy

If it was for the beauty of the language everybody would of course sing in Italian or French. Tongue


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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote David_D Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: July 23 2023 at 05:43
Originally posted by David_D David_D wrote:

A good compromise could be to sing some songs in English and some in the native language.
A fine example of this is the Polish album Cosmopolis (1992) by Brygada Kryzys, and it works very well to me.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Lewian Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: July 22 2023 at 17:52
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Lewian Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: July 22 2023 at 17:48
I think they perceive prog as an international thing, they think that they may get noted more abroad if they sing in English, and bands with English vocals are their major influences. There's no shortage of new German language music if you look at other genres. I for sure would happily listen to new German language prog. (And the Dutch can do their thing as well if they want.)
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Stressed Cheese Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: July 22 2023 at 16:43
Originally posted by Hrychu Hrychu wrote:

Maybe English is just more attractive (IMO it absolutely isn't).
That's because you're not Dutch. I'm not speaking for all Dutch people, but I find it hard to take Dutch vocals seriously. I also can't stand Dutch movies or shows unless they're comedic. I like some Dutch-language songs, but that's more despite of the langauge. I know some other people who feel the same, and know some Germans who don't like their own language that much either.

Of course trying to appeal to markets outside of the Netherlands and Belgium, and the fact that over here, everybody speaks English anyway play a role too. But for me at least, it's not an appealing language at all. Not for music, at least.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote moshkito Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: July 22 2023 at 12:32
Hi,

I'm not sure this is slightly overblown ... there was a band that got really well known, and is still appreciated a lot for their efforts, and no one knew what language the guy sang in ... and it was never an issue. And he is remembered and appreciated like so few folks out there.

Hello Damo Suzuki!

Somehow, I have this feeling in my bones that there are times when singing for a specific audience, in this case, where the money is ... is not the answer ... most of these bands won't last long enough to be remembered or recognized, is my guess, because there simply exist too many of them, and they are not doing anything that is different or special.

I do wish there was more room for the creativity, and not quite the idea that if you can sing in English you can sell more. It just brings me a suggestion that the material/music is simply not good enough. The music has to sing on its own, even with a "singer" .... and I'm not sure this is happening.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Mirakaze Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: July 22 2023 at 11:53
Originally posted by Cristi Cristi wrote:

Maybe they play abroad and English is a language most people understand, learn in school.


This is definitely the case in the Netherlands. Almost everyone here has at least a basic understanding of English and since prog is a niche genre anyway singing in English instead of Dutch is a very safe way to broaden your audience while losing virtually no one.
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