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Luca Pacchiarini 
Forum Senior Member
Joined: March 08 2009
Location: home
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Points: 530
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 Posted: July 13 2009 at 10:06 |
I don't mind if germans sing in English, the problem begins when they can't pronounce it properly...
...and I'd like to conclude this post with this immortal line by Eloy:
"...and strikes zhem widh didhaster!"
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moshkito
Forum Senior Member
Joined: January 04 2007
Location: Grok City
Status: Offline
Points: 17527
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Posted: July 13 2009 at 13:35 |
 Rocktopus wrote:
I'm sure Tangerine Dream's Phaedra would never have charted in the UK, if the titles on their instrumentals were in German instead of English.
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I really think this is funny ... specially when Alpha Centauri and Phaedra would translate the same in English as titles ... Zeit maybe ... but they went with it and no one in the English audience that I know of is commenting or saying that it is bad.
I hardly think that the titles of the songs have much to do with it ... it's a bit on the sad side of things for any of us that love the word prog and its effects and music ... to think that some music is bad, or not prog, simply because we do not translate what is written in there ... that ... is xenophobia at its highest point and some of the biggest lines of bleepsheep dip ever invented.
And really ... I want to invent a prog prison for those folks too! 7 days of foreigh bands whose titles you can't read ... so they can learn that there is music ... a lot of music ... in this whole world. Not just one's mind and preferences!
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moshkito
Forum Senior Member
Joined: January 04 2007
Location: Grok City
Status: Offline
Points: 17527
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Posted: July 13 2009 at 13:37 |
GaryB wrote:
I do not agree that the French gave independence to their colonies.
The Viet Minh kicked their butts out of Indochina.
This is the first and last political statement that I will make on this forum. |
Politics aside, we could even say that the French were smarter than the Americans ... they got out quick!
WE figured out why ... Charles De Gaulle wanted to save all that prog music from fading ... and Edith Piaf and Gilbert Becaud were much better than some foohfoohs over there?
There ... back on topic!
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CPicard
Forum Senior Member
Joined: October 03 2008
Location: Là, sui monti.
Status: Offline
Points: 10841
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Posted: July 13 2009 at 14:21 |
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Yeah, let's not start with politics... Ortherwise, we should reach the Godwin Point prestissimo!
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Rocktopus
Forum Senior Member
Joined: March 02 2006
Location: Norway
Status: Offline
Points: 4202
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Posted: July 13 2009 at 14:32 |
moshkito wrote:
Rocktopus wrote:
I'm sure Tangerine Dream's Phaedra would never have charted in the UK, if the titles on their instrumentals were in German instead of English.
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I really think this is funny ... specially when Alpha Centauri and Phaedra would translate the same in English as titles ... Zeit maybe ... |
They didn't have a proper UK release until Phaedra, so naturally Alpha Centauri and Zeit didn't chart. Phaedra is from greek mythology and a wisely chosen "un-german" international title (just like Alpha Centauri). Mysterious Semblance at the Strand of Nightmares, Movements of a Visionary and Sequent 'C' certainly aren't german titles either. So only Zeit is in german, and that album wasn't sniffing the charts anywhere.
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Over land and under ashes
In the sunlight, see - it flashes
Find a fly and eat his eye
But don't believe in me
Don't believe in me
Don't believe in me
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The Pessimist
Prog Reviewer
Joined: June 13 2007
Location: United Kingdom
Status: Offline
Points: 3834
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Posted: July 13 2009 at 15:43 |
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Why do they speak in English in war films?
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"Market value is irrelevant to intrinsic value."
Arnold Schoenberg
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fuxi
Prog Reviewer
Joined: March 08 2006
Location: United Kingdom
Status: Offline
Points: 2459
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Posted: July 13 2009 at 15:51 |
Rocktopus wrote:
moshkito wrote:
Rocktopus wrote:
I'm sure Tangerine Dream's Phaedra would never have charted in the UK, if the titles on their instrumentals were in German instead of English. |
I really think this is funny ... specially when Alpha Centauri and Phaedra would translate the same in English as titles ... Zeit maybe ... |
They didn't have a proper UK release until Phaedra, so naturally Alpha Centauri and Zeit didn't chart. Phaedra is from greek mythology and a wisely chosen "un-german" international title (just like Alpha Centauri). <font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><font size="1" face="Arial">Mysterious Semblance at the Strand of Nightmares, Movements of a Visionary and Sequent 'C' certainly aren't german titles either. So only Zeit is in german, and that album wasn't sniffing the charts anywhere. |
On the other hand, Kraftwerk's AUTOBAHN was a hit all over Europe. Both the band's name AND the album's title (as well as the unforgettable lyrics) are in German.
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fuxi
Prog Reviewer
Joined: March 08 2006
Location: United Kingdom
Status: Offline
Points: 2459
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Posted: July 13 2009 at 15:54 |
The Pessimist wrote:
Why do they speak in English in war films?
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That's Hollywood for you. In films like Captain Corelli's Mandolin you'll even find Yanks who speak English with an Italian accent, in order to seem Italian.
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Rocktopus
Forum Senior Member
Joined: March 02 2006
Location: Norway
Status: Offline
Points: 4202
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Posted: July 13 2009 at 16:06 |
fuxi wrote:
On the other hand, Kraftwerk's AUTOBAHN was a hit all over Europe.
Both the band's name AND the album's title (as well as the
unforgettable lyrics) are in German. |
Sure, but that example doesn't mean I'm wrong about this in general. My
original TD-comment is related to the opening thread question.
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Over land and under ashes
In the sunlight, see - it flashes
Find a fly and eat his eye
But don't believe in me
Don't believe in me
Don't believe in me
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A Person
Forum Senior Member
Joined: November 10 2008
Location: __
Status: Offline
Points: 65760
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Posted: July 13 2009 at 16:48 |
The Pessimist wrote:
Why do they speak in English in war films?
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Probably the same reason almost every alien species is humanoid and speaks English.
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Kazuhiro
Prog Reviewer
Joined: January 14 2009
Location: Tokyo, Japan
Status: Offline
Points: 1336
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Posted: July 13 2009 at 19:10 |
Maxophone and Latte E Miele announce the album of a version of Italian and an English version. Bronzo is that's right. It might have considered the market in the world a little.
It is a British member though Nektar was taken an active part in Germany. And, Kraan sings German lyrics.
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CPicard
Forum Senior Member
Joined: October 03 2008
Location: Là, sui monti.
Status: Offline
Points: 10841
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Posted: July 14 2009 at 08:10 |
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The Runaway
Forum Senior Member
Joined: May 28 2009
Location: London
Status: Offline
Points: 3144
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Posted: July 14 2009 at 08:33 |
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To be as mainstream as possible.
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Dellinger
Forum Senior Member
VIP Member
Joined: June 18 2009
Location: Mexico
Status: Offline
Points: 12732
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Posted: July 14 2009 at 22:17 |
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They sing in english so they get to more people, not only from English speaking coutries, but from all the world, because many people in other countries know english, or at least are used to hearing songs in english. German may be a very harsh language for singing, but it suits metal very well (and thus, it should suite progressive metal very well). Yet, I find it curious, Rammstein sings almost only in German and seem to be very popular (even though there is no progressive elements in their music).
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JJLehto
Prog Reviewer
Joined: April 05 2006
Location: Tallahassee, FL
Status: Offline
Points: 34550
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Posted: July 14 2009 at 22:21 |
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This is not a love song.
This is not a love song.
I don't sing my mother tongue.
No, this is not a love song.
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VanderGraafKommandöh
Prog Reviewer
Joined: July 04 2005
Location: Malaria
Status: Offline
Points: 89372
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Posted: July 14 2009 at 23:06 |
fuxi wrote:
P.S. I made a mistake. "Moscow Discow" was one of Telex' earlier singles. For the Eurovision contest they wrote a special number, to which they gave the exciting title "Eurovision":
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6USa0zUMmqI
They had the distinction of finishing last! ("La Belgique, nul points!") Clearly hoi polloi were not ready for this. Out-of-this-world!
By the way, Les Poppys were not as silly as you might think. The opening number on their first album ("Des chansons pop") opened with a daring guitar solo in Jimi Hendrix vein, it finished with a French-language cover of "Let the Sunshine in" (which I, as an eleven year old, found incredibly exciting) and in between there even was a kind of... well... a "tribute" to Jimi (who'd only just died):
Pour Jimi Hendrix qui ne voulait pas voir
Pour les Blancs, les Rouges, les Jaunes ou bien les Noirs
Pour l'Ouest ou le Sud, ou l'Est ou bien le Nord
Pour tous les vivants qui distribuent la mort
Je demande une trêve pour que se passe en paix
Cette conférence au sommet
("Noel '70")
Ah, innocent days!  |
Michel Moers of Telex also performed in Julverne and Nuit Caline a la Villa Mon Reve, both of whom are in the archives.
Edited by James - July 14 2009 at 23:09
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rogerthat
Prog Reviewer
Joined: September 03 2006
Location: .
Status: Offline
Points: 9869
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Posted: July 18 2009 at 07:23 |
I agree with Dean on the issue of inward looking tendencies. It is just a natural tendency, not many people are adventurous enough to look beyond their immediate frontiers for music and then willing to accept it when it is sung in an unfamiliar language. I am not saying I agree with this tendency at all, the language of music is notes, not words, though lyrics can help to expand the scope of emotional expression IF used well. But it is natural tendency and I guess the German bands didn't see fit to fight it. As for Italian prog, its flavour is quite different from the rest of European prog I have heard and it's possible they thought native Italians would relate to it better and so stuck to Italian. Mind, I wasn't there obviously so this is all conjecture.
I wouldn't say that misplaced nationalism and xenophobia in matters of music is non existent though. In India, I have heard people who are otherwise very knowledgable about music, especially Indian classical music, claim that Western music is decadent and a corrupting influence and that as Indians we should support Indian music. "When was the last time you checked out a *vomit* Bollywood soundtrack?" is the question I feel like shoving up their asses but refrain from because it's a pointless circle jerk and neither is going to convince the other of the merits of their perspective. I have the greatest respect for India's classical musicians like Zakir Hussain, Hariprasad Chaurasia, Ravi Shankar, the late Bismillah Khan, just for the record.
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Marty McFly
Special Collaborator
Honorary Collaborator
Joined: March 23 2009
Location: Czech Republic
Status: Offline
Points: 3968
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Posted: July 18 2009 at 07:34 |
I'm glad that they sing in English language. 1)This language sounds horrible in my ears, I can stand listening them. But when they sing in English language, I can listen them. Therefore it's the only way for me to listen them. So I'm glad. 2)I can undestand what they are talking about. English language is the most widespread language in the world. Almost everyone knows it and I haven't met anyone who don't like to listen songs in this language. But I've met a many people who hate German language. Why ? Maybe it's the same thing as with French and Italian language, Italian is much more pleasant to listen (for me) than French. It's kinda soft.
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There's a point where "avant-garde" and "experimental" becomes "terrible" and "pointless," -Andyman1125 on Lulu  Even my
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NotAProghead
Special Collaborator
Errors & Omissions Team
Joined: October 22 2005
Location: Russia
Status: Offline
Points: 7864
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Posted: July 18 2009 at 14:37 |
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^ I believe there are no bad languages. German can sound beautifully too, just listen to NOVALIS or bands from East Germany like KARAT, PUHDYS, LIFT. For me it's much better than broken English of many German bands.
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Who are you and who am I to say we know the reason why... (D. Gilmour)
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Why did most German bands sing in English?
