Anyway, in light of the Deseret News‘s skepticism of the accessibility of non-English language music, and as a follow-up to my Bad Bunny post on Friday, I figured I’d ask all of you smart people: what are your favorite songs and albums in languages other than English?
I’ll start, though I’ll confess that my start isn’t ask exciting as I’d like it to be, since my picks are in my mission language (Portuguese) or albums I first heard on my mission (Spanish).
Song: Roberto Carlos, “É Proibido Fumar.” I first heard a cover of this song while I was in Brazil by the band Skank. And it was easily the best song on their album. It turns out it was the best song because Roberto Carlos’s is so amazing, with Beach Boys/surf rock guitar, a flutter-tongued 60s go-go sax solo, and seriously clever lyrics.
Album: Marisa Monte, Verde, Anil, Amarelo, Cor de Rosa e Carvão. In 2007, Rolling Stone chose this as one of the 100 greatest Brazilian albums. And it makes sense. Marisa Monte has a clear, pure voice, above strings and Brazilian rhythms, a stunning post-bossa nova album that, nonetheless, is recognizable as a descendant of bossa and samba. (Marisa Monte toured in the US a couple years after I got home from my mission and I went to her show in Escondido, CA.)
Album: Shakira, “Pies Descalzos.” So this is the thing: even as a faithful missionary who takes seriously the no-secular-music rule, music is unavoidable in Brazil. (My companion and I once knocked doors on a whole block while one home was blasting music—we listened to an entire album in the course of not getting into any homes!) And Shakira’s third album was huge in Brazil, in spite of being in Spanish, not Portuguese. Like, she was enormous. And deservedly so. I had no idea at the time that she would eventually embrace singing in English and become a worldwide phenomenon, but this album definitely shows her international superstar potential. And it’s just one great song after another.
Song: Caetano Veloso, “Sampa.” Caetano Veloso is one of the most important figures in música popular brasileira. He helped found the tropicália movement. He was arrested and then exiled by the fascist military regime in Brazil in the 1960s. But that’s not why I fell in love with this song: I first heard it when a member’s husband pulled out his guitar and sang and played it for me and my companion. That was my introduction both to “Sampa” and Caetano Veloso. And “Sampa” is not only a gorgeous song, but it’s a love letter to São Paulo from someone who is not from São Paulo. As such, the wistful lyrics reflected my experience with that incredible city.
So those are (for now) my two songs and two albums in languages other than English. But honestly, I know the music I love—I can’t wait to hear what you love!
Photo by Jake Noble on Unsplash
