A Brief History
On December 15, 1956, Elvis Presley gave the last of 50 performances on Louisiana Hayride, a live Shreveport, Louisiana radio show. This event was the occasion that the famous line, “Elvis has left the building” comes from. In honor of this musical trivia, and the fact that Elvis himself sang a song with lyrics in German and in English (“Wooden Heart”), we list today 10 great tunes, some of our favorites, that feature English and at least one other language.
Digging Deeper
1. “Wooden Heart”, Elvis Presley, 1960.
This nice tune comes from the 1960 film, GI Blues, starring Elvis with Juliet Prowse, and the song made it to #1 in Britain, although for some reason it was not released as a single in the United States until 1964, which left an opening for Joe Dowell to sing a cover version that went to #1 in the US in 1961. The Elvis version features 2 parts sung in German, with the remainder of the song in English.
2. “Ma Belle Amie”, Tee Set, 1970.
Another love song that went to #5 in the US, Tee Set was a Dutch group that also sang a version of the song in Italian. The United Kingdom version was released in a lower key and somewhat slower than the US version. Tee Set never had another hit in the US, but this one is pretty nice to listen to. The US and UK versions are sung in English and French, but not the band’s native Dutch.
3. “Michelle”, The Beatles, 1965.
Although the Beatles had lived and performed in Germany prior to hitting it big, singing in German as well as English there, this love ballad features English and French lyrics, something the Fab Four is not ordinarily known for. The song won the Grammy for Song of the Year in 1967 and appears on the Rubber Soul album. In 1999 BMI ranked “Michelle” as the 42nd most performed song of the 20th Century, and Paul McCartney has been singing it on his own for years.
4. “What Have They Done to My Song, Ma?”, Melanie Safka, 1972.
The Ukrainian-Italian-American singer was at her peak in 1972, snagging the title as Billboard’s Top Female Vocalist for 1972. Part of that success was this song performed in English and French parts, a song previously recorded by Dalilah Lavi in Germany in 1971. Several other notable singers covered the tune, including Ray Charles, Nina Simone, and The New Seekers. More recently, Miley Cyrus has released a 2012 video acoustic version of the song, although without the French lines. (Note: Sometimes the song has an alternate title, such as “Look What They’ve Done to My Song, Ma.”)
5. “How Do You Do,” Die Windows, 1971.
The duo from the Netherlands, Mouth and MacNeal, had a hit with this song, reaching #1 in several European countries and #8 in the United States. The Scots-German duo, Die Windows (later just Windows), covered the song predominantly in German, but featuring the title refrain in loud and clear English. This wonderful cover version reached #1 in Germany and is a feel good favorite to us here at H & H.
6. “Time to Say Goodbye”, Andrea Bocelli and Sarah Brightman, 1996.
This duet version of a song Bocelli sang to great success in 1995 was an even bigger hit than the solo original, done only in Italian. The duet is sung in Italian and English, and is the biggest selling single in Germany ever. In fact, the duet has sold over 12 million copies, probably in the top 20 selling singles in recording history. (Exact ranking is difficult and sources vary.) Bocelli also recorded the song solo, in Spanish.
7. “My Melody of Love”, Bobby Vinton, 1974.
Bobby Vinton, of Pennsylvania is known as “The Polish Prince” for a reason (he’s Polish, the original family name was Vintula). He sings this hit song in English and Polish, which surprisingly became a monster hit for him, #1 on the Easy Listening Charts and as high as #3 on the Hot 100. “My Melody of Love” is an adaptation of a German song, “Hearts Have No Windows.”
8. “Caress Me Down”, Sublime, 1996.
Despite never being released as a single (the song appears on the album, Sublime), this song sung in “Spanglish,” a fluid going back and forth between Spanish and English is nonetheless a popular song on the radio as a single. This fun and funny song comes mostly from a Clement Irie tune from the 1980’s. With some sexual innuendo, it is probably best left to adults.
9. “Lady Marmalade”, Labelle, 1974.
After a 1974 release by a group called Eleventh Hour, for whom the song and album it appeared on did not chart, this combination of English and French became a monster hit for the girls in Labelle, centered on lead singer Patti Labelle. Reaching #1 in the US and Canada, the song has had many successful cover versions, including a version that reached #1 in Britain and the version from the movie, Moulin Rouge (2001) sung by pop divas Christina Aguilera, Pink, Mya, and Lil Kim that also reached #1, this time in the US and Britain, becoming only the 9th song to ever hit #1 for more than one artist. The title character of the song is supposed to be a prostitute, something Patti Labelle later denied having any knowledge of when she recorded the song.
10. “Angels We Have Heard on High”, James Chadwick, 1862.
This familiar and stirring Christmas carol was composed (words) by British Roman Catholic Bishop James Chadwick, adapting the words in English and Latin to a French song Les Anges Dans Nos Compagnes. Based at least somewhat on the French version, the song is about the birth of Christ and a host of angels singing in celebration of that event. The original French song also features the Latin refrain, “Gloria, in excelsis Deo.” The song has been adapted to numerous other languages, pretty much all of which also use the Latin refrain as a common part of the lyrics, making the song quite recognizable in many languages. Many pop singers have covered the song, as have some notable singing groups along with virtually every major chorus and choir in the Christian world.
Question for students (and subscribers) to ponder: What favorite songs would you add to this list?
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Historical Evidence
For more information, please see…
Logan, Horace and Bill Sloan. Louisiana Hayride Years: Making Musical History in Country’s Golden Age. St. Martin’s Griffin, 1999.
