99 Luftballons was the first one that came to mind.
this post was submitted on 17 Jun 2025
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I love that song
The prettiest song ever about nuclear war.
There were A LOT of songs about nuclear war in 80s music. German youth in the 80s was very aware that in nuclear war Germany (being a huge part of the east west border) would just be ground zero to be vaporized in WW3.
Thinking about Germany people associate the Autobahn, what some don't know - there were pre-built detonation chambers so key sections and bridges could be mined with atomic demolition munitions in order to stop the east bloc tank armies from advancing.
ChatGpt translation of the song lyrics:
When in the Canale Grande submarines drop anchor
And on St. Peter’s Square in Rome missile launch pads stand
When a carpet of bombs floats over the bazaar of Ankara
And from the hills of Olympus a Pershing II rises
Then everything is long too late
Then, when nothing works anymore
Visit Europe
As long as it still stands
In front of the old Cologne Cathedral a mushroom cloud rises into the air
And the sky is filled with the scent of neutron waffles
When in Paris the Eiffel Tower bows westward in a final salute
And near Big Ben a gentle Alpine glow appears
Then everything is long too late
Then, when nothing works anymore
Visit Europe
As long as it still stands
When haute cuisine turns into a witch’s cauldron
Where the cook from overseas flambés his old world
There’s laughter and applause, even the waiter gets a kick
What’s left to us but culture — we wish you bon appétit
Then everything is long too late
Then, when nothing works anymore
Visit Europe
As long as it still stands
Yes, then everything is long too late
Then, when nothing works anymore
Visit Europe
As long as it still stands
As long as it still stands, as long as it still stands
As long as it still stands, as long as it still stands
I've been a fan of Rammstein for many years. I know the gist of what each song means and know a few words of German. But I can't translate word for word.
Dragostea Din Tei by O-Zone, though I think I heard it on NicoNico Douga before it became known as the NumaNuma Song.
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Prisencolinensinainciusol! That song rocks.
All right!
Agreed!!
Does it count if nobody knows the words?
Of course!!
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Kind of a weird one, but the beginning theme to the original Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex has stuck with me.
The song is called "Inner Universe," but the lyrics are Russian.
Wolf Totem by the Hu. In fact, their entire discography. The heavier stuff is great at the gym
My first introduction to them was Yuve Yuve Yu, also a banger.
I got a little hyper fixated on throat singing one week and they popped into my feed. Bike rides and road trips have never been the same.
Most anime OP's I like I have no idea what they're saying and that's probably for the best.
Leek spin https://youtu.be/GCO62VNm67k
Which is actually the Finnish song "Ievan polkka" and not just scatting/jibberish as I always naively used to think
Except, it is mostly scat/nonsense! Just in Finnish! Most of the song is nonsense lyrics.
Except it is just scatting. The leekspin version and the Miku version of the song is just the scatting parts of the Loituma arrangement. The full Loituma version, Korpiklaani version or one of the many recorded versions from Finnish folk singers have the actual lyrics. They do actually include a scatted part, usually after every verse, but Loituma atleast extended it for a full verse of scatting, which the Miku version made into a full song.
For the record, the lyrics are about the main character of the song dancing polka with the girl he loves (Ieva), whose "proper" and religious parents don't approve of the mc or dancing in general. So after they dance and go home, the mom of Ieva catches them and makes Ieva cry, the mc threatens the mom to leave them alone and professes his love for Ieva. Then they go on to dance more polka. It's great.
Polish cow song. The melody itself is from another song, "How long - Lipps, inc" apparently. But both songs do well with that beat.
Anything from the hu
That is some seriously addictive stuff. Good call.
I non-ironically quite like the leek spin song (Ievan Polkka).
I don’t speak French and the soundtrack of the game Clair obscur expedition 33 is all in French and I can’t stop listening to it. So I have no idea about the lyrics but it sounds so pleasant to the ears.
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historical example: Sukiyaki by Kyu Sakamoto – released in Japan in 1961 under “Ue o Muite Arukō” – released in US in 1963 under “Sukiyaki” because that was about the only Japanese word Americans knew …
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You can't hear it from there, but I am screaming in non-native English speaker.
Or, to put it another way, every single song you know released before 1995.
This is a significant fraction of my music collection.
I’ve played a lot of Korean games since way back, and there are plenty of songs I like — even though I have no idea what they’re saying.
I still play games like DJMAX and EZ2ON, and I just enjoy the vibe without understanding the lyrics.
A bunch of songs from various Hololive JP talent :)
The band Creepy Nuts is a Japanese rap(?) group that did the Dandadan opening, but I also really like their opening for Mashle - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mLW35YMzELE
I think they also did the opening and closing for Call of the Night, but of which are also great.
Tons of songs from the Eurovision song contest. I was rocking out to this one from Estonia today: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=htPAhtVgKsI
Mundian to Bach Ke by Punjabi MC (and famously remixed with Jay Z)
中西 圭三 - Woman
Nakanishi Keizō - Woman
(Japanese; my Japanese only good enough to catch a few snippets)
One I came to love because the guy in the room next to me when I lived in Japan kept playing it over and over until I did. Also featured in my first (and last!) attempt at doing karaoke in front of Japanese people.
https://youtu.be/xYe0d9QFLIA
Время и Стекло - Тролль
Vremya i Steklo - Troll
(Russian)
The Ukrainian crunk equivalent of "No Scrubs"? (IIRC read an article explaining how the song is about terrible men hitting on her)
https://youtu.be/q--5Ht49vNY
Anders Nelsson - 鬼新娘
Anders Nelsson - Ghost Bride Song
(Cantonese)
From the soundtrack of 殭屍先生 (Mr Vampire, 1985), Hong Kong horror-comedy about the hopping dead.
https://youtu.be/q9DHRNREzlk
Tabou Combo - Konpa Mania
(Haitian Creole & English; I only know a few words in Creole)
A konpa track I think sampled by Wyclef Jean.
https://youtu.be/McUmXoB_9yw
Many songs if I like enough I figure out some of the words when looking for the title. Otherwise I remember them then forget them for a while. A couple famous examples I like:
Dschinghis Khan - Moskau, it's a bop, i know the melody but lyrics I only know parts of.
O-Zone - Dragostea Din Tea - this one of course I know front to back but I don't know what a single word means.
99 luftballoons!that's it, until I learned german
The classic answer is La Bamba. Love the song, no idea what the lyrics are.
Baba Yetu, the Swahili opening to the game Civilization 4. Wikipedia says it's the first song made for a video game to win a Grammy.
Everything by Wardruna. Gregorian chant and medieval music, particularly by Hildegard von Bingen. Music by Enya in Gaelic.
I basically love city pop cus it has great groove, rhythm and usually the few English words in the lyrics reassuring me that it’s usually about love or a metaphor of it.
Yes
There's this Norwegian metal band called Kvelertak and I absolutely love their sound, but have no idea what the lyrics are about as I don't speak the language.
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flying duck by cherryfilter. I know only enough Korean to pick out a few words here and there, but have never bothered to look it up.
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