Hmmm... I don't know what to think about this. On one hand, I could agree with NumberNineDream:
Quote:
Originally Posted by NumberNineDream
I do a lot and mainly Spanish and German songs. Not understanding the language makes me focus more on the melody and the performance of the artist. But I do usually search for the lyrics' meanings (or just the lyrics) when I get obsessed with the song.
Tho a lot of times I memorize a song entirely by sound without understanding a single word (usually I'd be pronouncing everything wrong, but who cares as long as I'm singing along  ) |
For example, this funny cover of
Wonderwall is based on that idea:
Authors and listeners of the cover don't care about what lyrics say. It could be anything.
On the other hand, many times I've thought that, without understanding the lyrics, a song cannot be fully appreciated. Also: What happens with
rhyming songs? The same
Wonderwall, for instance. Or
Voy en un coche, which I mentioned in other thread yesterday. It's a catchy song, and, as Molecules said, "
Spanish is f*cking hot".
So, many people would like it. But there is something more: the rhyme.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Zaqarbal
Spanish.................................................English
Voy en un coche que robé anoche......... I go in a car that I stole last night
a un tipo listo que iba a ligar..................from a smart guy who tried to get off with me
Es un spyder con dos asientos,...............It's a two-seat spyder,
coge doscientos sin apretar....................it gets to 200 easy.
Los camioneros cuelgan sonrisas.............Truck drivers hang smiles
del parabrisas cuando me ven.................on the windshield when they see me.
Soy la Princesa de la autopista.................I am the Princess of the highway
y hasta los polis besan mis pies...............and even the cops kiss my feet.
Quiero llegar muy lejos,..........................I want to go very far,
casi casi hasta el final,............................almost, almost right to the end,
donde nadie da consejos,........................where no one gives advice,
pasando la frontera.................................passing the border
con un calavera......................................with a skull
tatuada en el cristal................................tattooed in the glass.
|
Rhyme? Lost in translation.
The point is that, to value the merit of making a rhyme, you also have to know the meaning of the words. It's not simply a matter of phonetics. Obviously, you can be aware of the similarity between sounds. But if you don't understand the language, you don't know how difficult or how simple is to integrate music and lyrics into a coherent whole.
Do you know what I mean?