General > Language Board

Music in your language?

(1/27) > >>

fluffernutters:
I encountered a song which made me think about how languages can be portrayed in music. The song itself is called "Ack Värmeland, du sköna" (I'll leave it up to you to translate ;) ), and originates from Sweden. Although this is a cover by an Icelandic reggae band called Hjálmar, apparently singing this song in old Norse. How's THAT for a mashup of different cultures!?


So I'm curious, what songs do you think portray your language the best? Are there songs that just can't be translated or sung in any other languages? Maybe you have an old folk song (such as the one above) you'd like to share? Or perhaps another mashup?

And a side question: Does anyone understand the lyrics in the song above? I can only recognize a word here and there.

Laufey:
That's actually Icelandic (though a bit old-fashioned), not Old Norse. He's singing "I want to have a darling, most urgently", lists all the good qualities he wishes for in a girl and ends with a promise of having a three-day wedding and no lack of food or wine for the guests. I can try to get you the lyrics and some translations if you like? :)

Haiz:
I must admit I don't listen to a lot of music in Norwegian, but then again there isn't a lot of music in Norwegian to go around either. But for what it's worth, I think Gåte gives a pretty good Norwegianey feel + bonus for being in nynorsk/dialect
Spoiler: show

and this one time one of my very northern uncles gave me a cd with a punk rock girl band that sings in norwegian, first I was like "what" and then I was like "yoooo"
Spoiler: showmy favourite song from them can't be found on youtube but whatever


as for Czech, I listen to a lot of Czech covers of celtic folk songs, and my fav band is Asonance:
Spoiler: show

otherwise there's a bluegrass song thing we sometimes listen to in the car and is probably what I'd answer with for the "Are there songs that just can't be translated or sung in any other languages" question, I mean it can be translated but it wouldn't have the same feel at all
Spoiler: show

Laufey:
Talking about cultural mashups, here's my favourite - Sjösala vals in Swedish, Finnish and Icelandic.

Spoiler: show
A Swedish waltz by Evert Taube, about a Mr Rönnerdahl who's enjoying the beauty of late spring/early summer in Sjösala.


Finns, then, have Mr. Anttila who likewise wakes up early morning in the spring and, in a moment of spring-craziness runs outdoors in his undershirt to frolic among the flowers. Very accurate to original, even the note on him having hairy legs is there. :D


What would Icelanders do? Well - take the song and make it all about Reykjavík of course.  ;D The lyrics are changed entirely, to a point that where both Swedes and Finns list flowers in the chorus Icelanders go "Ekkert er fegurra en vorkvöld í Reykjavík" = Nothing's more beautiful than a spring evening in Reykjavík.

Pessi:
Laufey, I've heard a filk version of that too, "Attilan keväthuumaus". It starts when "Attila nyt ampaisee ylös ratsulleen" and tells about the Hunns slaughtering people all through Europe. "...Katso kuinka monta kalloa vaalenee jo aroniityllä: germaani, burgundi, gootti ja moni muu" =D

Navigation

[0] Message Index

[#] Next page