Kinda like James Brown
December 17, 2009 5:48 PM   Subscribe

Ever wonder what English songs sound like to foreigners? Probably they way Daler Mehndi's Tunak Tunak Tun sounds to English speakers. Prisencolinensinainciusol, a video by Italian Adriano Celentano, is a fascinating and funkadelic exploration into how what might be English is in fact just complete nonsense. [Via BoingBoing]

But then some songs such as Louie Louie, which is in English, confounds most native English speakers as well. Took me a long time to figure out what the heck they were singing in that tune.

And what about the first two lines of Brown Sugar by the Stones?

Gold coast slave ship bound for cotton fields
Sold in a market down in New Orleans

No wonder the foreign ear finds English so odd; sometimes I do too.
posted by bwg (29 comments total)

This post was deleted for the following reason: how do you say double post in esperanto? -- jessamyn



 
Esta muy triplo-posto, n'est-ce-pas?
posted by yhbc at 5:50 PM on December 17, 2009


Ever wonder what English songs sound like to foreigners?

I think we all know now, thanks.
posted by fire&wings at 5:51 PM on December 17, 2009 [1 favorite]


Si! Si! Esta tripliostico!
posted by yhbc at 5:52 PM on December 17, 2009 [2 favorites]


It sounds like a DOUBLE, NAY, TRIPLE POST!
posted by fixedgear at 5:55 PM on December 17, 2009


This is in fact very much a James Brown level situation.
posted by stupidsexyFlanders at 5:55 PM on December 17, 2009


Ah crap, Search turned up nothing on this before I posted it.

Delete away then.
posted by bwg at 5:56 PM on December 17, 2009


So it would be wrong to post a 4th?
posted by anshuman at 6:05 PM on December 17, 2009


Metafilter: setting trends for the rest of the Web since at least October 22, 2009.
posted by infinitewindow at 6:06 PM on December 17, 2009


It's like Tusk
posted by Flashman at 6:09 PM on December 17, 2009 [1 favorite]


Let's do this again tomorrow
posted by autoclavicle at 6:11 PM on December 17, 2009


Delete this before Boing Boing sees it and picks it up again in another two months.
posted by decagon at 6:11 PM on December 17, 2009 [5 favorites]


It's like Tusk

Heh, or maybe early REM.
posted by fixedgear at 6:13 PM on December 17, 2009


Delete this before Boing Boing sees it and picks it up again in another two months.

Well, they'd have to remove every trace of their old post. Like some kind of crazy dis-publishing or something.
posted by delmoi at 6:14 PM on December 17, 2009


*harmonica solo*
posted by Dr-Baa at 6:17 PM on December 17, 2009


This is fantastic. The linguiphile in me rejoices.
posted by dopamine at 6:19 PM on December 17, 2009


Wasn't this last posted yesterday? It's still fun. But this is still a triple.
posted by Admiral Haddock at 6:20 PM on December 17, 2009


James Brown is dead?
posted by game warden to the events rhino at 6:21 PM on December 17, 2009


Once again, sorry for the triple-post; those of us who don't spend every waking moment on MeFi are bound to miss a few things, and when search turns up nothing (and I did multiple previews and searches to be sure) what can one do?
posted by bwg at 6:22 PM on December 17, 2009 [1 favorite]


Something witty about triples or trios or the number three...
posted by awfurby at 6:22 PM on December 17, 2009


On BoingBoing right now:

POSTED BY CORY DOCTOROW ON DECEMBER 17, 2009 9:15 AM

They beat us by 6 hours!
posted by dirty lies at 6:24 PM on December 17, 2009


Oh, for—
posted by Sys Rq at 6:29 PM on December 17, 2009


CORY DOCTOROW
BACKWARDS
IS WOROT COD. Y? ROC!
posted by Dr-Baa at 6:30 PM on December 17, 2009


This is fantastic. The linguiphile in me rejoices.

For a second it looked like you wrote: "... the linguini ..."

I can't even read English properly!
posted by bwg at 6:32 PM on December 17, 2009


WOROT COD. Y? ROC!

Sounds like Welsh to me.
posted by Iridic at 6:34 PM on December 17, 2009


well *I* love linguini so count me as a linguiniphile
posted by edgeways at 6:37 PM on December 17, 2009


I like cappelini.
posted by fixedgear at 6:38 PM on December 17, 2009


So, I've come to realize in the past day or so as I've sent this around to friends of mine that are DJs, that too a person, the DJs that I respect the most have responded: "Holy Shit this is Amazing", and the ones who aren't really in it for the music don't get why this is so fantastic.
posted by empath at 6:39 PM on December 17, 2009


CORY DOCTOROW: WOO! CRY, DOCTOR!

TO DO, OR CRY, COW!
posted by delmoi at 6:50 PM on December 17, 2009


And don't forget his Air-Djinn Ex
posted by delmoi at 6:52 PM on December 17, 2009


« Older There is no evidence that Quetzalcoatlus could see...   |   Single Link Wire-Filter Newer »


This thread has been archived and is closed to new comments