Cá Bhfuil Na Gaeilg eoirí?

Wombat · Post by **Wombat** » Mon Jan 08, 2007 7:31 am

alurker wrote: How many of the 100 top-selling pop/punk/metal songs of the past from Ireland, the UK or the USA have been in a language other than English?

Eh, all of them?

Walden · Post by **Walden** » Mon Jan 08, 2007 8:08 am

Wombat wrote:
alurker wrote: How many of the 100 top-selling pop/punk/metal songs of the past from Ireland, the UK or the USA have been in a language other than English?
Eh, all of them?

It doesn't really matter, as long as I have good earplugs.

alurker · Post by **alurker** » Mon Jan 08, 2007 8:15 am

Wombat wrote:
alurker wrote: How many of the 100 top-selling pop/punk/metal songs of the past from Ireland, the UK or the USA have been in a language other than English?
Eh, all of them?

Or to put it another way . . . . . . .

djm · Post by **djm** » Mon Jan 08, 2007 9:00 am

I'm guessing that Redwolf is looking for someone or some act to come out that makes songs in Irish "cool" to appeal to a younger audience, e.g. Gaelic hip-hop.

djm

Redwolf · Post by **Redwolf** » Mon Jan 08, 2007 10:26 am

djm wrote:I'm guessing that Redwolf is looking for someone or some act to come out that makes songs in Irish "cool" to appeal to a younger audience, e.g. Gaelic hip-hop.

djm

Yes, exactly. It's been noted that Wales actually has quite a vibrant popular music scene in Welsh, but the same can't be said for Ireland...which is why RnaG took the unprecedented step of allowing songs in English on Anocht FM.

Redwolf

chrisoff · Post by **chrisoff** » Mon Jan 08, 2007 10:40 am

Redwolf wrote: Yes, exactly. It's been noted that Wales actually has quite a vibrant popular music scene in Welsh, but the same can't be said for Ireland...which is why RnaG took the unprecedented step of allowing songs in English on Anocht FM.

Redwolf

I think, to be fair, that a lot of countries in Europe have the same problem. There are a large number of Scandinavian metal and hardcore bands that sing in English for example. This leads me to think that even if 100% of Irish nationals spoke Gaelic the majority of their youth would still sing songs in English.

Post by **Nanohedron** » Mon Jan 08, 2007 12:33 pm

alurker wrote:
Wombat wrote:
alurker wrote: How many of the 100 top-selling pop/punk/metal songs of the past from Ireland, the UK or the USA have been in a language other than English?
Eh, all of them?
Or to put it another way . . . . . . .

I don't know what you'd call it, apocalyptoindustrial punk metal, maybe, but when sung in German the effect is utterly perfect. Much more forbidding than it might be in English.

Some things are just right, you know?

alurker · Post by **alurker** » Mon Jan 08, 2007 4:55 pm

Redwolf wrote:
djm wrote:I'm guessing that Redwolf is looking for someone or some act to come out that makes songs in Irish "cool" to appeal to a younger audience, e.g. Gaelic hip-hop.

djm
Yes, exactly. It's been noted that Wales actually has quite a vibrant popular music scene in Welsh, but the same can't be said for Ireland...which is why RnaG took the unprecedented step of allowing songs in English on Anocht FM.

The Welsh language popular music scene came to mind when this discussion originally arose however it is quite different to the Irish scene. The preservation of the Welsh language is a big issue for the young people of North Wales. Spend some time in the University town of Bangor and you will see what I mean. As a result they support rock music artists who sing in Welsh and being a semi-professional Welsh-language rock musician is an option.

Irish language enthusiasts would like it to be like this in Ireland but it simply is not. Most young people who speak Irish as their first language do so because they were born and grew up in a Gaeltacht (Irish speaking area). They do not have the same enthusiasm for the language as their Welsh counterparts. Also there are about 70,000 native Irish speakers spread all over the gealtachtai of Ireland as compared with 600,000 Welsh speakers concentrated primarily in North Wales. Even with these numbers, have you ever heard of a Welsh language song making it into the UK top 30? Given the size of the potential audience is it any wonder that Irish rock bands do not sing in Irish.

FYI, one of the top rating-shows that TG4 (Irish language TV station) had going for a long while was a late night music programme. Many young viewers tuned in each night. The tracks were all of the techno/dance instrumental variety so language was not an issue. I think it was Donal Dineen who presented it (in Irish).

chrisoff · Post by **chrisoff** » Mon Jan 08, 2007 5:00 pm

alurker wrote:Even with these numbers, have you ever heard of a Welsh language song making it into the UK top 30?

Super Furry Animals got to #11 in the album chart with a welsh language album. I think they've had singles containing welsh get quite high as well, but I'm not sure and wikipedia doesn't specify.

alurker · Post by **alurker** » Mon Jan 08, 2007 5:03 pm

Nanohedron wrote:I don't know what you'd call it, apocalyptoindustrial punk metal, maybe, but when sung in German the effect is utterly perfect.

I prefer Finnish myself:

Meet the winners of Euorvision 2006.

chrisoff · Post by **chrisoff** » Mon Jan 08, 2007 5:04 pm

alurker wrote: Meet the winners of Euorvision 2006.

I voted for them!

Jack · Post by **Jack** » Mon Jan 08, 2007 9:41 pm

Walden wrote:
Wombat wrote:
alurker wrote: How many of the 100 top-selling pop/punk/metal songs of the past from Ireland, the UK or the USA have been in a language other than English?
Eh, all of them?
It doesn't really matter, as long as I have good earplugs.

I don't follow American pop music that closely, but isn't at least some of it in Spanish?

Wombat · Post by **Wombat** » Mon Jan 08, 2007 10:13 pm

Cranberry wrote:
Walden wrote:
Wombat wrote: Eh, all of them?
It doesn't really matter, as long as I have good earplugs.
I don't follow American pop music that closely, but isn't at least some of it in Spanish?

There have been worldwide hits in Spanish. La Bamba, Guantanemera, La Cucaracha (about cockroaches and marijuana and Pancho Villa and much else) are three well known songs. 'Dominique' became a worldwide hit probably because it was sung in French—gave it a cuteness factor.

alurker · Post by **alurker** » Mon Jan 08, 2007 11:47 pm

You're forgetting the unforgettable 'Je t'aime'.

Now can anyone point out how many non-english language albums appear on <a href="http://philbrodieband.com/muso_solo_bes ... orldalbums" target="blank"> this list</a> or how many non-english language singles appear on <a href="http://vibewaves.brinkster.net/uk/top75/top100.html" target="blank">this list</a> Sorry, I couldn't find equivalent US or Irish all-time charts on the web.

Wombat · Post by **Wombat** » Tue Jan 09, 2007 12:20 am

alurker wrote:You're forgetting the unforgettable 'Je t'aime'.

Do you think Abba's 'Mamma Mia' counts?

Then there was Serge Gainsburg and Jane Birkin doing 'Je T'Aime Moi Non Plus'.... hey, wait a minute, that's the one you noticed. And parts of 'Michelle' are pretending to be in French.