Whenever I sat down to play my ukulele recently, I would find myself at a loss of what I should sing or what I should try to learn. To try and remedy this issue, I came up with a list of songs in different languages that I should learn by heart for the future. It'd make a pretty cool party trick; I'd say "I can sing songs in so and so languages, pick which one you hear first" and then I'd sing it.
While this repertoire hasn't officially been adapted yet, it does exist. That being said, here is a list of ten songs, each in a different language, and a YouTube video where you can listen to them. I'll also include a brief comment on how I first heard that song/why I chose it. The songs are:
This song is adorable. It came up when I was listening to some 8tracks playlist and I realized some words sounded pretty Austronesian, so I looked it up and saw it was Malaysian. Knowing how to read and pronounce Tagalog I figured it wouldn't be too difficult to learn (besides the really high notes!).
This is a song from the Studio Ghibli movie, The Cat Returns. I also remember hearing it at some Daiso store some years ago and thinking it was really cute/easy to play on the ukulele (could hear it played in the background of the song, even). This is a song I've already learned how to sing and know the chords to so it's just a matter of memorizing the lyrics at this point!
While this repertoire hasn't officially been adapted yet, it does exist. That being said, here is a list of ten songs, each in a different language, and a YouTube video where you can listen to them. I'll also include a brief comment on how I first heard that song/why I chose it. The songs are:
Chinese: 我的歌声里 by 曲婉婷 ("You exist in my song" by Wanting Qu)
YouTube actually put this on a mix it put together for me personally. I liked it so much I listened to it over and over after I first discovered it, and it's also the only song in Chinese I listen to regularly and could conceivably sing.
Malaysian: Terukir di Bintang by Yuna ("Engraved on the star")
Japanese: 風になる by つじ あやの ("Becoming the wind" by Ayano Tsuji)
This is a song from the Studio Ghibli movie, The Cat Returns. I also remember hearing it at some Daiso store some years ago and thinking it was really cute/easy to play on the ukulele (could hear it played in the background of the song, even). This is a song I've already learned how to sing and know the chords to so it's just a matter of memorizing the lyrics at this point!
Kinyarwanda: Ndagukunda by King James ("I love you")
I first heard this song when I was in Rwanda–I think I was at a wedding? I thought it was really sweet. Also, I swear it's a coincidence that Rwanda is where I met my boyfriend and his name is James.
Tagalog: Titibo-tibo by Moira dela Torre ("Boyish")
My sister sent me a link to this song and I adored it upon first listen. It'll be a good way to practice Tagalog pronunciation since the artist sings really fast and the lyrics can get kind of challenging!
Cebuano: Balay ni Mayang by Kyle Wong and Martina Sandiego
This is another song I've known for a while. It's also the only song on this list I already know how to play by heart (save for the last verse, I guess–I need to review that). It's a pretty typical ukulele song.
Chavacano: Porque by David Dimuzio and Aria Clemente
Can't remember how exactly I discovered this song, but it's really, really good. Chavacano (another Filipino language and the 3rd in this list) is such an interesting language since it's the only Spanish-based Creole in Asia, and it also has some words in it that are more distinctly Tagalog/Austronesian. It's actually originally a mix of Chavacano and Tagalog, done by the group Maldita, but I really like this version because it's purely Chavacano.
Spanish: Sabor a Mí by Eydie Gormé y Los Panchos ("A taste of me")
This is a fairly popular bolero; it's just Eydie Gormé's version that I really like. I love boleros in general, so when I saw a ukulele tutorial for this song I hopped on that. This song has the most complex set of chords out of any of the songs on this list so that might take a while to memorize.
Portuguese: Cafajeste by Thaeme e Thiago ("Shithead")
I had discovered this song on an 8tracks playlist with Brazilian music and I really liked it–it has such a playful and catchy tune. I had no idea it meant "Shithead" until my friend Jessica told me. That made me like it even more, so when I told Jessica about this list I was making, she told me "Do Cafajeste for Portuguese!" So I will.
Greek: Της καληνύχτας τα φιλιά by Ελευθερία Αρβανιτάκη ("Good night kisses" by Eleftheria Arvanitaki)
My Greek friend and roommate Alkmini compiled a list of nice love songs in Greek and sent it to me once, and I listen to it from time to time. I had gotten into music in Greek pretty recently; it sounds so beautiful, and from that playlist I was particularly drawn to this sweet song. She and I found the chords and sang it one evening in Cabot House's music room and had lots of fun with it.
So far that's ten. I'm going to make it my New Year's Resolution to learn this repertoire by heart! I think it'll be doable to focus on one song per month, maybe starting with the ones I know the best already. Also, you've probably noticed that there are no songs in French or English. That is because I already know a lot of them, and they can make the two missing months. I would also have loved to include a song in Polish, but haven't come across any I feel compelled to learn (I've learned "A Whole New World" and "La vie en rose" in Polish though), and I would also have loved to include a song in Swahili (I've scoured and scoured but have not found one I feel compelled to learn/that would suit my aesthetic, either). Maybe I'll post a series of videos on Facebook and crowdsource for these ones!
This should be a worthwhile challenge for the year, and I'm looking forward to it. I'll need something to help me carry on once I leave Harvard...
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