International Pop Music

July 24, 2017 5:40 PM

I am on the staff running an international travel-related event in August, and need to put together a Spotify playlist of songs to play at the end of the last day of the event. In the past I have picked different themes, and what I am shooting for this year is non-English popular music from around the world. Details inside.

The requirements are the songs need to be radio-friendly in whatever language they are sung, and they need to be on Spotify. Era doesn't matter so much (so Umberto Tozzi's original version of 'Gloria' in Italian is good). I am looking for as wide a variety in languages as possible, there will be attendees present from more than 100 different countries. I figure the Mefi community is spectacularly global and multi-lingual, so hit me up with your favorite pop tunes from the past and present. Go!

posted by Lokheed to Media & Arts (9 answers total)

Best answer: With the caveat that I don't speak all/most of these so can't guarantee full radio edit status, and this is a pretty broad definition of pop:

Big up, Alika

Bang Bang, Betty Chung

Timtar, Bombino

Cuando Te Tenga, Cici Bastida

Boa Noite, Carol Konka

Haenim, Kim Jung Mi

Tous les Garcons et les Filles, and Les temps de l'amour, Françoise Hardy

Uku, Dengue Fever

S'il Vous Plait, Otoboke Beaver

Yere Faga, Oumou Sangaré

Tibra, Samaris

Koud Edhaz Emin, Tinariwen

Joga o bum bum, MC Fioti *that one might be pushing it on the radio edit

In a phantom mood, Shintaro Sakamoto*title's English, lyrics Japanese.
posted by Diablevert at 8:43 PM on July 24, 2017

This Spotify K-Pop throwback list looks pretty fun to me. https://open.spotify.com/user/121489479/playlist/3wxxqZiG87zEoILCzXYoj4
I especially like Roora (1995 in the house!) https://open.spotify.com/artist/3dWB7YZVCfeOXDVIHpVNaO
posted by spamandkimchi at 9:23 PM on July 24, 2017

German: Peter Fox - Haus am See
Dutch: BLØF - Aan de kust, or (older) Marco Borsato - Dromen zijn bedrog
posted by jouke at 10:37 PM on July 24, 2017

Chromeo - j'ai claqué la Porte
Manu chao - lots of great songs in several languages, I like Je ne t'aime plus or Me gustas tu
posted by the agents of KAOS at 11:34 PM on July 24, 2017

a couple:
Jesse & Joy (mex)
Shakira & Carlos Vives (colombia)
& a medley of colombians
Feist (canada!)
Alma* (finland)
Kasmir (la finlandia)
Lykke Li* (sweden)
The idan raichel project (israel - pretty mellow song, not so bouncy)

*they sing in English, but your life will be infinitely better with a little alma & lykke in your life
posted by speakeasy at 5:36 AM on July 25, 2017

The Italian original of "Let's Live For Today"
posted by rhizome at 11:59 AM on July 25, 2017

These are relatively old (mostly 90s) and I don't know if they are on Spotify:

Vaartina - Finland
Noa (Achinoam Nini) - Israel
(I'll second Idan Raichel as well)
Tarkan - Turkish
Maanam - Polish
Yulduz Usmanova - Ukraine
Djavan and Kid Abelha - Brazil
Yuri Yunakov - Bulgaria

I can't vouch for lyrics/meaning except that Noa will be innocuous and Vaartina should be safe too.

You could check out Eurovision entrants as well.
posted by 2 cats in the yard at 6:15 PM on July 25, 2017

For the French speakers: Stromae (Belgian) - Alors on Danse - great song! Very popular, also his song Papaoutai.

Swedish - Boten Anna - cheesy but was popular!
posted by cornflakegirl at 4:54 PM on July 26, 2017

Response by poster: Following up: Thank you so much, I made a playlist out of many of these suggestions and it was a big hit at the event.
posted by Lokheed at 8:22 AM on August 23, 2017 [1 favorite]