Worst and best languages for singing?

Guest123456   Tue Feb 09, 2010 8:24 pm GMT
What are the best and worst languages for singing? There are plenty of languages that sound shit sung, but I think Mandarin really takes the buscuit. I am yet to hear a Mandarin song that actually sounds half-decent, and I have approached the subject with an open mind while listening to Mandarin music. The language is way to harsh and doesn't really have any melody to it. Also, because in tonal languages if you say something with the wrong tone you risk saying something retarded, Mandarin singers try to write their songs to stay with the tonal flow, which means you loose even more flow and versatility for writing songs. In short, Mandarin and music don't go together very well.

As for the best sounding language when sung, I feel that its Finnish, and Italian and Spanish sound good too. All are heavily vowel-y languages which is pretty much essential for a good singing language.
PARISIEN   Tue Feb 09, 2010 9:11 pm GMT
Honestly, Italian can't be beaten...
Spanish and Russian aren't bad either.
All of them are sort of fitted with a built-in amplifier.

I hate to admit it but French is probably one of the worst. With so many nasals, mute 'e's and unvoiced consonants you can't shout out loud...
gloshkh   Tue Feb 09, 2010 9:16 pm GMT
Different languages suit different genres.

Nothing beats German when it comes to screaming, heavy rock , etc (eg, Rammstein).

Spanish is good for some genres but Spanish light rock is abysmal. The language just doesn't work for it.

Italian opera is classic, but what must Italian rap sound like?
lucilda   Tue Feb 09, 2010 9:44 pm GMT
El francés también sirve para la canción. Escuchemos por ejemplo al gorrión de Aviñón:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W-4g-pXZ8AQ
Dawn Crowslaw   Tue Feb 09, 2010 11:17 pm GMT
The Zulu sung in the film Zulu sounded well good. Better than the (supposed famous) Welsh choir crap anyway. Chinese Reggae works quite well too. British football fans singing sounds better than all that fake artificial deep-voiced, trying-to-sound-hard, political-like, self-conscience chanting that European football fans put on. Spanish talking is better than it's singing.
a more original name.   Tue Feb 09, 2010 11:28 pm GMT
What's the problem with the nasals? Even though I prefer German Lieder, I think French and Portuguese singing sound better:

A French song:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3kFjepFI4-E

A Brazilian song:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iKhao-2ImXM

A German song:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6_nSBUFLorA
John   Tue Feb 09, 2010 11:48 pm GMT
Beaufty is in the eye of the beholder.

What is beautiful to you might not always be beautiful to others.

*My* personal favourite languages for singing in are:

Italian

French

Portuguese / Brazilian

and

Xhosa (the tongue click language from South Africa)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OHxkiXALQjU&feature=related
John   Tue Feb 09, 2010 11:59 pm GMT
Also *Greek*

A very nice langauge.
PARISIEN   Wed Feb 10, 2010 12:43 am GMT
* Swedish rocks!
Here a strange sample of Scandinavian New-Orleans honky-tonky vibe (with strongly rolled r's) from the 70's :
"Finns Det Lite Stolthet Kvar (Finns det Också Hopp om Bättring)" by Torbjörn Pugh Rogefeldt
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=97smw7R-ijM

* One of the ABSOLUTELY best pop songs of the 90's, by Italian artist Luciano Ligabue (with an unforgettable guitar chorus) - a true masterpiece!
"Certe Notte Qui"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kxwkaCvAtGg

It's a shame so many great songs have been issued in Europe but never made it outside of their home cultures.

One the few French productions I can think of would be "La Fille du Père Noël" of Jacques Dutronc:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8i6-EcyxoHE
Etc.   Wed Feb 10, 2010 12:51 am GMT
For Rock: English
For Opera: Italian
For Classical music: French
For Smooth songs: Spanish
For Happy songs: Portuguese
For Pop: English/Spanish
Baldewin   Wed Feb 10, 2010 1:26 am GMT
Castillian Spanish also sounds nice in rock music:
Rosendo - ¿De que vas?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ArjEpLZeJ_s
Baldewin   Wed Feb 10, 2010 1:48 am GMT
Dutch and Flemish don't respect their own language enough and barely produce music in their own language (we use our language more in poetry, drama and prose). Song-wise it's all "English please" and ironically our bands who choose English aren't that well-known outside their own region. There are exceptions though, but mostly date from the '70s and 80's.
The best music in Dutch is often cabaretesque music accompanied by simple accoustic instrument.
Boudewijn de Groot - Meester Prikkebeen
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S7N7L-XlJO4
Ramses Shaffy - Laat me
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Y9hN6awXEQ
Wim de Craene - Tim
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dJAplfbJlmM
Baldewin   Wed Feb 10, 2010 1:53 am GMT
Gorki - Mia
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gIGvAk9y50E
Milow - Mia (English version; good version, still only known in Flanders)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gIGvAk9y50E
Red Echelon   Wed Feb 10, 2010 2:03 am GMT
BALDWIN, vaya Mierda la cancioncita de Rosendo. Si quieres escuchar pop-rock en Español del bueno dime como se meten los links en este foro. Vas a alucinar,chaval.
Baldewin   Wed Feb 10, 2010 2:13 am GMT
I sadly don't speak Spanish, but I can read you for the full 100%. For putting links you just have to copy-paste them. As long as you include http:// they automatically become links. Now try and show me how it really need to be done.