Friday, March 28, 2025

La Fin de la Semaine Essay Question: Special "Vacation All I Ever Wanted" Edition

Okay, kids -- here's the deal.

A certain Shady Dame and I are getting ready to head off to the Continent for a week or so. Starting tomorrow.

Excuse: Desperately neeeded relaxation. And yeah, this may not be the smartest thing we've ever done. I mean, given what we are all currently enduring from the Real Life Bond Villain/Manchurian Candidate administration, who knows what might happen when we go to the airport?

Barring being shipped to a private prison in El Salvador, however, we will be checking in on a more or less daily basis while we're out of the country -- starting on Monday, when Part VII of PowerPop friend Capt. Al's's 20th Century Best-Of series will be here.

In any case, let's go right to today's obviously relevant business. To wit:

...and your favorite (or least favorite) post-Elvis pop/rock/folk/soul/hip hop song featuring a title or lyric snippet/verse in a foreign (i.e. other than English) language is...?

No arbitrary rules whatsoever, although you get extra points if any of them are in Yiddish.

Here's mine, BTW.

Which also has the virtue of being nicely futuristic. 😎

Okay, I was just being silly with that one, obviously. My real favorite -- and this is a bit of a cheat, but it's so fabulous you'll forgive me -- is this one, which I had completely forgotten until I was mucking about in my archives yesterday.

I should add that the above is also a clue to where La Dame Ombragée et moi will be seeing the sights by Sunday.😎😎

Alrighty, then -- what would YOUR choices be? Discuss.

And have a great weekend, everybody!!!

Also -- pray for our safe return! Or stage a GoFundMe in case we need a good lawyer! 😎😎😎

33 comments:

Anonymous said...

Funky Western Civilization by Tonio K. gets my vote.

- Paul in DK

edward said...

Psycho Killer - The Talking Heads
C'est Plain Pour Moi - Plastic Bertrand
Je t'aime- Serge Gainsbourg & Jane Birkin
Michelle - The Beatles
Si Tu Dois Partir - Fairport Convention
I Think We're Alone Now (in Japanese) - Lena Lovich

Cleveland Jeff said...

The French Song- Joan Jett and the Blackhearts

Anonymous said...

Jet Screamer was voiced by the multi-talented Howard Morris ("Your Show of Shows" and Ernest T Bass on the "Andy Griffith Show" among many other credits).

The Violent Femmes did a pretty good version of "Eep, Op, Ork" on a 90s comp of cartoon songs.

Bob in IL

Anonymous said...

That's Amore by Dean Martin also name checks tasty cuisine and was great in the movie Moonstruck.
rs

steve simels said...

"when an eel lunges out/ and it bites off your snout/That's a moray"

Allan Rosenberg said...

"Hava Negila" as played by the band at my bar mitzvah in 1963.

Captain Al

ChrisE said...

Ah, Monsieur Simels, eel est drole :-) :-)

MJConroy said...

Golden Earring - (Kill me) Ce Soir

Rob said...

CSN - Suite Judy Blue Eyes

rob

Alzo said...

Ridiculously enough, I have 31 versions of 'Ça Plane pour Moi' in my iTunes.
One fave: ELO 'Hold On Tight'
Worst: Styx "Domo arigato, Mr. Roboto"

Rob said...

Just one more -
The Clash - Should I Stay or Should I Go
rob

Rob said...

Beatles - Sun King 😘

steve simels said...

Styx. — YES!❤️

Rob said...

Who could forget Paul singing
Michelle on the Ed Sullivan show -
Sont des moits qui vont tres bien...
rob

pete said...

Forgive the self-promotion, but I have a song called "Belle Virginie," Inspired by the French explorers who named many of the places around what eventually became my home town - Erie, PA.

Rob said...

Gunter Gleiben Glauchen Globen
Def Leopard - Rock of Ages
rob

Guypinot said...

Tommy Lorente - "Arthur" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=09plHZNqfpQ

steve simels said...

Oh mon dieu, I love that song!!!!

mistah charley, ph.d. said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
mistah charley, ph.d. said...

One that came to my mind has already been voted for, not favorably it seems, so I'll go with the two Beatles German songs I've heard: Komm gib mir deine Hand & Sie liebt dich

Rob B Mullen said...

The Sandpipers - #9 on U.S charts
Guantanamera 😉
rbm

Rob B Mullen said...

Royal Guardsman
Snoopy Vs . The Red Baron
Achtung wir singen zusammen due ..
🛩️

M_Sharp said...

“Walk On The Kosher Side” - Gefilte Joe & The Fish
“Piece de Resistance” - Ben Vaughn Quintet
“Reconnez Cherie” - Wreckless Eric
“You Never Can Tell” - Chuck Berry
“It's Easy To Say 'Bon Temps Rouler’” - Geraint Watkins
“As Long As The Price Is Right” - Dr. Feelgood
“Nuevo Laredo” - Doug Sahm
“My Cheri Amour” - Stevie Wonder
“Tequila” - The Champs
Have a safe trip!

steve simels said...

What -- nobody nominated Ritchie Valens and La Bamba?

Anonymous said...

I laughed more than I should have at that. Thanks!

-Dave in Atlanta

Anonymous said...

Pour Le Monde - Crowded House
Talk About the Passion - REM
Circumstances - Rush

-Dave in Atlanta

JD Goldberg said...

The Foreign Girl - Gerry Devine and the High Beams

Anonymous said...

Games Without Frontiers (Pete Gabriel) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3xZmlUV8muY
Nukkanya (Paul Kelly) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kn3YyhmAJpo
The Execution (Paul Kelly) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TWE0NZeRV0k
And anyone who claims to be a fan of power pop will love this or be a liar: Linda Linda (Blue Hearts); the 40-second intro is integral to the song, so don't skip it (or the song if the intro doesn't grab you) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RYC71PAuIKE

C in California

Tinpot said...

"Look What They've Done to My Song, Ma"
The Ray Charles version, where he mangles the French verse.

Alzo said...

Blue Hearts! Their EP and first LP are phenomenal. I was lucky enough to see them. That gem is the namesake of the excellent girlband the Linda Lindas.

Rob said...

Hank Williams Jr.
Jambalaya - fitting tribute

rob

Anonymous said...

Sukiyaki by Kyu Sakomoto
mc