"GANGNAM STYLE" deserves its own thread

What was the last non-English language song to recieve this level of tv / radio airplay in the united states

sometimes things just miss you! like i had no idea that the "i like turtles" kid was even a thing seen 100 million times, and was similarly surprised that not everybody on earth knew and loved arthur the haitian weatherman.

this is the one internet meme-y thing that i always think is bigger than it is, but surprisingly few people seem to recognize it!

What was the last non-English language song to recieve this level of tv / radio airplay in the united states

― Milton Parker, Tuesday, September 18, 2012 12:57 AM (12 minutes ago)

Just brought up that question in the car upon hearing this song sandwiched between Drake and Rihanna. Is it as far back as 99 Luftballoons? Not too well versed in stuff like Enrique Iglesias, maybe that was on heavy rotation more recently.

has anyone posted a translation yet? http://koreanwavetimes.blogspot.com/2012/08/psy-gangnam-style-lyrics-translation-in.html

these translations are pretty terrible but still interesting. "a girl who looks virtuous but the time to play comes, then she can be willing to change in accordance with it"

You see she makes her own money, pays her own bills
Always stays fly, keeps it so real
But behind closed doors she a nasty girl

I wonder how high this will go on the hot 100.

i just heard it in public for the first time today, r.i.p, america

It's been #1 on US iTunes for a few days now. That almost always presages a top 10 hit, at least.

gtfo whiney

apparently this was on KISS FM today, I guess PSY has finally arrived

Citizens of the United States, you are paying for these dudes' college education:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=xhHufV9g4k4

This translation seems a bit more normalised (despite the typo in the first line), plus there's an interesting explanation of the "oppa" concept at the top of the comments: http://www.kpoplyrics.net/psy-gangnam-style-lyrics-english-romanized.html

What was the last non-English language song to recieve this level of tv / radio airplay in the united states

in the u.k. and pretty much everywhere else las ketchup 'asereje' was huge tho google says it only made 39 in the u.s. billboard top 40 (and 54 in the billboard hot 100, what's the difference?)

"Dragostea din tei" also massive in the UK and elsewhere a couple of years after that. "We No Speak Americano" was a US #29 in 2010 sung in Neopolitan.

In the US, I honestly can't remember one since "Macarena"

"Gasolina"?

Also "I Know You Want Me (Calle Ocho)"

the answer is Coldplay, innit?

"open coldplay style"

Shakira's "La Tortura" made it to #23.

google says it only made 39 in the u.s. billboard top 40 (and 54 in the billboard hot 100, what's the difference?)

It made #39 on the Top 40 Tracks chart -- this was a (now-defunct) airplay-only chart. The Hot 100 is the main U.S. singles chart, which combines airplay and sales (and now even streams, IIRC?).

yeah it cracked me up when the lead single from Shakira's Spanish album did better than the lead single from its English counterpart (although "Hips Don't Lie" came along and eclipsed all of the above). DJP's suggestions are probably the 2 biggest, but i do wonder what the biggest non-English non-Spanish hits in America are.

Of all time? These have all hit #1:

1. Domenico Modugno, "Nel Blu Dipinto Di Blu" ("Volare") (1958, Italian)
2. Kyu Sakamoto, "Sukiyaki" (1963, Japanese)
3. The Singing Nun, "Dominique" (1963, French)
4. Falco, "Rock Me Amadeus" (1986, German)

Another 21st-century Spanish hit: "Oye Mi Canto" (has a few lines of English in it, but no more than "I Know You Want Me").

Spanish is a little bit different by virtue of there being way more Spanish speakers in the country + lots of people taking Spanish classes + there are cognates and stuff

I have no idea what they're saying in the chorus of "Calabria" so I have no idea if that half-counts or not

I think we can all agree that this is the first time a song from East Asia topped the charts over here

2. Kyu Sakamoto, "Sukiyaki" (1963, Japanese)

Was Panjabi MC - Mundian to Bach as big in the states as it was in Mexico? Don't really follow charts but that song got some heavy airplay over here.

i think the jay-z rapping over the top version did well but i doubt the original did? it was huge in the UK.

<i>In the US, I honestly can't remember one since "Macarena"</i>

Wasn't the version of the Macarena that got big in the US the version that featured English vocals in the verses?

"Mundian To Bach Ke" - #33 US

What about Aserejé? That was big in the UK that year I seem to recall, no idea how good it did in the USA.

Also Wes - Alane and Lambada were definitely top hits in the USA.

As memory serves, "Macarena" had one English verse but it was still almost all Spanish. "Asereje" did nothing in the US. I see on Wikipedia that it hit #54, and even that surprises me.

It seems Alane didn't chart on the states at all either. You're missing out on some good, corny tunes America.

Enigma - Sadness part 1 (latin/french) only went to #5 in the US

Gasolina was mega.

"Gasolina" only made it to #33 but "Oye Mi Canto" made it to number #12? Weird, the former felt like a much bigger deal.

Agree w/that, tho maybe Nina Sky gave "Oye Mi Canto" a wider appeal?

I'm guessing "Gasolina" maybe had a crossover delay thing going on? Like by the time it hit English-language stations, Spanish-language stations had moved on?

Probably because Billboard was (is?) mainly payola driven, not actual sales. Gasolina was #1 or at least top 5 all across the world.

Sukiyaki is so great btw. why doesn't it get played on the radio always?

I hear the Taste Of Honey cover on the radio from time to time.

Probably because Billboard was (is?) mainly payola driven, not actual sales. Gasolina was #1 or at least top 5 all across the world.

― Siegbran, Tuesday, September 18, 2012 11:41 AM Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

no.

inevitable

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l4uDSnYQx3Q

btw the snl skit was really unfunny and embarrassing, but you know....snl!

yeah, it's to be expected at this point. "hey, we're aware of this thing that's supposed to be really funny, I'll bet it'd be even funnier if we did it with our cast of crazy goofs!!!"

i thought ppl yelling at butts was gonna be a thing like planking or tebowing but i can't find a tumblr for it.

they were yelling at butts in portland before it was cool

http://i.imgur.com/kKD5t.jpg?7736

eating money out of a butt != yelling at a butt

#11 in the US this week

Up to #2 on UK iTunes.