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welcome to watch mojo
and today we're counting down our picks
for the top 10 hit songs sung in a
language other than english
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for this list we're looking at those
amazing pop tracks that stuck in our
ears even though we couldn't understand
what they were saying
we're basing our picks on a mix of
cultural relevance the addictive quality
of the song
and how long they spent on the charts
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number 10 rock me amadeus falco
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for his third album austrian new wave
artist falco wrote a love letter to one
of the world's first musical mega stars
a son of vienna austria just like mozart
falco celebrates the composer's
eccentric career
and calls him the world's first punk the
track made falco the first
german-speaking artist to hit number one
on the billboard hot 100 chart
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despite his massive success in europe
the song was falco's only number one hit
in the western world
the song's instantly recognizable hook
has even made it right for parody on the
internet
and even the simpsons decades later says
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belgian nun janine decker became a
global sensation
after being encouraged to take her music
outside the convent walls
written about the founder of her own
religious order dominique encourages the
listener to endure in the face of
hardship
sailing up charts around the world
deckers also recorded versions in
english
dutch hebrew and japanese among others
following president kennedy's
assassination the track became an
american hit thanks to its calming sound
the song's success and decker's life
were even treated to a 1966 movie
starring debbie reynolds
it's still widely used today in series
like mad men and american horror story
and inspired a singing nun in the
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simpsons
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armed with a silly dance and even
crazier lyrics spanish sister trio lost
ketchup
mumbled their way to stardom
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while the song inspired controversy for
alleged satanic references
the lyrics are actually about a magic
gypsy despite having portuguese and even
a spanglish version of the song
the chorus is seemingly gibberish in all
of them
as keen listeners have pointed out
however the lyrics are actually a clever
butchering of the sugar hill gang's
rapper's delight
now i'm feeling the highs and you're
feeling the loss the beast starts
getting into you too you start pumping
your fingers and stuff on your feet
and moving your body the lyrics really
didn't seem to matter however
as the song went to number one in over
20 countries and has even appeared in
video games
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number 7 sakamoto
annoyed with the continued american
military presence in japan
lyricist doksuki wrote words to what
would become a deceptively fun protest
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song
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speaking to japan's harsh times
following the war kyu sakamoto sings
about staying hopeful towards the future
despite its political content the song
managed to top american charts
the first japanese song to ever do so
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it's catchy melody made it one of the
best selling singles of all time
charting highly in australia the united
kingdom and
even norway while originally titled to
match its lyrics
it was renamed after a popular japanese
dish in english-speaking markets
so western djs could pronounce it
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number six we know speak americano
yolanda be cool and d cup
containing mostly southern italian
lyrics this modern dance it comes from
australia of all places
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pumping up a sample of renato carlstones
tu o falamericano
yolanda be cool and d cup made a global
dance classic
peaking at number four in australia the
song soared to number one
in over a dozen foreign countries while
the track has become a party standard
the lyrics critique lavish american
lifestyles and funnily enough
america was one of the few countries
where the song didn't top the charts
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the track found its way into korean
television and has even been sampled by
pitbull
number five 99 luffballoons
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in the midst of the cold war nina
crafted a political track with a
haunting story
after 99 balloons attract military
attention a series of misunderstandings
leads to an endless war
the timely message and upbeat melodies
made the song a huge hit regardless of
its german lyrics
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despite creating an english version for
international markets
the german original outperformed it
virtually everywhere but the uk
and canada the song has endured so well
that someone donated 35 000
to the h1 in 2006 to broadcast the music
video for a full
hour
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number four macarena bayside boys remix
rio
released as a roomba song in 1993
macarena was already a hit in the latin
community before the bayside boys made
their iconic remix
three years later
melodically exciting the songs lyrics
are actually about a cheating girlfriend
named macarena
the remix's catchy beat and accessible
dance made it a global phenomenon
spending an insane 14 weeks atop
billboard hot 100.
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the song also made a splash at the 1996
democratic national convention
where hillary clinton and even al gore
were dancing along
spending over a year on the charts the
song and dance are still a huge hit at
weddings to this day
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already popular in his native south
korea crafting a viral video made him
one of the most popular stars in history
mixing explosions butt worship and a
memorable dance
sai's music video caught on around the
world open gangnam style
the song's global chart domination has
increased the popularity of korean food
and
prompted the south korean government to
support more domestic acts
the music video became the most viewed
video on youtube in 2012
and would remain that way until 2017
the dance's worldwide success was even
marked by the united nations as a tool
to bring the world together through
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music
number two despacito luis fonsi
featuring daddy yankee
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whether you love or hate this latin
american sensation its accomplishments
speak for themselves
after waking up one morning with a
melody in his head luis fonsi penned an
instant classic about taking things
slowly with someone you love
the song's intoxicating rhythms made it
the most streamed song
ever earning multiple awards and chart
placement as a result
justin bieber's remix also helped the
song's popularity in america
the video overtook cu again to become
the most watched video on youtube at the
time and
now has over 7 billion views the song
was eventually surpassed on latin
american charts by jay balvin and willie
williams migente
before we get to our top pick here are a
few honorable mentions
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is
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foreign
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foreign
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number one la bamba richie valens and
los lobos
considering how iconic this latin
american hit is to this day
it should be no surprise that it's
dominated the charts multiple times
originating as a mexican folk song it
was richie valenz's rock version that
brought the song to the masses
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gaining success in europe and north
america valence's take peaked at 22 on
the billboard hot 100.
the song's success and balance's tragic
death inspired the 1987
biopic la bamba los lobos's cover
version for the film was an instant
smash
hitting number one internationally it's
also the only non-english song on
rolling stone's 500
greatest songs of all time
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