'Den Weg Zurück': Pop Tunes Translated
Say What?
Hear the foreign-language versions of hit English-language songs:
For the past few years, producer Jennifer Sharpe has amassed a small collection of what she likes to call "foreign tongue recordings." They're versions of hit songs from the American charts, sung by the original artists, usually in German, Italian or French.
"Wer kennt den Weg, den Weg zurück" — Johnny Cash performs, circa 1978.
The singers learned the lyrics phonetically, line by line, taught by a language coach. Sharpe says the songs were recorded in a time when English-language songs had a tough time making it in Europe.
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