base talk Why is mainland Europe more receptive to foreign language songs than the Anglosphere?

[Mordecai]

As someone from the Anglosphere it surprises me at how receptive mainland Europe is to songs in other languages and how common songs that aren't in English can be popular throughout the entire continent. Those same songs will often make zero noise in the UK/Ireland

 

You could say that the US/UK markets are big enough that they don't need any foreign music but Germany, Italy, France etc. are all big countries with huge local scenes. I'm guessing it's a cultural thing

 

Aside from the occasional breakthrough (like Un Verano Sin Ti) and Kpop (which only emerged in the last decade or so and is more fanbase driven than mainstream) you don't see foreign languages embraced by the Anglosphere in the same way Europe does

[Kristie Kuwa]

Its super common to have knowledge of a first and second non-native language by the end of year 10 in school. Also due to the proximity and frequently doing holidays in countries that do not speak ur mother tongue, exposure in general is significantly increased.

[Virgos Groove]

We tend to appreciate melody more + we kinda have to interact with foreign language if we want to consume culture other than our own. If you speak English, you have access to an endless stream of art from the US, UK, Canada, etc.

[Mr.X]

Culture. The UK and USA (and Australia) absolutely lack culture or education that goes beyond their own language (and Duolingo doesnt count *******, I'm talking about actually engaging with languages here)

 

Plus, EUROPE has a large variety of cultures and languages, so we're used to interact in that way.

[Anthinos]

I don't know but I honestly don't understand it either. I don't care if I understand the lyrics. If a song is good, it's good. I grew up with music from all over Europe and still listen to music in different languages (Greek, Turkish, Swedish, French, Serbian, Japanese, Korean etc.). I've gotten to know a lot of great songs and artists as a result. Everyone should broaden their horizons. There is a lot of good music outside the USA/UK.

[Bloodflowers.]

Because Stromae, Angelina Mango, Marina Satti, Hatari and Silvester Belt simply make better music 

 

Plus when Dua Lipa dropped "Fever", she proved mainland Europe stans such songs over Anglosphere 

 

[alfonso12]

I think it's because they are culturally more exposed to other languages, there are so many countries with different languages that the exchange is kind of inevitable.

 

I live in Latin America and here it's kinda like in the anglosphere, only songs in spanish -and some in english- become hits. 

[Gelato]

if you're british, american, australian, canadian etc. you already speak most of the world's lingua franca. there isn't as big of a need in practical terms to learn another language.

 

plus in the uk most people only study a language in school from ages 11 to 16 (or even 11 to 14 if your school doesn't force you to pick one as a GCSE option) and even then it's alongside at least 10 or 11 other subjects and not really a priority.

 

obviously the cultural ignorance is a very negative consequence but i don't really see how to change things so it kind of is what it is

[JO1s]

America is so imperialist with its media and stuff, the rare times foreign films and tv get nominated for awards in America are British for the most part. British artists win Grammys a lot more to. The industry basically views English as a superior language when it comes to pop culture.

[Vermouth]

4 minutes ago, JO1s said:

America is so imperialist with its media and stuff, the rare times foreign films and tv get nominated for awards in America are British for the most part. British artists win Grammys a lot more to. The industry basically views English as a superior language when it comes to pop culture

"Imperialist with its media and stuff".

 

Would you like to explain that a bit?

[JO1s]

6 minutes ago, Vermouth said:

"Imperialist with its media and stuff".

 

Would you like to explain that a bit?

The US film, music and tv industry dominates a lot of other markets. The US is #1 in soft and hard power in the world. Soft power being impact of its culture while hard power being impact of its military. Russia is a very strong hard power country but very weak in soft power. While Japan is very weak in hard power but probably only 2nd behind the us in soft power.

[Vermouth]

24 minutes ago, JO1s said:

The US film, music and tv industry dominates a lot of other markets. The US is #1 in soft and hard power in the world. Soft power being impact of its culture while hard power being impact of its military. Russia is a very strong hard power country but very weak in soft power. While Japan is very weak in hard power but probably only 2nd behind the us in soft power.

Yes, but the US having Mickey Mouse or jazz or whatever that's not imperialism - which implies intent - they just arose spontaneously and other countries' peoples happened to like them.

Edited September 26 by Vermouth

[Pikachoo]

because the US is large enough that it can produce its own culture.

 

it's the same reason why Japan, Brazil, India, Russia prefer their consuming local culture rather than foreign. They have the population large enough to isolate themselves if they want to

[Princess Aurora]

I think Americans receive KPOP and sometimes Euro-pop The UK is another story....maybe Canada is more receptive to French songs.

[fememeist]

Lazy stupid americans don't want to learn a second language simple as that

[Virgos Groove]

2 hours ago, Vermouth said:

Yes, but the US having Mickey Mouse or jazz or whatever that's not imperialism - which implies intent - they just arose spontaneously and other countries' peoples happened to like them.

Yeah, that's just... not true. 

 

Pretty much any US state official will tell you propagating American soft power is a top priority, be it through government-owned news outlets (the various Radio Free's) or private multinational media conglomerates, which work in tandem with core US interests (see: the vast difference in reporting of the 2003 Iraq War by American vs. European or Middle Eastern outlets).

 

Hell, the CIA literally used to fund art and music projects in enemy countries (and still does through the National Endowment for Democracy) and the military industrial complex still plays a role in the development of action blockbusters.

 

No one is denying America makes great art; they do (tho they also make a lot of shlock). But to pretend media exports are based on some form of meritocracy is to fundamentally misunderstand how soft power (and media consumption as a whole) works.

Edited September 26 by Virgos Groove

[illia]

1 hour ago, Princess Aurora said:

I think Americans receive KPOP and sometimes Euro-pop The UK is another story....maybe Canada is more receptive to French songs.

K-pop is a niche genre and not taken seriously

[Vermouth]

35 minutes ago, Virgos Groove said:

Yeah, that's just... not true. 

 

Pretty much any US state official will tell you propagating American soft power is a top priority, be it through government-owned news outlets (the various Radio Free's) or private multinational media conglomerates, which work in tandem with core US interests (see: the vast difference in reporting of the 2003 Iraq War by American vs. European or Middle Eastern outlets).

 

Hell, the CIA literally used to fund art and music projects in enemy countries (and still does through the National Endowment for Democracy) and the military industrial complex still plays a role in the development of action blockbusters.

 

No one is denying America makes great art; they do (tho they also make a lot of shlock). But to pretend media exports are based on some form of meritocracy is to fundamentally misunderstand how soft power (and media consumption as a whole) works.

Look at the margins sure. I mean the U.K. foreign office used to fund the BBC World Service. However, away from the wild conspiracy theories and the lurid tentacles of the  fabled "military industrial complex " US organisations have a big home market and so have big budgets and hence you can fund something like "Mission Impossible" in a way that Latvia or Paraguay are just never going to be able to do. Combine that with the most economically significant language and you have a powerful combination of money and ease of comprehension it's difficult to match.

 

Personally I'd put it at 1% "military industrial complex" and 99% people actually just like Sponge Bob SquarePants.

 

Or does Patrick the Starfish actually double as a CIA assassin?

Edited September 26 by Vermouth

[gab00]

4 hours ago, Mordecai said:

As someone from the Anglosphere it surprises me at how receptive mainland Europe is to songs in other languages and how common songs that aren't in English can be popular throughout the entire continent. Those same songs will often make zero noise in the UK/Ireland

 

You could say that the US/UK markets are big enough that they don't need any foreign music but Germany, Italy, France etc. are all big countries with huge local scenes. I'm guessing it's a cultural thing

 

Aside from the occasional breakthrough (like Un Verano Sin Ti) and Kpop (which only emerged in the last decade or so and is more fanbase driven than mainstream) you don't see foreign languages embraced by the Anglosphere in the same way Europe does

I guess european culture of people learning at least one other language besides their own has something to do with it.

 

And yet I wouldnt say theyre that much welcoming. I don't remember the last song that became a hit in Spain and was not in spanish or english.

 

As for France I do think they like latino music and stuff. So does Italy. But latino music has kinda break through everywhere.

 

I don't recall the Germans being welcoming with any foreign music either.

Edited September 26 by gab00

[Princess Aurora]

13 minutes ago, illia said:

K-pop is a niche genre and not taken seriously

Oh, I thought people loved it in the US....

[Princess Aurora]

4 minutes ago, gab00 said:

I guess european culture of people learning at least one other language besides their own has something to do with it.

 

And yet I wouldnt say theyre that much welcoming. I don't remember the last song that became a hit in Spain and was not in spanish or english.

 

As for France I do think they like latino music and stuff. So does Italy. But latino music has kinda break through everywhere.

 

I don't recall the Germans being welcoming with any foreign music either.

I'm Italian and I can confirm that Latin artists are huge in Italy

[ScorpiosGroove]

bc unlike most americans and brits it's normal for euros to speak multiple languages 

[Vermouth]

4 minutes ago, ScorpiosGroove said:

bc unlike most americans and brits it's normal for euros to speak multiple languages 

Exactly. So there's likely to be a greater propensity to be open to songs in other languages.

[Katamari]

US does not have an official language even though most people  speak English. outside of that our closest neighbors in NA speak either French or Spanish which are both required foreign languages for those in middle and high school as well as college tho some schools have more options. idk what should be done because most people forget those after they graduate  

 

idk whats going on aus and UK but they are island gals so maybe they do their own things, i guess    

 

 

[loveisdead9582]

In Europe, traveling to a country with a different primary language is very common. In the USA, we go to other states and they all still speak English. The closest country we have that has a different primary language is Mexico. There are pockets of French Canadians of course but English is still widely spoken throughout the country as well. It doesn't help that it's not mandatory in schools to do more than a couple of classes in high school. I had to take two semesters of Spanish and then I called it a day. When you don't NEED to know something, it's easy to focus on other things. 
 

As for music, the melody and beats can appeal to those who don't speak the language used in a song but if you don't understand it or know it, it's hard to make a connection. Same reason why some people don't like to watch foreign films that require subtitles. If they have to work that much to understand something it's less enjoyable to them.