Mind Your Language

Do artists record foreign language versions of their songs anymore? It used to be a common practice as a way to appeal to a non-English speaking audience. Most were rubbish but some gained in translation, like Bowie’s “Helden” which benefited from the dramatic Teutonic power of German.

Then there’s The Stranglers’ “Sverige” which must be the only one that takes the piss out the country in whose language they’re singing. 

The original version “Sweden (All Quiet On The Eastern Front)” was a track on their 1978 album Black and White and is about what a boring place Sweden is, the “Only country where the clouds are interesting” according to the lyrics. Being such a wacky bunch of guys they thought it would be a super jape to actually record it in Swedish and release it in Sweden.

Not surprisingly it wasn’t a hit. No sense of humour, those Swedes.

Download: Sverige (Jag Är Insnöad På Östfronten) — The Stranglers (mp3)