In connection with my post the other day about Young Folks being re-released, here‘s an even weirder thing I found while researching the track. It’s a cover of the song in German by Nena, she of 99 Luftballons and surprisingly still HUGE in Germany. The song is OK, but has nothing of the charm and individuality of the original. Apparently it’s also been a hit for a Japanese female singer, but I couldn’t track down that version.
Also on the theme of foreign-language music, I’ve recently become completely obsessed with a performance by Amy Diamond on this year’s Allsang Pa Skansen (a huge summer concert in Stockholm). It is ABBA’s Mamma Mia sung in Swedish and has the lyrics up on the screen, so if you, like me, are currently learning Swedish, it’s the best fun way to practice. At first I stumbled over the words a bit, but now I can sing the whole thing fluently and enjoy doing so many times every day. When I meet new people in Sweden, I won’t be able to tell them where I come from, but I’ll be able to sing them this song, and really, what is more important?