Do You Speak My Language? Trivia Quiz

Answer: Spanish

The song was originally released in 1982 and managed to reach only number seventeen on the singles chart. The re-release in 1991 hit the top spot, the only Clash single to break into the top ten, although 'London Calling' did manage to get to number eleven in 1979. Mick Jones sings lead on the song, with Joe Strummer singing the Spanish version of the lyrics as back-up singer.

The translation was done by the Ecuadorian mother of the sound engineer, according to songfacts.com and quoted by Wikipedia.

Answer: All Night Long

The lyrics to 'All Night Long (All Night)' to give the song its full title, include the Swahili and Spanish for party in 'karamu' and 'fiesta' respectively. Richie was formerly the lead singer for the band 'The Commodores' before going on to solo success.

This song reached number two in 1983 on the UK Singles Chart and number one on the US Billboard Hot 100 and was taken from the album 'Can't Slow Down'. The album also featured 'Hello' and 'Stuck on You', which also did well as singles.

Answer: Jonathan King

Jonathan King had several UK hits, some under his own name and others credited to bands such as Weathermen, The Piglets and Bubblerock. 'Una Paloma Blanca', which is the Spanish for 'white dove', was released as Jonathan King and reached number five on the UK Singles chart. King was jailed in 2001 for offences against teenage boys dating back to the 1980s.

The other names offered as options have also had brushes with the law, some more serious than others.

Answer: Sukiyaki

The title bore absolutely no relation to the lyrics, but was chosen, apparently, as it was a word which English speakers would recognise. The lyrics actually refer to a man whistling and trying to control his tears. The song was a huge international hit for Sakamoto, reaching number one on the Hot 100 in the USA and number six on the UK Singles Chart in 1963. An English language version by the band called A Taste of Honey was a 1981 success in the USA but does not seem to have crossed the Atlantic.

Answer: Overlanders

'Michelle' was the only chart success for the band, but it was a huge one. The song arrangement was by Tony Hatch, who was well known for his work with Petula Clark and Jackie Trent, who he later married. Paul McCartney provided most of the lyrics to the song, which includes the French words: 'Michelle, ma belle, sont des mots qui vont très bien ensemble'.

The song was included on the 1965 album 'Rubber Soul'.

Answer: Hold on Tight

All the listed songs reached the top ten for the Electric Light Orchestra, as the band was originally known. The band's mixture of rock band and a string orchestra gave them several hits, with 'Hold on Tight' being the last one to feature in the UK Singles Chart top ten.

It managed number four in 1981. The verse in French is a direct translation of the first verse: 'hold on tight to your dream' 'when you see your ship go sailing' and 'when you feel your heart is breaking' became 'accroche-toi à ton rêve', 'quand tu vois ton bateau partir' and 'quand tu sens ton couer se briser'.

Answer: Blondie

'Denis, Denis, avec tes yeux si bleus' translates to 'Denis, Denis, with your eyes so blue', and there are several other lines in French. The song was Blondie's first UK success and reached number two on the Singles Chart in 1978. The band went on to have UK number ones with 'Heart of Glass', 'Sunday Girl', 'Atomic', 'Call Me' and 'The Tide is High' in the late 1970s and early 1980s before making a dramatic comeback to the top of the UK charts with 'Maria' in 1999.

Answer: Alejandro

'Alejandro' reached number seven on the UK Singles Chart and number five on the US Billboard Hot 100. In the song Lady Gaga, real name Stefani Germanotta, decides that she cannot stay with Alejandro, (or Fernando, or Roberto). The snippet of Spanish I quoted in the question is the only bit of foreign language in the lyrics and translates as 'in her pocket'. One interpretation of the song is that the singer has been with these lovers for financial reasons, hence the reference to pocket.

Answer: Christina Aguilera

The song was originally a UK chart hit in 1975 when LaBelle took it to number seventeen. Then the all girl group 'All Saints' had a double sided number one hit in 1998 with 'Under the Bridge' being the other song on the single. The 2001 version was featured on the soundtrack of 'Moulin Rouge' and reached the top of the charts in both the USA (Billboard Hot 100) and UK.

The chorus of the song is in French: 'Voulez-vous coucher avec moi, ce soir', meaning 'do you want to sleep with me this evening'.

Answer: Italian

The song was originally made popular by the singer Domenico Modugno, following its entry in the 1958 Eurovision Song Contest. Although the song did not win, it was the best known and most popular Eurovision song until Abba came along with 'Waterloo' in 1974.

The song is actually called 'Nel Blu Dipinto Di Blu', meaning 'In the blue, painted blue', but is usually referred to by the words starting the chorus. 'Volare' means 'to fly' and 'Cantare' means 'to sing'. The song has also been recorded by Bobby Rydell, Connie Francis, David Bowie and Barry White among many others.