This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at CWU chapter.
Lately, I’ve been listening to a lot of music, and while I can only speak English, this doesn’t dictate the music I listen to. I enjoy songs sung in different languages just as much as I enjoy songs sung in English. To me, music is more about the feeling it gives you. This feeling could be from the instruments, voice, and lyrics. For me, whether I like a song or not is more about the way the instruments are played and tone, pitch, and strength of voice, rather than the lyrics.
Photo by Jessica Lewis from Unsplash
Of course, lyrics are relevant and I do look up what the lyrics are in songs that I like that aren’t in English from time to time. But, I generally don’t feel a great need to know what the lyrics are saying in songs in other languages. I pretty much just base how much I like the song on how it makes me feel and how much the instruments and vocals appeal to me. My favorite songs in a language besides English are generally Japanese. Japan has the largest physical and second-largest overall music market in the world. So, if you’re looking to listen to music in a different language, I’d definitely recommend Japanese.
Overall, my point is that understanding the lyrics to a song isn’t necessary to appreciate the music. I’d definitely recommend listening to music in some other languages, and I hope you enjoyed reading this article!
Abby Duchow is a Wenatchee Valley College alum and current student studying Public Relations at Central Washington University. She enjoys listening to podcasts, online shopping, and petting cats. Abby almost entirely operates on caffeine, and hopes to one day expand her plant collection beyond just replacing the dead ones.
