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I have watched many subtitled movies on Amazon video, but I notice many times that even if the people are speaking a foreign language, the music in the movie is in English. Why is that?
Right now I'm watching Offshore on Amazon, and it's a good example of it.
I have watched many subtitled movies on Amazon video, but I notice many times that even if the people are speaking a foreign language, the music in the movie is in English. Why is that?
Right now I'm watching Offshore on Amazon, and it's a good example of it.
Good question. I wonder if it is common for people overseas to listen to music in English not just in movies but in real life as well?
Sometimes this maybe because many countries have a small market in their own language, there is just less music available say in Swedish or Bulgarian then it is in English.
Another possible reason is that English might be identified as the language of certain kinds of international music, especially rock and roll, which basically started in England and was greatly spread by America.
Perhaps because it is hard to subtitle the music score and not have it confused with the actual dialog and English is said to be the world's second language.
Songs in English are widely used in foreign films, because it is a universal language that is understood all over the world (except, perhaps, China and several other countries).
Perhaps because it is hard to subtitle the music score and not have it confused with the actual dialog and English is said to be the world's second language.
I’ve seen subtitled music as well, it usually has little notes at the beginning and end to let you know it’s music.
I have even seen German movies with all English music. Just seems weird for people to be speaking German, and then the music start playing in English.
Good question. I wonder if it is common for people overseas to listen to music in English not just in movies but in real life as well?
Sometimes this maybe because many countries have a small market in their own language, there is just less music available say in Swedish or Bulgarian then it is in English.
Another possible reason is that English might be identified as the language of certain kinds of international music, especially rock and roll, which basically started in England and was greatly spread by America.
I’ve seen subtitled music as well, it usually has little notes at the beginning and end to let you know it’s music.
I have even seen German movies with all English music. Just seems weird for people to be speaking German, and then the music start playing in English.
I suspect that this is a relic of being an American (I'm one, too) whose native tongue is that which is the most culturally dominant globally. But a German movie would target German speakers, right? Well, a majority of German nationals speak English, and the rate of English fluency is even higher in Austria and Switzerland, the next two countries with the most German speakers. I suspect the rate of English-speaking among Germans is even higher in the dominant movie-going demographic (people in their 20s and 30s). So while the number of truly fluent German speakers among those of us who are native English speakers is probably less than 1% (I'm not including those who took German in high school but have never really used it in any real way), whereas well over half of all Germans speak English (and probably some more are not fluent but can understand it) because English permeates the global culture but German does not.
So a song by the Beatles or U2 or Taylor Swift in a German movie probably doesn't seem unusual at all (I looked it up - the Beatles had more than 30 top-ten hits, U2, nine top-two albums, and Taylor Swift five top-ten singles ... on the German charts). Conversely, I can think of only five German artists (from Germany or Austria or performing largely in German): The Scorpions, Falco, Nena, Opus, Laibach. Between them, I count a mere three top-ten hits in the U.S. (Winds of Change, Rock Me Amadeus, 99 Luftballoons), only one of which was sung in German.
Thus, while it would indeed be odd for some mainstream Hollywood film to feature German-language music, it must be totally normal for the German film industry to use English-language music.
Quote:
Originally Posted by LINative
Another possible reason is that English might be identified as the language of certain kinds of international music, especially rock and roll, which basically started in England and was greatly spread by America.
Quote:
Originally Posted by RomulusXXV
Don't you have that backward?
More or less. Rock and roll's origins are American. However, it is perhaps worth noting that rock and roll was petering out as a popular music form in the U.S. in the late 50s and into the 60s. But it was thriving in Britain, and came roaring back across the Atlantic with the British Invasion led by the Beatles.
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Why do many foreign movies have English music?
