How Important Are Madonna’s Lyrics to Non-English Speakers?

[Anapausis 6,605]

@Aiwa08 a lil' curiosity that most Americans just don't know: the name Texas comes actually from Basque and it was pronounced "Teshas" by Spanish colonizers until America bought the territory from Mexico. And in Basque, "Texas" is still pronounced "Teshas" - btw, some Spanish areas tend to write it "Tejas," to "Tehas" pronunciation ofc. But given your last reply to me you already know it too, right?

[Aiwa08 18,406]

51 minutes ago, Anapausis said:

@Aiwa08 a lil' curiosity that most Americans just don't know: the name Texas comes actually from Basque and it was pronounced "Teshas" by Spanish colonizers until America bought the territory from Mexico. And in Basque, "Texas" is still pronounced "Teshas" - btw, some Spanish areas tend to write it "Tejas," to "Tehas" pronunciation ofc. But given your last reply to me you already know it too, right?

I studied that almost 40 years ago, and on top of that, I took the science track (chemistry, physics, computing), not the humanities. You're asking me to remember too much. But yes, not many years ago, people sometimes wrote 'Tejas' or 'Mejico' instead of 'Texas' or 'Mexico'. 

[I am madonna 385]

This is a little different topic from this topic, but it is very interesting when my reaction is different from that of people who are native to English.

For example I really like American Life rap part. But almost all native English speakers seem to hate the rap part.

If English is my first language, I always wonder and really curious that I would hate that part like them.

 

[Rebel Hugo 18,389]

Thanks to Madonna I started to learn English in my childhood! Even thanks to the knowledge I acquired through her music, I have always been one of my most advanced students in English from high school to college!

 

[gst6662000 404]

19 hours ago, Aiwa08 said:

I'd like to start a discussion for those fans whose first language isn’t English (of course, people who are native English speakers are invited to debate). When talking about Madonna’s songs, the subject of lyrics often comes up—whether one song has more mature lyrics, or another is more superficial, for example.

Personally, I can read English well, but I’ve never left my country, so I struggle to fully understand spoken English unless I have subtitles or the song lyrics in front of me. I mention this because, for a long time (especially before I learned English), I enjoyed Madonna’s songs more for the melody and the music, rather than the meaning of the lyrics, which felt secondary. However, I’ve noticed that for people who are fluent in English, the lyrics play a significant role in how much they enjoy the song.

So, I’d like to ask those whose native language isn’t English: when you listen to a Madonna song, how important are the lyrics to you? I like knowing what the song is about, but for me, the melody and the rhythm of Madonna’s voice often matter more than the lyrics when I want to enjoy her music. Of course, this happens to me with all non-Spanish songs.

P.S.: I’m not saying the lyrics aren’t important, but sometimes, due to the language barrier, they become secondary. I always make an effort to understand Madonna’s songs by reading the lyrics (as I mentioned, I can understand written English almost without a problem).

this is in comparison with liking japanese anime songs and jpop ESPECIALLY THE MADONNA OF JAPAN AYUMI HAMASAKI which I dont really understand nippongo... 

I enjoy AYUMI's music based on melody not lyrics and her showmanship on stage .... THE ARENA TOURS, COUNTDOWN TOURS, STADIUM TOURS etc etc etc