It Feels Almost Like A Holiday

Wir Sind Helden “Nur Ein Wort” –

my problem with German pop
is that I can’t sing along
the words melt into formless sounds
and no concepts emerge

to help me to enjoy this pretty song
even more than I already do
I have written these new words
as a rough phonetic guide

it is somewhat ridiculous, I know
I’ve already botched the meter
but it’s okay, it keeps the pace
I’m allowed some poetic license

these new lyrics to the song
they help me to sing along
my silly English lyrics for a
German catchy indie pop song

this sounds like Sleeper and Nena
“99 Luftballons,” kinda
it’s good for dancing, a new wave beat
it makes you sway from side to side

and in the second verse
she sounds so smitten but I read
the English translation and
and it seems that she’s desperate and heartbroken

this bridge feels so familiar, I can’t help but like it
Wir Sind Helden is big in Austria and Germany
not hard to understand why

with English lyrics to the song
Americans could sing along
the more I hear it, the more I love
this catchy German indie pop song

(Click here for the official Wir Sind Helden site and here to buy it from Amazon Germany.)

Morane “Living On A Traffic Island” – The summer is long gone at this point, but there is no reason to shun a perfect summery pop tune, especially when its central theme – finding tranquility in the midst of frantic movement – is particularly relevant at this time of the year. The music is perfectly suited to the lyrics, evoking easy going Brazillian pop while communicating the jittery restlessness of someone who is throughly rattled by the rush of the city. (Click here to buy it from Juno.)