I thought of a few examples, but want some more. Don’t count songs with nonsense lyrics or instrumentals without lyrics. Don’t count bilingual songs (unless neither of them is English, or if the English portions are commonly omitted). Don’t count songs primarily popular among immigrant populations or others fluent in that language.
Basically, songs an American monoglot could sing along with, but couldn’t translate.
Gangnam style ? Non, je ne regrette rein ?
Rock Me Amadeus - Falco
La Bamba - Los Lobos
Macarena - Los Del Rio
Despacito - Luis Fonsi / Daddy Yankee
99 Luftballons - Nena
Sadeness, part 1 - Enigma
Volaré - Domenico Modungo
La Bamba and 99 Luftballons were on my list, others should have been.
Du hast - Rammstein
Du hast was also my first thought
Dragostea din tei
For those who don’t recognize the title it’s also known as the Numa Numa song.
Dragostea Din Tei for sure. Such a fundamental part of my fourth grade experience, only rediscovered almost a decade later during Zoom school.
Tunak Tunak Tun
Gotta represent with my man Daler Mehndi.
Isn’t he in jail now?
Plastic Bertrand - Ça plane pour moi
Schnappi, das kleine krokodil was quite popular in Australia in the early 00’s.
Èdith Piaf stuff paably
- O Fortuna by Carl Orff. Actually, the entire Carmina Burana has some real bangers
- Lots of stuff by Enya
Does Auld Lang Syne count?
I think so. Some Scottish words are co-intelligible with English, but the song as a whole isn’t.
Prisencolinensinainciusol makes me laugh.
I mean it was a song by an Italian that at the time didn’t speak English trying to make a song that to Italians would sound like it was in english.
Almost anything by Pink Martini
Sympathique
Donde Estas, Yolanda
Amando Mio90s kid so Mocedades - Eres Tú will always have a sweet spot in my heart!
This is very recent, but the production slaps
Coco - Elena Rose
IN-GRID - Tu Es Foutu and also by her In Tango Alizée - J’en ai marre or J’ai pas vingt ans or Moi Lolita