I already wrote an article about "yogurt singing", a practice that consists in singing approximate lyrics on a foreign song or in using onomatopoeias to reproduce sounds that come to our non-educated hear. An example? Let's say that the original lyrics is "wanna gain freedom", a nice politically-engaged line, now in yogurt that could become "one again three four" (don't get it? read it fast, with a strong French accent, and you will end up getting it).
A spoonful of notes.
The singer tries to foul his audience, or even himself, that he can sing. That helped a lot of wannabes in the sixties, but now, with English taught in French primary schools, it becomes more and more difficult to make a living with yogurt's (unless it is organic, sugar- and fat-free, but this is a digression). In other words, the only yogurt users are nowadays individuals in their bathroom with only a plastic duck as an audience.
Ken touched this.
But the insight remains intrinsically true. When you don't master a language, you tend to refer to the few words that you know and think you recognise them. It is not a matter of understanding what you speak, it is a matter of reinsuring yourself that you are capable of something... Berlitz has just released a new ad on the web using a very nice graphic design execution, but before all relaying on this market truth. Strategically right, well executed and supported by the cult MC Hammer, Man... I lov'that!
Edit: the MC Hammer ad has been deleted, but the same idea has been developed on the La Bamba soundtrack. arriba!
The singer tries to foul his audience,
ReplyDeleteInteresting images come to mind... spraying them with yogurt?
Nathalie
Nathalie, your imagination leads you to dodgy territories;-)
ReplyDeletei remember when i was a kid (french) and was trying to sing some english songs like "only you" or some beatles' ones. Of course i didn't understand a word and it probably sounded like this berlitz ad (but it really didn't mean anything in my mouth ;-)))))
ReplyDeletePS/the first video is offline
by the way, i love greek music but when i sing it, it still looks Yaourt à la grecque...
ReplyDeleteJR... Beware to what you are singing. As I pointed out in the first Yogurt Singing post (http://mountaindwellerviews.blogspot.com/2006/11/yogurt-singing.html) that can be dubious. I realised quite late that the Beattles' "Lucy in Sky with Diamond" had nothing to do with a girl flying amongst the star, but active proselitism for illicit substances:)
ReplyDelete