I can only think of Nena, '99 luftballons'
― poortheatre, Tuesday, 10 June 2008 00:52 (seventeen years ago)
I don't know how high it charted, but Rammstein's "Du Hast" was pretty big.
― Jeff Treppel, Tuesday, 10 June 2008 00:59 (seventeen years ago)
Surely something sung in Spanish, no?
― van smack, Tuesday, 10 June 2008 01:02 (seventeen years ago)
lambada, macarena, some other thing about a dance or thing
― electricsound, Tuesday, 10 June 2008 01:03 (seventeen years ago)
je suis un rock star
Encore Une Fois, not that it had many words in.
― chap, Tuesday, 10 June 2008 01:07 (seventeen years ago)
Also Sexy Boy (apart from the chorus, obv).
― chap, Tuesday, 10 June 2008 01:09 (seventeen years ago)
was "Ca plane pour moi" a big hit?
― outdoor_miner, Tuesday, 10 June 2008 01:38 (seventeen years ago)
http://madsenblog.dk/billeder/serge.jpg
― caek, Tuesday, 10 June 2008 02:09 (seventeen years ago)
er.. does La Isla Bonita count? (ducks)
― Pillbox, Tuesday, 10 June 2008 03:12 (seventeen years ago)
La Bamba
― Curt1s Stephens, Tuesday, 10 June 2008 03:21 (seventeen years ago)
also The Singing Nun's "Dominique" http://www.cdbiblio.com/eingang/cdimages/img_zauberei(1)/zauberei0157.jpg
― Curt1s Stephens, Tuesday, 10 June 2008 03:22 (seventeen years ago)
Other non-English #1 hits in the U.S. besides "Dominique": "Volare," "Sukiyaki," "La Bamba."
Other decent-sized non-English hits: "Eres Tu," "La Tortura."
Bilingual hits: "Before the Next Teardrop Falls," "To the Door of the Sun," "Look What They've Done to My Song, Ma."
― Joseph McCombs, Tuesday, 10 June 2008 05:21 (seventeen years ago)
Oye Como Va
― Hurting 2, Tuesday, 10 June 2008 05:22 (seventeen years ago)
I'm guessing Feliz Navidad charted at some point.
"Beguin The Beguine" by Julio Iglesias
― Geir Hongro, Tuesday, 10 June 2008 07:59 (seventeen years ago)
Enigma: "Sadeness (Part I)" (Latin, French) Era: "Ameno" (Latin) Deep Forest "Sweet Lullaby" (Baegu) Adiemus: "Adiemus" (an invented language)
Dunno about Britain or the US, but all of these were big hits in Finland.
― Tuomas, Tuesday, 10 June 2008 08:07 (seventeen years ago)
O-Zone: "Dragostea Din Tei" (Romanian)
― Tuomas, Tuesday, 10 June 2008 08:08 (seventeen years ago)
Probably the biggest hit ever sung in an Eastern European language?
― Tuomas, Tuesday, 10 June 2008 08:09 (seventeen years ago)
...or any European language besides French and German.
― Tuomas, Tuesday, 10 June 2008 08:10 (seventeen years ago)
Mo-Do: "Ein, Zwei, Polizei"
This was a big dance hit in continental Europe in the early 90s, the lyrics I think are from a German kindergarten rhyme. Also:
Kraftwerk: "Autobahn"
― Tuomas, Tuesday, 10 June 2008 08:13 (seventeen years ago)
Daddy Yankee: "Gasolina"
The biggest Spanish language hit of this decade, maybe?
― Tuomas, Tuesday, 10 June 2008 08:22 (seventeen years ago)
Zabadak! (Dave dee, bozy, deaky fish and chips)
― Mark G, Tuesday, 10 June 2008 08:26 (seventeen years ago)
Pizzicato Five: "Twiggy Twiggy"
Is this the biggest hit song ever sung in Japanese?
― Tuomas, Tuesday, 10 June 2008 08:27 (seventeen years ago)
...outside Japan, I mean.
― Tuomas, Tuesday, 10 June 2008 08:29 (seventeen years ago)
"La Tortura" is the biggest Spanish language single worldwide so far this decade. Gasolina, Que Hiciste, Oye Mi Canto, Me Enamora have also been recent big Spanish language hits.
Frenchwise, surely the sublime "Moi... Lolita" is the biggest this decade.
― danzig, Tuesday, 10 June 2008 08:51 (seventeen years ago)
dah dah dah ??? ...was no.1 in NZ anyway not sure aobut elsewhere
― grap-fu, Tuesday, 10 June 2008 09:02 (seventeen years ago)
some shit by celine dion i should suspect. also kylie & jason.
― the next grozart, Tuesday, 10 June 2008 09:05 (seventeen years ago)
kylie and jason lol
― grap-fu, Tuesday, 10 June 2008 09:07 (seventeen years ago)
The thread title says nothing about where the song have been a hit, which makes me suggest it's probably some Asian song performed in Mandarin or Cantonese :)
― Geir Hongro, Tuesday, 10 June 2008 09:36 (seventeen years ago)
Clannad, Theme From Harry's Game
... No. 5 hit
― Tom D., Tuesday, 10 June 2008 09:38 (seventeen years ago)
no. 8
― ledge, Tuesday, 10 June 2008 09:46 (seventeen years ago)
Luciano Pavarotti: Nessun Dorma (#2, June 1990)
― The stickman from the hilarious "xkcd" comics, Tuesday, 10 June 2008 09:49 (seventeen years ago)
Serge Gainsbourg & Jane Birkin, Je T'Aime
... no. 1, I think... surprised it hasn't been mentioned yet!
― Tom D., Tuesday, 10 June 2008 09:51 (seventeen years ago)
What have been the biggest chart hits not sung in English?
― willem, Tuesday, 10 June 2008 10:01 (seventeen years ago)
Zut, alors!
― Tom D., Tuesday, 10 June 2008 10:02 (seventeen years ago)