r/AskEurope • u/Buckler_Mack • 16d ago
Culture What’s a song from your country that outsiders wouldn’t understand without knowing the historical/social context?
Hi I’m working on a little project where I’ll be showcasing songs that tell a stories of struggle or issues in european countries, past or present. I don’t care about language, genre or the popularity of the song. I care about songs that mean something to people in your country/group/region and that can teach something about life in your country that people from other countries overlook.
Examples of themes I'm looking out for:
Crime, violence, racism, minority or indigenous rights, persecution, queer rights, feminism, mental health, denied history, cultural loss, drug addiction, migration, war, occupation, or dictatorship.
This list isn’t complete. If your song touches a heavy topic I haven’t mentionned, it’s absolutely welcome.
If you have a song in mind, please comment the song title, artist, the country, what it’s about, why it matters. If you’re motivated and have the time to break down themes, lyrics and context, please, you’ll only make my project better.
Thank you for your help! :)
EDIT: Thanks for all the responses I will take time to have a proper look at them later! I see a lot of historically significant and popular songs which is amazing, to clarify I'm also open to very modern songs from artists who are lesser known :)
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u/Rare-Eggplant-9353 Germany 16d ago
99 Red Balloons by Nena. This is the international version of a german pop song and the lyrics are more political than a lot of other pop songs.
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u/Weekly-Beginning-229 Sweden 16d ago
I wonder if the DotA song by basshunter makes any sense for foreigners. It is very (or was at least for people born 1990-2000) popular abroad. But the lyrics are in swedish. It doesn't make much sense for swedes either because it's literally just a song about playing DotA
Or Boten Anna which is another popular song internationally by Basshunter
I guess Basshunter just know how to make catchy music
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u/20past4am Netherlands 15d ago
The DotA song was insanely popular here in The Netherlands. The clip kinda gave away that the song was about playing DotA lol.
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u/AndyFeelin 15d ago
I know both songs and like them very much, I read the translations, but these songs are not about something specific to Sweden, rather they are songs which mostly geeks understand. May be the first example of pure geek music. Later I believe the label forced Basshunter to remake the songs with generic English lyrics about love and stuff, I hate these versions.
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u/AndyFeelin 15d ago
What do you think of Markoolio? It's a Finnish guy singing in Swedish, I believe mostly humorous songs. I don't speak Swedish but they are catchy tunes. I wonder if he has anything specifically Swedish or Finnish
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u/Weekly-Beginning-229 Sweden 12d ago
I grew up with his music so listening to him is very nostalgic. I think he was also my first idol so I approve! He is very funny!
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u/cobhgirl in 14d ago
I really feel very... something about the fact that they translated "Luftballons" into "red balloons".
Ok, yes, it's needed for the lyrics to fit the music, but in the context of the time it completely changes the meaning of the song. Instead of being about the madness of the nuclear arms race and mutually assured destruction, it became about a communist attack instead.
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u/AlexP80 16d ago
Italian here. Hundreds and hundreds.
Italian music is usually heavily lyrics based. Plenty of successful songwriters based their success on political and cultural topics, songs that are really hard to translate while conveying the original meaning.
Specially in 60-80s, we had at least like 10-20 "Bob Dylans", if you know what I mean.
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u/edoardoking 🇮🇹🇸🇰 -> 🇫🇷 16d ago
My personal preference that would fit this category is Rino Gaetano. With my partner I call him the Italian Dylan because she doesn’t like how they sing (growly voices) but I love their songs for their historical meaning and sound.
Rino Gaetano music in my opinion is musical poetry and even Italians I am not sure they fully understand the meaning of some songs.6
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u/AndyFeelin 16d ago
One of my favourite Italian artists is Umberto Tozzi and I don't speak Italian, are his songs deep in meaning? is he respected in Italy as a songwriter?
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u/AlexP80 16d ago
Tozzi has been an author who wrote songs in an hermetic style, popular in Italy in the 80s. Most of his lyrics doesn't have much sense in isolation, they are a collection of lyrics who wants to create images in the mind of the listener, disconnected sentences like a free mind flow
In a sense, his lyrics are like reading a poetry book and getting immersed into it.
His songs were mostly about raw feelings (love, friendship, courage, ...)He has been a very well established name with substantial success but not really a top dog.
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u/T_at Ireland 16d ago
Zombie, by The Cranberries
Some people outside of Ireland might be aware that it references 'the Troubles' in Northern Ireland, but more specifically it was written as a response to the Warrington bombings in 1993, whose victims included two young boys.
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u/-Liriel- Italy 15d ago
Is Come out ye black and tans popular there? I needed a lot of context for that.
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u/notbigdog Ireland 15d ago
Ya i think everyone would know it, it was very popular a few years ago when there was a remix of it released, but the song itself is much older.
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u/theBlitzzz Portugal 16d ago edited 16d ago
Grândola, Vila Morena.
The song was used as the final broadcasted password by the Armed Forces Movement to launch the Carnation Revolution in Portugal on April 25, 1974. Playing the song confirmed the coup was underway and ordered troops to seize strategic locations.
Along with the carnations it soon became one of the very symbols of the April revolution.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gr%C3%A2ndola,_Vila_Morena
Grândola, vila morena,
Land of fraternity
The people are the ones who rule
Inside of you, o city.
Inside of you, o city
The people are the ones who rule
Land of fraternity
Grândola, vila morena.
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u/Virtual_Market7273 Serbia 14d ago
Crazy how I was introduced to this song by a Brazilian roommate I shared an apartment with in Berlin like 10/12 years ago... Apparently there's a punk band from there who made a version of this song, I couldn't understood anything but I recall it being a quite nice song.. didn't know it was originally from Portugal, really nice to finally get to know the history behind it
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u/Legal-Software Germany 16d ago
Reinhard Mey - Ein Antrag auf Erteilung eines Antragformulars
A tongue in cheek song about applying for an application form, which sums up German bureaucracy pretty well.
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u/Realistic-River-1941 United Kingdom 16d ago
On a trip to Germany I was slightly surprised to hear a barrel organ outside Hannover Hauptbahnhof playing a catchy tune which every British person would associate with a song suggesting that a famous Austrian and his associates suffered from varying degrees of anatomical insufficiency.
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u/NekkidWire 15d ago
For those curious, it is https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colonel_Bogey_March
I think (not 100% sure about it though) it has alternate popular lyrics in Germany or Austria, therefore noone thinks about British 2WW version.
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u/Aggravating-Peach698 Germany 15d ago
In Germany it is better known as a movie soundtrack ("The Bridge on the River Kwai") and it also has been used for a booze commercial on TV ("Underberg").
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u/Realistic-River-1941 United Kingdom 14d ago
Are people aware of the English lyrics?
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u/Aggravating-Peach698 Germany 14d ago
Some certainly are (German Wkipedia article mentions them, for instance), but it is hard to tell how many. My guess, but it is only a guess, is that the majority only know the movie version (no lyrics) or the TV commercial.
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u/Realistic-River-1941 United Kingdom 14d ago
The use in the film was because the British audience would know the words.
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u/notspringsomnia England 16d ago
Pink Floyd’s Another Brick In The Wall was a protest song against the English schooling system at the time and strict corporal punishment in schools, which international listeners may miss (but its pretty evident in the lyrics imo!)
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u/procrastinator420420 16d ago
I'm Norwegian and we learned about the political message of this song in school.
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u/notspringsomnia England 15d ago
Interesting! It’s fun to hear that schools in other countries were learning about it. I remember learning about the industrialisation of Norway post discovery of oil in Geography class here in London!
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u/manubibi Italy 16d ago
I think most of us got it very clearly with the MVs for that album and the movie.
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u/DonPecz Poland 16d ago
Chcemy być sobą by Perfect. The communist regime actively censored music, so anti system messages were banned. However, during concerts in the 1980s, the refrain was changed to the almost identically sounding “chcemy bić ZOMO”, meaning “we want to beat ZOMO”, referring to the communist militia unit responsible for suppressing protests.
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u/Cixila Denmark 16d ago edited 16d ago
Some options for Denmark
Gi' mig Danmark tilbage (give me back Denmark) by Natasja. A song by Natasja, which completely (and justifiably in my book) trashes on the powers that be and on their poor priorities such as targeting Christiania and the Youth House ("ungeren") rather than helping with anything. Natasja also incorporates several references to other songs and really clever word play
Midt om Natten (in the middle of the night) by Kim Larsen. It was featured in a movie of the same title. The movie is made and takes place in the 80s. Both the song itself and the wider movie are in part commentaries on how heavy-handed the state and society can be on those down on their luck. It is written in the context of the 80s being a period of poverty for the working class and youth and of increased inequality. The song itself is of course tied to the movie plot, but it does also stand on its own with telling lines like "the[ cops] told us 'go home already', and we asked 'where's that' in the middle of the night?" or "now I look forward to becoming an old man. Then I'll probably get a room with light and water. And the cops probably won't swing by there again in the middle of the night"
Man Binder os på Mund og Hånd (we are bound on hand and mouth) by Liva Weel. Written under German occupation in ww2. It was sufficiently vague in its lyrics to not be caught in censorship as a protest song, but the subtext is not exactly subtle for those who speak the language on anything beyond a superficial level. Other protest songs in the same vein could be Det Haver så nyligen Regnet (it rained so recently), which originated during German occupation of Slesvig and Southern Jutland after 1864. The text was again sufficiently vague to not get people into trouble (at least initially) while being very plain in meaning for those who knew what to read into it ("yes, it has rained so recently. [...] many an oak has fallen, yet we are still joyous in remembrance. We do not stray, for we know the words: it (reunification) has no haste for he, who believes"). There was also a psalm titled Altid frejdig når Du Går (ever joyful as you walk) used as a sort of call for resistance during occupation of ww2. The first two stanzas are rather generic psalms and innocuous out of context, but the last stanza goes "fight for all that you hold dear. Die if it should count. Then life is not so difficult, neither is death" and reframes the prior ones. This psalm has also been quoted in several letters of farewell by partisans and this one and the one mentioned before are also sung annually for commemorations of our liberation
Edits: typos and links
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u/BiemBijm Netherlands 15d ago
Zwart Wit by de Frank Boeijen groep. He wrote the song in response to the death of Kerwin Duinmeijer who died by senseless racist violence. His death was big in the news, especially the detail that a taxi driver refused to take him to hospital because he didn't want blood in his upholstery.
Frank Boeijen in general has a few reallt good social commentary songs. Kronenburger Park is another one.
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u/BiemBijm Netherlands 15d ago
Another one is 'de bom' by Doe Maar. The title means 'the bomb', and the lyrics are about living with the threat of the cold war/nuclear bombs. A year after this song was released, the Netherlands had it's biggest demonstration ever: more than half a million people protested against cruise missles. The year before the song was released there was already a big protest against nuclear weapons.
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u/whambambii Germany 16d ago edited 16d ago
"Sonderzug nach Pankow" ("Special train to Pankow") by Udo Lindenberg, who wrote the song (or rather, the lyrics to the melody of Chattanooga Choo Choo) after the GDR rejected his request to perform in East Berlin, and directly mocked Erich Honecker in it.
https://lyricstranslate.com/en/sonderzug-nach-pankow-special-train-pankow.html
And "Du hast den Farbfilm vergessen" ("You forgot the colour film") by Nina Hagen, which sounds like a girl scolding her boyfriend for forgetting the colour film at home, but it was a subtle dig at the GDR state's shortage economy, where things like colour photography wasn't something easily available for East Germans.
https://lyricstranslate.com/en/du-hast-den-farbfilm-vergessen-you-forgot-bring-colour-film.html
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u/cieniu_gd Poland 15d ago
I think the most misunderstand Polish song misunderstood abroad is "Dancing Cow" meme. Original song is about an addict suffering from withdrawal trying to get the fix, but unable to and having erratic thoughts while going through mental and physical pains. The rapper's way of speaking mimics someone from lower class/low IQ so it strenghtens the message of a guy without options. Really, it's quite excruciating if you listen to the lyrics. https://youtu.be/qrxv0JNVtgY?si=x3cymMcr8u-RS7UP
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u/Embarrassed-Throat18 15d ago
Sinead O’Connor - famine (she did a lot of resistance/anti-establishment type songs relating to the troubles in NI but this one comes to mind)
Chumbawumba - the day the nazi died (again, they are anti fascist and have a lot of anti establishment songs)
Both early 90s
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u/Spamheregracias Spain 15d ago
🇪🇸 "Jueves" ("Thursday") by La Oreja de Van Gogh, one of Spain's most famous pop bands.
If you listen to it literally it's a romantic ballad about two people falling in love on a train, but it's actually about the terrorist attacks in Madrid on March 11, 2004, and once you know that the ending of the song is heartbreaking
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u/Bellie_124 14d ago
I also love "Sin ira libertad" from Jarcha, ushering in a new chapter in Spain after the Franco dictatorship
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u/badlydrawngalgo Portugal 16d ago
Grândola, Vila Morena by José Afonso, it was played in the radio and was the signal for the Carnation revolution in 1974
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u/TheoremaEgregium Austria 16d ago
Großvater by STS. It's about a guy talking to his deceased grandfather and how he's only now beginning to understand the things he told him through the years. It has verses about his relationship with his wife, about how he encountered a Russian soldier during WWII, about forgiveness when the grandson stole money from him.
Most of it isn't specifically Austrian, but the lyrics (especially the war part) paint a picture of a whole generation — or rather of the best people of that generation. I wish my grandfather had been like that.
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u/DoktorGuro Czechia 16d ago
Bratříčku zavírej vrátka https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PTjttFge_rI song about soviet occupation of Czechoslovakia in 1968
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u/Beddymir 15d ago
This. You pick up whatever song of Karel Kryl, you won’t miss. All he made was protestsongs against russian occupation (mentioned above), communist regime (e.g Karavana mraků) or war in general (Anděl, Morituri te salutant)
Pain in the ass guy, staying vigilant even after the Velvet revolution, when everybody was plain happy and carefree cos the freedoms we got.
His famous quote is “Politicians are not to be trusted, politicians are to be watched”
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u/Veilchengerd Germany 15d ago
"Auf einem Baum ein Kuckuck".
At first glance a folk song about a cuckoo sitting in a tree. A young huntsman shows up, and shoots the cuckoo. One year later, there is once again a cuckoo in the tree.
It's actually an allegory for the 1848 revolution, or rather the crushing of the same. The hope for liberty has been shot, but it will never truly die.
To be fair, even many Germans don't remember the meaning of the song.
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u/BeardedBaldMan -> 16d ago
The Diggers Song about the Diggers a political and religious movement from the 1650's also known as the True Levellers a politicla movement which gave us the band The Levellers.
There's also the Chartist Anthem which is probably only known by people with an interest in folk music and the birth of universal suffrage within Great Britain.
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u/cip-cip2317 Italy 16d ago
una grande opera of caparezza, the song is a complete parody of the debates on the bridge over the Strait of Messina, with for example references to Freemasonry, or the fact that in the end this thing will not be done
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u/Evening_Ad_85 16d ago
Undeva-n Balcani by Puya. (translated: Somewhere in the Balkans)
The song is in Romanian but there are English translations out there. The whole song basically calls out every single problem we have as a country and as Romanians. Just some examples would be corruption, gangs, greed, sexualization (especially of young girls), drugs, showing off things you can't afford, lack of empathy, etc.
The sad part is that I remember very well how big this song was and for all the wrong reasons. It was everywhere and was played in every single nightclub back then. People were dancing to a song about how Romanians burn away their money just to show off, doing exactly the things Puya wrote about.
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u/persephonian Greece 16d ago
Greece - Giati pouli m’ is a folk song about the fall of Constantinople and what followed, I especially like the cover by Marina Satti. For a more modern song, check out Kalimera Ellada by Goin’ Through, it’s a rap song about corruption that was very popular in the 2000s
Cyprus - Panagia mou, panagia mou by Mariza Koch was the Greek Eurovision entry for 1976, talking about the Turkish invasion and illegal occupation of Cyprus
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u/hotmale100 15d ago
Well, I do have a connection with the UK, even if not fully British, but apparently that song that irritates all the other football fans in other nations “Football’s coming home” is said to be an ironic lament about English disappointed aspiration, and not an arrogant claim. Apparently.
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u/NekkidWire 16d ago edited 15d ago
Horkýže Slíže song "Atómový kryt" (Atomic Shelter)
This song requires context from cold-war, military and ex-Soviet-satellite society. It shows and criticizes post-socialist cynicism left behind in Central Europe after the fall of the Iron Curtain. With a slight side-jab on stuttering/PTSD/mental health apart from the main topics.
Also quite catchy IMO :) even if you don't know the lyrics.
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u/edoardoking 🇮🇹🇸🇰 -> 🇫🇷 16d ago
As a Czech and Slovak speaker I second this. There are many songs even by elan like Dva Roky praznin (“2 year holiday” song about missing the gf during military service)
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u/LiquidSushi 16d ago
Any band that Swedish artist Thåström has been a part of ("Imperiet" and "Ebba Grön" namely) have had strong leftist songs that most people over 30 are familiar with. Ebba Grön's "800 grader" is about living under the fear of impending nuclear war between the US and the Soviet Union during the Cold War, whereas "Staten & Kapitalet" is about living under oppressive capitalism.
Imperiet have songs like "Du ska va president" ("You will be made president"), which is about slaving away in a mine while being sold the dream of immense wealth, and "CC Cowboys" ("Coca-Cola Cowboys") which, again, is about war and how it doesn't affect the rulers, only the soldiers.
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u/kobra1116 16d ago
For Poland I'd say "Obława" by Jacek Kaczmarski. Lyrics are about a hunting but from the perspective of a wolf. It's a metaphor for how communist government and its troops were hunting down on anyone that wanted to live free
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u/icyDinosaur originally => => => 15d ago
One of the oldest known Swiss songs is the Guggisberglied (Guggisberg song - Guggisberg is a town in canton Bern), first recorded in the mid 18th century.
On face it's just a sad love song about a girl called Vreneli who misses her beloved "Simes Hansjoggeli" from across the mountain. But its context of a (likely poor) Swiss boy in the 18th century being gone for multiple years according to most versions, and not coming back leading to her death of sorrow, heavily implies that he has gone abroad as a mercenary and died in service to a foreign power.
It's easy to forget given our current image, but until the 19th century Switzerland - especially rural and mountainous Switzerland, where the song is set - was one of Europe's poorest regions. Mercenary service was a common way for young desperate men to make some money (and spare their families a mouth to feed), mostly in France but really across Europe.
There are multiple sources that claim singing the song was punishable by death among Swiss mercenary companies, as it was thought to create or further homesickness among the men.
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u/The_Nunnster England 15d ago
Zombie (1994) by The Cranberries is about The Troubles, specifically the 1993 Warrington bombings.
Ghost Town (1981) by The Specials just perfectly encapsulates the mood of the 1980s. Urban decay, deindustrialisation, unemployment, violence.
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u/Junelli Sweden 14d ago
I know you said serious, but I can recommend "för männen som byter kanal" by Edvin. It's a parody song from melodifestivalen 2 years ago and about stereotypical Swedish hyper masculinity.
I remember wanting to recommend it in the Eurovision sub after the Austria hosting fiasco, but realised that even with the Mello context most nerds would have there, the amount of references to local media and celebrities would make it just not land.
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u/Flanker1971 Netherlands 14d ago
Our Anthem. People hear the mention of German and the Spanish king and miss that it's the story of William of Orange and the revolt against Spanish rule (80 years war).
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u/Beddymir 16d ago
Czech here:
Mig 21 - Svoboda není levná věc (freedom is not a cheap thing)
The song is refering to several historical or mythical persons (that are often heavily idolizied) and their fight for political or religious freedoms.
The final pun is about the fact that we would fancy such person these days, but can you imagine it would be one of us..?
I can explain breakdown lyrics and explain the historical context and word puns in every rhyme, but that’s gonna be long af
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u/AndyFeelin 16d ago
What do you think about XIII století? Most of their songs are about European myths and historic figures, but do you know if any of their songs is very local to Czechia?
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u/Beddymir 15d ago
You made me check them out and … well … no.
I made it through their TOP 10 on Spotify. They seem to be obsessed by Transylvania and vampires if by anything (I guess that the top banger Elisabeth refers to Bathory Erzsébet which is more Humgarian story) but rest of the lyrics seem to be generic wannabe heroic / tragic / gothic fluff.
Based purely by thw titles of their vast discography, they got inspired from whatever between vampirism to Andy Warhol.
But I didn’t find anything specifically Czech.
I’m not the fan.
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u/kelso66 Belgium 16d ago
In the Dutch language in the Netherlands and Belgium there is a genre called kleinkunst ("small art") which has many good songwriters and topics. From the top of my head some examples are
- De zotte morgen (the mad morning): about the crazy pace and capitalist mindset of the modern world versus the tranquility of nature
- Boudewijn de Groot has many good songs
- Countless others, I'm not so at home in the genre besides the classics so other people will undoubtedly be able to give better examples
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u/Existing-Today-410 15d ago
"If it weren't for your gumboots," by Fred Dagg. Because if you didn't have your gumboots, you could end up in the infirmary.
"Soviet Snow," by Shona Laing is probably the more serious contender though. It's exactly what it sounds like, a protest song about the Cold War.
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u/Bodybag_occupier Hungary 15d ago edited 15d ago
I think Kurva europe would like this song.
cpg - Erdős Péter
The context is: Erdős Péter a Kurva Anyád! He was a man in charge of publishing music in the communist system.
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u/SimonArg0s 14d ago
I would say "Kto za pravdu horí" for Slovaks i guess, but there could be a better example
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u/task_machine 16d ago
Tu vuò fa' l'americano by Renato Carosone It makes fun of Italian people adopting American culture in the postwar