I was listening to the new free online music Radio widget I just installed from Last.fm and told it I wanted to listen to the 'Ricky Martin station'. (I was looking for some lively music to post eBay auctions to - don't ask! ;)
Instead of giving me a tune by RM, it started playing some Brittany Spears, Backstreet Boys and other artists. So I closed the player, figuring maybe it hadn't understood my first request, and typed in Ricky Martin again. Guess what? No Ricky - again - but it did play a tune from t.a.T.u., the Russian duo who've been climbing the charts all over Europe. (Do I sense a diabolical plot behind all this or just a music programmer that likes to play with people's minds?... "Hummm, Ricky Martin is an international star who sings in Spanish - t.a.T.u. is also international and sings in Russian - yeah, they're almost identical - that's the ticket...")
Now I've heard of t.a.T.u., but my local radio stations don't tend to play much Russian music as you can imagine. (Although, given the large Russian population in the Pacific Northwest, I'm not quite sure why not... I frequently hear Russian spoken in the stores and on the sidewalks - why not on the radio?) Anyway, I was about to try another 'station' but found myself hooked on the tune while I was trying to think of another artist to try. (Hope springs eternal they'll actually have my choice even if it is a free service...)
Even though it's been about (mumble) 25 years since I took Russian for a semester in college (and I only remember about 10 words now) the music was extremely catchy in and of itself without my understanding the lyrics. (Although I did think I heard a few phrases that sounded vaguely familiar, but then again, I could have been hallucinating from all the Dr. Pepper I've imbibed today.)
I never quite got it before, how people in other countries could enjoy American pop music without knowing what the words meant since I'm so used to hearing and understanding the songs without even having to think about it, but this has given me a better appreciation of how music makes the world go 'round whether or not you can sing along with it in the original language. =)
I guess I should try typing in t.a.T.u. into the free player - maybe it will give me Ricky Martin music instead?!? Although, so far, the "Ricky Martin" station has played some pretty lively and current stuff even without using any of his so far: Anastacia, Gwen Stefani, Robbie Williams, Josh Groban, Pink, Madonna, Ace of Base - so I guess I won't complain - too much...
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