TM8023
1967
Time for another foreign language version. Two, actually.
Motown did quite a lot of these. The Supremes' Where Did Our Love go becoming Wo Ist Unsere Liebe for the German market, the Velvelettes francophonically turning As Long As I Know He's Mine into Puisque Je Sais Qu'il Est Moi, and Martha and the Vandellas blueprint for Town Called Malice, I'm Ready For Love, became the Spanish single Yo Necesito De Tu Amor.
The Temptations did My Girl both in German (although calling it Mein Girl was kind of cheating) and in Motown's second language, Italian. The lightness and delicacy of that song somehow makes it one of the funniest to hear in a different language.
But my favourites are these, a great Italian 45 with Gira Gira (Reach Out I'll Be There) and Piangono Gli Uomini (I Can't Help Myself).
Levi Stubbs' great aching yawp is one of the most affecting things ever recorded. Such power and pleading, such a cry, such soul.
So hearing him apply that to what you're sure must be a phonetic lyric sheet that he doesn't understand is just brilliant.
download Gira Gira [Reach Out I'll Be There - Italian] (4.3MB MP3)
download Piangono Gli Uomini [I Can't Help Myself - Italian] (3.9MB MP3)
3 comments:
Thanks! Please let us hear Martha & The Vandellas as well if you have it.
Martin, I've got two compilations of Motown foreign versions on MP3 (Motown Around the World, and Nero Italiano). There's I'm Ready For Love and Jimmy Mack in spanish.
If you leave your email address I'll happily send you them (and say if you're interested in the non-Martha stuff and I'll send you a track listing and any MP3s you want)
Thanks a lot Merrick! I managed to find it over att Fullundie but many thanks for the offer.
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