Sing Your Favorite Western Songs in Chinese: A Fun Way to Learn!
Take Me Home, Country Roads ... But in Chinese!
When it comes to learning a new language, reading alone isn’t enough. You also need to listen as much as possible, and this is especially true for Chinese, due to its unique phonetics, which are vastly different from most Western languages.
You might naturally turn to Chinese songs, but you’ll quickly realize that finding music you enjoy from another musical culture can be challenging.
What if we told you there’s a solution? Plenty of popular Western songs have been covered by Chinese-speaking artists! Now you can sing along to your favorite Western hits — in Chinese!
We’ve handpicked a few covers for you that you’re sure to recognize and love.
Chinese covers of popular English songs
"Take Me Home, Country Roads" by John Denver
Essentially the unofficial anthem of West Virginia, "Take Me Home, Country Roads" couldn't get more Western! And guess what? It even has a Chinese cover!
"Yellow" by Coldplay
Not as iconic as "Country Roads," but still very much a classic!
"Rasputin" by Boney M
That's a very funny one, but note that for this cover, only the melody was kept; the lyrics have nothing to do with the original song.
"No Tears Left To Cry" by Ariana Grande
That one is perfect for singing in the shower!
"Stay" by Rihanna
A cover by the same artist as the previous one.
Chinese covers of popular songs from other countries
Now, not all of our followers are native English speakers. In fact, 70% of you come from non-English-speaking countries (with Poland leading the way!), so it’s natural for us to share some covers of other international songs as well.
"Belle (Notre-Dame de Paris)" (France)
"Divine Idylle" By Vanessa Paradis (France)
"Despacito" by Luis Fonsi (Puerto Rico)
"Bella Ciao" (Italy)
Apologies for the extreme communist imagery. The original song 'Bella Ciao' is itself a resistance anthem, often associated with socialist and communist movements.
"Takie tango” (Poland)
In 2001, the Taiwanese band Power Station added a new twist to the iconic Polish song “Takie tango” by Budka Suflera. Let’s also appreciate the original video!
Do you know any other Western songs covered in Chinese? Share them with us!
Antoine & Dorota
