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While English sometimes seems to be the hit music lingua franca, so many artists have seen international success in other tongues. Click through for the ultimate international hits playlist.

▲The Icelandic band first came to the world's attention in 2000 with their hit 'Svefn-G-Englar.'

▲This worldwide hit is one of the songs attributed with opening the door for reggaeton.

▲Belgian superstar Stromae had his biggest hit in 2009, as the French track 'Alors on Danse' hit no. 1 in nearly every European country.

▲The psychedelic rockers decided to record their fourth LP, 'Mwng,' completely in the Welsh native tongue, which quickly became a source of national pride.

▲Made for the award-winning film 'Slumdog Millionaire' (2008), the song was internationally loved and enjoyed many covers, including one by The Pussycat Dolls.

▲The 1995 single saw incredible success and enjoyed many years as the biggest Spanish-language smash. To this day, people around the world know and love doing "the Macarena."

▲The 1964 Spanish hit has heartrending and life-affirming poetry, but even without knowing the words it's a great time.

▲Though BTS has English song titles, they refuse to change their identity just to chart higher in America.

▲She's not afraid to slip Icelandic tongue into her songs, and her international breakthrough hit 'Birthday' in 1987 introduced record buyers to a language they may not have even heard before.

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Spanish singer Jeanette's 'Porque te vas' was largely ignored when it was recorded in 1974, but it came to attention in the film 'Cría Cuervos' (1976), and soared in popularity soon after.

▲The Israeli singer first got her taste of fame when she was sampled on the seminal MARRS no.1 'Pump Up the Volume' in 1987. The following year, her Hebrew song 'Im Nin 'alu' got a full release and went top 20 in the UK.

▲K-pop master Psy nearly broke the internet with this famous song, the first YouTube video ever to exceed (and far surpass) one billion viewers.

▲This song caused an international scandal in '69, as it featured heavy breathing and was deemed so naughty that the Vatican wanted it banned. Some say it had a big hand in the baby boom...

▲Edith Piaf gave the world this song, but the Jamaican star, who apparently learned French while modeling in Paris, imbued new life into the hit.

▲Their 1983 international hit featured a fresh technique called sampling, projecting the German track into fame.

▲While Justin Bieber's feature had a big hand in the success of this song, it's hard to deny how catchy it is.

▲The hot summer hit of 1987 was the cool sound of 'Joe Le Taxi,' by then-14-year-old French native Vanessa Paradis. It later spread its chill waves into the UK.

▲This Belgian punk anthem celebrated the international DIY rock trend in 1977, even though in 2010 it was revealed that Plastic Bertrand didn't actually sing it himself.

▲Nena became famous outside of Germany with this 1983 anti-Cold War song

▲The combination of monks chanting in Latin and seductive French spoken word worked surprisingly well, topping the charts in 24 countries in 1990.

▲This huge 1987 hit marked the first time a Spanish single topped the US charts. Richie Valens first brought the Mexican song to the world, but Los Lobos made it internationally famous.

▲The 1986 single by Austrian pop singer Falco was something of a joke, but it became the only German-language no. 1 hit in US history. It also saw huge success in Canada and the UK.

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Sung entirely in French by an actual nun, this 1963 track blew up much to everyone's surprise. Those who couldn't understand the religious lyrics enjoyed a fun, cheery folk tune.

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The full name of this 1982 international hit is 'Da Da Da I Don't Love You You Don't Love Me Aha Aha Aha.'

▲The Brazilian psych rockers had their cult hit in 1968. The song was covered by the Bees in 2002.

▲This energetic Syrian musician reportedly became a massive hit with UK hipsters in 2011, and his Kieran Hebden-remixed 'Werni Werni' track has been watched over 2.5 million times on YouTube.

▲These hard rockers have recorded songs in English, but they sing best when it's in their native German, and the success of 'Du Hast' proves it.

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The full name of this 1958 Italian song is actually 'Nel Blu Dipinto Di Blu (Volare).' It earned Modugno the first Grammys given out for both Record and Song of the Year.

▲Written in Japanese, the song is actually about the American army's presence in Japan after World War II, but the gorgeous vocals and orchestration of the 1963 single makes for a lovely listen.

▲This song was chosen as Spain's entry in the 1973 Eurovision Song Contest, and was released as a hit single after coming in second place.

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The song you'll hear people belting in bars no matter what country you're in.

Hit songs that transcended language barriers

Do you remember when the BTS began its dominance of the US charts?

12/05/25 por StarsInsider

MUSIC Hits

While English sometimes seems to be the hit music lingua franca, so many artists have seen international success in other tongues. Click through for the ultimate international hits playlist.