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Post by milewalker on May 30, 2007 1:13:27 GMT
Thanks Steve, I'd forgotten about that poll!  I am surprised English only got one more vote than Elvish!  It seems to me that many people may have voted for the language of their favourite Hayley song... even if she has only recorded one, two or three songs in that language! My own choice, well down the poll, was English because in general I like to listen to and understand the lyrics but I still love most of the "foreign language" songs Hayley has done. Could the member who voted Elvish (or anyone) remind me which song(s) that was?   Ooops, found in the thread above! Cheers, Dave I was tempted to vote for English Dave - the problem being that her accent is still pretty thick at times to these American ears. This is actually charming after its fashion, except that it tends to undermine the very point you are making about English, at least for me. I had to listen to Shenandoah about three times before I realized she was singing "seven long years" - and there is one line of Danny Boy I still havent figured out for certain - it sounds like "through soft you tread above me" and I assume the intention was the word "though". The really odd thing is that in the uptempo Summer Fly, where one would expect a problem with this, her diction is as clean as the New Zealand air..... No Tolkien devotee (as I am) would ever forget the song in Elvish. Jon - venturing off topic since 1999 |
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Dave
Administrator
HWI Admin
Posts: 7,700
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Post by Dave on May 30, 2007 2:08:25 GMT
Hi Jon, It isn't only Americans who sometimes have trouble with Hayley's accent  but I can understand 99% of what she says... and that's more than some English people born and bred that I know! However, my understanding of other languages ranges down from from about 30% (French) to zero (Mandarin Chinese!). Most of them in the poll are are around the 1% to 5% level for me That indistinct word in Danny boy is supposed to be part of "...tho' soft you tread above me" according to Ireland Information.com so we'll go with that, unless and until someone tells us officially what it is. I've edited the Treasure Lyrics thread accordingly. Cheers, Dave |
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Post by petertong on May 30, 2007 5:10:56 GMT
So there you have it: Maori is by far the best language for Hayley's singing. Which is a shame, really, because the Maori songbook doesn't seem to go very far after Pokarekara Ana, Hine e Hine and E Pari Ra. But I have an idea! Hayley should commission a whole slew of new songs in that tongue so she can continue to do what she does best, which is sing in Maori. Surely there are some talented songwriters up for the challenge, yes? I really agree with this! |
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Post by Richard on May 30, 2007 8:04:00 GMT
Hello Peter and everybody! Maori could be a much more popular language now, after Hayley's 'E Pari Ra' beat Beethoven's 5th Symphony to No.1 in Classic FM's Most Wanted chart yesterday!  Richard |
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Post by postscript on May 30, 2007 10:01:20 GMT
Thanks Steve, I'd forgotten about that poll! I am surprised English only got one more vote than Elvish! It seems to me that many people may have voted for the language of their favourite Hayley song... even if she has only recorded one, two or three songs in that language! My own choice, well down the poll, was English because in general I like to listen to and understand the lyrics but I still love most of the "foreign language" songs Hayley has done. Could the member who voted Elvish (or anyone) remind me which song(s) that was? Ooops, found in the thread above! Cheers, Dave Surely that's the Hobbit song? Peter S. |
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Post by meldy on Jun 8, 2007 5:26:55 GMT
English of course, hands down Although, between English and Elvish, mmm, that's a toughie I think Elvish, even though fictional, is pretty interesting.  Meldy |
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but I can understand 99% of what she says... and that's more than some English people born and bred that I know! 
