Lost in Translation Vol. 3 REVEALED
Lost in Translation is back with the answer to this week's song!
It’s Friday, which means we’re back with the answer to Monday’s Lost in Translation.
The Translated Lyric
Here’s the lyric I provided:
He enjoys the company of men.
He said I was his favorite person.
When I moved into his room, the time came.
You're never picky, oh no
The Original Lyric
And here’s the original lyric as it was before being passed through half a dozen languages:
She likes the boys in the band
She says that I'm her all-time favorite
When I make my move to her room, it's the right time
She's never hard to please, oh no
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The Song
A couple readers felt like they should know this one and it really does feel like it’s on the tip of the tongue. Kristin DeMarr thought the lyrics sounded like a Smiths song and, while that couldn’t be farther from the actual song, I found it hard to disagree; very Morrissey-esque.
As this series has progressed I’ve noticed a number of recurring issues generated by the multi-language translation process, one of which is on full display here: a confusion in the subject/object gender. In every line we see she and her replaced by he and his and in the last line the subject “she” (as in “she’s never hard to please” becomes “you” (“you’re never picky”. This seems to be a pretty common translation error and something for readers to look out for in future installments.
And now for the reveal! If you hadn’t already figured it out from the original English lyrics, they come from the second verse of “Super Freak”, Rick James’ hugely successful mashup of funk, disco and new wave from his 1981 album Street Songs.
And here’s the music video, cued up at the start of this week’s mystery lyric:
Feel free to jump into the comments with your thoughts:
How did you do? Were you close? Or completely stumped?
Did you know this song already?
Would you have been able to name the song from the original lyrics?
We’ll see you again on Monday with a new installment of Lost in Translation. Until then, happy listening!!
This was so hard 😂 Borderline impossible to guess! So much changed in meaning and nuance that it’s a completely different verse. There’s also the fact that, while I really like Rick James, love that song and have the record on vinyl, I don’t think I would have been able to recognise the song from that fragment of the original lyrics.
Lol. I could not've been further off the mark if I tried. These are sure fun, though! Maybe next week!