Articles and Stories

September 7, 2017

There are some songs that have had enough of an impact on people around the world to be translated into many languages. “It’s a Small World” started as a theme song composed by the Sherman Brothers in 1963 for Walt Disney when he was looking for a theme song for the attraction “the happiest cruise that ever sailed”. Walt wanted a song that could be played as a round song and easily translated into many languages. This song has been argued to be the single most performed and most widely translated song on earth.

Another one of the most translated songs on earth is “Amazing Grace”, having been translated into about 60 languages, including languages such as Farsi, Zulu, and Filipino. This song has a message of salvation and forgiveness through God’s everlasting mercy. The song was composed in 1773 by an English clergyman and poet John Newton to accompany a sermon for New Year’s Day.

The most popular Christmas song, which has been translated into over 100 languages, is “Stille Nacht, Heilige Nacht” (“Silent Night”). It was written by a priest from Austria in 1816, Joseph Mohr.

There are many other songs that have been translated into several languages and not all of them have deep messages. One song that comes to mind is “Itsy Bitsy Yellow Polka Dot Bikini”, which was released in 1960. You can find that song in many languages.