Why do you have to go and make things so…

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It looks like everyone’s favorite Canadian (after Alex Trebek, Michael J. Fox, and the late Peter Jennings) is having a bit of trouble with the mother tongue. It’s been getting her quite frustrated (thanks for the tip Mona):

Napanee, Ontario native Avril Lavigne is showing appreciation for her fans around the world, and looking to sell a lot more albums, by recording her new “Girlfriend” single in eight different languages.

While some detractors aren’t convinced that Lavigne has mastered English yet, her annoying single can now be heard in Mandarin, Japanese, Spanish, French, German, Italian and Portuguese. Lavigne even went so far as trying to record it in Hindi, but the language was too difficult to match the song’s western rhythm, said manager Terry McBride in a Canadian Press interview following his keynote address at Toronto’s Royal York Hotel as part of the Canadian Music Week conference. McBride said that Portuguese was the hardest language to learn, next to Hindi, and that the singer spent hours studying foreign language recordings before going into the studio to record the song. [Link]

Obviously Lavigne, an icon of the punk rock movement, didn’t have the right Hindi tutor. I’m sorry but am I the only one offended here? Don’t be tellin’ me that Mandarin is any easier than Hindi. Why do Indians always seem to get shafted? Why did she have to make the Hindi version of her song match the white man’s “western rythym?” So let’s watch the video together and imagine it in Hindi. Lavigne, you’ve let us down this time.

55 thoughts on “Why do you have to go and make things so…”

  1. did you hear the Shania Twain record meant for the Asian market? DJ Swami of “desi rock” fame worked on it. The production was perfectly fine but trust me, Avril not singing in Hindi is not a great artistic loss to the world.

    to quote Ms. Lavigne: “David ‘Buuuweyyy? who’s that?”

  2. The 2 biggest music acts to come out of Canada in the last 5 years are Nickelback and Avril Lavigne. Since I’m Canadian I will like to say sorry to rest of the world for this crap.

  3. First of all, I would like to come out of lurkdom and post my first comment ever here because I love this site, and especially this thread since it was about music. The 2 biggest music acts to come out of Canada in the last 5 years are Nickelback and Avril Lavigne. Since I’m Canadian I will like to say sorry to rest of the world for this crap. O boy clueless, I hear ya! I from Canada too and this saddens me greatly, but I feel much better when bands such as The Arcade Fire from the Montreal music are on the Canadian Time cover and have widespread recognition. But seriously, Avril has to stop with this eight different languages crap. I don’t know if her fans would appreaciate her butchering their language.

  6. Lavigne, an icon of the punk rock movement

    Joey Ramone rolls over in his grave and mumbles, “How Punk Rawk to record the same song in 8 different languages at the behest of record label minions and sheer capitalism.”

    Contrary to popular belief, Hunter S. Thompson never wrote the last line in this quote on the television biz but can be more aptly applied to the music biz:

    “The music business is a cruel and shallow money trench, a long plastic hallway where thieves and pimps run free, and good men die like dogs. There’s also a negative side.”

    Anyone else hear Toni Basil’s “Oh Mickey you’re so fine You’re so fine you blow my mind Hey Mickey Hey Mickey” in that song?

  7. I feel much better when bands such as The Arcade Fire from the Montreal music are on the Canadian Time cover and have widespread recognition.

    Let’s not forget about Bryan Adams people. “Summer of ’69” is maybe the greatest karaoke song ever.

  9. After viewing the youtube video graciously provided, I don’t think the people of India will be deprived of quality entertainment. Lucky Hindi speakers!

  11. Well there are certainly others that are popular but don’t be make me proud (ex:celine dion), but I don’t think people know if they know the Tragically Hip and The Barenaked Ladies are Canadian. I know that Billy Talent got a lot of radio play but people don’t know they are Canadian and I sort of don’t care becuase its quite generic. I wish better Canadian bands like Wolf Parade got more radio play. P.S: The new Arcade Fire album came out last week, go it right now!

  12. everyone’s favorite Canadian (after Alex Trebek, Michael J. Fox, and the late Peter Jennings)

    Where’s Steve Nash?

    Lavigne, you’ve let us down this time.

    I take exception to your insinuation, sk8ter boi.

  14. an icon of the punk rock movement

    OH Puhleeez. She’s about as punk as my pinkie finger. You know, a really small percentage.

    Plus, she wore Vera Wang to her wedding. That is SO not punk. And pink skulls? That’s as bubblegum as it gets.

    Bleh. only 22 seconds of watching that video, and I’m gagging…

  15. With a good tutor Madonna sang sanskrit slokas in one of her songs. Avril Lavigne tried and found Hindi to be difficult than Portuguese.Well i don’t know.

    Is Hindi difficult than Mandarin musically for western rhythms?? I don’t think so.

    talking about Hindi and Sanskrit, Even for people for Andhra/telugu language background its not very easy to learn Hindi,even though we have many common Sanskrit/ Hindi words (Since Telugu is originated from Sanskrit,unlike Tamil or Malayalam).

    On a lighter note,It reminds me of a commentI heard on a Hindi sitcom long back, a tamil ghar-jamai (Madhavan) says that Hindi is a tuta-phuta(uva)language.

    But seriously,

    Abhi, when you say, Why do Indians always seem to get shafted? Why did she have to make the Hindi version of her song match the white man’s “western rythym?”- Its a valid point and i agree with you.

    But when you say..

    So let’s watch the video together and imagine it in Hindi. Lavigne, you’ve let us down THIS time- what do you mean when you say this.

  16. Lavigne, an icon of the punk rock movement
    Joey Ramone rolls over in his grave and mumbles, “How Punk Rawk to record the same song in 8 different languages at the behest of record label minions and sheer capitalism.”

    Agreed. Avril Lavigne is as punk rock as Hot Topic. She’s an icon of the marriage between consumerism and (what was once) counter-culture.

    If anyone is interested in the cutting edge of Canada’s punk and indie scene, check out DFA 1979, Godspeed You Black Emperor, and Do Make Say Think, to name a few. (Desi Angle: The High Dials, a Montreal-based outfit, once featured Rishi Dhir on sitar and bass.)

    Talking about Arcade Fire and churchy recordings what happened to Cowboy Junkies?

    They’re recently re-released their first album and ourputting out a new one next month.

  18. What is she trying to pull an AR Rahman? For this sort of thing to work you have to be gifted like Mr. Rahman, which Avril is not.

  21. Hi, just want to say that i just build a enflish to portuguese blog for imediate free translations. you just have to put some words in the comments area and in the next post i will put the translation. see you soon 🙂

  22. an icon of the punk rock movement

    Don’t people EVER get my sarcasm?

    Go Arcade Fire!

    Let’s not forget about Bryan Adams people. “Summer of ’69” is maybe the greatest karaoke song ever.

    Adams was like 12 in 1969. The producers made him change the original title of his song which was something like Summer of 75.

  23. Abhi, when you say, Why do Indians always seem to get shafted? Why did she have to make the Hindi version of her song match the white man’s “western rythym?”- Its a valid point and i agree with you.

    Sorry Anil, I don’t agree with myself. I was joking and actually poking fun at people that think that Indians always seem to get shafted. 🙂 Sorry.

  24. Hey, Boards of Canada is one of the greatest electronica acts ever. Granted, they’re actually Scottish, but they wouldn’t be the same without Canada!

  25. Since Telugu is originated from Sanskrit,unlike Tamil or Malayalam).

    Actually, Telugu is a Dravidian language, just like Tamil, Malayalam, and Kannada. BUT it has a HUGE amount of Sanskrit borriwings, unlike the others. It has so many Sanskrit borrowings that it almost appears to have originated in Sanskrit…but its base is pure Dravidian. Colloquial Hindi, which actually does derive from Sanskrit, nonetheless has very many Persian and Arabic loanwords, which is one reasons it seems alien to speakers of South Indian languages.

  26. I’m not a fan of Avril but I was impressed that she wrote her own songs and played her own instruments and had such major success at such a young age while doing so.

  28. Lavigne, an icon of the punk rock movement? Where, in daycare?

    If she thinks Hindi is difficult, let’s break out the Tamil and Malayalam and watch the fun.

  29. Right on, Abhi! Everyone should know that India is much easier to negotiate than China, and language is just one of MANY reasons…

    BRING YOUR BUSINESS! SPECIAL ECONOMIC ZONES HERE!!!

  31. O Avril, why are you so COMPLICATED? I love how she has this new trashy look going on, the same image of fishnets and short shorts she dissed the likes of britney and christina for. Plus, she wore Vera Wang to her wedding. That is SO not punk. And pink skulls? That’s as bubblegum as it gets. I know eh! As soon as she hooked up with dereck all the changes happened. She lost her tomboy images and went platinum blonde, and now this. SO lets all get together and blame the BOY! and then the States because she doesn’t live in Canada anymore…:)

  33. I’m going to protest by not listening to any Avril Lavigne music anymore. Not that I did listen to that crap in the first place anyway.

  34. thank the stars that she didn’t record anything in hindi or any other indian language (so far, my fav kannada is safe!) that song was just TERRIBLE.

  35. Gosh:

    I am never getting those 2 minutes back (1 min vid, but 1 extra min of buffering). I personally thank hindi for being so hard to learn. Small mercies for being a desi.

  36. It looks like everyone’s favorite Canadian (after Alex Trebek, Michael J. Fox, and the late Peter Jennings)

    Alex Trebek above Pamela Anderson? Abhi, you win the Dr. Spock nerd-of-the-year award for that.

  37. although i think the quintessential Avril classic “Sk8er Boi” (a fav of one of my best friends from back home, you are reading this, haha) could possibly have the content necessary for a Yash Chopra bollywood HIT!

    http://youtube.com/watch?v=N5pdeza35bY

    haha– i want 5 minutes of my life back. PLEASE! WHY does that girl have a record deal? Oh the shame.

  38. Since I’m Canadian I will like to say sorry to rest of the world for this crap.

    Please don’t forget that you canucks still have Céline Dion to atone for.

  39. This song shouldnt be recorded in any language.

    The idea of singing a song in all the language’s of the world is so desperate.

    It might be a good idea though, to sing this song in Klingon, to get some of that sweet Star Trek geek money.

  40. I hope this song turns out like that horrible number this boy band did with different singers over the world. The Indian version was with Asha Bhosle. I forget the name of the group and thankfully so.

  41. I forget the name of the group and thankfully so.

    Your happiness is shortlived. It was Code Red. The trick worked. Code Red was quite popular in India for a time(time = six months).

  44. Now that’s a few minutes of my life that I would really like back! Argh! What possessed Asha-ji?

  45. Asha-ji also recorded w/ Boy George who recorded his War Song in English, Japanese, Spanish, German and French. Six degrees of desperation.

  46. Asha-ji also recorded w/ Boy George who recorded his War Song in English, Japanese, Spanish, German and French.

    She also recorded a song last year with Australian fast bowler Brett Lee.

  47. So, is there some super star singer in Canada that has no one has heard about in the US? Maybe, someone who sings in French?

  48. Apologetic / Apoplectic Canadians, Uncle Neil Young’s got your back.

    Canadians, please don’t feel bad. I mean, come on, Germany may have his heart but the States has his passport…yes, we Americans have produced the awesome mega-talent that is David Hasselhoff (not going to lie though, i did love me some Knight Rider back in the day).

    This song shouldnt be recorded in any language.

    Hahaha! Yeah, I agree.