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A Man Who Has Nothing In Particular To Recommend Him Discusses All Sorts of Subjects at Random as Though He Knew Everything

Hombre Respetable

It’s oh so good, it’s oh so fine. Los Hitters!

The original, obviously inferior version:

6 Responses

  1. Los Kinks!

    That is definitely the weirdest thing I've seen all day. Of all the songs to cover. Wonder how they even translated some of the verses:

    And his mother goes to meetings,
    While his father pulls the maid,
    And she stirs the tea with councilors,
    While discussing foreign trade,
    And she passes looks, as well as bills
    At every suave young man

    And he likes his own backyard,
    And he likes his fags the best,
    'Cause he's better than the rest,
    And his own sweat smells the best,
    And he hopes to grab his father's loot,
    When Pater passes on.

  2. G Bob- "Because he's dying to get at her." would be the strangest rhyme in pop music until Steely Dan showed up.

    But the Mops are only funny. Lord have mercy on my soul, but I actually liked Los Hitters' version of Well Respected Man.

    If you want real Japanese entertainment, check out today's post.

  3. Gagdhad Bob:
    That is definitely the weirdest thing I've seen all day. Of all the songs to cover. Wonder how they even translated some of the verses..

    The answer is that the verses were not directly translated, not at all. To get rhyme and/or rhythm in a different language, it is usually impossible to directly translate. No Can Do. There are only a certain number of syllables you can fit in. Even with that, it can be said that Los Hitters engaged in a certain amount of poetic license.

    Example. This is the second verse of the song:
    And his mother goes to meetings,
    While his father pulls the maid,
    And she stirs the tea with councilors,
    While discussing foreign trade,
    And she passes looks, as well as bills
    At every suave young man

    In Los Hitters's version:
    Soy todo un señor
    De todo tengo lo mejor
    Si voy a fiestas o reuniones
    Siempre llego en carro sport
    Y mi novia es artista
    De cine y televisión

    Here is my translation :
    I'm a gentleman in every way
    I own only the best
    If I go to parties or meetings
    I always arrive in a sports car
    And my girlfriend is a TV and movie actress [certainly one can come up with a different translation.]

    The Spanish lyrics have an entirely different tone: of upwardly mobile pride. I started with nothing, and now I've got mine. I conquered the world.

    The beginning verse as done by the Kinks:
    'Cause he gets up in the morning,
    And he goes to work at nine,
    And he comes back home at five-thirty,
    Gets the same train every time.
    'Cause his world is built 'round punctuality,
    It never fails.

    Los Hitters:
    Les diré que fui un don nadie
    Y ni una chica se fijaba en mí
    Hoy muchas cosas he logrado
    Y han de saber por que razón
    De día y de noche he trabajado
    Y siento satisfacción

    Translation:
    I'll tell you: I was a Mr. Nobody
    No girl would ever notice me
    I've succeeded at many things
    And you better know why:
    I've worked day and night
    Now I feel satisfied

    Much different song. Los Hitters knew their society, and knew a message of "you too can get rich" would fly better than "I am one of the jaded, corrupt rich."

    Moreover Los Hitters are a decent band. Los Juniors did Lennon and McCartney: as bad as a Mexican movie, if you know what I mean.
    You get the idea.

  4. Gringo-
    Your comment got caught in the spam filter, but I rescued it. Nice job translating the lyrics.

    The camp aspect of Los Hitters is undeniable, but that's not what drew me to it. I thought it was pretty good, too, and interesting.

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