We already featured our favorite Catalan bands in a latest article, but how about our favorite Catalan songs? If you are looking for the best (catchy) pop Catalan songs to learn Catalan, here is our Top 4 ;)
Boig per tu, Sau.
Carles Sabater, singer of the Catalan band “Sau” composed this love song to… the moon. Boig per tu (Mad about you), is not a love song dedicated to his lover, at it might seem at first singing the first lines:
En la terra humida escric
Nena estic boig per tu,
Em passo els dies
Esperant la nit.
In the humid land I write
Baby I’m mad about you,
I pass the days
Waiting for the night…
For the night to come and actually look up to the sky and finally see her: the moon. Boig per tu is more than a song: it is a hymn. We believe almost all Catalans know this song. Even Shakira made his cover of Boig per tu. Definitely one of our favorite Catalan songs.
Bon dia, Els Pets
Don’t get carried away by the name of this band. “Els Pets” actually means “The farts”, but their music is not smelly at all. The same way “El Tío” is one of the most eschatological beautifully Christmas traditions, something similar happens with these Catalan bands. Because it is probably one of the most iconic Catalan bands that we featured on our article of best Catalan bands. And they also have this Catalan song which is also an hymn: Bon dia, whose lyric meaning would be like: besides what it might happen, today it is already being a good day. So it is kind of a “good vibes” song that makes you feel happy with the combination of lyrics and rhythm.
Bon dia, ningú ho ha demanat però fa bon dia,
damunt els caps un sol ben insolent
il.lumina descarat tot l’espectacle de la gent.
Al mar, al mar, Manel
So after featuring two classic songs from the Catalan rock genre, we follow into a different genre: the most recent Catalan pop with the Catalan band “Manel”. Besides their innovative beats and rhythms, our favorite thing with this band is the many double meanings and ideas hidden behind their lyrics. No line is added to fill out the songs, each of them is telling you something. And among the many great songs this Catalan band has composed, there is one that has become especially popular: “Al mar, al mar”. But is it really talking about the sea? Some samples of the magic of Manel translated to English:
You and I have dined at nice restaurants
You and I have danced in the light of a lamppost
You and I were flying in a yellow Ford Fiesta
You and I sang by the fire
You and I have searched for similar things
You and I have had our heads full of sparrows
You and I on top of the Ferris wheel, you and I and our story
But you and I have never bathed in the sea…
Manel is always playing at the best music festivals in Barcelona such as Primavera Sound or Festival Cruïlla.
Camins, somnis i promeses, Sopa de Cabra
Okay now back to the Catalan rock classics. This time with the Catalan band Sopa de cabra and one of the most mystics song: Camins, somnis i promeses (roads, dreams and promises). You might not want to hear this song when you are feeling down, but we love it anyway. Also, a bonus song from this band to equilibrate the sadness: l’Empordà. A song dedicated to the precious region of l’Empordà which has the most beautiful town on Earth: Cadaqués.
And these are our top 4 of Catalan songs that besides being Catalan hymns will also help you improve your Catalan. You can also check our article about our favorite Catalan series if you feel more like watching a show than singing :P