Salsa Tequila

Americans may get the impression that Europeans speak all European languages, mainly because they often learn several languages. That’s not the case, as demonstrated by Norwegian comedian Anders Nilsen. A couple of years ago, he produced a song in Spanish. Nilsen doesn’t speak Spanish, as is made clear in the song, which consists of random Spanish words, names, and phrases, relying heavily on menu items. Nilsen wanted to make the point that a song could become a hit even if the lyrics make no sense.

"Salsa Tequila" indeed became a hit in several northern European countries: Norway, Belgium, Finland, Germany, Netherlands, and Sweden. The tune is certainly catchy, but was the song a hit because people got the joke, or in spite of it? In Spain, southern Europe, and the Americas, it’s obviously a nonsense song, but it still could have been popular.

Other versions of the song were produced by various folks in German, Dutch, Finnish, and a mishmash of Scandinavian languages. (via reddit)