I’m a lyrics guy, but the right melody can travel the globe.
In 1985, Falco’s “Rock Me Amadeus” went to #1 in the USA, even though most of the lyrics are in German. Four years earlier, Falco’s “Der Kommissar,” also in German, was a smash across Europe, but stalled at #72 in the states.
My high school Deutsch ist vergessen, but “Der Kommissar” tells the story of a woman who really likes cocaine, has friends who died from cocaine, and is getting hassled by a police “commissioner.”
Then, in 1982, British band After the Fire rewrote “Der Kommissar” with English lyrics that tell the same basic story. Cocaine is still “sugar” and “snow.” This time, the song went to #5 in America.