Hi, post a song that reflects your culture's nuances here.

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Song: "Everything is Empty" (Sung by Anthony Wong)
Culture: Chinese
Why did I choose this song?: I think that its lyrics reflect the notion that those who fail to keep a low profile will lose their power very quickly. In other words, if you want to remain powerful, then keep a low profile. I don't know about other cultures, but such a notion is highly popular in Chinese culture.

Rough translation...

There is a palace isolated from the rest of the world, its bridges are all cold and its roads are all frozen.
You advance into emptiness; you retreat into emptiness; you are ascending to the Heavenly Palace now.
Love is ambiguous; hatred is ambiguous; they demand your loyalty.
Your chest is swelling with pride; you are rubbing your hands; you want to claim a piece of the sky for yourself.
You are so powerful that you might topple the Western Palace anytime, but please note that people tend to disappear when they are at their most powerful.
People win and lose because of power and fame, if you want to change Heaven and Earth, you should anticipate chaos.
The day you achieve greatness is the day you sow the seeds for your own downfall, you must view everything as empty from now on.
You own ten million soldiers but forget about them please, you ought to be humble enough not to mobilize any of your soldiers.
If you heed my advice, your master will value you because he is no longer envious of you.
Everyone in your bloodline serves as slaves generation after generation, so remember that you have no power, no achievement and no charisma.
When no one supports you, the willingness to serve is no longer useful.
If you want future generations to remember your achievements, you should forsake your dreams regarding how you should make your fame last for eternity.
As long as you have stood straight and tall, you have not lived your live in vain.
Rap: If you have achieved something, never claim credit for your achievement. Once you claim credit for your achievement, your achievement will not last long.
Rap: Water nourishes everything while claiming nothing for itself, therefore water encompasses all virtues.
When you are fighting for affection in this chaotic world, you realize that the road ahead of you becomes increasingly narrow as you progress.
Open your heart up and leave this palace isolated from the rest of the world, you can laugh at the sky even when you are not among royalty.
If you realize that you cannot even take a single step, why are you still displaying blind loyalty?
When you do not know how to fight for affection, the willingness to serve is no longer useful.
If you want future generations to remember your achievements, you should forsake your dreams regarding how you should make your fame last for eternity.
You will not begrudge "Tao Te Ching"'s wisdom if you ever read it.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v5r8I0O7lws[/youtube]

I think that these videos pretty much sum up every aspect of modern-day American culture. And in case you were wondering, no I am not joking in the least .

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kfVsfOSbJY0[/youtube]

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zAeTbNtzHxk[/youtube]

^^^
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BZmVE6NaWVo[/youtube]




[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EX3rgYRY_zM[/youtube]



[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TOPJ90FRZHI[/youtube]

This pretty much sums up Dutch culture. Complete with Dunglish subtitles.


[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KDNdK7Cb0J0[/youtube]

To NewDawn: Hi, thanks for sharing such a catchy song with us all. Dutch sounds so sexy to my ears. I notice that nearly everybody in this video seems genuinely happy. They are smiling wholeheartedly. I believe that the Dutch are generally happy after watching this video.

To Goonsquad: The facts and figures and opinions mentioned throughout the Idiots are Taking Over are so depressing but so true. I apologize in advance for saying this--any nation that has already reached its peak will be going downhill afterwards. Whoever who sang We Call It America sang at such a rapid-fire pace that I ended up Googling for lyrics. I'm sorry that I gave up on Americana after a minute because it didn't suit my taste in music at all, but thanks a ton for sharing.

To Stargazer43: I think that the two girls who performed Hot Problems performed it as a satire of American society, but as for Rebecca Black, whose Friday had spawned countless memes and parodies on the Internet, I have always suspected that she did Friday as a publicity stunt. Oh, Wikipedia states that Rebecca Black is born in California, no wonder I keep thinking that she sings with a Californian accent.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gi5H9c5cKzU[/youtube]

Not that the song specifically reminds me of America per se, but the general mood of melancholy around lots of America due to the economic depression that's going to be permanent, I feel it's perfect.

Modern country music, basically it's about how cool you are because you're a redneck.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ePjFAZKWKVo[/youtube]
Yay for this artificially created culture that is more or less a caricature of actual Western or Southern culture. It's the same as rap music.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_0JErGktWvA[/youtube]
This is my generation. May the Lord have mercy on our souls.

I don't care that this band is European. This song best describes the culture of the Southeast US.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ddgyg_5FF_0[/youtube]

The music of Trinidad & Tobago evolved from calypso in the 60's and 70's to soca and chutney from the 80's till now. Machel Montano HD is one of the biggest proponents and exporters of modern day Soca.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1xETyczXqVM[/youtube]

To redrobin62: Initially, I didn't really like this song because I thought that it sounds quite noisy and angry, but the more I listened to it, the more I loved it. I felt like dancing to it. I realized that this is such a beautiful song because it's full of energy and raw emotions.
To OMGitsKenny: I Googled "Cotton-eyed Joe" after while listening to it. According to some websites, "cotton-eyed" means "blind". Quite sad.
To 1000Knives: I like Pauly D's looks because he seems so cute and baby-faced to me, but I really dislike the song that he has been singing. It sounds so "meh". I feel as if he has been singing this song not because he genuinely likes it but because he just wants to earn money from this song. The Craig Morgan video can't be played. Despite having depressing lyrics, I love "Lost Horizons" because it sounds pleasing to my ears.

Culture: Male Pakeha

Song: Six Months In a Leaky Boat, by Split Enz

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ar7DgREshAk[/youtube]

Lyrics:

The song from the original post. "Everything is empty" is very pretty.
Unfortunately I cant think of a single song that reflects the swedish culture at the moment.
But there are probably a few. I just cant think of any.

"Get Over It" - Eagles, November 8, 1994 (With Lyrics)

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1H-Y7MAASkg[/youtube]
The song is about Don Henley's frustration with others (such as TV chat show contestants) placing their failures, mental breakdowns, and financial problems on those who don't deserve it, then believing that the world owes them a favor.

Maybe I should have posted this in The Haven...

To Declension: Hi, thanks a ton for explaining to me how "Six Months in a Leaky Boat" reflects certain aspects of New Zealand's European/Pakeha culture.
To Farsight: Thank you for complimenting "Everything is Empty".
To Fnord: Hi, please don't scare me. I haven't appeared on TV before, but sometimes when I'm so angsty that I can't think straight anymore, I end up wallowing in my angst.
To 1000Knives: I feel sad about the band member's suicide, but I don't know what I should say except "Rest in peace."

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nsr9HCOgQe0&list=AL94UKMTqg-9D4cR_PdlQTxQ-XjGYHVCBh[/youtube]
It's about a man doing an honest job, not getting paid an awful lot and getting mocked by the kids on the street. He's saving up a bit, to buy a little boat and go sailing, when he retires. It's about achieving dignity through living a good and honest life (and the simple pleasures that can be found). This reflects the culture I grew up in. It has changed a lot in recent years, but I think this is the untainted Scottish culture (I hope so anyway).

For Germany:

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gJ3l862jYzM[/youtube]

It's actually more about how other cultures think about Germans. Including all the clichees.
sad thing is, if you're not German you won't be able to understand it anyway.