Chinese people love to sing, and they are not much bothered by which language we sing in either. In China, certain English songs seem to be constantly ringing in your ears everywhere you go, be it a supermarket, restaurant or tea house. We are not talking about a bit Death Metal, bland, anodyne pop-songs are very much the order of the day. Some of these Western songs become so prolific as to enjoy far more popularity in China than they ever did in their country of origin. People sing these songs in KTV, download them to music players, even annoyingly hum them in public places such as on the subway or at the bus stops. Today we have selected 10 English songs that are heavily overplayed across the nation.

1. “Let It Go [Frozen]” by Idina Menzel, 2013

The song originally performed by a Broadway star Idina Menzel won over the hearts of the Chinese, well, teenagers and their parents anyway. “Let it go” is played internationally and is not disappearing without a fight: the Oscar-winning Frozen soundtrack stayed No. 1 album in the US for nine weeks. No wonder, it appeals to the girls so much. The Snow Queen Elsa, who is in the original Anderson fairy-tale serves as a villain, turns into a rebel in the movie, craving for freedom. Girl power indeed. Let’s have a quick look at those rather Shakespearian lyrics:

Let it go, let it go!

Can’t hold it back any more.

Let it go, let it go!

Turn away and slam the door.

I don’t care what they’re going to say.

Let the storm rage on.

The cold never bothered me anyway.