This 1972 song in gibberish reminds Anand Mahindra of the impact of bias and soft power

Recently, a popular history-centric Twitter page, Historic Vids (@historyinmemes) shared a video of the song. It said, “Italian singer Adriano Celentano released a song in the 70s with nonsense lyrics meant to sound like American English, apparently to prove Italians would like any English song. It was a hit”.

A funny, but also profoundly disturbing experiment. Exposes the crude & irrational power of bias. Also shows just how powerful ‘soft power’ really is….Soon, perhaps anything sounding like Naatu Naatu will be a hit…😊 https://t.co/GEJXhVMAoq

— anand mahindra (@anandmahindra) May 10, 2023

On Wednesday, Anand Mahindra reshared this video and wrote, “A funny, but also profoundly disturbing experiment. Exposes the crude & irrational power of bias. Also shows just how powerful ‘soft power’ really is….Soon, perhaps anything sounding like Naatu Naatu will be a hit…”.

Many people agreed with Mahindra and said, “It’s incredible to think about how much our preferences and perceptions can be influenced by popular culture. The fact that a song with nonsense lyrics could become a hit in Italy is a testament to the power of ‘soft power’ and cultural influence.”

Another person remarked, “It is also important to recognise that cultural exchange and borrowing can be positive and enriching when done with respect and appreciation for the nuances and complexities of different cultures. Issues arise when cultural dominance and hegemony are at play.”