The Sims franchise is known for having interesting, sometimes out-of-pocket gameplay, but that’s what’s made it fun for so many players throughout the years. The Sims 4 is geared toward a much younger audience than previous The Sims entries, so some of its more "out-there" characteristics have unfortunately been reduced. One aspect of The Sims that hasn’t changed throughout many iterations, though, is the existence of the Sims’ language, known as Simlish.
The language was initially developed to cut translation costs between different languages, but also because The Sims creator Will Wright was worried that using one language would eventually get repetitive. The Sims involves a lot of playtime, so players would pick up on the same sounds being used over and over. Thus, Simlish was born, and with it came not only phrases popular in The Sims community (like “sul sul!”), but popular musicians covering their songs in Simlish to be used in-game as well. Both players and Sims could rock out to pop songs when listening to the radio in The Sims games, but there were some popular standouts among the many artists tapped to sing in Simlish.
'Chemicals React' — Aly and AJ
Though the base game of each different Sims entry featured Simlish covers, the more well-known musicians started coming in via expansion packs. This song, simply referred to as “Chemicals React (Simlish Version),” made its debut in The Sims 2: Pets expansion pack. The original song is a throwback nowadays for those who spent their tween years listening to former Disney duo Aly and AJ, but the Simlish version is just as good as its source material.
'Don’t Cha' — The Pussycat Dolls
One of the top songs of 2005 made it into The Sims 2, again with the addition of the Pets expansion pack. The Pussycat Dolls dominated the music charts throughout the 2000s, but “Don’t Cha” is the only song of theirs that made it into The Sims games. The girl group disbanded in 2010 and later reunited in 2017, but no matter their status, this song will always be found in The Sims 2: Pets.
'Smile' — Lily Allen
As a promotion for The Sims 2: Seasons expansion, Lily Allen not only recorded “Smile” for the in-game radio, but got her own Sims music video. This song was most popular in Allen’s home country of England, but managed to make it onto the Top 40 lists of quite a few other countries. However, “Smile” is still her highest-charting song in the United States, and players can listen to its Simlish version in-game.
'Pocketful of Sunshine' — Natasha Bedingfield
It seemed like no one could outrun this song in 2008. It didn’t matter where people were, if there was a radio on, “Pocketful of Sunshine” was probably playing. Its success on the charts is probably one of the reasons Natasha Bedingfield recorded it in Simlish for The Sims 2: FreeTime expansion pack. Bedingfield's massively popular song even got her own Sims music video for promotional purposes.
'Hot N Cold' — Katy Perry
Released in 2008, Katy Perry’s second single “Hot N Cold” quickly climbed the music charts, making it no surprise that she was tapped to sing in Simlish for The Sims 2: Apartment Life. This expansion was also the last to release for The Sims 2, so it’s not a stretch to say that it went out with a bang thanks to Katy Perry’s vocals and Sims music video.
'Need You Now' — Lady A
Formerly known as Lady Antebellum, this country trio topped the charts with their single “Need You Now” in 2009. As a promotion for The Sims 3’s second expansion pack, Ambitions, Lady A recorded this hit song in Simlish for a music video that was released a month before the DLC. The cover is good, but what’s most impressive about this entry is the storytelling of the music video.
'Na Na Na (Na Na Na Na Na Na Na Na Na)' — My Chemical Romance
“Na Na Na” wasn’t originally intended to be a single off of My Chemical Romance’s album Danger Days: The True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys, but its positive reception made the band change their tune (so to speak). This song didn’t get a music video like some of the others, but it can be found in The Sims 3: Late Night expansion pack.
'Last Friday Night' — Katy Perry
Katy Perry is the only musician to get The Sims treatment more than once, even going so far as to collaborate for a Stuff Pack and expansion pack for The Sims 3. This 2011 chart-topping song was recorded in Simlish for The Sims 3: Katy Perry's Sweet Treats, a pack that wasn’t very well-received by The Sims community. Regardless, the Simlish song is still pretty good.
While The Sims 4 has had some artists come in to record their songs in Simlish, these are by far the most iconic Sims covers found throughout the franchise.
The Sims 4 is available now for Mac, PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One.