German country music. You may remember Texas Lightning from
Eurovision 2006, but the rabbit hole goes much deeper than that. Oh yes.
(NB: If you don't like American country music, that's fine, just skip down to the bottom quarter or so of the post. Trust me.)
American country music has been known in Germany since the 1920s and the days of The Carter Family and Jimmie Rodgers. One of the first German country songs is perhaps Belgian singer Bobbejaan's country-inflected version of
A Pub with no Beer,
Ich steh an der Bar und ich habe kein Geld, written by Peter Kreuder. The song hit the German charts in 1960 and stayed for 30 weeks.
But there were original acts, too, like Bruce Low with the 1957 hit
Es hängt ein Pferdehalfter an der Wand (Bonus:
Lyrics and
this version by the Kilima Hawaiians, a group from Holland). Lest there be any doubt that this is bona fide country, it's a song about a cowboy who is sad because the halter, saddle, and bridle on the wall remind him of his deceased best friend, his horse.
In the 1970s there were artists like Gunter Gabriel, Tom Astor, and Truck Stop. From Gunter Gabriel,
who's still around and
making music)
From Tom Astor, who worked with
Johnny Cash, John Denver, Willie Nelson, Kenny Rogers, and others:
Truck Stop:
Traditional country continues into the modern era with bands like
Slow Horses and
Markus Rill, who sing in English.
Slow Horses:
Markus Rill:
After that, things start to get a little weird, with bands that often do country renditions of decidedly non-country songs. Previously mentioned Texas Lightning, here with
one of the odder covers of Like a Virgin ever recorded as well as the more mainstream
Man of Constant Sorrow. It should be mentioned that the lead singer of Texas Lightning is actually Australian, although the rest of the band is German.
The BossHoss brings their unique country aesthetic to some unusual covers:
Lastly, we get to alternative German country, where the train starts to leave the rails a bit.
The Waltons, an English-singing
cowpunk band from Berlin, produce a
surprisingly listenable psychobilly as well as
ironic renditions of country classics. Also recommended, a bit of
psychobilly squaredancing.
The inspiration for this post came from the
German Wikipedia page on country music in the German-speaking world. As an added feature for German learners, much of the singing in these songs is slow and clearly enunciated, so it should be easy to follow.
Extra Bonus: German country music radio personality and author
Walter Fuchs playing the blues at his 74th birthday party.
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posted by fourcheesemac at 11:46 AM on May 27