MetaFilter posts tagged with german and music

Country Music: not just for Americans!

jedicus — Wed, 27 May 2009 11:45:47 -0800

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)

Deutschland ist... - Country cred: slightly hokey patriotism
Hey Boss, ich brauch mehr Geld - A working man's anthem
Komm unter meine Decke (Lyrics) - A romantic appeal to the virtues of the simple life

From Tom Astor, who worked with Johnny Cash, John Denver, Willie Nelson, Kenny Rogers, and others:

Mein Freund Charlie - A sad ode to his best friend and semi-truck driving partner Charlie, who died on the job.
Ring of Fire, with Johnny Cash

Truck Stop:

Take it easy, altes Haus - Worth checking out for the 70s-tastic costumes alone
Ich möcht' so gern Dave Dudley hör'n - Probably their biggest hit

Traditional country continues into the modern era with bands like Slow Horses and Markus Rill, who sing in English. Slow Horses:

Markus Rill:

The Things that Count
Straighter Road
Sarah Stein - A uniquely German country song: The wistful life story of a Jewish woman who left Vienna in the 1930s as a young girl to grow up in America

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:

Hey Ya
It's Getting Hot in Here - Not to be missed!

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.

Kommen Sie bitte, und listen to Kraftwerk

Frasermoo — Fri, 04 Apr 2008 20:28:09 -0800

Kraftwerk have been around for nigh on forty years. They take a bit of getting used to if you are new to them, but the rewards are great. Even if you are a cynic. Kraftwerk defined a German push in post-war identity and subsequently laid foundations for the 4 to the floor that alot of us love as well as ambient, trance and chill-out... so Kommen Sie bitte, und listen to Kraftwerk.

"Sieg whaaat?"

goodnewsfortheinsane — Thu, 12 Jan 2006 17:15:46 -0800

Everybody knows that gangsta rap promotes sexism, homophobia... and fascism. Take Bushido, for instance - the Berlin rapper of Tunisian descent that all the neo-Nazis love. Confused? (nyt) Well, so are the Germans. And then we're not even talking about Fler, whose "This is black-red-gold, hard and proud!" nationalist lyrics never fail to piss off the German papers (in German), and who likes to pose in his videos with a nice symbolic eagle. (Then again, Helmut Kohl didn't mind.) Still, Fler's flag-waving, eagle-loving rhymes are no match for Bushido's "Salute, stand to attention, I am the leader like 'A'". The A stands for Adolf, you know.

I won't take this lying down

yankeefog — Fri, 28 Oct 2005 10:03:53 -0800

Heiterkeit (12 meg quicktime movie) is an utterly charming German music video about all the other fun things you can do lying down. (Yes, it's entirely safe for work, unless your workplace forbids quirky charm.) If you enjoy it, check out Transsylvanische Verwandte(12 meg quicktime movie), another work by the same director. For a look behind the scenes of both films, there's this making-of video. (The making of video is a realplayer file, and it's in German--but I don't speak German, and I got the general idea.) Via Antville.

Schnappi Schnappi SCHNAPP!

chicobangs — Tue, 11 Jan 2005 12:29:24 -0800

Schnappi! Contrary to popular belief in the rest of the world, the German pop charts are not dominated by over-the-hill American TV stars. In fact, the current #1 single, outselling even the usual imported subjects is a silly little ditty about a baby crocodile. (Think of it as the German version of SpongeBob Squarepants, kindasorta.)

I'm passing on the earworm to all of you via the four versions listed here. You're quite welcome.

This is simply beyond my comprehension.

asbates2 — Thu, 09 Dec 2004 02:32:45 -0800

"Kriminalz?" Appears to be two German guys attempting to rap while wearing construction hats. German or not, how can this be for real?