Rules:
- Over 30 years old
- Should be a HUGE hit everyone in your country remembers to this day
- Preferably something that is relatively unknown outside of your country
- Preferably sang in your native tongue
Legendary you say? Relatively unknown outside of Germany (and other German speaking countries) you say?
Let me introduce you to Dschinghis Khan by Dschingis Khan
(99 Luftballons, which was mentioned here before, is arguably the bigger hit that really everyone knows. But I couldn’t resist throwing this out there. It was a huge hit and is still known.)
Oh, the first one is a legendary classic. Finland has got the “do direct covers of all the German hits from the 70’s” - scene well covered:
That also is true for Germany. There’s for example a song using Black Sabbaths Paranoid melodies with some German lyrics about the Hound of Baskerville https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=MwnFX0_H-rA
This is without a doubt the best cover version of “Paranoid” I have ever heard.
Didn’t Finland have an entire culture of doing spoofs on old German shit, like TV series? I’ve seen Die Kühe and I think it’s absolutely awesome. (The Dutch also did a good impression in Jiskefet.)
And I remember watching / listening to lots of M. A. Numminen. Not sure if that’s just the stuff that found its way back to Germany and me… But nonetheless…
The thing with the tv series might be a thing of the past, though. I’m not sure if anyone still remembers “Der Alte” or “Derrick”. It’s probably not that funny without the context. And how we watch TV has certainly changed during the last decades.
I’ve never seen this video but I know Moskau. They look like they’re having so much fun lol, and the Tony Iommi lookalike has a real cool hair/moustache combo, and the girl in white is a smokeshow!
Dschingis Khan is very well known in the US AFAIK
American here. Never heard of it.
Schrei nach Liebe by die Ärzte from 1993, German punk band. Everybody that ist Like 60 or younger knows that song. Well, maybe not if you’re in your teens…
Wanted to complain, but damn already over 30 years indeed
I would say, that even the teens know it, but considering how a lot of them lack even knowledge about some of Germans most iconic cultural achievements(I literally know people that didnt even heard about “Werner”) I’m not to sure about it. But I can agree, its an absolute Banger Song.
I would have said Westerland is even more well known
Nena - 99 Luftballons comes to my mind. Guess the country
Schwurbelstan?
Interesting. How do you guys feel about Bruttosozialprodukt?
We steigern it.
Butr only when the Werksirene dröhnt
And The Stichel lustvoll stöhnt
And the gabelstapelfahrer mit der stapelgabler prahlt
Bavaria?
I have no idea how well known this is outside of Scotland, or at least the UK, but it meets all the other requirements: I’m Gonna Be by the Proclaimers, probably better known as 500 Miles
My favorite song is 500 Miles by Peter, Paul & Mary, and everyone thinks I’m talking about the Proclaimers version unless I specify, so I think it’s pretty well known.
It was fairly popular here in the US. Landed in some movie soundtracks. Nothing else by them did though.
Plenty of their other stuff did pretty damn well here, it’s just that I’m Gonna Be did so much better than everything else that it would feel wrong to pick another song. It’s the one everyone still sings at sports events
iTS a somewhat offen used Wedding and football Song in germany
Can’t believe no one mentioned this beauty! Mo-Do - Eins Zwei Polizei
You have given my husband a new headache, I thank you dearly
Germany: Die Fantastischen Vier - Die Da!?!
From 1992, German rap with funny guys moving stupidly in the video
Hallo Thomas!
Hallo! Alles klar?
Klar!
Random question, but how well known is my old German teacher’s favorite techno song: Eine Insel Mit Zwei Bergen? To which I still remember all the words 15yr later lmao.
I’d say pretty much everybody between 40 and 45 remembers that song
It is super catchy to be fair! And the puppets are just the right amount of creepy to still be fun haha.
I had the Single when I was a kid
Holy shit they have it on 12"! I need to track down a copy lol.
Great idea!
A dutch song about Belgium from the 80s:
Edit: removed tracking from link
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That is a classic. Personally, for the Netherlands, I was thinking some Doe Maar.
Or possibly Little Green Bag, but I’m guessing that doesn’t fit the “relatively unknown outside the Netherlands” criterion, nor is it in Dutch.
Here comes the hotsteppers, ini kamoze !
Skipper Klements morgensang: https://youtu.be/C0QQzXgKwOI?si=Ifno3B832V7P33D- A song from 1970 (I actually thought it was way older) about a civil war in 1534
Alternatively Midsommervisen, written in 1885, with the popular melody rewritten in 1980: https://youtu.be/q4i-5Df0oVc
Is sung on Sankt Hans Aften every year while roasting a (sculpture of a) witch on a huge bonfire.
Midsommervisen is so nice :)
What about https://youtu.be/sBvy_lHuir0 ?
Charles Aznavour - Emmenez moi
Become an instant fan no matter your language
Portugal: Grândola, Vila Morena - Zeca Afonso. Probably not a hit when it came out, as it was banned by the dictatorial regime at the time but it became the anthem of our 1974 revolution, pretty much because it was the song that the revolutionary group chose to be played on the radio station (they took control of) to mobilize their forces.
Zeca Afonso has a bunch of other well-known (and really good) songs, all sung in Portuguese but this is the one most people know by heart. It helps that it gets played every year on the anniversary of the revolution and whenever there’s a protest.
Grândola is a good choice, though because of the political association it will never be a hit with the non-leftist crowd. Dunas or A minha casinha are probably more popular/neutral choices and, unlike Zeca’s song, no-one outside of Portugal has ever heard about them (Grândola is well-known amongst at least some niche circles in Spain, where it was first released/sung during the dictatorship).
OTOH I’m fairly sure that in 50 years few will remember Xutos and GNR, while Grândola will still be sung over the centennial celebrations (assuming we don’t fall back into a far-right dictatorship by then…)
Yeah, that’s a fair point. After my post I thought A minha casinha or Não sou o único would also be good choices.
(Grândola is well-known amongst at least some niche circles in Spain, where it was first released/sung during the dictatorship).
That’s true, from what I can tell, it’s pretty popular in Galiza.
I dunno if this is legendary, but most people in Denmark know this song from school: Livstræet (The (Norse) Tree of Life) from 1985: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hbSrdJF9hRg
Another one in similar vein https://youtu.be/cX2nbYYW1uk?si=ADtUvbB3iSwCH0BW
France, Chanson de Prevert from 1962 : https://invidious.privacydev.net/watch?v=5DeA8FPqWwc
I dont think Gainsbourg got much audience outside of France, but he was THE french singer for almost half a century
The english version from Mick Harvey is probably better: https://invidious.privacydev.net/watch?v=6J_ls-1FYuk
Images - Les Démons de minuit
It still can be heard at every wedding parties.
