Hey Keith and Joe! It's funny how spanish always finds a way to sneak into any random category, in this case two very german songs! "Nena" is perfectly legit, is more colloquial than "niña", and it is used mostly en Spain, Argentina and probably Colombia. In Chile people would say "lola" instead of "nena". That being said, my vote goes for Nena and 99 Luftallons, mostly because I remember listening to the song at parties in my teens!
After listening, I thought I'd follow up with some thoughts on why America seemed fascinated by Germany in the 1980s. Musically, I'd theorize that some of it could be that the New Wave sound was so heavily built on the 1970s pioneering of Kraftwerk - a band I really wasn't familiar with until later in life, when I realized how they'd shaped so much of what I loved. On the broader landscape, the Berlin Wall turned 20 years old in 1981, and that East v. West conflict that shaped so much of the '80s was probably nowhere more physically symbolized than in the center of Germany. At the same time, symbols of American excess and wealth in the 1980s could be found in West German brands like Porsche, BMW, and (to a lesser extent) Audi. Maybe there was a kind of fascination in the two so very different faces of East and West Germany; maybe it was that Germany had both a terribly villainous past (Nazi bad guys in two of three Indiana Jones movies!) and a bleeding-edge eye on the future (again, auto engineering and musical experimentation). Anyway, danke für meine TED talk gekommen.
This is awesome, agree with all of this! And yeah, a lot of those brands you mentioned DO resonate 80s for me, especially BMW, which might be THE brand of the yuppie/ME decade! And also, I associate YOU with the whole thing because of your experience IN Germany and your ability to speak it/sing it!
Nena remains a favorite, and enjoyed a huge career and recent-ish revival in Europe. If you've watched "Dark," - WHICH YOU SHOULD - you've heard another of her massive Euro hits, "Irgendwie, Irgendwo, Irgendwann," which featured in all three seasons and aptly translates to "Somehow, somwhere, sometime." ("Its various incarnations have charted over a 37-year period and in three different languages." - Wikipedia.) I also get you wanted this German pairing, but Falco is underrepresented by "Der Kommissar," since After the Fire's cover was much more popular here in the U.S., and "Rock Me Amadeus" didn't chart unti '86, so we'd better see it on Side B.
I loved "Dark"! I don't know that Nena song offhand, but I will go give it a listen, thanks!
I really wanted to get "Rock Me Amadeus" into this bracket instead of "Der Kommissar," but it was one of those borderline songs in late '85 that we assumed was an '86er due to chart performance. It was IN the bracket, and then got moved because of that. So there is a pretty fair chance you'll see it on Side B. Either way, I love "Rock Me Amadeus"!
I'm way behind on my commenting because I'm traveling and not able to listen as quickly (for some reason, when on a family vacation you family actually expect you to spend time with them and not sit around listening to podcasts).
I'm actually shocked Der Kommissar didn't chart in the U.S. Seems like everyone knows that song.
I hope you have a great trip, Deni! We will catch you when you get back! I guess it must have been the After the Fire version that we know better than the original? --Keith
That I don’t know! It sounds like Zsa Zsa (as in Gabor). If they were saying yes, it would sound like YAH not JAH (hard J). Just a ‘toid from down south here.
I'm definitely in the minority but there is something about Der Kommissar that gets me bobbin' my head and I think the tune is a little catchier.
Hey Keith and Joe! It's funny how spanish always finds a way to sneak into any random category, in this case two very german songs! "Nena" is perfectly legit, is more colloquial than "niña", and it is used mostly en Spain, Argentina and probably Colombia. In Chile people would say "lola" instead of "nena". That being said, my vote goes for Nena and 99 Luftallons, mostly because I remember listening to the song at parties in my teens!
All right! Asked and answered. Thanks, Alejandro!
I KNEW you would come through for us! Thanks, buddy!
After listening, I thought I'd follow up with some thoughts on why America seemed fascinated by Germany in the 1980s. Musically, I'd theorize that some of it could be that the New Wave sound was so heavily built on the 1970s pioneering of Kraftwerk - a band I really wasn't familiar with until later in life, when I realized how they'd shaped so much of what I loved. On the broader landscape, the Berlin Wall turned 20 years old in 1981, and that East v. West conflict that shaped so much of the '80s was probably nowhere more physically symbolized than in the center of Germany. At the same time, symbols of American excess and wealth in the 1980s could be found in West German brands like Porsche, BMW, and (to a lesser extent) Audi. Maybe there was a kind of fascination in the two so very different faces of East and West Germany; maybe it was that Germany had both a terribly villainous past (Nazi bad guys in two of three Indiana Jones movies!) and a bleeding-edge eye on the future (again, auto engineering and musical experimentation). Anyway, danke für meine TED talk gekommen.
This is awesome, agree with all of this! And yeah, a lot of those brands you mentioned DO resonate 80s for me, especially BMW, which might be THE brand of the yuppie/ME decade! And also, I associate YOU with the whole thing because of your experience IN Germany and your ability to speak it/sing it!
--Keith
Nena remains a favorite, and enjoyed a huge career and recent-ish revival in Europe. If you've watched "Dark," - WHICH YOU SHOULD - you've heard another of her massive Euro hits, "Irgendwie, Irgendwo, Irgendwann," which featured in all three seasons and aptly translates to "Somehow, somwhere, sometime." ("Its various incarnations have charted over a 37-year period and in three different languages." - Wikipedia.) I also get you wanted this German pairing, but Falco is underrepresented by "Der Kommissar," since After the Fire's cover was much more popular here in the U.S., and "Rock Me Amadeus" didn't chart unti '86, so we'd better see it on Side B.
I loved "Dark"! I don't know that Nena song offhand, but I will go give it a listen, thanks!
I really wanted to get "Rock Me Amadeus" into this bracket instead of "Der Kommissar," but it was one of those borderline songs in late '85 that we assumed was an '86er due to chart performance. It was IN the bracket, and then got moved because of that. So there is a pretty fair chance you'll see it on Side B. Either way, I love "Rock Me Amadeus"!
--Keith
I'm way behind on my commenting because I'm traveling and not able to listen as quickly (for some reason, when on a family vacation you family actually expect you to spend time with them and not sit around listening to podcasts).
I'm actually shocked Der Kommissar didn't chart in the U.S. Seems like everyone knows that song.
I hope you have a great trip, Deni! We will catch you when you get back! I guess it must have been the After the Fire version that we know better than the original? --Keith
Haha, no worries dude ... Aki e'tamo
My terrible attempt at the local accent down here 😆
Does this translate to "Love you anyway, bro, despite you saying stupid shit"? --Keith
😂 maybe if it was about me
“Ja” is pronounced YAH auf Deutsch 😘
So are they saying "Ja" in this song, then?
That I don’t know! It sounds like Zsa Zsa (as in Gabor). If they were saying yes, it would sound like YAH not JAH (hard J). Just a ‘toid from down south here.
Yeah, people say 'nena' here (in Sevilla) all the time as an affectionate way to refer to a girl.
Oh, man, I thought you had moved back to the UK for some reason, sorry, I was mistaken! --K