A New Nr.1, A Broken Record + Sinking Superstars

Rihanna’s new single storms to number 1 in Germany too. We Found Love is the fourth Nr.1 hit for the singer coming from Barbados. 17 of the 25 chart hits crediting Rihanna as an artist went Top 10, 12 of them even Top 5. That makes her one of themost successfull acts of the recent millenium so far.

Alongside Rihanna British DJ and producer Calvin Harris finally can launch a hit in Germany. He only appeared twice in the lists so far: 2008 with his debut Acceptable in the 80s and a year later alongside Dizzee Rascal on his single Dance Wiv Me. Both stalled somewhere outside the Top 20.

Having a new Number 1 track means Moves Like Jagger will never reach the top. MAROON 5 Feat. Christina Aguilera spend a 7th week at the runner’s up position. So far only six other songs ever did so. The last one was Stadt (City) by Cassandra Steen featuring Adel Tawil two years ago.

Most significant rise into the Top 10 comes from David Guetta feat. USHER. The video to their track Without You was premiered at 14th October. Instantly the track can gain more interest and rises five places reaching a new peak at number 7. Two days ago the remixes were released online – the proper CD releases of both the original and the remixes follow at 4th of November. So we will see the track rising further for sure. Meanwhile Guettamania gots more stuff to be focused on. The new Timbaland single Pass At Me features besides Pitbull also the French DJ. The track enters this week at number 27. It is the 25th track that features David Guetta inside the German charts.

Outside the top positions a chart record is broken. Sky And Sand taken from the soundtrack of the movie Berlin Calling by techno/electro DJ Paul Kalkbrenner and his brother Fritz reaches in its 81st chart week a new peak. The track rises 43–35 leaving the best position from more than a year ago two places behind. Never before a track had such a long attempt getting to its peak. It was Last Christmas by Wham! that held the record so far – it peaked in its 72nd chart week at number 4 at the end of 2007.

Why does it took so long for Sky And Sand to reach this peak (which is honestly spoken not impressing high at all)? Well – Paul Kalkbrenner is a famous DJ only within a very sophisticated club scene. Of course every weekend thousands of dancers pilgrim into locations playing more minimal sound. The complete track of these parties mostly isn’t departed in single hits. There are a few anthems that are available on vinyl or as a digital copy, hardly on CD. Maybe some of these anthems find their way onto compilations – that’s something of a big luck for the artists. For being successfull in a mainstream way the sound is too hidden. There are only two or three radio stations playing it, music TV is not interested at all, so the whole club thing is something absolutely independent.

The movie Berlin Calling was a quite unusual attempt of bringing the scene to a wider audience. Actually the movie never was a huge hit – instead it was played a whole year in small cinemas and became something of an underground cultic movie. Even today a lot of people are addicted to the movie. Last June Paul Kalkbrenner released the succeeding album to Berlin Calling called Icke wieder (Me, Again – in Berlin slang). That one propelled to number 2 at the album charts – absolutely unusual for an techno/electro album. Supported by that huge demand the old hit Sky And Sand found a lot of new interest too. Over last weeks Paul Kalkbrenner is on promotional tour for his album – with huge success: twice 17.000 visitors in Berlin, 7000 in Hamburg, 9000 in Stuttgart,two sold out performances in Dresden, 10.000 people in Leipzig, 5.700 in Göttingen … does anybody wonder why his signature hymn rises again that strong?



TV effects
The sixth show of Dieter Bohlen’s autumn format Das Supertalent (German version of theGot Talent idea) was aired at Saturday 15th. The big star of the show was 13 year old Ciran Karaca from Göttingen. He sang Rolling In The Deep. Adele’s original version profits from the performance and rockets back 51–24. It is already the 42nd chart week of the track.
Michael Spicek also had a chance at the show. He chosed You Raise Me Up and failed by forgetting the English lyrics. Three times NO for him from the jury – out off the show. Although the original from Irish Westlife does pop up in the charts at number 76 – so a beloved track can’t be killed by a bad performance. It is the third time in 2011 that You Raise Me Up can enter the charts after a performance in a casting show.
A third contestant of the show causing a track reentering the charts is Stefan Gertler. He performed Home originally recorded by Michael Bublé. The track appears again at 95 – it’s the second time this year.

A second time Austrian Andreas Gabalier can profit from a TV performance. On 16th of October he staged at Herbstfest der Volksmusik (Autumn Feast Of Folk Music – here Folk Music means mainly folcloristic „Schlager“). The show is one of the most watched shows in German TV, broadcasted by public ARD. Of course the majority of followers is somewhat over 50. As an effect of his performance direct tubed to the target group the single i sing a liad für di (I Sing A Song For You – in Austrian dialect) jumps up the sales charts 78–30 to a new peak and even outsells the covered version by DJ Ötzi that rises 57–37 also. What a feat!
Watch the performance HERE

There are a few smaller TV shows that influence the music market. One of them is for sure Ina’s Nacht from Hamburg that focusses much more on serious German musicians. Ina Müller „discovered“ bands like Jupiter Jones – performing in her show is somewhat like being ennobled. Last show at 15th October German Rapper Casper was featured, acompanied by Ina Müller herself (and Lena also was sitting on the bar). The track So Perfekt rises 96–62.





New German releases hitting the charts
The digital aera finally hits Germany. An independent comedy trio that serves their fan crowd weekly with new material on their youtube channel started selling a song without any professional distributor. The result is amazing – they crack the charts at number 48, only promoted via their own channel and social network activities. To the German market this is absolutely new. All former independent hits at least had a professional distributor making the advertisement and launching a release at iTunes, amazon et al. That a crazy crowd of youngsters can do all that alone might start a process of re-thinking the complete structure of distribution.

The track in question is not a high quality product at all. It fits all clichees you might have about young men searching for sex. The title Ständertime (Hard-On Time) says everything, isn’t it. What would happen if the song would be a quality one?




Sinking Superstars
The re-invention of a former superstar is a thing never made successfully. Last week we saw superstar ’08 Thomas Godoj struggling for reaching the upper half of the sales charts with his new singleDächer einer ganzen Stadt (Roofs Of A Whole City) – he failed at 55. This week it is superstar’07 Mark Medlock who lands hard down to earth. Till last year his career was the most succesfull of all winners of the TV casting. Eight Top Ten hits in a row, four years on top of the mainstream charts – that’s a feat only Tokio Hotel and Lady Gaga have it under their belt within the past 10 years. A year ago Mark Medlock and Dieter Bohlen quitted their collaboration. Mark Medlock discovered soul as his own passion and recorded a whole album with soul covers that was released a week ago. The first single lifted from this album is The Other Side Of Broken. Probably it is tne best song Mark Medlock ever recorded – without the power of his inventor the singer is kind of helpless. Number 55 in the week of its release means: this star is sinking rapidly. – Even if Mark now is more natural, more authentic or more lucky, the question still is around: is being ones a superstar of Dieter Bohlen a thing you ever could ignore? Is a career after the casting itself possible without damage of yourself? Mark Medlock could be the one bringing the answer.



Dethroned Superstars Number 2 are: SCOOTER. They were and they are one of the most successful German bands/acts of all times having 47 charting singles and 23 Top 10 hits under their belt. The last time they had a big hit was in 2009 with the cover of Matia Bazar’s hit Ti Sento. This year they released three singles – and let me tell you, these three singles are the worst sold SCOOTER singles in the whole band history. Their latest offer David Doesn’t Eat tries to copy growing dubstep style and sampling the refrain of A Walk In The Park – a number 3 hit from the Nik Straker Band in 1979. The result is a lame number 67. One could say: 18 years on top is enough – I guess the boys could easily go retired spending their money and having fun for themselves.






Slow Charts – Long Running Hits

Seeing Marlon Roudette spending an eighth week at the top of German charts means New Age is the song spending most weeks at number 1this recent year. It is very certain that no other song will beat the resultas there are only nine chart weeks being left until the year ends.
Right behind the British singer American MAROON 5 ranks still at number 2 with Moves Like Jagger. It is already the sixth week in a row the boys accompanied by Christina Aguilera land at the runners up position.

Two British acts are new in the German Top 10: example with Changed The Way You Kissed Me (8) and Adele with her third Top 10 Single Someone Like You (10)

The highest new entry is Helluva Nite by Norwegian duo Madcon. It is the fourth single lifted from the album Contraband. At the album the track features rapper Ludacris – for the release in Germany the band added a rap part made by Itchy of Culcha Candela. To me Madcon now sounds like a light version of The Black Eyed Peas five years ago … can’t help myself.



Sky And Sand – the long time seller by Paul & Fritz Kalkbrenner stands for an 80th chart week in the list. It is now the tenth longest running hit of all times. It just left Dieser Weg by Xavier Naidoo a week behind. Right now the DJ is on tour promoting his album Icke wieder. Probably that’s the reason why this issue of the charts sees the track jumping up again 62–43 – reaching its third highest position in its one and a half year s long chart career.



X Factor Stories
Monique Simon sings Price Tag at the 1st live show – Jessie.J storms up the list 90–44. Probably next week we will see that effect even growing.


Bundesvision Song Contest

We do have 13 new entries inside the recent media control list. That’s a in fact the second biggest turnover this year. Plus 5 re-entries which means 18 tracks not charted the week before.Do the charts speed up after a year long period of calmness? Well – six of the new entries are caused by just aired Bundesvision Song Contest ... will talk baout that later. First of all: a look at the very top.

Marlon Roudette stands the 7th week at the top and now matches the 7 weeks run of Alexandra Stan in July and August . New Age and Mr. Saxobeat both sharing the title longest running number 1 in 2011.

Sean Paul can rise up to Number 3 with Got 2 Luv U and equals the position of his so far biggest hit Get Busy back in 2003.

The highest new entry comes due to above mentioned Bundesvision Song ContestStefan Raab’s yearly celebrated TV event hardly copied from the Eurovision contest. This year’s winner Tim Bendzko can also gain the biggest commercial success. Wenn Worte meine Sprache wären (If Words Would Be My Language) is the title track of his album and a very romantic ballad. It is a track about the difficulties of naming feelings. In my opinion that is exactly the point from which this song suffers. Instead of finding surprising lyrics like predecessor Nur noch kurz die Welt retten the song uses well known elements of soul. Even a gospel choir sings softly in the background. – Well, a lot of people like the song. It won the contest – with the lowest result of points ever reached -– and it enters the sales charts at number 5.



Number 4 within the contest – second best sold track is Echt (Real) by duo Glasperlenspiel (Glass Bead Game). They were one of only a few real unknown acts and it’s given, that their sound is what people convinced. The single already entered the sales charts at a surprising number 13 three weeks ago. Than the track felt out of the top 20 and now jumps again 18 – 9.



Also new in the sales charts is number 7 of the contest Frida Gold with Unsere Liebe ist aus Gold (Our Love Is Made Out Of Gold). It is the third single of the band that can enter the German charts.



The second at the show Flo Mega can launch his song Zurück (Back) only at number 44 inside the chart due to it’s release as digital single only.



Kraftklub from Saxonia enter the list at 45 with Ich will nicht nach Berlin (I Don’t Wanna Go To Berlin). The contest saw them at number 5.



Jupiter Jones had a huge success with Still (Calm/Silent) – Immerfürimmer (Everforever) landed at number 6 at the contest -– the digital single’s sale give them a new entry at 59. Not at all a succeeder of their big hit.



Jennifer Rostock enter with Ich kann nicht mehr (I Can’t Anymore) at 60 – the band was number 8 at the contest.



Not only due to Bundesvision Song Contest the German chart is filled with German songs this week. We do have four German productions inside the Top 10 – three of them in German including two Bundesvision contestants.

Inside the Top 20 there are two further songs including new SEEED single Molotov / Wonderful Life that lands straight at number 12. It is the first release of the band in more than five years. Their last hit Ding (Thing) climbed to Number 5 in 2006. In between three members of the group started solo carreers. The most successfull was Peter Fox releasing three Top 10 hits and winning once the Bundesvision Song Contest.Boundzound and Dellé had some medium hits.

Now the big band is back. A new album is announced but not scheduled. The tracks Molotov and Wonderful Life were available as free downloads on the band’s homepage back in summer – although the freshly released EP now enters at number 12. I guess this can count as an evidence that free music doesn’t kill artists. Wonderful Life is a cover version of the 1987 hit from British Colin Vearncombe aka Black which raised to Number 2 in Germany.



All in all we do have 25 (!) German productions inside the charts 23of them are in German (plus two Austrian hits that are in German too). Media control reports that this is the highest rate since April this year. I guess nobody could say anymore that there is no interest in German languaged songs – it is to question whether this flashlight shows a more sustainable trend. Or is it really just the Bundesvision effect? Except the presented artists on TV only two can made it new to the charts:

New in this list is 23 – the first collaboration project of former rivals Bushido and Sido. The track So mach ich es is the first single from an upcoming album and is available as download only so far. A physical release will follow on 21st of October. The track tells the old story: Sido and Bushido are the latest combatants, the No.1 rappers and they need to tell this to the world. The video is very well equipped – it is more a gangster movie than a music clip. Probably MTV & Co will not air the video cause there are several scenes fitting the terminus explicit.

To watch the video you have to be logged in – sorry

The soundtrack of the video


Whether the track can rise much higher after it’s release on CD can be watched with tension. Both artists did not reach the Top 10 this year. It’s a shame for Germany’s most successful rappers .

A late Oktoberfest hit is Wenn die Wunderkerzen brennen (When The Sparklers Are Lighted On) offered by Schlager dinosaur Jürgen Drews. He started his career early in the 70s, than had a long long silent period until he came back in late 2009. Now he reigns as one of the most popular singer of the so called Mallorca scenery. Wenn die Wunderkerzen brennen immediately after its release ranks as the best selling track in this genre. Inside the German sales charts 2011 Jürgen Drews is the German artist with the longest time span of hits.



Finally the look which songs have a short comeback due to a performance at recent talent shows. Most loved track this week is Goodbye My Lover originally performed by James Blunt. 13 years old Lukas Mattioli sang the song at Das Supertalent on 1st October – the track re-enters at number 49.

Same show featured Okan Yasin an official Pitbull imitator. His performance propells the very first of the Cuban rap star I Know You Want Me (Calle Ocho) back in the list at number 76.


What a Man, Supertalent & Oktoberfest

A German movie still has the biggest impact on the German music chart. It is very successful What A Man – the comedy by and with new German darling Matthias Schweighöfer. So far one and a half million people watched the movie – it is still Number 4 at the movie charts after one months in theatres. Inside the singles chart three songs of the soundtrack appear. At Number 1 Marlon Roudette still stands. It is the sixth week at the top for New Age. Last male artist holding six weeks at the top was Bruno Mars who went Number 1 with grenade back in March and April. Due to the fact he had a two weeks break in his Number 1 run when Lady Gaga stormed to the top with her Born This Way the last male act spending six consecutive weeks at the top spot was Israel IZ Kamakawiwo’ole almost exactly one year ago. Over The Rainbow just disappeared out of the German list last week. It spent a whole 54 weeks in the charts.

The highest new entry at the German single’s chart is also related to the movie. It is the fresh released CD single Eiserner Steg by German singer Philipp Poisel. Like the number 1 track this one is a ballad too talking about how life could go on after a split. The previously unreleased track ends up with the demand of a last moment together.

Entering the German list at Number 21 it is the most successful single of Philip Poisel. So far he had two minor hits never reaching the upper half of the list. This song could be the breakthrough reigning him in a line with young and successful German singer songwriters like Tim Bendzko or Andreas Bourani.



Lena’s version on What A Man tumbles down the list 48 – 65 in its fourth chart week.

Hitmaker number 2 is newly aired Das Supertalent (German version of Britain’s Got Talent). Last week it was You Raise Me Up which found its way back into the list after being performed inside the TV show. This week it is Mama Do originally recorded by British Pixie Lott. The track had a 9 weeks chart run in 2009 climbing to Number 37 – not really a big success compared to the Number.1 run it had in Great Britain. Anyway – 13 years old Marlene Wenzig chose the song for performing at the show. Her applicating version available at youtube is of course only half that convincing like her singing on stage. Right after her performance the original shot back in the iTunes charts and finally can gain position 30 at the whole week survey. It is the highest ranking the song ever reached in Germany.


Hitmaking event number 3: the seasonal Oktoberfest. It is the chance for promoting Mallorca hits from last summer again. One of the surprising Schlager/Discofox hits of the year so far was I sing a Liad für dich (I Sing A Song For You -– in a very regional kind of spelling) by Austrian Andreas Gabalier. The single was a hit in his home country already summer 2010. The German audience first noticed it in March, when Carmen Nebel presented the young singer in her TV show. I sing a Liad für dich immediately hit the charts. It was a short visit cause the single was not available officially. It took the company till late July to launch the CD version. Last week the version by Andreas Gaballier rose to number 63 – the peak so far. This recent week the song climbs up 3 further places. Additionaly there is a new version entering the list offered by big Austrian Schlager star DJ Ötzi. Of course that new version of DJ Ötzi is much more a commercially produced tune. If one can find the song of Andreas Gabalier somehow authentic and candid – the recording of DJ Ötzi is completely calculated. It is just a song meaning nothing – all he needs is the beat and a melody. Even his outfit worn at the video tells you: that’s not the real live of DJ Ötzi – it is a costume.


The market again rewards the more obliging production. DJ Ötzi’s version enters the list at number 35. Honestly I suspected much more – seems the Schlager genre needs a little break or a re-invention.