French DJs at the very Top

Alexandra Stan now has the honour of being the act occupying the Number 1 spot for the longest time in 2011. This recent chart week Mr. Saxobeat holds a 7th week right at the top. It is the longest running Nr.1 track since we saw Over The Rainbow by Israel IZ Kamakawiwo’ole spending 12 week at the most sold single in Germany back in October to December last year.

Rising up one place Lucenzo now is the second French act with a Number 2 hit this year. The other of course is David Guetta who climbed to the runner’s up position with Sweat (besides Snoop Dogg) in April. David Guetta also is the last French act at the Top of the German charts. It was in early October 2009 when Sexy Bitch occupied the Nr.1 for a single week.

David Guetta also is the artist behind the track entering highest this week. Titanium is the first of three promotional singles from the French DJ’s upcoming album Nothing But The Beat. The track enters on download sales only landing at number 8. It is the ninth Guetta track in 2011 that can enter the list. So he is far and away the most productive artist of now. Only Rihanna can come close with 7 chart hits in 2011. Having five consecutive Top 10 hits (4 alone in 2011) is another impressive feat. Last act doing so was Lady Gaga who collected 8 Top 10 singles in a row interrupted this year by her single Judas that only gained position 23.



The voice of Titanium is Australian SIA (Sia Furler) who earned some European chart experiences in the UK at the beginning of the Millenium. In Germany she now debuts – at least in the single’s survey. Her album We Are Born had a short visit inside the album list in last July. She is the first Australian act entering the German Top 10 since Empire Of The Sun grabed number 1 in December last year.

Find more infos at media control’s own site.

New German Rap Star: Casper

Mr. Saxobeat now is one of three tracks in 2011 that had a six weeks run at the top of the German single’s charts. But it is the first track counting six consecutive weeks at the Top in 2011. Both others – grenade by Bruno Mars and On The Floor by JLO feat. Pitbull – had a break in between. Question right now is: will Alexandra Stan keep seeling most copies the next week too?

A real rival is not seen anywhere. Well – the iTunes chart of today list a new David Guetta release at number 3: Titanium – that’s it. Physical sales see Tim Bendzko still at position 2 and Lucenzo feat. Don Omar at position 3.

Newcomer of the week is German rapper Casper. Three weeks ago his second album XOXO stormed to Number 1 at the album charts. This week the single So Perfekt follows and can enter at position 14. The hard core scene around Bushido and Co. critizices Casper cause his sound is much more a fusion of indie pop and hiphop. In other countries such a crossover melange is common for years. In Germany it still ranks as a novum. An almost established one of course as the high start of Casper’s single tells us.

The story of So Perfekt is about finding the perfect moment in life (and the perfect life) even if life is sometimes hard or unfair. The lyrics are full of optimism – quite an attitude hard to find in German hiphop. Probably that’s a reason why people like the track (and the artist) that much.

Summer Hit Named Officially

Now it is officially the summer hit of 2011. The chart compiling institut media control announced on Monday that Mr. Saxobeat by Alexandra Stan has the honour of being THE tune of this year’s holiday season. media control refers to the five weeks run at the top of the charts but gives no other indications of why the song now is „officially“ the hit. Well – nobody doubts it seriously, but having a look at the „official“ summer hits of past years one could wonder why Katy Perry’s I Kissed A Girl ranks as the SUMMER hit of 2008 although it were released in Germany not before mid August. Instead Kid Rock invaded the number 1 position for 8 weeks in June to August with All Summer Long. Sometimes media control’s analysises are really strange.

Well – as I mentioned before Alexandra Stan spends a fifth week at the top of the German sales charts. If she will stay there for a sixth week we might count her as the artist spending most weeks at the top this recent year so far. Of course she has to share that crown with JLO (+ Pitbull) and Bruno Mars.

Surprise of the summer is for sure German singer Tim Bendzko. His debut Nur noch kurz die Welt retten (Just have to save the world) rises another rank to number 2. Summer hit number 2 might be Danza Kuduro by Lucenzo feat Don Omar that is jumping 7–3 and certainly will spend some further weeks somewhere around.

Highest new entry lands at position 17. It is Enrique Iglesias with USHER feat Lil Wayne and their next dancefloor stomper Dirty Dancer. It is the third single coming from the Spanish superstar’s album Euphoria.

Best new German track is Wie weit wir gehen (How far we go) presented by former punk band Broilers. It is their second single entering the German charts and number 28 their highest position so far. Knowing that the CD and 7"single are absolutely limited and the Broilers always benefit of an core fan crowd it is easily predictable that Wie weit wir gehen will tumble in next week's list.

The First Summer List

It is summer time and it is time for Alexandra Stan. Her Mr. Saxobeat now tops the official media control sales charts. Doing so it stands in a row with a lot of other lists: the iTunes Charts saw the track at the top already weeks ago, in the Euro top 100 and the international DJ charts the track appears at number 1, Austria and Switzerland report number 1 also. So Mr. Saxobeat is definitely the European summer hit.

It took the lady eight weeks to enter the top spot. Although it is one of the longer ways to number one it is in 2011 the second fastest rise to number 1 by a new act. The chart run so far looks like the classical way of growing massive summer smashes. First Mr. Saxobeat appeared at number 27 followed by 33 – 20 – 14 – 4 – 2 – 3. Gaining number 1 makes Alexandra Stan the very first Romanian act at the German top. If you count Romanian born musicians as well, than she now joins the club with Peter Maffay and Michael Cretu (Enigma) – but I guess the honour of being the one and only Romanian born act who still lives and works in Romania belongs to her.

The two most active artists this year so far found themselves in the list with new singles. Rihanna launches with California King Bed a seventh track – entering the list as the best sold new single and giving her a fourth Top 10 hit in 2011. David Guetta already has his eighth charting track this year with Little Bad Girl. The song is entering the list at 12 as a download only track. The proper single is scheduled for 22nd July – so probably than the track will become Top 10 soon.

Best new German act is DSDS contestant Sebastian Wurth. In the show he left as the fifth – now he has released a first single Hard To Love You. Happy guitarsurf sound in the maner of James Blunt or Amy Macdonald. It is a singalong hit with potential but as some very fast market watcher report the song is tumbling down in sales right now. Seems that only a core fan crowd of the TV show noticed the single. Really bad luck for the artist who had much more talent than the winner.

Hit making GNTM

It is LMFAO again that gains the crown of the German singles chart this recent week. For a second week the Party Rock Anthem generated most money. Closest competitor was Romanian Alexandra Stan who now is the most successful Romanian chart act since the days of Haiducii narrowly missing number 1 in 2004.

But the stories of the week are related to a TV show:

Highest climber of the week and a new entry into the Top 10 is The Edge Of Glory by Lady Gaga that finally becomes a real hit after the Lady had a TV performance at the final of Germanys Next Top Modell. Before that appearance the track sneaked around the middle field of the list never climbing higher than position 28 – meaning the chart fortunes of Lady Gaga are closely connected to medias in general and mainstream TV in particular. It is Lady Gagas 9th Top 10 hit in Germany – only two singles of her failed to climb that high. One of them was predecessor Judas that only gained number 23 a month ago.

As well Keri Hilson’s Single Pretty Girl Rock is powered by the GNTM final. After her performance at the show she can achieve the highest new entry of the week. Again the German music industry acts completely contrary to the rest of the world. The single was released already 6 months ago. It became a minor hit in the US but missed the British Top 40. Only New Zealand saw the single rising up to number 11 (see statistics here). Having a fourth Top 20 hit in Germany this country seems the place where Keri Hilson enjoys the best popularity.

chart flash 11-24: LMFAO and an omnipresent Pitbull

Finally the Europe wide hit Party Rockl Anthem also enters the number 1 in Germany. US American electro duo LMFAO already had the top spot in Austria, Belgium, Denmark, France,Ireland, Switzerland and in the UK (see statistics at acharts.us) – the world charts see them rising to number 3. It took the project six week to get on top – that’s not really unusual. The last track taking more than a month for climbing to Germany’s best sold single was The Time (Dirty Bit) by The Black Eyed Peas that set Germany under fire at the very beginning of the recent year.

It is the very first number 1 hit for LMFAO in German speaking area. They first appear exactly one year ago alongside David Guetta, Chris Willis & Fergie whit the track Gettin’ Over You that spent 27 weeks in the German list climbing up to number 15. In Austria it went to number 4 – the UK saw them shooting to number 1 for the very first time. In 2011 the so far hiatus of their career seems achieved. Follow up single Champagne Showers right now arrived in the UK list – all I can say the mood for another electro smash summer hit by LMFAO seems very likely.


Another steadily rising strong electro hit arrives at number 2 with Give Me Everything – the track presented by all star collaboration Pitbull feat. NE-Yo, Afrojack & Nayer. It is the 7th week for the track in the German list. Will it rise a place further next week?
Pitbull also occupies number 3 alongside JLO. On The Floor spends its 13th week inside the Top 10 and we can name it for sure as one of the big hits of this year.

Pitbull once again: He also appears newly in the chart at Shakira’s latest single Rabiosa where he is featured. Number 26 for the seventh track charting in 2011 with at least a guest appearance of the Cuban-American rap star.


Rising to number 4 Alexandra Stan with Mr. Saxobeat equals the result of fellow countryman Edward Maya from last year. For the first time in German pop history two years in a row see at least one Top 10 hit coming from an Romanian artist. Maybe we have to watch that country as a deliverer of summer dance pop for the next time.


Highest new entry this week is San Francisco the new single of cascada released as a teaser for follow up album Original Me. It is the well known mixture of dance pop – a new tone is the very clear voice of Natalie Horler sothat one really can follow the lyrics. (which is not necessary anyway – bubbly dance pop dream with a reference to the good old times of 1969 ... did we had eurodance music then?)




One last story for today. Recent superstar Pietro Lombardi now tumbles down in the official sales charts also. Call My Name stops at number 7 coming from the top – it is the deepest fall from number 1 since Tokio Hotel touched down to number 7 with Übers Ende der Welt in February 2007. The album chart lists Pietro Lombardi still at number 1 – so all fans of casting pop might be calmed down. The world still turns the right way.

Pitbull rules German charts

Let’s start with a story about creativity in Germany. As elsewhere in the world music industry here is completely alienated. The difference is that the big companies so far did not try new ways in selling and marketing music. Most time they spend with catching digital pirates, fighting with youtube and writing accusals to internet users … The end so far is a very boring official music business and a vivant independent scene besides. That developement now found a musical counterpart: AlexTV. It’s a guy living somewhere in northern Germany and translating international hits into German plus recording and distributing them via facebook, youtube and co. One of his recent „hits“ is Price Tag well known in the version of Jessie.J feat. B.o.B. So far the German version had appr. 275.000 clicks. Of course that use of pop is very common in other regions of this world – in Germany so far it was not that usual cause of discrimination. Probably also AlexTV will get mails from major companies … Right now he brings a lot of fun and understanding to German pop lovers. I guess most of them did not get the lyrics before listening to AlexTV. – By the way: the original of Jessie.J rises up this week to number 5 – it’s highest placing since it started three weeks before.



Let’s go back to the commercial mainstream. Most successfull act of the days is Cuban-American Pitbull. Having five tracks in the recent list he ranks in 2011 so far as the male act with most appearances in the charts. Only Rihanna collected more in the past five months. Two of Pitbull’s recordings actually rising: Give Me Everything alongside NE-YO, Afrojack & Nayer is reaching position 6. Bon Bon – the well known We No Speak Americano added with some Spanish raps by Pitbull – is jumping 92 – 39.

The rise of Give Me Everything marks a historical point additionally. With credited Afrojack a second Dutch artist besides Caro Emerald is joining the Top 10. The Netherlands as a neighbour of Germany should have been much more present in the charts – but they do not. Having two dutch inside the Top 10 is a rare feat at all.

New in the Top 10 also is Adele and her Set Fire To The Rain. It is still a digital cut that can sell enough copies to rank at number 8 now. It is the second top hit for the British singer dethroning Rihanna as the female artist with most Top 10 weeks in 2011 so far. Still there is no official CD release scheduled by her company XL recordings.


The internal German list still sees Pietro Lombardi as the most sold German artist followed by Jupiter Jones their Still steadily gains increased sales ranking at position 13 this week. The third best German track is Nur in meinem Kopf (Only In My Head) by newcomer Andreas Bourani.

Further down the list the most successfull German act of the past 20 years has its 46th chart track entering. It is SCOOTER that only a month after its Friends Turbo again invades the chart. The Only One refers heavily to 1990’s The Only One I Know by The Charlatans. It was one of the first hits of the British act connected directly with so called Rave movement. Having four Top 10 hits in their home country in the ninetees The Charlatans never made it to fame outside the United Kingdom. Facing that SCOOTER’s decision reworking a track of them is quite odd. As a result The Only One only can climb to number 45 – the lowest placing ever even underselling predecessor Friends Turbo which could reach number 43.


The new Scooter track and the „basic source“ from The Charlatans 1990

Jay Khan – famous through his appearance in the boy band US5 and this year’s Dschungel-Camp – starts his own career as a solo performer. Nackt (Naked) is the very first single under his own name looking for awareness for equality and humanity. Number 59 is far away from being a real star – seems the German mainstream does not care about a strong message.




Back to European acts:
A real future hit is for sure Mr. Saxobeat brought to us by Alexandra Stan. It rises 33–20 and delivers the first Romanian hit since Edward Maya went Top 10 with Stereo Love last summer. In the UK and in Switzerland the track is already number 5.

Talking about the past as Ell/Nikki arrive in the charts. The Eurovision winning Running Scared can manage a new entry at 33 in the week of its release as a CD. Very probably the song will tumble down very fast cause no radio station really plays it. Ell/Nikki are the third Azerbaidjanian act that can gain an appearance in the German charts. Best act so far is last years Eurovision participant Safura who reached a surprising number 26 a year ago.



Number 3 of the Contest Eric Saade arrives at number 48 this week by downloads only. Popular gains the highest position of a bronze song in the contest since Tozzi & Raff rose to number 39 with Gente Di Mare in 1987. For Sweden the number 3 at the contest is the best place since Charlotte Nilsson won in 1999.


Propelled by the use as background for an TV advert Australian Bag Raiders can gain a hit . Way Back Home enters the list at 38 after its release on CD.


The advert and the full song


Very last entry at 90: Danish electro pop project Electric Lady Lab. Their You & Me heavily uses the hook line of Rhythm Is A Dancer by German euro dance act Snap!. It is the first time that Snap! gave permission to use the track ... probably we will see Electric Lady Lab rising next weeks. In their home country Denmark they reached number 2 so far.

That's what European party pop sounds like: East vs. West

Seven of the 10 best sold tracks in Germany in the week 6th to 12th May name at list one European act as main artist. Pretty much! The Top 5 is completely ruled by European producers (if you count RedOne as a European too which is not completely correct). Perhaps we might witness a further run of European acts to the top – the German „super stars“ probably will loose their crown of being the most sold tracks in Germany. But there are several tracks of the Eurovision contest performing really strong within the recent iTunes charts.

Let’s go back to the official media control chart which is reflecting some older events. A new European hit (in both meanings coming from Europe plus being popular all over Europe) lands in the German list at number 27. It is Romian Alexandra Stan who comes with Mr. Saxobeat – well known Romanian Euro pop like served by INNA still catchy – the video more or less simple (I would call it Eastern Europe like but we all know – there are some people living in Eastern Europe as well who really not share the cliché of the men eating and sexy high heel woman). Having Edward Maya, INNA and Alexandra Stan in the charts within a year means a Romanian pop invasion never seen before. The country seems to really take a place on the map of pop music.



From the opposite of Europe comes Bob Sinclar. The other French DJ who invaded the German charts a few years ago is back with a infectious „collaboration“. He took one of the signature tracks of 1977 from Italy A Far L’Amore Comincia Tu sung by Italian star Raffaella Carra and did a 2011 rework. A funny video shot in Milano featuring a lot of fashion stars like Domenico Dolce & Stefano Gabbana and ready is the new hit. Indeed the original was a European hit climbing to number 9 in the UK (under the title Do It Do It Again) and reaching number 4 in Germany making her known as a one hit wonder in these countries. In Italy (and as well in Spain) she is still a star – just presenting the Italian results at the Eurovision final.

The remix Far L’Amore comes to Germany via Switzerland and Austria where the track already ranks as a medium hit. IN Germany it starts its chart life at position 64.


The original video shot in Milan and a reworked one which is in a way tough also (hope it won’t be blocked that fast



The DSDS final shows the biggest impact on the overall sales. Number 1 and 2 are the final contestants. And even a song again performed in the show jumps up the list again although it did so several times before. I’m talking bout Run made famous by Leona Lewis. Her take is again a massive downloaded hit jumping 58 – 26 in the weekly survey. And again: I really don’t know who did not yet bought that track. It is the 63rd chart week at all – the 33rd alone during her recent chart run.

Another funny DSDS effect: Marchin’ on by OneRepublic is back in the chart after a three months break. It enters at position 92 – I guess that new interest is caused by the very often mentioned similarities between winning song Call My Name.


Smaller new hits arrive at the very end of the chart. Spanish musician HUECCO enters with Idiota a single released in 2006 for the first time. It is his second chart hit in Germany. Why he now can attract a broeder audience – I really don’t know. Probably he had some TV adverts running as his new album Dame Vida is going to be released in June and some concerts in Germany are announced.

An Italian Band singing German – that’s a thing hard to find. Frei•Wild from Brixen in South Tyrol is the one that achieved some wider popularity. Their latest offering is a special edition of the album Gegengift (Antidote) for the 10th anniversary. That edition includes a completely new single also: Weil du mich nur verarscht hast (Cause you was kdding me). As always it is a track very inbetween irony, self-righteousness, humour, machoism and wisdom. Fans for sure do know what the band is „really“ thinking. The track enters at position 87.



Austrian Darius & Finlay launch their seventh chart hit in Germany. For She’s A Freak the dance project took Tibration into the studio – simple dance floor stuff charting at 91.

At the very end of the list Herbert Grönemeyer as the third German artist this week enters the German chart. Fernweh (wanderlust) is the second single from his album Schiffsverkehr (Ship Traffic) and the 34rd charting single naming him as artist. Fernweh is new at position 93.