21-12: Soccer Hits

Last week the story of the week was soccer related. This time it is also a soccer story. And it is indeed the number 1 story. On 15th May Fortuna Düsseldorf made the qualification for the Bundesliga. It is the first time since 15 years that the club is able to make the first league. Of course the win was celebrated for hours. The anthem of that night was Tage wie diese recorded by Düsseldorf band Die Toten Hosen. Lead singer Campino always admits being a big fan of the club. As an effect the song rises three places reaching Number 1.

It took Die Toten Hosen 15 and a half year for being back at Germany’s top spot. In 1996 it was their song Zehn kleine Jägermeister (10 Little Jägermeister) that occupied the Nr.1 for four weeks in October. Now it is Tage wie diese (Days Like These). The past ten years we had such late rebounds to Number 1 twice. Most recently it was Take That by having a big come back with Patience in December 2006 after more than 11 years abstinence from Number 1. Much more impressive of course was the rebound of Nena who shot to the Top with Liebe ist after almost 22 years in March 2005.

Die Toten Hosen are the first German act reaching the Top since a whole year. Back in 2011 it was Pietro Lombardi who stormed the number 1. He was the only German who topped the charts in 2011. According to the strong presence of German acts inside the list this year we should see at least a few more striking the Top.

Besides Tage wie diese and last weeks shooting single Borussia, schenk uns die Schale (which tumbles unstoppable out of the Top 50) there is a third German song penetrating the list thanks to a strong relation to soccer. It is the anthem for upcoming soccer EM in Poland and Ukraine. Having a German singer presenting Endless Summer comes due to the strong popularity Hamburg based OCEANA has in Eastern Europe. Her hit Cry Cry reached number one in Poland, Hungary, Romania and even Greece. In Russia and Spain the song went Top 10 in 2009. The same year she won the biggest Polish music competition in Sopot and in 2010 she took part on the Polish version of Dancing With The Stars/Let’s Dance. In Germany her music is consumed in a more lukewarm way. With support of the EM that will change for sure. So far Endless Summer is her biggest hit in Germany reaching the Top 40 as the very first song of her. In Poland the single immediatly shot to number 5. And I find the track less bothersome than the Shakira Waka Waka theme two years ago.



The national cup also generates a hit. The team of FC Bayern München really hoped for the cup after being only the second at the Bundesliga. On 15th of May also the dreams of gaining the cup were totally destroyed. Once again the Bayern underlied the Bundesliga champion Borussia Dortmund. Fans of the team tried to support their club by loading the Bayern anthem Stern des Südens. It enters the list once again but did not help for the match.

The next big hope for a win of the Bayern team came a few days later when it had the final match of the UEFA Champions League against FC Chelsea. For that event the band project Room77 recorded the song Finale dahoam (The Final At Home) which also enters the German list. It is the first song ever that can made it to the official list without any professional label or promotion. It is available only via download platforms offered by the band itself. So that can be seen as the beginning of an new aera in music business.




There are not only soccer related stories this current week. Another one is the rise of Canadian Carly Rae Jepsen. Call Me Maybe already is a hit in almost whole Europe. With a few weeks delay it now arrives at the top in Germany too by taking a 8–3 leap. Certainly the video is one of the reasons why the song gains that much attention. In most countries the popularity is pushed by several versions of stars or fans. In Germany most of that versions are blocked. So probably the main reason for its popularity is the song itself.

With Back In Time climbing to number seven Pitbull again has two hits inside the Top 10. There She Goes alongside Taio Cruz still hangs at number 6. A year ago Pitbull had simultanous Top 10 hits with On The Floor and Give Me Everything On both that records he was presented as featured artist.

daniele negroni performs kind of an yo-yo in the charts. Right after the final of the DSDS casting his version on Don’t Think Abput Me entered the list at number 4. Last week it tumbled as deep as number 39 just for jumping back this current issue to number 15. Now the song is available as a full CD single – so the label got afraid of loosing too much money by not releasing the version of the vice superstar. By the way the winner Luca Hänni sees his version still selling as the eighth best single.

After three years of producing Austrian trio Darius & Finlay starts to remix itself. In 2009 it gained first commercial success with Do It All Night which became a medium hit in its home country. In Germany at least a few dance addicts noticed the track.The past two years the trio released six further single–most successive the track Rock The Boat in spring 2009 which became a club and chart hit in both Austria and Germany. Right now Darius & Finlay put hands on the first hit single again. Do It All Night 2k12 is a rework that differs due to the stronger beat anda new rap part contributed by German Carlprit. The original exotic and Café del Mar inspired atmosphere is replaced completely by a heavy focus on the 90s revival sound. The 2012 version is available as download single and immediatly starts its chart life at number 34–a whole 50 places higher than its peak in 2009. Plus it is the highest charting Austrian act since Andreas Gabalier hit number 30 in late October past autumn. So probably some might call Do It All Night now a classic tune.


Version 2k12 and the original from 2009

Germany’s a capella band number is the quintet wise guys. The guys make music since they met in school somewhen in the 80s. The first album was released in 1994. Between 2001 and 2005 the guys launched three minor single hits, the albums of 2006, 2008 and 2010 went to number 2 or 3 on the sales charts. Nonetheless something were in trouble the last months and they moved to the major UNIVERSAL. The first single released under new circumstances marks something like a new beginning. Lauter (Louder) goes straight Top 50 bringing the guys the second biggest hit to date. I guess the upcoming album will easily made top 5 in a few weeks.




Back to the 80s–that’s the slogan at position 77. The big female star from that decade is back with a new single. Sandra have had eight Top 10 hits during her heydays between 1985 and 1990. Later on she released singles and albums as well–the real big success enjoyed in her first years as a solo artist never came back. The revival of the 80s sound in the 2000s inspired the major label EMI to re-release the most successful hits again on CD. Since 2009 the label offers the best of Kajagoogoo, Billy Idol or Heaven 17 under the label So80s. Also Sandra had a Best of compilation within that series a few weeks ago. All that compilations were presented and mixed by DJ team Blank & Jones. The meeting of both Sandra and Blank & Jones led to a new collaboration and a new single recorded by Sandra. Maybe Tonight is the first single of Sandra within 3 years. It sounds if it were produced in the 80s–let’s call it a forgotten recording of 1987. The new single can reach the list at number 77 which is the lowest peak Sandra achieved since 10 years. Probably the 80s are dead. Let’s move on to the 90s.


Unfortunatly there is no video available nor the original version–so I can only present a fan extended mix of the song. I guess you got an impression by that.


In 2010 Danish MEDINA served the crowd with the summer hit You And I. It made number 10 in Germany staying 25 weeks inside the charts. After that success four further chart hits were offered by her achieving less attraction to the audience. Now a new single is released and can enter the list a week before it is officially released. Maybe Forever will become the proper succeeder of You And I. In a few weeks we all might know more.

More soccer related sound

Well three weeks before the world championship people in Germany are going crazy for football hymns. The one promoted by a global beverage company enters nr.1 position with K'NAAN and Wavin' Flag. Other songs crowding up the list right now too.

At the second place of the internal football list Shakira Featuring Freshlyground appears with Waka Waka (This Time For Africa). A typical Shakira-recording comobined with a little more ethno sound from southafrican group. Waka Waka is set to be the official anthem of the FIFA event. Seems that this championship will getting a completely multicultural spirit. Waka Waka was released on May 7th as an download track in Germany but it took a whole week until the track really found his buyers. Now enters no.13 in the official media control charts by downloads only. A further climb is estimated next week when fully released CD sellings will count to the list as well.


Number 3 of the list is the anthem of Bavarian football club Bayern München. On May 15th the club won for the 15th time the German Bundesliga. Of course all the fans were celebrating and purchasing the definitive song for the club Stern des Südens. Surprisingly the track jumps now more than 12 years after its first release to its new peak position at nr. 42. Its former peak was nr. 67 reached in 1998. Does that really mean the demand for football anthems is now bigger?

Facing the other big anthem for a football club you might answer: Yes. For You recorded by The Disco Boys feat. Manfred Mann's Earth Band is officially used as the entry song for Borussia Dortmund since last season 2008/09. With every high of the team and at the end of the national round the song returns to the charts. Meanwhile For You has collected 93 chart weeks under its belt – it's the second longest runner within the german charts of all time only beaten by DJ Ötzi. With the close of this season the track will disappear for sure. But for sure the next one will lift the track up again. Promised.


Not really a soccer anthem - but almost – Scooter delivered with Stuck On Replay the official anthem of the IIHF world championship which took place in Germany in May. The week ending on 14th May saw the relegating round taking place and a raising excitement. So Scooter's mass compatible track gains some new fans again. First the track charted on 26th of March at position 34 sliding slowly down to nr. 86 the following weeks. Since three weeks the track is climbing now entering the Top 50 again. It's the highest place since end of April and expect some more as playoff round and final are still not in account at the recent list. Seems that Stuck On Replay is on the way to something what did not happened to Scooter for three years – a track charting more than 11 weeks.


At the lower end of the list one can find some more football related songs waiting for the big event to come and than … rising up to proper heigths. So expect to see soon at higher levels Oliver Pocher with 2010 Wir gehen nur zurück um Anlauf zu nehm' (We just step back to startup again; recently nr. 60) and the again climbing new take of Sportfreunde Stiller on its former number 1 hit '54, '74, '90, 2010 (the original title was '54, '74, '90, 2006) now at nr. 78.