21st of March: National selection for Eurovision

MR PROBZ returns to the top with Waves replacing for a second time Pharrel Williams’ Happy. Two songs that twisted twice the top position we had last seen at the very end of 2009. Back than it was Keri Hilson who shot to Nr. 1 with I Like overtaking Aura Dione’s I Will Love You Monday (256 Days) but had to leave the top spot a week later again just to return again after a fortnight.

With a second week at number 1 MR PROBZ now matches the success of last Dutch number 1 song Cowboy by Casting project CH!PZ.




A medium sensation took place on Thursday 13th of March when the Eurovision Pre-Selection was aired on TV. The competition was full crammed with big names. Amongst The Baseballs , Madeline Juno and Oceana also Santiano and UNHEILIG performed for being the German entry in Copenhagen. Latter one surely was the big favorit. Four years ago the project already won the Bundesvision Song Contest–back than the competition wasn’t that strong. Anyway it was the year when UNHEILIG was the best selling German act.

In 2014 times are different. And so is the liking of the music audience. UNHEILIG only became second this year behind no name project Elaiza. Like Söhne Mannheims in 2013 a very big act failed already within the preselection.

Of course the sales market knows different rules. Here Als wär’s das erste Mal is the highest new entry of the singles list. It lands at number 10 giving UNHEILIG its fifth top 10 hit which makes the act the most successful German one in this current decade. Although Lena performs a little better by comparing the peak positions of their hits UNHEILIG has much more chart weeks for its songs collected. With 244 it eclipses the result of Culcha Candela which only had two top 10 hits since the beginning of 2010. Additionally the second song presented on TV Wir sind alle wie eins enters the list at number 71.

Winner act Elaiza will go to Copenhagen in May-in sales its song Is It Right needs some more support. It only enters at number 41. Not the best sign for a Eurovision participation. The last time a contesting song did not reach the German Top 20 was back in 2003 when Lou went to Riga with Let's Get Happy. She back than did not chart anyway but was number 12 within the European contest.

Nr.3 of the precontest Cotton Candy Hurricane by harp player and singer MarieMarie lands at number 75 on sale. And also Madeline Juno can bring her Like Lovers Do to number 96–probably cause it is used by TV station VOX for promoting the monthly programme highlights. Later this year the song will appear also on the soundtrack of the movie Pompeii.




The difference of a release that only had a few days of sales and a full week available song can be watched at number 15. The first full week on sale gives Magic by Coldplay the missing support for becoming a proper Top 20 hit. It is the best position a Coldplay song achieves since autumn 2011 when Paradise was the actual release at number 12.


This week there are 15 new entries and 5 re-entering songs invading the survey. That's the biggest turnover for 2014 in all. The last time there were 15 new songs inside the list was back in September 2013. Most spectacular new entries come in at 31 and 32.There two people enter the list side by side that had started their chart career almost exactly 26 years ago. At number 31 KYLIE returns with her new single Into The Blue. Right behind her rapper Rakim appears on Linkin Park’s single Guilty All The Same. In 1988 he got his first fame in Germany as part of the duo Eric B. & Rakim which had two chart hits here. In 2002 he returned alongside rapper Truth Hurts and finally reached the Top 10. Since than it kept silent around him. Now Rakim is back for a fourth time.

German radio stations start discovering newcomer Georg Ezra. After the BBC called him on of five acts for the sound of 2014 the interest in the singer songwriter raises continously. This week Budapest goes 57–39. Additionally the song is part of the Keep Calm And Relax compilation on which it is the most cherry picked song. Number 2 on that compilation is Tom Odell's Another Love that also rises up the list again 65–49. It is already the 47th week for the song that charted more than a year ago for the first time.

A big media hype fails in the list: Supergeil by Der Tourist feat. Friedrich Liechtenstein only climbs to number 50 in its third chart week. Considering that the singer releases every day another Supergeil video this result is ... annoying.

The longest running chart hit Sky And Sand is back in the list due to TV Show Die Ultimative Chart-Show. As number 1 of the issue "The most successfull long standing hits" it was performed by a no name project called Attraction Black Light Theatre within the show. The original recording by Paul & Fritz Kalkbrenner re-enters the list at number 51–its first appearance since December 2012. The song so far collected 129 chart weeks. The runners up Last Christmas by Wham! does have "only" 109 weeks under his belt.

Number 7 within the survey of the Chartshow but number 5 in real numbers is Run. On TV the song was staged by Andrea Renzullo. The famous (not original) recording by Leona Lewis finds its way back to the sales charts at number 87. It is exactly the 100th time this version appears in the list.


At the very low end songs appear for the first time that might become a hit soon. Available for a month Ready For Your Love by Gorgon City Ft. Mnek finally catches fire even outside the dancefloor and enters the sales list at number 78. New at number 83 Milky Chance's next hit Down By The River starts chart life. Enrique Iglesias' new single I'm A Freak is out since mid of January. Very slowly the artist can gain some attention for it. Probably the new yellow press stories 'bout whether he should get married or not gave the track some relevance. It is new at number 89. Also French Indila arrives slowly in Germany. Her hit Dernière Danse is available since four weeks–now it comes in at number 98. Finally Canadian Bedouin Soundclash got its first entry in the German list. Brutal Hearts lands at number 99 after three weeks on sale.

26-12: Soccer Dance

Die Toten Hosen right now repeat the result of their so far greatest hit Zehn kleine Jägermeister as current hit single Tage wie diese stays for a fourth week right at the Top of Germany’s singles charts. Used by public TV ARD as the main anthem for the EURO2012 the track is heavily supported by media use. So does number 2 which comes right now from Linkin Park. Burn It Down is used by ZDF for the same reason and now is the highest ranking track of Linkin Park of all times. They reached three times number 4 so far. In 2004, in 2007 and in 2009–now the history of the band is re-written.

The current list is covering the time span 15th to 21st of June. In this time the hopes for a German championship seemed realistic. Finale wir kommen (Final we’re coming) by KAY ONE Featuring Shindy tells about that dream. It climbs 54–29. Last Thursday these hopes were smashed by the team from Italy. Probably the KAY ONE song will tumble down in two weeks time dramatically.

Rising also is the Ukrainian band Los Colorados. Its take on I Like To Move It is the second official ZDF-track for EURO2012 promotion. It now reaches the upper half of the list at number 44.


The best performing new songs are alle from the dancefloor. Highest new entry inside the German list comes from Swiss Patrick Miller. So far he is known as the voice of the rap part on recordings by Mike Candys. So far he collected two Top 20 hits within the past 9 months. Now he starts his own solo single Dancing in London. It is a dance infected tune also but falls short of the two predecessors.



The man who made Patrick Miller popular can’t make it that big. His newest offeringSunshine (Fly So High) is even outsold by predecessor 2012. It lands at number 64 so far.



The highest new entry coming from a German act is Feeling So Blue by the Michael Mind Project. It is build around the Eiffel 65 hit from 1999. Landing at number 38 in its first chart week it is the first time since four years that the Michael Mind Project can reach the upper half of the charts again. Singer Dante Thomas seems after a long long break really back in the business. It is already his second chart appearance in 2012.




What else? – Amy Macdonald’s album Life In A Beautiful Day shot to number 1 last week. This issue she has to move to number 2. Instead her single Slow It Down rises again and lands at number 39–which is a new peak for the song after seven weeks in the list.

Steadily rising is Belgian Triggerfinger’s unplugged version of I Follow Rivers. This week the song can stop at number 40. The original by Lykke Li also finds some more fans and rises 10–8 this current week, which also marks a new peak for the song.

Philipp Poisel had a big success at the beginning of this year when his song Eiserner Steg became very popular after being performed on a casting show. Now a further song from his last album gains attention. It is the last track on the album Bis nach Toulouse and it’s called Ich will nur (I Only Want To).It is a very reduced love ballad. As I found out the song isn’t released or scheduled for a proper single release. Instead of that there is a new album announced for August which will be probably partly live. Maybe it is the pre-flurry that let people purchase Ich will nur as a live version on their mp3 players. Number 43 is an impressive start.



Rising also is Reckoning Song / One Day the remix of Asaf Avidans song by Wankelmut. It is new inside the upper half at number 49.

Two years ago Menowin Fröhlich seemed to be one of the big stars of the future. Than he failed in winning the superstar casting contest only becoming the runner up. Last year he released his first single with more or less success. But the interest in the almost superstar fades away dramatically. Now his first album is announced. And almost nobody cares. The single that should tease the album lands at a low number 60. It is called Round ‘N’ Round.

I am actually wondering how often one can release the same sounding song. Marquess already does it with ¡Bienvenido! for the ninth time. Well –the success of the releases so far isdecreasing too. Number 61 for the summer single 2012.



And also Schlager old star Jürgen Drews comes with a new single. Für einen Tag (For One Day) is the newest offering landing at number 62.


Jürgen Drews -- Für einen Tag - MyVideo


Again on TV Die ultimative Chartshow. Although the survey on the most successfull synthie pop hits was aired for the 15th time one live act of the show can manage it to launch its hit again. It’s Faithless that sees its Insomnia again landing at number 79. It is the 55th chart week for the song so far and the 12th time that it re-enters the list.


And finally the song noted for the most times inside the German sales charts Sky And Sand by Paul & Fritz Kalkbrenner this issue leaves the list. Last week it was noted at number 96 in its 115th chart week–now it is really out. Now the song with most chart weeks is Rolling In The Deep by Adele which sits at number 94 in its 77th week.

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.

Slow And Long Running Hits

It is still holiday time in Germany. Meaning the recent chart is quite calm and the industry avoids releasing hot new tracks. Only 3 new entries plus 5 re-entries ... well ...

DJ Antoine, Timati & Kalenna profit of lacking competitors and rise further two places to number 4. It is a proper season’s hit now. What it means for the careers of DJ Antoine and Timati I told before. US singer Kalenna now matches the position she entered as a member of DirtyMoney in spring this year. 2011 is the year of her big debut with two Top 5 hits right now.


Slight changes under the best German productions. Leading the pack still Tim Bendzko with Nur noch kurz die Welt retten (number 2) followed by newcomer Casper with So Perfekt (14) and Jupiter Jones’ Still. All three kind of intellectual pop music in sharp difference to most of international productions selling in huge amounts.

On the rise again are Milk&Sugar remixing the Miriam Makeba-song Hi-A Ma Pata Pata: 42–33.

Worth beeing noticed the fact that Paul & Fritz Kalkbrenner spend a 70th week in the charts with their Sky And Sand. The track now is noted in the downer half of the charts almost a full year long only spending a few weeks outside the Top 100. Meanwhile UNHEILIG collected 79 weeks with Geboren um zu leben. It is now the third longest seller without a break.

The fun story of the week is i sing a liad für di by Austrian folcloristic singer Andreas Gabalier. He entered the charts first back in April after performing at Carmen Nebel’s TV show. It was a small sensation cause the song wasn’t scheduled for any release. It became popular the last months and a lot of DJs remixed the song. Finally a sublabel of major UNIVERSAL decided to release the original on CD as well in Germany. July th 29th was the day – unfortunately the CD only contains the original recording by Andreas Gabalier himself. Probably that’s the reason why the track enters at a disappointing position 79.

The original song sung by Andreas Gabalier in Vienna


One of the inofficial remixes – this one is done by Luca Grandioso