September 4th 15: Namika goes no.1

Ups–Namika gains the #1 spot although on the midweek charts she held firm at #3. Over the past weekend she definitely benefited from her performance on the Bundesvision Song Contest where she became seventh with her new single Hellwach (starting chart life at #62). The final push was given by a video post on facebook made on Monday/Tuesday by Sarah Engels who declared her love to Pietro Lombardi with a cover of Lieblingsmensch. Within half a day more than 50.000 fans watched the video–and charged the original.

Namika is the third German act in a row that reaches the top spot. It is this a similar situation as in early summer 2014 when Andreas Bourani, Aneta Sablik, CRO and Robin Schulz (alongside Lilli Wood & The Prick) had a continous run there. As actually Aneta Sablik is a Polish singer casted on a German TV show with a German producer–one might argue whether this period count for Germany. The last female German by pasport on the top of the German singles charts was Lena Meyer-Landruth with her Eurovision winning Satellite in June 2010.

Highest new entry comes in at #4 in the face of Justin Bieber. What Do You Mean? is only the third top10 hit and the highest charting song ever for the singer. And he is besides Francesco Yates (#3) the second Canadian inside the Top 10–a feat last seen in May 2012 when Carly Rae Jepsen and Simple Plan had simoultaneous hits.

In its 17th chart week Photograph by Ed Sheeran reaches a new peak at #5 and gives the singer his second biggest chart entry to date.

New inside the top 10 El Perdón by Nicky Jam & Enrique Iglesias is. It is the the eighth top 10 entry for Mr. Iglesias and his first since 2010.

Hot Spot 04-05-13

Passenger holds firm at the Top a third week with Let Her Go. Following the 9 weeks run of Scream & Shout we have a similar situation at the top like last summer when Reckoning Song / One Day by Asaf Avidan / Wankelmut followed with a 6 weeks run at the Top to Lykke Li’s I Follow Rivers that spent five weeks at number 1.

P!NK launches her sixth consecutive Top 10 single in Germany with Just Give Me A Reason. The one who managed that last was French DJ David Guetta in 2011/12.

Propelled by the release of the album Native the current OneRepublic single If I Lose Myself returns to the Top 10. It lands at number 6 reaching a new peak while the album stops at number 4 which is a new peak of the whole album career of the band.

Also with freshly released album band Silly founded 1978 sees its single Deine Stärken enter the Top 20. It is the first time that a song of the band can reach that region. Additionally they performed the song at the ECHO award ceremony on March 21st.

The ceremony aired on TV turned out to be a big sales promoter. Big winner became unsurprisingly a band that celebrated its 30th anniversary last year. Die Toten Hosen got four awards including the one as best band national, for best hit and best album. At the show they performed with Hannes Wader. As an effect new single Draussen Vor Der Tür enters at number 20 and their known hitsAltes Fieber and even Tage wie diese return to the Top 50.

Other effects can be witnessed as following: SEEEd reaches the list with Deine Zeit at number 70 after their performance. The song is released as full single also. New single release of Peter Plate–singer of Rosenstolz–named Wir beide sind Musik (We two are music) got support by the performance at the show. It is the second comeback of the singer after taking a break for health reasons but the first time he appears as a solo artist. / Santiano performed its song Es gibt nur Wasser (There is only water)–the track not released as a proper single enters the charts as an album cut. / Finally rapper CRO's first hit Easy dips into the list again at number 97.



Another big TV event is seasonal issue of Deutschland sucht den Superstar (DSDS). It now approaches the more intense phase. In the second live show participant Ricardo Bielecki turned out to be the most impressive singer. His version of Impossible (originally recorded by Shontelle) caused a run on the latest version by British X Factor winner James Arthur which made that recording shoot to number 8 in Germany. He is only the third European act inside the Top 10–a situation not witnessed for a several years.

The big show act of the DSDS issue on March 23rd was the winner pair of 2011Sarah & Pietro. In comparison to the upcoming stars the old ones failed completely. Their new single Dream Team only can rise to number 41.For both the worst appearance of a single released by them ever.

Further performances causing a boost in sales of older singles: the youngest of the candidates Erwin Kintop performed Won’t Let You Go–the original by James Morrison returns to number 51. In January the song already had a two weeks run after Tim David performed the song in the same show.

Beatrice Egli sang ich will immer wieder … dieses fieber spür’n which brings the original by Helene Fischer after three and a half year back to the list. By peaking at number 30 it is Helene Fischer’s most successful hit.



The release of some new remixes of Play Hard by Albert Neve, Maurizio Gubellini & Spencer & Hill brings David Guetta feat. NE-YO & Akon back to the list. They re-enter number 35–the highest position since the track first appeared in the survey in past September.

The third week inside the list Nelly’s Hey Porsche enters the Top 50. How far will it finally go?

After 18 years of absence from the charts Roland Kaiser returns with the title track to a Tatort aired on March 24th. Egoist is the 24th chart track of the artist. His career now spawns about more than 36 years.

After it is released on the new BRAVO black hits compilation Lost by Frank Ocean can enter the list for the very first time. It is the very first chart entry for the US rapper in Germany.

In Britain Clown is the latest official single from Emeli Sandé’s album Our Version Of Events–it is the sixth official single. Now also in Germany the demand on this track starts. It enters the list as an album cut at number 93. Additionaly Emeli Sandé could be soon become the artist with most appearances in the charts in 2013–she by now collected 35 chart entries in 2013 alone. Only German rapper CRO has four entries more.

Where German HipHop Moves

Guettamania update:
Without You from the album Nothing But The Beat can increase its single downloads and cracks the Top 10. It is the 6th track of David Guetta cracking the top 10 this year alone. He is now not only the one with most Top 10 hits this year but this (still young) decade also. Vocal artist USHER counts his 7th Top 10 hit of his whole career -– the second this year. More went to number 7 in March/April this year.

Within the most loved German productions there is a slight change going on. Tim Bendzko still leads the survey with Nur noch kurz die Welt retten (Just Have To Save The World), runners up is still Jupiter Jones and their ballad Still though hard on their heels lands Lena and her take on What A Man (see last commentary)

Next new entry is superstar second Sarah Engels with her new single Only For You. It is a very soft and romantic pop song produced to attract a younger audience. As the third single from her album Heartbeat and without big TV promotion on casting shows or similar events the single lacks the big interest she had a few months ago. It lands at number 33 and very certainly will fall outside the Top 50 very soon.



Besides such clean produced sound this week German Hiphop again strikes back. German rapper FLER is announcing his seventh album Im Bus ganz hinten (Very Back In The Bus – meaning Being The Looser) which is in stores right now (16th September 2011). It is already the second album this year – so FLER right now appears as one of the most productive artists in Germany. First single of the new – presumed to be autobiographical -–disc is Spiegelbild – a track in typical gangster rap style telling the story of the big rap star who loves to diss all behind and under him. He is proud of his new life and enjoying girls, drugs and luxury. Within the refrain FLER tells you how to behave when you’re famous – is it really all a matter of style. The whole story is underlayed with an alarming noise. Could be a very cool clubas well as the sirenes of police cars …



Usually tracks by FLER only spend two or three weeks inside the charts. This one might have a longer chart run cause there is a remix by Die Atzen available which can be purchased as standalone track.


Second German rap star offering new material is Eko Fresh. His new album Ekrem released at Seven Days Music storms the album charts and lands at number 5 – the first time he ever cracked the album Top 10. Simultanously the single Jenseits von Eden (Out Of Eden) is available as download single. It is a cover of the huge hit from 1983 that occupied the Number 1 position for 7 weeks in Germany. Europe wide the English version Guardian Angel by Masquerade (Drafi Deutscher) is probably more known. Eko Fresh now takes the German version and collaborates with the artist who made it popular: Nino de Angelo. Jenseits von Eden was his breakthrough as a popstar and his most successfull hit.

The English original

The German version from 1983


28 years later the song is even more greasy. Perhaps it is cause of the attitude the tough rap star shows. Nino de Angelo in 1983 was crying and lamenting ‚bout the bad world – he did it by singing a real tearjerker. Eko Fresh never did so – he is the strong guy, the man who knows the world. Hearing him asking why the world is so bad and cold sounds quite strange. Is he doing the Sido way – from an aggressive testosterone machine to an settled teacher guy? – On the other hand it seems really hip duetting with former Schlager stars in German HipHop. Three years ago Bushido started collaborating with Karel Gott and covering the 80s hit Forever young / Für immer jung. Last year it was Sido performing with Stephan Remmler ... now Eko Fresh tries to impress the audience. Well – the formula is a little nagged, the surprise not really appears. Number 64 is low even more if you consider the duo performed at The Dome aired on September 3rd.




Further new German productions
Rockband LUXUSLÄRM (Luxury Noise) still is kind of an independent act. They are going to release their fourth album named Carousel – last one from 2010 So laut ich kann (As Loud As I Could had a 10 weeks chart performance climbing to number 13. Four singles were released, three of them reached the sales charts. Most successfull was Nichts ist zu spät (Nothing Too Late) that had a four weeks run peaking at position 58.

The track announcing their new album is Atemlos (Breathless). It is a more calmed down track talking about the strength and power that gives a strong love. It is a love song – yes. To me it is LUXUSLÄRM’s most mass appealing track – in terms of hits it did not catch fire. The single is entering at 63 on download sales only.



A new digital single is available by Herbert Grönemeyer too. The third track lifted from his album Schiffsverkehr (Ship Traffic) is Zu Dir (To you) and it is a very heartful rock ballad … a love song too. It is one of the real strong tracks of the album – but most of the people already have the album. So Zu dir will stall at a low number 76 for sure. It is by the way the 35th single that can appear in the German Top 100.



A completely new act is BOY. Opposite to the name it contains of two females from Switzerland and Germany. Little Numbers is a bubbling pop song that makes curious about the album Mutual Friends released same day as the single.


By the way: Swiss acts seem very beloved these days. Mike Candys & Evelyn are joining DJ Antoine at the very top of the list. Latter one right now can launch a tiny follow up in the German chart: Ma Chériewas a hit in Switzerland already in summer 2010. Now with the huge success of Welcoome To St. Tropez some dance floor lovers also catch up the predecessor. Certainly the track never will have that big chart fortune here.




Last week TV show Die ultimative Chartshow launched three three re-appearing hits in the charts. Topic of the show were most successfull piano hits. This week the episode counting the most successfull pop hymns was aired and again there are re-entries due that broadcasting. Winner of the list first shown in January 2010 is Miguel Rios with A Song Of Joy. The audience of 2011 chose Faithless and Insomnia as the most catchy pop hymn. The track re-enters at number 62 and actually we stopped counting how often the track re-entered due to a place in the Ultimative Chartshow. Last time we saw it sneaking in March through the list reaching Number 41. It is now the 54th chart week the track can collect under his belt.
Hit number two was listed at the TV show at a low number 22: Metallica with ist epic Nothing Else Matters. Like Insomnia it is a track that appears again and again inside the charts. Last time that happened in February that year. Nothing Else Matters re-enters this week at 72 – the highest position since January last year when it had an 8 weeks chart run due to it’s airing at ... Die ultimative Chartshow.
Finally also KRYPTERIA can re-enter the charts after performing their hit Liberatio at the show and gaining position 28.

Strong German acts: Lombardi - Engels - Bendzko

Once again TV is the tool for making hits. In our actual case a TV show does have the power of rebounding a former Number 1 hit back to the top. Germany’s last big show for the whole family Wetten dass...? (Bet That...) was aired on 18th of June from Mallorca presenting Jennifer Lopez as well as Sarah Engels & Pietro Lombardi. The result: JLO shoots 4–1 giving her and companion Pitbull a sixth week at the top spot. On The Floor now matches the six week run of Bruno Mars’ grenade back in spring this year and it is the track spending most weeks inside the Top 10 this year. Much more impressive than this statistics is the fact that On The Floor returns after a six weeks break at the top. We’ve seen such a feat almost a year ago when Lena gained another single week at the top right after winning the Eurovision Song Contest. It was the first time in chart history that a single returned back to the top after more than a month absence. Now history repeats itself. Does this means we have to expect much more rebounders the next years?

At number 2 the DSDS love couple Sarah & Pietro enters the list with new single I Miss You. It is a very pink r’n’b-pop-ballad – sounding very American and I’m really wondering that such 90ies sound can make it that high in 2011. Well, the audience of Wetten dass…? is something between 14 and 79, women older than 65 love the show – their taste IS conservative.

For Pietro Lombardi it is just the right time to launch a second hit – his girlfriend (are they still a couple?) really does a feat. Having two Number 2 hits in a row she is now the second most successful not-winner of DSDS and probably the most succesfull runners up contestant. Mike Leon Grosch – the second place in 2006 – had a singlenumber 1 hit the same year. And Daniel Küblböck – number 3 in the very first season – had three top 10 hits in 2003 /2004. The first one You Drive Me Crazy shooting to number one for two weeks. Both of them are forgotten right now. It is very likely that Sarah Engels goes that way too.



Also the second track entering the Top 10 is a German one. Tim Bendzko is one of the young German artists with huge expectations. This week his debut album starts at number 4 in the album list. The single Nur noch kurz die Welt retten (Just have to save the world) profits of the release and rises 15 – 9. It is the complete opposite of the Engels/Lombardi production. Stripped down, authentic and very lyrical. Probably Tim Bendzko will have a much longer musical career.



Third successful German track is Jupiter Jones that is rising 12 – 11 with Still (Calm). Inside the Top 20 are cascada and Andreas Bourani also meaning we do have six German productions in the upper region of the chart. That’s pretty much … Plus Frida Gold is waiting at position 21 – we talk about that later for sure.

chart flash 11-20: A completely new Top 5

What a week! Three new entries inside the Top 5 – two of them right at the top. Both launched by the big TV event Deutschland sucht den Superstar (Germany is searching for the super star) – abr. DSDS. Winner of the show – 18 years old Pietro Lombardi is shooting to number 1 right after the final’s end. Call My Name is the first song doing so since one complete year when winner of last year’s season Mehrzad Marashi propelled to the top right after the final. Two years ago a single shooting direct to nr. 1 was kind of a usual feat. In 2009 eight of 14 number one entered the charts direct at the top. Last year there were only two of 11 number one hits doing so. Does the digital age change the chart behaviour slightly?

Call My Name is not only the new straight number one hit after a long time, it also broke the record of being the fastest selling online single in one day gaining gold status within 26 hours for selling 125.000 copies. The full CD release was in shops three days later – boosting the week’s sales to unbelievable heights.

Right behind Pietro Lombardi his recent girlfriend and DSDS-competitor Sarah Engels enters the list with same song Call My Name. This track is available as download only – reaching number 2 means an still rare feat. Unfortunately number 2 in such a week is number two at the breaking news also – nobody really takes notice.

There are much more stories behind the two artists at the top. Pietro Lombardi is not only the first straight number 1 artist in a year – he is the first German number 1 act in almost a year too. Only Lena shot one week to number 1 in between right after her Eurovision win last year. Right now it looks like only DSDS and an unbelievable Song Contest win have the power of propelling German artists to number 1. Nobody is wonder ing that last time we had two German acts at number 1 and 2 was also one year ago when Mehrzad Marashi occupied the top spot and Lena held firm at runner’s up position for complete four weeks in May 2010.
Two DSDS stars at the top was last seen in June 2008 when actual winner Thomas Godoj ranked with Love Is You over 2007 winner Mark Medlock and his Summer Love. The two main DSDS stars of one season had a battle at the top of the charts also in April 2003 when very first winner ever – Alexander went first number 1 with Take Me Tonight followed two weeks later by Daniel K. and his You Drive Me Crazy. Both changed places at the top for three weeks.

Having two versions of one song at the top is a feat happening only every 30 years probably. We have to go back to June 1984 when Self Control by Laura Branigan was number one followed directly by the original version of Italian Raf for three weeks.


The third new entry this week is a French–US–Trinidad collaboration. Other weeks of this year would have seen a track starting at number 5 as the story of the week – not so this recent issue. Though Where Them Girls At by David Guetta feat. Flo Rida and Nicki Minaj is worth some few words. It is the 7th single / track charting this year on which the French DJ David Guetta appears as an performing artist making him the most present act of 2011. He made that feat last year already. Both years Rihanna follows right behind him – so there is a constant interest in the main acts of commercial pop music.

For the two main acts on Where Them Girls At the track is the third consecutive Top 10 hit bringing David Guetta to an total of 7 top hits meanwhile Flo Rida collects 4 Top 10 hits under his belt so far. To continue with the comparison Guetta – Rihanna, the lady from Barbados already had 3 Top 10 hits this year summarizing a whole 15 Top 10 hit singles at all.

Third act of Where Them Girls At is pretty new to the German chart. Nicki Minaj makes her chart debut as the third new act this week.




Appendix on 20th May
I was wrong by telling you that the last song occupying number 1 and 2 in different versions was Self Control. 20 years after that track – in June 2004 – Dragostea Din Tei shot to number one performed by Moldavian O-Zone. A few weeks later at the end of June the version of Romanian Haiducii climbed to number 2. After two weeks the Haiducii take slided a little down till number 4 but came back at the end of July to repeat the number 1 and 2 game for a further week.

Sorry for the disinformation!