Stuck in my head today

I figured I might as well unleash my Ohrwurm on the rest of you. I hope you like Germans, too.

Tags: German culture, music, video

This is how you welcome me back, Germany?

The Hoff has a new song climbing the German charts. Any chance it won’t become the overplayed hit of the summer? Or should I just get out now?

Update: The above video won’t work in the US, but the link below should (although it won’t work in Germany). What is with requiring separate links for every country? I think someone missed the point of the internet:
David Hasselhoff: It’s a real Good Feeling

Tags: German culture, huh?, music

The lyrics are a wee bit different in Scotland

Other hit songs of the evening included “I can be your haggis, baby,” “Like a haggis (touched for the very first time),” and the very popular “(can’t read my, can’t read my, can’t a-read-a-my) Haggis Face.” Neeps and tatties* were mentioned in there somewhere, too.

What’s your favorite song about haggis?

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* Neeps and tatties = Scottish for parsnips and potatoes, ie, typical accompaniments to haggis.

Tags: Edinburgh, Europe, music, Scotland, video

This year’s new carnival costume

As seen today in Munich. It took me a few seconds to realize they weren’t misshapen smurfs.

In other exciting carnival news, the headliner at Munich’s city center festivities was one Lou Bega. It was basically him, three background dancers, and a copy of his CD being played over the loudspeakers. You know the CD he released 1999? That one. The whole experience was pretty depressing-bad, instead of the kitschy so-bad-its-good-bad we were hoping for. And he opened with Mambo No. 5, so there was really only one direction things could go from there. Frankly, the kids from Tanzschule Wolfgang Steuer (the opening act) were more entertaining.

Tags: Germany, holidays, Munich, music

Oh German music industry, will you never cease to delight me?

Dude, why is it that no one told me about Jimi Blue‘s equally musically talented older brother, Wilson Gonzales?

For Wilson’s last birthday gift, he apparently received a large amount of sub-dermal collagen. English lessons might have been a better idea. Not that whoever wrote this isn’t clearly a musical genius:

I got two tickets
To New York City
Come with me
You look so pretty
I take you down
To Abercrombie
Later we gonna
Have a Zombie

Wait, it gets better. The name of Wilson’s album? Cookies. I swear I’m not making this up.

Everybody sing along! I drink like Britney Speeeeeears!

We want cookies!

Cookies!

Cookies!

Tags: German culture, huh?, music, Ridiculous English

Eurovision 2008

We had a little party for the Eurovision finale again this year. At least half the guests came reluctantly… either not having heard of Eurovision at all, or wondering why in the world I’d want to throw a party for such a ridiculous event. But everyone had fun whether they liked it or not, even though Germany’s entry embarrassed themselves with a horrible performance which left them tied for last place.

It amuses me how popular the Eurovision Song Contest is among other expat bloggers, as well. Adam publishes his list of favorites yearly. Beth did some live blogging not only for the finale, but for the semi-finals, too. Hard core. Snooker’s heart was stolen by the pirates. Brian is not so convinced he loves Eurovision, but blogs about it all the same. There’s always some scandal or other involved, such as this year’s English-language entry for France (as noted by Mark).

Despite my feverish voting for Azerbaijan, the winner was Russia’ s Dima Bilan, with this performance featuring a Stradivarius violin and an Olympic skater. What’s not to love?

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_eLEYzjXApM]

Tags: Europe, Eurovision, music

The finest in German teen Europop

Introducing… Jimi Blue! Mr. Blue would like to inform all the ladies out there that he is only capable of romancing those of you sporting pants of the little, red, and hot variety. Tokio Hotel doesn’t have anything on this Justin Timberlake clone.

Tags: German culture, music

Urban is the new Black

When I lived in Germany in the 90s, I was somewhat bemused to learn the term ‘Black Music’. This basically referred to any and all music performed by African-American artists. The term was used on posters, in advertisements, and in clubs. A ‘Black Music’ party or CD could include everything from Janet Jackson to Naughty By Nature, all part of the same genre due to the skin color of the performers. Coming from a nice liberal east-coast college, I was more than a little shocked by the terminology. Would you put Handel and Rammstein in the same musical category?

Today I don’t see or hear the term ‘Black Music’ around Munich much. But the show MTV Urban? It’s all about the Black Music.

Tags: German culture, music

At last, the Americans may know the joys of German teen angst

Even though Germany has some great home-grown musical acts to offer, rarely does a German artist make it across the Atlantic to the US (as opposed to American music, which makes it over here to Germany far too often).

If I had had to bet on which German music was going to make it big in the US next, Tokio Hotel would have not been where I put my money. So good thing I wasn’t betting: A Wild Welcome to a German Teen Pop Band.

Tokio Hotel is the group which required riot police protection at the train station in Zurich. Apparently they are re-scripting their German hits to have English lyrics. Lucky you, you people who don’t speak German but want to sing along with Bill! (Yes, I admit to knowing the name of the porcupine-headed lead singer. Do you still respect me?)

Edited to add: Stupid YouTube took down the awesome video that went with this post. But never fear, I have found you this one entitled Sexy Pool Talk instead.

Tags: German culture, music, USA

And you thought the White Man’s Overbite was an American thing

As it turns out, the Swiss are pretty good at it, too.

So tonight we went to a Wir Sind Helden concert. Now don’t get me wrong – Wir Sind Helden is definitely one of my all-time favorite German-singing bands. Right up there with Xavier Naidoo and the late great Falco. But I’m not such a fan of standing in a smoke-filled crowded room listening to really loud live music while drinking 7-franc Miller Genuine Draft (an atrocity which I’m sure would never happen in Germany, but the Swiss’ taste in beer is a story for another post). At least I had the good sense to hit up the coat check counter at the beginning of the encore, thus saving us an hour-long wait…

Tags: German culture, music, Switzerland, Zurich