Monday, December 22, 2014

Udo Jürgens, more than a ‘guilty pleasure’ – Wedding

editor – 12/22/14, 13:49

© anp kippa. Udo Jürgens

Griechischer Wein “,” Aber bitte mit Sahne “,” Merci chérie ‘: there were times when tens of millions of people could sing the songs of Udo Jürgens. That time is over, but the Austrian singer who died yesterday at the age of 80, still had many fans and performed regularly on.

Elderly or not, Jürgens would begin next year in his last major tour in German-speaking Europe. Seije Butcher, former music editor of Fidelity, had months tickets for his concert in Hamburg at home. What’s so special about the music of the German singer? “‘Wenn du das minder musst, wirst du es nie verstehen” says Butcher with a wink. “Jürgens is a relic from a bygone era. In the sixties and seventies he was truly an icon.”

Butcher came in contact with his music during a German course in Limburg monastery. “We had the song” Griechischer Wein ‘sing along lustily. I was hoping to go again do in Hamburg. ”

The music of Jürgens is more than a guilty pleasure, emphasizes Butcher. “He has a certain way of declamation which he really tells a story. While it is a bit cliché, but still lived. Jürgens would himself think I rather call a chansonnier than a crooner. He is more of a Ramses Shaffy than Guus Meeuwis. “

Sweet Juicy lyrics
Jürgens (his real name was Udo Jürgen Bockelmann) started singing in the fifties, when the Germans were in need of music not to them the Nazi past reminded. The hit with his saccharine lyrics about love was a safe alternative.

Between names like Peter Maffay, Rex Gildo and Peter Alexander heard from the sixties invariably Udo Jürgens. His breakthrough he owed to the Contest. Preferably three times he competed. The third time, in 1966, he won with “Merci chérie. In Germany he was hugely popular when he in 1978 with the German national football team recorded the song “Buenos Dias Argentina.

Jürgens lived at the beginning of his career, romantic life he sang about in his songs. He drove around in his sports car, decorated with countless women have brown eyes, had two illegitimate children, and smoked and drank loose it. Permanent part of his performances was a toegist in robe, which fitted perfectly with his frivolous image. Later he retired to live a more anonymous life.

His hit songs were from the eighties more and more pop and rock traits, went his texts since then except the love also about social issues such as drug use, the fall of the wall, and environmental issues.

More than a thousand songs
He wrote more than a thousand songs. Not only for themselves, including among others Shirley Bassey (“Reach for the Stars”) and Sammy Davis jr. (‘If I never sing another song). Dutch also sang his songs: “Now give me your fear” that we know of André Hazes and Guus Meeuwis was Jürgens’ Gib mir deine Fear

One of his biggest fans was Joop van den. And The. In 2007 a theater producer ‘Ich war nor niemals in New York “, a musical about Udo Jürgens based on his songs.

Jürgens was nicknamed the’ Alter Lose” (ageless). On his 75th he made a tour of 108 shows in seven months. Last year he released a new CD entitled “In the midst of life, from. He died Saturday while walking through the Swiss mountains by heart failure.

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