h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

I'm looking for recommendations for German modern music. Pop, rock stuff.

I'm trying to brush up on my spoken German. When I was learning French I found that singing along to songs sung in that langauge really helped. I particularly liked Gerald de Palmas and Manau.

So, where should I start?

A lot of the popular modern stuff's recorded in English, isn't it? Or am I confused by Eurovision?

I always enjoyed singing Kraftwerk's Autobahn in the car, but I guess that style's not going to be representative of the entire populace.

I agree: learning songs really helps with pronunciation. Could I suggest that singer/songwriters really help?

You might try Wolf Biermann, he's a good one, and his song texts are available online.

Here's 'Warte nicht auf bessere Zeiten':

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GSw5H4tY29A

Text:

http://www.songtexte.com/songtext/wolf-biermann/warte-nicht-auf-bessre-zeiten-73fa2631.html

You also might try something old-fashioned that's come back into vogue: The Comedian Harmonists. The songs are so catchy, you can't get them out of your head.

'Veronika, der Lenz ist da':
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=73xXkoqwcRQ

Lyrics:

http://lyricstranslate.com/en/veronika-der-lenz-ist-da-veronika-spring-has-arrived.html

Ooh - great. A question I can answer.

Right - how long have I got?

Knowing you, you won't be averse to a Schlager, if it's in a good cause. They are clear to understand, although the words might get a bit repetitive after a while.

At the moment this kid Helene Fischer is all the rage, but I have no idea what her songs are like. Also very popular is Christine Stürmer.

For some great, light music, the Toten Hosen can't be beaten. You can understand all the words, and there's plenty to sing along with.

But for real down with the kids proper language, you need German hip hop. The rhymes are amazing, and the words are easy to understand. This one is a classic:

http://youtu.be/2c9uKOYLjQY

The lyrics to read along are here:

http://www.lyricsmode.com/lyrics/s/samy_deluxe/weck_mich_auf.html

Learning by singing or reciting is a great way to go about it.

Or - as Dmitri has suggested some chansonniers, here are some more:

Look out for

Stefan Sulke
Reinhard Mey
Hannes Wader
Franz Degenhardt
Insterburg & Co (comedic)


All well-known names in the 60s and 70s and songs full of words.

You can probably download MP3s from amazon.




Then there's Neue Deutsche Welle from the 80s.

Nena
Spliff (honestly!)
Peter Schilling
Trio (rather laconic, though)

And loads of others listed here:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neue_Deutsche_Welle



Then there are the songsters, with silly words and clever harmonies (20th/21st century groups in the tradition of the Comedian Harmonists mentioned above):

Die Prinzen
Wise Guys
Maybebop




And finally, a host of groups and soloists singing in various dialects, some comical, some straight.

Let me know where the fancy takes you and I'll go into detail....

Great suggestions, there! Gives me some stuff to search, too, thanks!

Speaking of dialect, here's my favourite Cologne singer/actress - the ever-sexy Trude Herr:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v04oaGTcSwc

Blimey, TC, I was listening too those when I was my Gruesome #1's age

Modern bands that are listenable are KraftKlub (they play guitars and do a wee bit of rapping but they do sing in German.)
My personal favourite is
Wenn Du Mich Kusst
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vk7TSdndg5Q

(that is the one showing the lyrics, so you can really learn them)

I'll see if I can find something a bit more appropriate

*ignores Sho*

Here's one of my favourites - I always put it on when I'm in the car and grin from ear to ear.

http://youtu.be/M_660Qf-8gg

[Amy P]

i can NOT believe I forgot Die Toten Hosen who are really cool even now when they are old

Hier Kommt Alex - which was written for a musical version of a Clockwork Orange (again with lyrics to facilitate easy assimilation)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mu--3gJ5vvc

and one I like from Marius Muller Westenhagen

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lPV7ov6q-cM

Except for Boney M and James Last, I don't know any German pop musicians or ensembles. Boney M seems to mostly sing in English anyway, so they might not be any help. Nevertheless, no one else has mentioned them, and they might also have sung in German.

Neu
Faust
Can
Sand
Tangerine Dream



All good bands



Krautrock rules

TC already mentioned Hannes Wader. I'd recommend him, in particular the album "Liebe, Schnapps und Tod". It's his translations of a Swedish poet, Bellman, set to music. It's not really what you'd call modern pop, but he sings very clearly, and there's some cool arrangement and orchestration on it. I think it's all on YouTube too.

http://youtu.be/nARvKa2_7zA