Nene - am 4. Oktober in NYC!

Genau jetzt ... manchmal zu früh, manchmal zu spät

Hier im Video sehen wir Nena mit ihrer Tochter (Larissa, 24) und auch ihrer Mutter (Ursula Grieben,74).    Das finde ich schön. --rsb




REFRAIN:
Vielleicht ist es zu spät
Vielleicht ist es zu früh
Vielleicht ist es genau jetzt  ://

           Genau jetzt

Ein Moment
Zwei Personen
Eine Seele
Ein Herz
Zwei Personen
Ein Moment
Zwei Meinungen
Ein Ende

Manchmal sind zwei Eins
Und manchmal sind zwei Zwei
Manchmal heisst es "Hallo"
Und manchmal heißt es "Bye bye"
Bye bye

REFRAIN

Genau jetzt
Im Moment
Was Morgen kommt weiß keiner
Leb jetzt im Moment
Wenn du auf die Fresse fällst steh auf und
Lauf weiter

Der Moment in dem es entsteht
Der Moment in dem es zerfällt
Der Moment wo ein Fremder ein Freund wird
Oder ein Freund so fremd
So fremd

REFRAIN

9 Famous German Singers Who’ll Make You Love the Language

By Joe Warnimont 

The Top 40 charts are bumping with German learning opportunities.
From classics to electronica, pop to German songs that have hidden grammar lessons, Germany's music scene has it all.

The Benefits of Listening to Famous German Singers

Listening to music is often a passive consumption process. I know I don’t always absorb every word while working out and listening to music, and many times it’s difficult to even make out what the singers are saying.

So, is listening to a specific singer or two really that helpful when learning German?
You bet.

Since these singers are famous, you have a much better chance of recognizing the songs they sing. Many of the songs get distributed all over the world, so you may know more about the singers than you think.

In addition, the music world is an international market now, so you can expect various language versions, meaning you can listen in both English and German to help recognize words you don’t know.

Not to mention, the most famous of German singers range in the genres they sing, allowing every learner a chance to actually enjoy the music they listen to. Do you like rock? We have some tunes for you! What about pop? The Germans have you covered.

You can also find songs from various time periods, giving you a glimpse into the history of Germany. German music often provides a strong reflection into current and past German culture, helping you understand how Germany is different from other countries.
Plus, knowing some of the most famous names in German music will give you something to chat about with natives.

Without further ado, boot up your favorite music app (I’ll give you links to Spotify) and pop in your earbuds, because these German singers are ready to help you learn.

9 Famous German Singers and the Songs That Will Help You Learn

1. Sarah Connor

Sarah Connor’s real name is Sarah Terenzi, and she works as a songwriter, singer and TV personality. The popular German singer sold over 15 million record copies in the 2000s, starting with her single “From Sarah with Love,” and her debut album “Green Eyed Soul.”

Most of her music falls in the pop category, but she occasionally branches out to other options. Albums to use for your German learning include “Key to My Soul,” “Naughty but Nice,” “Muttersprache,” (Mother Tongue), “Wie Schön Du Bist” (How Beautiful You Are) and “Green Eyed Soul.”

How is this singer’s work specifically helpful for German learners?
Connor provides a wonderful combination of upbeat and slower songs, and she enunciates rather well compared to other singers, allowing you to really understand the words while tapping your toes.
Listen to the Spotify channel.

2. Lena Meyer-Landrut

Although much of her pop music is written in English, “Seeräuber-Opa-Fabian” (Pirate Grandpa Fabian) serves as a fun tune for those who enjoy female vocalists who sing invigorating lyrics.
Her claim to fame is that she represented Germany in the Eurovision Song Contest in 2010 and won the whole competition. Her song “Satellite” took home the prize.

How is this singer’s work specifically helpful for German learners?
“Seeräuber-Opa-Fabian” is a fun jingle with loud vocals and hard beats for catching all the words sung by Lena Meyer-Landrut. The rest of her body of work is just as entertaining, catchy and singable! Listen to the Spotify channel.

3. Herbert Grönemeyer

Herbert Grönemeyer focuses on the pop, pop rock and soft rock genres, with singing popularity in places like Germany, Austria and Switzerland. He’s also made an impact as an actor in the extremely popular “Das Boot” (The Boat) movie. His album “4630 Bochum” is the third top selling album in Germany, with the album “Mensch” (Man) coming in at number one.

Some wonderful songs to assist in your German learning include “Der Weg,” (The Way) “Flugzeuge im Bauch,” (Butterflies in the Stomach) “Amerika” (America) and “Zum Meer.” (To the Sea)
How is this singer’s work specifically helpful for German learners?

Herbert Grönemeyer is more than a singer, because his epic songs grab your emotions and touch on themes like love, happiness and failure. Since we all want to express these emotions as German speakers, Herbert Grönemeyer helps us out. Listen to the Spotify channel.

4. Nena

Nena is a household name, with one of the most recognizable German songs in the world, called “99 Luftballons.” (99 Balloons) The New German Wave singer gained most of her popularity from that one song, but she rekindled her career by recording some of her older songs and releasing them to the public.

Her stunning voice, matched with the upbeat lyrics, make for great German language learning. Try out songs like “Wunder gescheh’n,” (Miracles Happen) “Und alles dreht sich,” (And Everything Revolves) “Willst du mit mir gehn” (Want to Come With Me) and “Du bist gut.” (You’re Good)
How is this singer’s work specifically helpful for German learners?

Besides the fact that she has a soothing voice and uses majestic instruments, her music videos often show popular spots in Germany, and her work inspires you to get outside and have fun with your German speaking.  Listen to the Spotify channel.

5. Xavier Naidoo

If you enjoy R&B or soul music, the German singer Xavier Naidoo has what you need. He goes by the stage name Kobra, and has also produced records and acts on occasion. Songs to choose from include “Dieser Weg,” (This Way) “Sag es laut” (Say it Loud) and “Alles kann besser werden” (Everything Can Get Better).

How is this singer’s work specifically helpful for German learners?
Xavier Naidoo is a rhyming master, helping German learners quickly recognize words because they go together so well in his songs. Listen to the Spotify channel.

6. Yvonne Catterfeld

It seems like many German singers take a swing at acting, and Yvonne Catterfeld has actually done quite well in the acting and TV host realm. Her primary fame comes from her songs, however, with favorites such as “Für dich,” (For You) “Pendel” (Pendulum) and “Vielleicht ist keine Antwort” (Maybe Isn’t an Answer).

How is this singer’s work specifically helpful for German learners?
Yvonne Catterfeld ties together entrancing lyrics and empowering instruments, along with sentences that are slow and easily understood. Listen to the Spotify channel.

7. Marlene Dietrich

Although generally thought of as a legendary German actor, the great Marlene Dietrich had an illustrious singing career, primarily while performing live in theaters. That’s not to say that she doesn’t have any recordings though. Try out songs like “Sag Mir Wo Die Blumen Sind” (Tell Me Where the Flowers Are) or “Ich bin von Kopf bis Fuß auf Liebe eingestellt” (I Am From Head to Foot In Love).

How is this singer’s work specifically helpful for German learners?
Marlene Dietrich is for those who love the classics, making it like a time machine through German history. Her themes aren’t too complicated for the beginner, and her sweet voice is ideal for any listening setting. Listen to the Spotify channel.

8. Annemarie Eilfeld

Annemarie Eilfeld rose to fame after winning the German version of “American Idol.”
“Animal Instinct” was her first album released to the world, but you can find various other songs since then, such as “Es geht vorbei,” (It Passes) “Barfuss durch Berlin” (Barefoot Through Berlin) and more.
How is this singer’s work specifically helpful for German learners?
I like Annemarie Eilfeld for German learners, because she’s as modern as you can get. You won’t feel weird turning this music on at a party, and you have plenty of songs and music videos to search for.
Listen to the Spotify channel.

9. Bill Kaulitz

Bill Kaulitz is not only a singer and songwriter, but a voice actor, model and clothing designer. He’s most famous because he’s the lead singer of the band Tokio Hotel.
The pop rock band performs in both English and German, but you can locate some favorites like “Durch den Monsun” (Through the Monsoon) and “Zimmer 483″ (Room 483) to get started with your German learning.
How is this singer’s work specifically helpful for German learners?
Bill Kaulitz has a voice that sounds almost like a young boy, and it helps drastically with German learning, because it keeps you engaged and ready to hear the next lyric in the song.
Listen to the Spotify channel. Here’s the Tokio Hotel channel as well.
Loving this German music?
Keep rocking out until the next time we come back with more hit German tunes for listening and learning!

---

Joe Warnimont is a blogger and adventure-seeker. When not riding his bike around Chicago, you can find him sprucing up his German skills. He has watched “Run Lola Run” about ten too many times.

Why Listen to German Pop Music?

• It’s fun! Sure, reading can also be a great way to learn German, but when listening to songs in the language you can really have some fun. It’s also a great excuse to invite your friends around for a German pop session; you can help each other by having a sing-along or playing lyrics games.

• Increase your vocab. Pop music can cover so many different subjects—from heartbreak and romance, to politics and current affairs. In fact, the range of topics covered in pop music means listening to it is a fantastic way to increase your vocabulary.

• Learn how locals speak. Listening to native speakers sing means you’ll be picking up German idioms. You know, phrases or expressions like the English “when in Rome” or “the early bird catches the worm” that don’t translate easily. By listening to German, you’ll be picking up in its hard-to-translate phrases, which you can show off in your lesson work.

• Absorb grammar and vocab. It sounds pretty spooky, but you’ll be absorbing loads of useful vocabulary and grammar subconsciously. The more you listen to German music, the more naturally the language will come to you. And before you know it, you’ll find yourself using a whole load of words and sentence constructs that you didn’t even realize you knew!

• It’s an insight into German culture. When listening to all the latest pop music, you’ll know all the trends and styles that the Germans are getting into, helping you to fit in with the locals.

How to Learn German by Listening to Pop Music

Listen without any subtitles the first time

The very first time you listen to a new pop song, do so without any subtitles or lyrics on hand. Why? This will challenge yourself to really concentrate on the German that you’re hearing. If there’s a music video with the song, try minimizing the window or closing your eyes, so that you can focus all of your mental strength on just one sense, and not get distracted by the visuals.

Can’t the visuals help you understand the meaning? Certainly—depending on the music video, of course. So add them in after your first listen and see what else you can understand. While listening, try to pick out any words at all that you recognize, and jot them down. Feel free to pause the song as necessary, so you can write with no rush.

Look up any words you don’t understand

Depending on your level, it will most likely be beneficial to have a set of the German lyrics handy—after you’ve done some initial “listening only.” If you type the song name into Google followed by “lyrics,” you should end up with a long list of results. The main (and best) website for German lyrics is songtexte.com.

As you dissect these lyrics, if you come across a word or phrase you’re not familiar with, look it upin a dictionary and then write it down. Use whatever recording system works best for you—whether it’s real flashcards, a vocab notebook, an online document, a flashcard app, etc.

This step is vital for improving your vocabulary, so be sure to write down new words—and give yourself a daily goal, like learning four of these words a day.

Play along using music videos

After learning the ins and outs of your lyrics (potentially with FluentU), a fun game to play is Lyrics Training. In this game, you fill in the blanks of the lyrics as the music video plays. There is a huge selection of songs to choose from, categorized by both genre and difficulty.

After choosing your song, you get to select the difficulty of that round—from beginner, with 10% of the words missing, to expert, with all blanks and no lyrics on screen to use as prompts. There are two play modes to choose from as well: “Write Mode,” where you type the missing word, or “Choice Mode,” where you choose the correct word from four options.

The game keeps track of your score, so you can try to beat records and track improvement!

Sing along

After you’ve mastered the lyrics, you’ll be more than ready to sing along to these German pop songs. Heck, some of these are so darn catchy that you’ll probably have already been singing along without even knowing it!

This is a perfect exercise because a) it’s super fun and b) you get to practice speaking in addition to listening. Go phrase by phrase, pausing to sing after the original, and compare your pronunciation with that of the artists. Does it sound the same? What can you change to sound more like them?

Should you be lucky enough to have friends that are also learning German, sing with them! Even if you just talk through the lyrics, you can let each other know if there are any areas of pronunciation that need to be practiced. Plus, you can also give each other a pat on the back if you start to sound like a native!

So now you’ve learned the how and the why behind listening to German pop, I’ll show you our pick of the five best pop bands out there.

5 of the Best German Pop Bands for Learning German

1. Die Ärzte    (Warning:  no video...check out the awesome music below first. --rsb)

Thanks to their quirky song topics and upbeat lyrics, Die Ärzte (The Doctors) have been used to teach German in schools for quite a few years already, so there’s no reason why you shouldn’t also be including them in your studies.

Die Ärzte started out in Berlin’s punk scene during the ’80s. Two members—Farin Urlaub and Bela B.—were in various different punk bands before joining forces under their medical moniker. In 1993 they were joined by Rodrigo Gonzalez to create their current lineup.

Some of their most notable hits include the anti-Nazi anthem “Schrei nach Liebe” (Cry for Love) and “Hurra” (Hoorah). In recent years they’ve taken a more poppy route with their music.

The above song, “Westerland” is one of their earlier songs from the ’80s, and probably one of their first with a pop vibe. It pays homage to Westerland—an area on the island of Sylt, that lies just off Germany’s north coast. It’s a great song to learn German to, as the chorus’s use of simple sentences are repeated regularly.

2. Silbermond   (I find this video and song both crazy good--rsb)

For those of you who prefer your pop to be on the more rocky side of the spectrum, Silbermond (Silver Moon) is the perfect choice.

The band comes from Bautzen in east Saxony and is fronted by lead singer Stephanie Kloß. After meeting her future band members in the Christian youth program “Ten Sing” in 1998, the foursome went on to form the band Jast in 2000 before changing to their current name the following year.

Even though they perform exclusively in German, they’re also fairly well known across the world, and have even had the honor of performing alongside the likes of Green Day and Chris de Burgh. They won the Best German Act Award in 2009 at the MTV Music Award. If you’re going to improve your German with some pop, you can’t go wrong with these award winners.

All right, so the lyrics are fairly soppy, but “Das Beste” (The Best) is one of Silbermond’s most popular songs and is possibly the most romance-heavy song to feature in this list. But it will help you with your verb conjugation! There are a lot of sentences that begin with “Ich..” and “Du..,” which means plenty of practice on how to conjugate their verb forms.

If this leaves your ears wanting more, check out “Ja” (Yes) and “Unter meiner Haut” (Under My Skin).

3. Wir Sind Helden   (Ein Lieblingslied von vielen Deutschklassen -- rsb)

Wir Sind Helden (We Are Heroes) may have broken up in 2012, but their awesome pop legacy still lives on! The band is usually described as being part of the Neue Deutsche Welle scene, a genre that has developed from new wave music and punk rock.

The group, originally from Berlin, used David Bowie’s “Heroes” as inspiration for their name. Just like Silbermond, Wir Sind Helden had a fairly large international following; they even played to three sold out concerts in London in 2006 and 2007. One of their songs also made it on to the EA Sports video game FIFA ’08!

Their breakthrough hit from 2002, “Guten Tag”  (Hello) is another of their songs that’s worth a listen, as is the very popular “Denkmal” (Memorial). But when it comes to nailing German, our favorite has to be “Nur Ein Wort” (Only A Word) thanks to the helpful word cards in the Bob Dylan-inspired video.

4. Nena

It would be wrong to write a blog post on German pop music and not mention one of its first international superstars, so here she is: Nena!

In 1983 her song “99 Luftballons” (99 Red Balloons) was released to critical acclaim across the world. As mentioned before, German pop music crosses a load of different subject matters, and Nena’s “99 Luftballons” is one of the more political songs, with its anti-war lyrics. It’s worth noting that the English version of the song was rewritten, rather than directly translated from the German, so a useful German exercise would be to compare and contrast the two versions.

After her ’80s smash hit, Nena continues to record new albums and still regularly tours. 2002 saw her duet with fellow ’80s icon Kim Wilde in their hit “Anyplace, Anywhere, Anytime.”   (Habt ihr von Kim Wilde gehoert?? -- rsb)

5. Die Fantastischen Vier   (Die da?!  MfG!  SUPER LIEDER! - rsb)

Die Fantastischen Vier (The Fantastic Four), a hip hop group from Stuttgart, were one of the very first groups to rap in German. Just like Die Ärzte, they’ve been on the go since the ’80s, but are still as popular as ever.

“Die Da” is an excellent song choice for learning German, as it features one aspect of grammar that you won’t be taught in schools. Most of the time in spoken German, the Germans will substitute the third person pronoun for a definite article.

Take a look at how they do this in their lyrics:

Es ist die da, die da am eingang steht.(It is her there, who’s standing in the entrance.)

It’s really simple—to do this, simply switch “sie” for “die.”

And that’s also a great example of how to use a relative clause! After the comma, the relative pronoun “die” sends the following verb to the end of the sentence.

Hopefully this post will have whet your appetite for some German tunes. If you pair this with your determination to get to grips with German, then you’ve found one more way to start conquering the language!

NK's KARNEVAL VIDEOS

HIER sind endlich unsere Karnevallieder.
a.  D2 singt mit Nena und denkt an ein geteiltes Deutschland in 99 LUFTBALLONS.
(One group is meant to be from the former East Germany, and the other from the former West Germany; they get together in the end.) 



b... Hier singen die Schüler in D3-4 das tolle Lied, Schöne neue Welt,von Culcha Candela! 



Gut verstanden!
Super Energie!
So was von Spass hat es mir auch gemacht.  Ich danke EUCH!  --rsb

Wie lernt man den Songtext? Vielleicht kann Lyrics Training helfen.

Hier singt Nena 99 Luftballons, als darunter man den Text vollendet.

(As Nena sings the latest version of her song, key in the missing text -- at various levels of difficulty.  The forward and backward buttons can provide help when needed.)

HIER:  99 LUFTBALLONS

http://lyricstraining.com/play/nena/99_luftballons/HfqYNA9SVf#

Leider läuft Schöne neue Welt von Culcha Candela hier bei Lyrics Training (noch) nicht hier in den USA.

Aber ich habe gesehen, dass ich 3. beste war, bei Wise Guys: Nur für dich!  -- rsb

Balloon Music: 99 Luftballons mal anders

 Andrew Huang .... ist jetzt in Deutschland. 



Gunnerrola

Songtext von Nena:  Sing mit!

Hast Du etwas Zeit fur mich,
dann singe ich ein Lied für Dich
von 99 Luftballons
auf ihrem Weg zum Horizont.

Denkst Du vielleicht g'rad an mich,
dann singe ich ein Lied fur Dich,
von 99 Luftballons
und dass so was von so was kommt.

99 Luftballons
auf ihrem Weg zum Horizont,
hielt man fur UFOs aus dem All
darum schickte ein General

'ne Fliegerstaffel hinterher,
Alarm zu geben, wenn es so wär,
dabei war'n da am Horizont
nur 99 Luftballons.

99 Düsenflieger,
jede war ein grosser Krieger.
Hielten sich fur Captain Kirk,
das gab ein grosses Feuerwerk!

Die Nachbarn haben nichts gerafft,
und fühlten sich gleich angemacht,
dabei schoss man am Horizont
auf 99 Luftballons.

99 Kriegsminister-
Streichholz und Benzinkanister-
hielten sich fur schlaue Leute,
witterten schon fette Beute.

Riefen, Krieg und wollten Macht.
Mann, wer hätte das gedacht,
dass es einmal soweit kommt
wegen 99 Luftballons?

99 Luftballons
99 Luftballons

99 Jahre Krieg
ließen keine Platz für Sieger.
Kriegsminister gibt's nicht mehr,
und auch keine Düsenflieger.

Heute zieh' ich meine Runden,
seh' die Welt in Trümmern liegen.
Hab' nen Luftballon gefunden,
denk' an Dich, und lass' ihn fliegen.

.........

Read more: Nena - 99 Luftballons (german) Lyrics | MetroLyrics

Heinos Fanta Vier Cover: MfG (aus 1994)

This song by the Fantastischen Vier cut across the deep cultural divide between hip-hop/rap and tradition. "Mit freundlichen Gruessen" is the complimentary close used in nearly all German business letters.  It was seen as a progressive breakthrough for the younger generation and for rap music when even German bankers, lawyers, and other executives came to write MfG on their correspondence instead of the longer version.

This is one of a dozen or so modern songs Heino recorded this year in the album named MfG.  Other current artists he's covered on this album include die Aerzte (Junge), Peter Fox (Haus am See), Sportfreunde Stiller (Ein Kompliment), Clueso (Gewinner), Nena (Leuchtturm), and Rammstein (Sonne).

As we learned last month, he also covered Rosamunde.