# German covers of popular American songs **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [September 5, 2007, 12:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/german-covers-of-popular-american-songs/418067 "2007-09-05T00:51:15Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![steadierfooting](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/43a26b/32.png) [@steadierfooting](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/steadierfooting)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2007, 12:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/german-covers-of-popular-american-songs/418067/1 "2007-09-05T00:51:15Z")
I’m having an Oktoberfest party at the end of the month, and am looking for some popular American songs that were covered/translated into German. We’re a group of mid to late 20’s who are predominately into rock alternative, but are willing to settle for almost anything for it’s campiness. I don’t know where to start, suggestions? HELP! ---
**Author:** ![An\_Gadai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@An\_Gadai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/An_Gadai)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2007, 12:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/german-covers-of-popular-american-songs/418067/2 "2007-09-05T00:55:00Z")
The Beatles did some of their songs in German. She Loves You ie “Sie liebt dich” and “Komm gib mir deine Hand”/“I Want to Hold Your Hand”. ---
**Author:** ![steadierfooting](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/43a26b/32.png) [@steadierfooting](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/steadierfooting)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2007, 1:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/german-covers-of-popular-american-songs/418067/3 "2007-09-05T01:33:36Z")
Thanks! That opened it up to a few more that I found on search engines, Ria Solar - Lollipop - [in German] (1958) The Beach Boys - Ganz Allein - [In My Room] Peter and Alex - Wir Wollen Nach Haus - [Sloop John B] Dionne Warwick - Geh Vorbei - [Walk On By] The Supremes - Where Did Our Love Go? The Temptations - Mein Girl - [My Girl] Vierzehn - Stein Um Stein - [Another Brick in the Wall] 12 - GLS United - Rapper’s Deutsch Seems searching for ‘foreign language tracks’ helps a bit ---
**Author:** ![An\_Gadai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@An\_Gadai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/An_Gadai)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2007, 2:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/german-covers-of-popular-american-songs/418067/4 "2007-09-05T02:43:00Z")
There’s also of course Nena’s 99 Luftballoons, although that was a German song Americanised, still yiz would get a kick out of it. Also remember to get Rock Me Amadeus. ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2007, 2:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/german-covers-of-popular-american-songs/418067/5 "2007-09-05T02:47:20Z")
If you want to forego the camp factor, see if you can find anything by a band called _Wir Sind Helden_ (“We Are Heroes”). It won’t matter if you can’t understand the lyrics, the music rocks. ---
**Author:** ![An\_Gadai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@An\_Gadai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/An_Gadai)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2007, 3:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/german-covers-of-popular-american-songs/418067/6 "2007-09-05T03:01:10Z")
They are a great band and you reminded me of another one David Bowie’s German version of Heroes, called Helden. Es ist schlecht. ---
**Author:** ![thelurkinghorror](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7c8e57/32.png) [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2007, 4:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/german-covers-of-popular-american-songs/418067/7 "2007-09-05T04:33:48Z")
Although Laibach is Slovenian, they mostly use English and German. They covered Queen’s “One Vision” as “Geburt einer Nation” and Opus’ “Live is Life” as “Leben heißt Leben.” ---
**Author:** ![Quasimodem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/e274bd/32.png) [@Quasimodem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quasimodem)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2007, 5:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/german-covers-of-popular-american-songs/418067/8 "2007-09-05T05:16:28Z")
[QUOTE=steadierfooting] I’m having an Oktoberfest party at the end of the month, and am looking for some popular American songs that were covered/translated into German. We’re a group of mid to late 20’s who are predominately into rock alternative, but are willing to settle for almost anything for it’s campiness. I don’t know where to start, suggestions? HELP! [/QUOTE] “Tom Dooley” - The German version “Hier ist die Geschichte von Tom Dooley, aus Tennesse” Translated: “This is the story of Tom Dooley”… from the Kingston Trio, of course. I first heard it when my German grandfather played it on a 45, but it stayed with me, and now it is one of my all time favorite tunes to play on the guitar and sing in German. I know y’all are in the late 20’s and you probably won’t be able to identify with this tune, but I just saw your post, and thought you might be interested. Also, please check out Falco (if that hasn’t already been mentioned). Have fun! Q ---
**Author:** ![devilsknew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4da419/32.png) [@devilsknew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/devilsknew)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2007, 5:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/german-covers-of-popular-american-songs/418067/9 "2007-09-05T05:58:40Z")
I heard a great German rendition of _My Ding-a-ling_ by a hip oompa band back in the 80’s. I told the German Dude I was with that it was an American Song. He refused to believe that Chuck Berry did it. He thought it was a German song. ---
**Author:** ![Quasimodem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/e274bd/32.png) [@Quasimodem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quasimodem)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2007, 6:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/german-covers-of-popular-american-songs/418067/10 "2007-09-05T06:20:55Z")
[QUOTE=devilsknew] I heard a great German rendition of _My Ding-a-ling_ by a hip oompa band back in the 80’s. I told the German Dude I was with that it was an American Song. He refused to believe that Chuck Berry did it. He thought it was a German song. [/QUOTE] Hmmm. Think of the rhythm, DK: dot-dot-duh-dah, dot-dot-duh-dah, dot-dot duh -dah “is the cutest thing”? Who knows? Sounds Cherman to me, bei Gott! J/K B~ ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2007, 1:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/german-covers-of-popular-american-songs/418067/11 "2007-09-05T13:17:41Z")
This isn’t exactly what you asked for, but you may want to use some of the music of [Trio](http://www.amazon.com/Da-Trio/dp/B000001EWS/ref=pd_bbs_2/105-6453067-4059644?ie=UTF8&s=music&qid=1188997954&sr=1-2), who are best known from the Volkswagen ad featuring their song “Da Da Da.” ---
**Author:** ![capybara](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/capybara/32/202_2.png) [@capybara](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/capybara)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2007, 3:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/german-covers-of-popular-american-songs/418067/12 "2007-09-05T15:09:09Z")
Oh, my, you have to get ahold of some Max Raabe & Palastorchester. Nice Weimar-swing-style covers of Let’s Talk About Sex and Oops I Did it Again and Super Trooper and Tainted Love and such. ---
**Author:** ![Sean\_Factotum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/50afbb/32.png) [@Sean\_Factotum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sean_Factotum)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2007, 3:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/german-covers-of-popular-american-songs/418067/13 "2007-09-05T15:16:01Z")
David Bowie recorded “Heroes” in German. Along with just about every other spoken language. ---
**Author:** ![devilsknew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4da419/32.png) [@devilsknew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/devilsknew)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2007, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/german-covers-of-popular-american-songs/418067/14 "2007-09-05T17:32:15Z")
[QUOTE=Quasimodem] Hmmm. Think of the rhythm, DK: dot-dot-duh-dah, dot-dot-duh-dah, dot-dot duh -dah “is the cutest thing”? Who knows? Sounds Cherman to me, bei Gott! J/K B~ [/QUOTE] I forget the German translation of the lyrics, but it was damn funny and surreal at the time to hear the song in German, all the way down to the audience singing along with cues and callbacks. Mein Ding-a-Ling… ---
**Author:** ![Quasimodem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/e274bd/32.png) [@Quasimodem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quasimodem)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2007, 2:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/german-covers-of-popular-american-songs/418067/15 "2007-09-07T02:09:53Z")
[QUOTE=devilsknew] I forget the German translation of the lyrics, but it was damn funny and surreal at the time to hear the song in German, all the way down to the audience singing along with cues and callbacks. Mein Ding-a-Ling… [/QUOTE] Haven’t used this in a while, but **ROTFLMAO**!!! Sorry, I’m half-kraut meinself, and that is just damn funny to visualize!!! **MEIN!** **Ding-a-Ling** Q ---
**Author:** ![Argent\_Towers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e8c25b/32.png) [@Argent\_Towers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Argent_Towers)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2007, 2:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/german-covers-of-popular-american-songs/418067/16 "2007-09-07T02:25:49Z")
Also originally German and then covered in English, the original _Mack the Knife._ ---
**Author:** ![ZebraShaSha](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/eada6e/32.png) [@ZebraShaSha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZebraShaSha)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2007, 2:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/german-covers-of-popular-american-songs/418067/17 "2007-09-07T02:58:12Z")
_Downtown_, originally by Petula Clark. No contest. Best German song ever. ---
**Author:** ![Revtim](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/revtim/32/1042_2.png) [@Revtim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revtim)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2007, 1:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/german-covers-of-popular-american-songs/418067/18 "2007-09-07T13:00:30Z")
Peter Gabriel did at least 1 album completely in German, it included a German version of ‘Shock The Monkey’. ---
**Author:** ![China\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/779978/32.png) [@China\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/China_Guy)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2007, 1:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/german-covers-of-popular-american-songs/418067/19 "2007-09-07T13:23:54Z")
Nina Hagen did 99 red ballons in German ---
**Author:** ![Revtim](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/revtim/32/1042_2.png) [@Revtim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revtim)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2007, 1:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/german-covers-of-popular-american-songs/418067/20 "2007-09-07T13:33:51Z")
[QUOTE=China Guy] Nina Hagen did 99 red ballons in German [/QUOTE] Did you mean Nena, or did Nina Hagen actually cover the song? [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/german-covers-of-popular-american-songs/418067.md?page=2)