Tonspuren Illustration: © Hanka Sedláček
Illustration: © Hanka Sedláček

German popular music & society in the course of time
 Soundtracks

(Pop) culture is closely connected with the socio-political circumstances of its time. With eight German-language songs from eight decades, music journalist Mario Lasar sheds some light on important cultural and social phenomena in (West) German post-war history.

Tonspuren 2020er Illustration: © Hanka Sedláček

Soundtracks of the 2020s: Christin Nichols – “Bodycount”
A new power structure of gender roles

Christin Nichol’s track “Bodycount” (2024) is meant to be understood as an outlook on what the 2020s could one day stand for. Good, glamorous pop music in step with the times, with a progressive, emancipatory claim.

Mario Lasar

Tonspuren 2010er Illustration: © Hanka Sedláček

Soundtracks of the 2010s: Helene Fischer – “Atemlos durch die Nacht” (Breathless through the night)
Great Cinema?

Helene Fischer’s song “Atemlos durch die Nacht” (2013) is certainly the German-language song that achieved the greatest presence in the 2010s. As far as its reception is concerned, it has been associated with a consensual effect that almost encompasses all genres.

Mario Lasar

Tonspuren 2000er Illustration: © Hanka Sedláček

Soundtracks of the 2000s: Die Goldenen Zitronen – “Wenn ich ein Turnschuh wär” (If I were a sneaker)
When things are worth more than people

“Wenn ich ein Turnschuh wär” by Die Goldenen Zitronen from 2005 pre-dates the massive migration movements of 2015, which became known as the Refugee Crisis, by a whole ten years.

Mario Lasar

Tonspuren 1990er Illustration: © Hanka Sedláček

Soundtracks of the 1990s: Blumfeld – “Tausend Tränen tief” (Thousand Tears Deep)
Of new possibilities

After the end of the "Neue Deutsche Welle" (New German Wave; NDW), interest in German-language bands that feel vaguely committed to an "indie" concept was rather limited for a long time. This only changed again in the early 1990s with what was known as the "Hamburg School", which included the band Blumfeld.

Mario Lasar

"Wenn ich ein Turnschuh wär" is also an important track from another aspect: it establishes an implicit connection between goods produced cheaply outside Europe on the basis of exploitation and the cynical degradation of non-European people.

Die Goldenen Zitronen, "Wenn ich ein Turnschuh wär"

Tonspuren 1980er Illustration: © Hanka Sedláček

Soundtracks of the 1980s: Joachim Witt – “Der Goldene Reiter” (The Golden Horseman)
Concrete and neon lights

The song “Der Goldene Reiter” (1980) by Joachim Witt can be categorized in the "Neue Deutsche Welle" genre (New German Wave; NDW). Everything under that brand umbrella today needs to be considered in a differentiated way. Having originally started as a newcomer grass-roots movement based on the DIY idea of punk, the term’s scope of reference has broadened over time.

Mario Lasar

Tonspuren 1970er Illustration: © Hanka Sedláček

Soundtracks of the 1970s: Udo Jürgens – “Tausend Jahre sind ein Tag” (A Thousand Years are One Day)
An unusual alliance between green politics and Schlager hits

Anyone who grew up in the early 80s in West Germany is sure to be familiar with both the series “Es war einmal … der Mensch” and the song “Tausend Jahre sind ein Tag”. But the song by Udo Jürgens also developed a life of its own beyond that, as part of the album “Udo ʼ80”, which despite the title was released back in 1979.

Mario Lasar

Tonspuren 1960er Illustration: © Hanka Sedláček

Soundtracks of the 1960s: Franz Josef Degenhardt – "Spiel nicht mit den Schmuddelkindern" (Don't play with the grubby kids)
 A poetic moral portrait of class society

As a songwriter (and lawyer), Franz Josef Degenhardt had certainly expressed his explicitly left-wing views on sociopolitical themes by 1968. His most famous song to date, "Spiel nicht mit den Schmuddelkindern" from 1965, takes an agitation-free and more sophisticated approach – and can still command relevance today.

Mario Lasar

Tonspuren 1950er Illustration: © Hanka Sedláček

Soundtracks of the 1950s: Fred Bertelmann – “Der lachende Vagabund" (The Laughing Vagabond)
 Just don’t overdo it with the freedom!

"Der lachende Vagabund" (1957) as performed by Fred Bertelmann is one of the best sellers in the German music industry. Within a short time two million copies of the single were sold in Germany alone, with the total standing at 3.5 million. By comparison – "She Loves You" is the most successful Beatles single in the United Kingdom, of which 1.9 million were sold.

Mario Lasar