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.

Firstly it should be pointed out that Der lachende Vagabund is an adaptation of the American country song Gambler’s Guitar, a song released in 1953. The original never actually achieved the same popularity as the German-language version, which was even a success in the USA. Although Germany had “risen from the ruins” thanks to the economic miracle (as per the words of the East German national anthem Auferstanden aus Ruinen), there was a prevailing tendency towards adaptation.

In the aftermath of the liberation by the Allies, the (West) German post-war spirit was primarily influenced by the Anglo-American culture. Former GI Gus Backus, who landed a hit with the absurd Da sprach der alte Häuptling der Indianer (Said the Old Indian Chief), can be cited as an example here. But there was also British presenter Chris Howland, who made his career as a radio DJ under the alias Mr. Pumpernickel. These performers adapted to the defeated nation in that they sang, or spoke, in German. Their strong accent can only have enhanced the exotic charm.

Fred Bertelmann could not offer an outlandish accent. The single Der lachende Vagabund derived its exoticism from the fact that it references an American country song. The track simply soaked up that spirit of freedom associated with the USA, especially in the 1950s. However, country music is far removed from the rebellious manner of rock ‘n’ roll. Just don’t overdo it with the freedom! That’s another potential explanation for the success of Der lachende Vagabund in Germany – a country that whilst seeking contact with the “other” did not aspire to do so at the expense of the newly gained stability.

The principle of moderate exoticism is really highlighted in Der lachende Vagabund when you include the lyrics. The protagonist visits foreign countries. He drifts along, he’s free – and thereby deviates to an extreme degree from the cliché of the disciplined, focused German.

At the same time the lyrics parallelize the German hankering for tourism, which was emerging in the 50s. Whereas this (even in the reality of the "Wirtschaftswunder") depends on your bank balance, the yearning for adventure in the song lyrics is highly idealized: the vagabond muddles through with no money. And yet: “My world is colorful.” If you watch German color movies from the 50s nowadays, they often appear (or are) colorized and artificial. The colorful world of the vagabond reflects a fiction that he creates to justify his own existence.

And yet it is from these fictions that we recognize the post-war era, specifically because they stand out so garishly. The tendency towards grand gestures, towards exaggeration whilst at the same time preserving the form/norm, is what defines the ethos of German pop culture in the 50s. If the refrain of Der lachende Vagabund consists of blood-curdling laughter, this initially suggests that the boundaries of the Schlager genre have been crossed. Indeed the laugh can also be interpreted as an invitation. Laughter as an affirmation, an establishment of trust and affection. The laugh is telling us: the Germans have changed for the better.

I remember finding the vagabond’s laughter scary as a child. Isn’t that how a psychopath laughs just before he slits the throat of his next victim? Maybe the laughing vagabond is not a friendly fellow.

At the time of its release, the vagabond’s laugh was probably interpreted more as an expression of innocent, unadulterated joy. If you assume that identification is always an aspect of pop culture, the conclusion springs to mind that millions of Germans simply wanted to see themselves in that light when they made that song into a hit: innocent and open towards strangers. So a national projection of Alexander Kluge’s Abschied von Gestern (Yesterday Girl) was taking place in Der lachende Vagabund.
 

05/2024