Udo Jürgens
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Udo Jürgens (born 30 September 1934 in Klagenfurt, Carinthia, Austria as Jürgen Udo Bockelmann), is a composer and singer of popular music who, although he has been very successful for more than four decades, is little known outside the German-speaking world, almost all of his successful lyrics have been written and performed in German.
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[edit] Career
In 1950 Jürgens won a composer contest organised by Austrian public-service broadcaster ORF with the song Je t'aime. In 1960 he wrote the world hit Reach for the Stars interpreted by Shirley Bassey. In 1964 he represented Austria for the first time at the Eurovision Song Contest with the song Warum, nur warum? ending fifth. The UK participant Matt Monro was so impressed that he covered the song as Walk Away, which reached number four in the UK charts and number 23 in the US. His song Sag ihr, ich lass sie grüßen came fourth in 1965's Contest, and in 1966 he won the Eurovision for Austria with his song Merci, Chérie.
In the years which followed he wrote several German evergreens, like Griechischer Wein, Aber bitte mit Sahne, Mit 66 Jahren, and – one of his biggest successes – Buenos Días, Argentina, which he performed together with the German football team in 1978. Because Jürgens, who enjoyed a thorough musical education, always accompanies himself on the piano, he is sometimes compared to Billy Joel, but unlike him is backed not by a rock band, but by a full 18-piece Big Band.
In 1977 Udo invited The Supremes to appear as guests on his televised and recorded gala concert. The Supremes (Mary Wilson, Scherrie Payne, and Susaye Green), who were on a brief farewell tour of Europe at the time. performed two of their own current hits, You Are The Heart of Me and You're My Driving Wheel, as well as a duet with Udo, Walk Away in English.
In 2000, Jürgens celebrated his 66th birthday, proving that the title of his 1977 song Mit 66 Jahren (Mit 66 Jahren, da fängt das Leben an — At 66, that's when life begins) also holds true for himself. Jürgens still tours and regularly appears on television, both in shows and in made-for-TV films. He usually attracts large crowds covering all age groups. For many years now, the tabloid press have cast him as a womanizer, and several women have claimed that he is the father of their children. In September 2003 the tabloid newspaper Bild revealed that Jürgens had secretly married his long-term companion Corinna in New York on 4 July 1999.
[edit] Family
Jürgens's brother Manfred Bockelmann (born 1943) is a painter; his daughter by his first marriage, Jenny Jürgens (born 1967), is an actress; his uncle Werner Bockelmann was mayor of Frankfurt am Main.
[edit] Discography
- Portrait in Musik 1.Folge (1965)
- Siebzehn Jahr, blondes Haar (1965)
- Francoise und Udo (1966)
- Portrait in Musik 2.Folge (1967)
- Was ich Dir sagen will (1967)
- Udo (1968)
- Mein Lied für Dich (1968)
- Udo Live (1969)
- Udo'70 (1969)
- Udo'71 (1970)
- Zeig mir den Platz an der Sonne (1971)
- Helden, Helden (Musical) (1972)
- Ich bin wieder da (1972)
- Johnny und Jenny (Alle Kinder dieser Welt) (1973)
- Udo heute (1974)
- Meine Lieder (1975)
- Udo'75 Ein neuer Morgen (1975)
- Meine Lieder 2 (1976)
- Meine Lieder'77 (1977)
- Buenos Dias Argentina (Football World-Championship) (1978)
- Udo 1957-60 (1980)
- Nur ein Lächeln (1980)
- Udo'80 (1980)
- Leave a little love (1981)
- Willkommen in meinem Leben (1981)
- Silberstreifen (1982)
- Traumtänzer (1983)
- Hautnah (1984)
- Treibjagd (1985)
- Deinetwegen (1986)
- Das blaue Album (1988)
- Ohne Maske (1989)
- Sempre Roma (Football World-Championship) (1990)
- Das Traumschiff (Soundtrack) (1990)
- Open air Symphony (1992)
- Geradeaus (1992)
- Cafe Größenwahn (1993)
- 140 Tage Cafe Größenwahn Tour 94/95 (1994)
- Zärtlicher Chaot (1995)
- Gestern-heute-morgen (1996)
- Ich werde da sein (1999)
- Mit 66 Jahren (was wichtig ist) (2000)
- Es lebe das Laster (2002)
- Es werde Licht (2003)
[edit] Trivia
In the early 1990s, German thrash metal band Sodom released a 'metalized' cover of Aber Bitte mit Sahne (I'll have whipped cream with that), an Udo Jurgen's song about unattractive girls making up for amorous delusions with dessert-eating binges.
[edit] External links
- Jürgens's songs in English (from a fan page)
- Excerpts from a thesis on Jürgens (2002) by Christian Mädler (in German)
| Eurovision winners | |
|---|---|
| 1950s | Lys Assia | Corry Brokken | André Claveau | Teddy Scholten |
| 1960s | Jacqueline Boyer | Jean-Claude Pascal | Isabelle Aubret | Grethe and Jørgen Ingmann | Gigliola Cinquetti | France Gall | Udo Jürgens | Sandie Shaw | Massiel | Frida Boccara | Lenny Kuhr | Lulu | Salomé |
| 1970s | Dana | Séverine | Vicky Leandros | Anne-Marie David | ABBA | Teach-In | Brotherhood of Man | Marie Myriam | Izhar Cohen & Alphabeta | Gali Atari & Milk and Honey |
| 1980s | Johnny Logan | Bucks Fizz | Nicole | Corinne Hermès | Herreys | Bobbysocks | Sandra Kim | Johnny Logan | Celine Dion | Riva |
| 1990s | Toto Cutugno | Carola | Linda Martin | Niamh Kavanagh | Paul Harrington & Charlie McGettigan | Secret Garden | Eimear Quinn | Katrina and the Waves | Dana International | Charlotte Nilsson |
| 2000s | Olsen Brothers | Tanel Padar, Dave Benton & 2XL | Marie N | Sertab Erener | Ruslana | Elena Paparizou | Lordi |
| Preceded by France Gall |
Winner of the Eurovision Song Contest 1966 |
Succeeded by Sandie Shaw |
