Maybe the following may seem a bit verbose to you all, but please be patient with me – it’s my first contribution. Thank you for taking me on board!
I. From Coolness to Depression (the English part)
Tanita Tikaram – Twist in my Sobriety: I don't know whether this song ever made it to the States, but in Europe, it was a groundbreaking success for the Malaysian-British singer born in Germany. For me, this song conveys an encouragement to go on, regarding some of the people we meet and leave behind as what they are: nothing more than a twist in our sobriety.
Timbaland feat. Onerepublic – Apologize: This is something I very personally associate with break-up. In Europe, this track was played by almost every radio station because of its rank in the charts at the time when I indeed had to get over the break-up of a long-time relationship.
Pet Shop Boys - I Don't Know what You Want but I Can't Give it Anymore: Would you mind if I simply called it a classic?
Soft Cell – Say Hello, Wave Good-bye (Almighty Radio Edit): This song was covered several times by different musicians. One of the most beautiful covers was recorded by David Gray and put on his album White Ladder. Anyway, there, the text is modified, and I like the text as a whole. The present cover was part of what was intended to become Soft Cell's comeback by the beginning of the new century, which seems to have failed. The disco sound and the sad text result in a silly combination.
Bruce Springsteen – Streets of Philadelphia: Thanks to one of the best American songwriters for giving us this wonderful ballad as a soundtrack to the famous movie. Perhaps it does not meet the core meaning of break-up, but the departure of people we love seems to me closely linked to the topic.
Diana Krall – Walk on by: Break-ups frequently have an important impact on our self-esteem and pride. Even if it may sound a bit too defensive, from my viewpoint, this aspect is in a most beautiful way turned into this song interpreted by Diana Krall.
Suzanne Vega – The Queen and The Soldier: Some twenty-five years old, this song still fascinates me because of its disturbing and fiery text.
Sinead O'Connor – Nothing Compares 2U: Probably millions of European teenagers of my generation danced slow-motion to the music of this ingenious ballad in the early 1990s without having the faintest idea of its wonderful text's emotional depth.
II. From Melancholy to Pragmatism (the German part)
Reinhard May – Nein, ich lass' dich nicht allein: This song is somewhat the German equivalent to Bruce Springsteen's Philadelphia (though it has not become part of a movie soundtrack). Its story is about accompanying a beloved one until his or her passing away.
Herbert Grönemeyer – Schmetterlinge im Eis: Herbert is certainly one of the most famous and successful German songwriters. He doesn’t really have a beautiful voice or good technique in singing, but his texts and arrangements are outstanding. Butterflies in the ice, as this song is called, was published in 1998 before by the end of that year, he lost within three days his wife and his brother Wilhelm.
Thomas D. feat. Nina Hagen – Solo: When being published in the 1990s, this track was a big success in Germany, which had a lot to do with names: Thomas D. is a member of Die Fantastischen Vier (The Fantastic Four), the founding fathers of the German hip hop movement. Nina Hagen is a singer for more than 30 years now, and she escaped from the GDR in her younger years. She is really famous for her flashy performances. The chorus sung by her says: You have stolen my heart // I don't know whether you knew it // you bastard have done it // have loved me as if there was no tomorrow // until tomorrow came.
Heinz-Rudolph Kunze – Alles gelogen: Please allow me to introduce you to the philosopher and poet among German songwriters. Heinz-Rudolph’s texts are so condensed and mysterious that it usually takes long to understand their – or sometimes by interpretation, rather give them a – meaning. In this song, he describes an attrited partnership which is upheld only in pretense.
Silly – Hurensöhne: The band who presents this song is one of the few bands from Eastern Germany having survived the German reunification. They were very famous in the GDR, their texts being often ambivalent in order to pass the government's censorship and at the same time to comment on the difficulties within the political and social system. However, this song is not so much a political one but simply states: Sons of bitches don't know what love is // they know how to make love // they don't lie and swear // because they come and go the same night.
Sabrina Setlur – Du liebst mich nicht: Attention, this is a former short-time girlfriend of Boris Becker! Strangely, the break-up with him really seems to have thrown her a curve. Since then, she has not succeeded anymore in publishing a remarkable hit whereas before, she had been a German top act in the charts. The song's title is in English: You don't love me, and the song is about a thoughtless guy putting off his girlfriend by his ugly behavior.
Annett Louisan – Sexy Loverboy: Annett is a singer who is being already for some years really successful in bringing a bit of chanson feeling into the German music scene. The message of this playfully arranged song is: Where is it put down that we can only lose our heart once at the same time in the big city?
Rummelsnuff – Mandy: This is a very recent German cover of Barry Manilow's tearjerker. I love the irony conveyed by the crude mixture of the strong bass line and the bear-like voice of the singer. A final not to be taken too seriously for this compilation.
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