Udo Jürgens

Udo Jürgens
Udo Jürgens in 2010
Background information
Born	30 September 1934 (1934-09-30)
Origin	Klagenfurt, Austria
Genres	Soft rock, Pop, Schlager
Occupations	Singer
Instruments	Vocals, piano
Years active	1950–present
Website	Official website (German)

Udo Jürgens (born Udo Jürgen Bockelmann, 30 September 1934, Klagenfurt, Carinthia, Austria) is an Austrian composer and singer of popular music whose career spans over fifty years. He has written more than 800 songs and sold over 100 million records.

He is credited with broadening German-language pop music beyond the traditional postwar schlager in the 1960s by infusing it with a modern pop appeal; his exceptionally tuneful compositions and sophisticated arrangements attract fans of all ages, and even in his 70s he continues to fill the largest concert venues in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland.^{[citation needed]}

Udo Jürgens, 1987

Career

In 1950, he won a composer contest organized by Austria's public broadcasting channel ORF with the song "Je t'aime". He wrote the 1961 worldwide hit "Reach for the Stars", sung by Shirley Bassey.

In 1964, he represented Austria for the first time at the Eurovision Song Contest with the song "Warum nur warum?", finishing sixth. The UK participant, Matt Monro, was impressed with the melody and covered the song (with English lyrics by his manager Don Black) as "Walk Away", which reached number four in the UK Singles Chart and number 23 in the US Billboard Hot 100 chart.

Jürgens' song "Sag ihr, ich lass sie grüßen" came fourth in 1965's contest, and in 1966 he won the competition with "Merci, Chérie", which became an English-language hit for Vince Hill, another cover by Monro, and one of Jürgens' most recognized compositions. Jürgens' version alone sold over one million copies, and he was awarded a gold disc by Deutsche Vogue in 1966.

In the following years, he wrote some of his most famous songs, 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 national football team in 1978.

In 1977, he 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 Jürgens, "Walk Away" in English.

In 1979, he released a disco album entitled Udo '80. It produced a hit song "Ich weiß was ich will". This song was also released as a 12 inch disco single in an extended remix for discotheques.

On 2 December 2007, the musical Ich war noch niemals in New York (I've never been to New York) opened in Hamburg's Operettenhaus. It weaves songs by Jürgens into a familial storyline, similar to the treatment of ABBA songs in Mamma Mia!, the musical it succeeded at the venue.

Cover versions

Matt Monro was the pre-eminent interpreter of Jürgens' music in the English-speaking world. "Illusionen" was adapted by Black for Monro in 1977 as "If I Never Sing Another Song," and later performed by Shirley Bassey and Sammy Davis, Jr..

In the early 1990s, the German thrash metal band Sodom released a 'metalized' cover of "Aber Bitte mit Sahne".

In 2009 the German band Sportfreunde Stiller covered the "Ich war noch niemals in New York" together with Jürgens on their MTV Unplugged concert in Munich.

Family

• His brother, Manfred Bockelmann (born 1943), is a painter.
• His son by first marriage, John Jürgens (born 1964), is a singer, actor and DJ.
• His daughter by his first marriage, Jenny Jürgens (born 1967), is an actress.
• His uncle, Werner Bockelmann (1907–1968), was mayor of Frankfurt am Main from 1957 to 1964.

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 wie die Sonne aufgeht (1971)
• Helden, Helden (Musical) (1972)
• Ich bin wieder da (1972)
• Udo heute (1974)
• Meine Lieder (1975)
• Udo '75 (Ein neuer Morgen) (1975)
• Meine Lieder 2 (1976)
• Meine Lieder '77 (1977)
• Buenos Días Argentina (Football World-Championship) (1978)
• Udo '88 (1979)
• Udo 1957–60 (1980)
• Nur ein Lächeln (1980)
• Leave a little love (1981)
• Willkommen in meinem Leben (1981)
• Silberstreifen (1982)
• Traumtänzer (1983)
• Hautnah (1984)
• Treibjagd (1985)
• Deinetwegen (1986)
• Das Live-Konzert '87 (1987)
• Das blaue Album (1988)
• Ohne Maske (1989)
• Sempre Roma (Football World-Championship) (1990)
• Das Traumschiff (Soundtrack) (1990)
• Open air Symphony mit Anscheissen (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)
• Jetzt oder nie (2005)
• Einfach ich (2008)
• Einfach ich Live (2009)
• Der ganz normale Wahnsinn (2011)

External links

• Excerpts from a thesis on Jürgens (2002) by Christian Mädler (German)
• Official website (German)
• Udo Jürgens discography at Discogs
• Udo Jürgens at the Internet Movie Database
• (German) Udo Jürgens - Ich war noch niemals in New York Musical

Awards and achievements
Preceded by France Gall with "Poupée de cire, poupée de son"	Winner of the Eurovision Song Contest 1966	Succeeded by Sandie Shaw with "Puppet on a String"
Preceded by Carmela Corren	Austria in the Eurovision Song Contest 1964–1966	Succeeded by Peter Horton