ABC in KMC: Rock me Amadeus!

Germany and Austria have a rich legacy of producing exceptional composers, musicians, and bands who have shaped Western music through the centuries and continue to influence it today. Some from far away Berlin or Vienna, but others from just around the corner.

Johann Sebastian Bach (1685–1750), celebrated for his mastery of counterpoint and harmonic architecture, laid the bedrock for Western tonal music as early as the Baroque Era.

George Frideric Handel (1685–1759) spent much of his career in Britain, but his German roots shine in works like Messiah, Water Music and Music for the Royal Fireworks.

Felix Mendelssohn (1809–1847), a child prodigy turned conductor, gave us the Midsummer Night’s Dream Overture and the oratorio Elijah, blending lyrical grace with Romantic vitality.

Richard Wagner (1813–1883) revolutionized opera with his concept of the Gesamtkunstwerk (total artwork), where epic cycles like The Ring of the Nibelung and Tristan und Isolde forever altered harmonic language and musical drama.

Richard Strauss (1864–1949) was famous for tone poems such as Thus Spoke Zarathustra and Don Juan.

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, born in 1756 in Salzburg, Austria, became the prototype of rock’s future icons. With his rebellious character, he defined what a musician could be — touring, innovating, scandalizing and inspiring. He walked away from prestigious positions when denied creative freedom, was a womanizer, portrayed a rock-star behavior centuries ahead of its time and died at the age of 35.

Ludwig van Beethoven stands unique for the German-Austrian musical connection. Born in Bonn, Germany in 1770, he died in Vienna, Austria in 1827 at the age of 56. Being a German composer and pianist, and one of the most revered figures in the history of Western music, his works rank among the most performed of the classical music repertoire and span the transition from the classical period to the romantic era.

Marlene Dietrich

Born Marie Magdalene Dietrich in 1901 in Berlin Schöneberg, began her career on the Weimar cabaret circuit and in silent films. Her portrayal of Lola Lola in Josef von Sternberg’s “Der blaue Engel” (The Blue Angel, 1930) catapulted her to international stardom and led to a Paramount Pictures contract in Hollywood.

She relocated to the United States in the early 1930s, starring in a string of Hollywood features. Renouncing Nazism, she became a U.S. citizen in 1937 and was one of the highest-paid actresses of the era. Beyond films, Marlene was renowned for her cabaret-style singing. She toured extensively, recording songs like “Lili Marleen” that resonated on both sides of the Atlantic. During World War II, she entertained Allied troops on the front lines, raised morale through USO shows, and actively supported war relief efforts.

The Lion King and Gladiator

As one of today’s most prolific film composers, Hans Zimmer from Frankfurt scores for The Lion King, Gladiator, Inception, Dunkirk and the Dark Knight trilogy and blends electronic and orchestral textures, influencing a generation of soundtrack artists.

Rock you like a hurricane

The Scorpions formed in Hannover in the mid-1970s and quickly became Germany’s foremost hard-rock export. Over a career span of five decades, they’ve released 18 studio albums and sold over 100 million records worldwide. Their signature blend of soaring melodies and crunchy riffs has earned them a place among rock’s most enduring acts.

Their greatest hits include Wind of Change (1989) that peaked at number four, spending 25 weeks on the U.S. billboard chart. Rock You Like a Hurricane (1984), is a hard-rock staple featuring one of rock’s most recognizable riffs.

The Scorpions finally cracked the American market with their 1982 album Blackout. Among the first Western rock bands behind the Iron Curtain, introducing heavy metal to a new audience, the Scorpions starred at the Leningrad and Moscow Music Peace Festival in 1988. In the mid-1980s they also held concerts at Madison Square Garden, with three sold-out nights at the iconic New York venue.

Rammstein

The group Rammstein, originally from East Berlin, is said to have made a mistake by adding an additional “m” to their band name, very much resembling “Ramstein.” The band is considered to be “industrial fire starters” with their harsh and industrial metal sound. The group was founded by guitarist Richard Z. Kruspe, who envisioned a fusion of heavy guitars and machine-like precision. The classic lineup with Till Lindemann has remained unchanged since inception in 1994.

Autobahn

A further group, said to be the pioneers of electronic music, and founded in Düsseldorf in 1970, is Kraftwerk. Kraftwerk’s greatest hit in the USA was Autobahn, which reached number 25 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1975. The 22-minute minimalistic electronic journey resembled a ride down the Autobahn, which we can all refer to! The radio version was trimmed down to three minutes, but helped pave the way for electronic music in mainstream pop. Kraftwerk received a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2014 and was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2021.

Red balloons

Fronted by Gabriele “Nena” Kerner, the band Nena became an international sensation when their anti-Cold War anthem “99 Luftballons” climbed to number two on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1984. Its English version, 99 Red Balloons, cemented their place in MTV era pop history.

At a Rolling Stones concert in West Berlin in 1983, guitarist Carlo Karges saw balloons released into the sky. He imagined what might happen if they floated over the Berlin Wall and were mistaken for a threat. It became a Cold War anthem because it captured the paranoia, absurdity, and tragic consequences of global tensions during that era.

Zedd

Russian-German producer Anton “Zedd” Zaslavski, raised in Kaisers-lautern, weaponized his classical roots and EDM sensibility to create crossover hits like “Clarity,” which peaked as number eight on the Billboard Hot 100. The track won a Grammy for Best Dance Recording, paving the way for producers as headline acts. Zedd has worked with artists like Ariana Grande, Katy Perry, Troye Sivan, and Lady Gaga.

Musikantenland

Mackenbach earned its nickname as a “Musikanten-Dorf” (village) by sending thousands of musicians around the globe and the Westpfalz region has a long legacy of wandering musicians. Mackenbach is hosting the Musikantenlandtag on Aug. 23.

Let’s get together and feel all right!

While Kaiserslautern may not be famed as a hotspot for large-scale concerts, it has played host to a few standout performances worth remembering.

In 1983 the Monsters of Rock Festival took place at Betzenberg stadium (now Fritz-Walter-Stadion), featuring bands such as, Whitesnake, Twisted Sister, Thin Lizzy, Saxon, Motörhead, Meat Loaf, Blue Öyster Cult. It was a milestone event in Germany’s rock history, bringing the raw energy of British and American heavy metal to a roaring crowd in Kaiserslautern.

Another concert at the stadium was during Fleetwood Mac’s Tusk Tour. One of the scheduled bands had to cancel at short notice and was replaced by a surprise guest. The audience of over 20,000 couldn’t believe their eyes, when legendary, one and only, Bob Marley and his Wailers suddenly appeared on the stage on June 8, 1980! A lifetime memory for the fans, as he tragically died in Miami just months later in May 1981. The author of this article was in the lucky crowd that day!

“Rock Me Amadeus,” by singer Falco from Vienna became the first and only German-language song to reach number one on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 in March 1986. The lyrics: “He was a rock star, a punk and loved women. Women adored him too and always cried out c’mon rock me Amadeus!” Full text: https://genius.com/Genius-english-translations-falco-rock-me-amadeus-english-translation-lyrics