Tag: germany

From Mountain Mamas to Munich: John Denver’s ‘Country Roads’ Winds Through Oktoberfest

October 23, 2018

Picture this: A group of rowdy friends is gathered ’round, clinking overflowing beer steins and sing-shouting the words to their favorite Oktoberfest songs. After a few dozen traditional German marches and time-honored oompah hits, a chorus breaks out: “West Virginia, mountain mama!” It’s a strange scene to some, but it’s become increasingly common among Oktoberfest celebrations.

John Denver’s folksy classic “Take Me Home, Country Roads” has been a symbol of Americana since its 1971 release. But somewhat surprisingly, the warm and intimate spirit of the song is also floating through beer halls around the world—and Germany in particular—as an essential sonic component of Oktoberfest, the fall festival that honors good beer, good friends, and good times.

Need proof? Our data shows that streams of the song increase in both the U.S. and Germany as Oktoberfest approaches each year—and “Country Roads” is only getting more popular. On September 22, the first day of Oktoberfest 2018, the song was streamed almost 190,000 times in Germany—that’s a 34 percent increase from last year. In the U.S., it was streamed more than 850,000 times—a 21 percent increase from the previous year.

European festival goers have come to embrace iconic sing-along American hits like Neil Diamond’s “Sweet Caroline.” “Country Roads” holds special status, though, and while the reason isn’t crystal clear, the answer may lie in John Denver’s heritage. He grew up in the U.S., but Denver was actually part German: Born in New Mexico in 1943 as Henry John Deutschendorf, he even has an official German fan club. (Sign up for the newsletter to find out how you can participate in the club’s annual three-day “John Denver Weekend” event.)

Denver recorded “Country Roads” in New York and it was an instant hit, reaching No. 2 on the Billboard singles chart in August 1971. Since then, the song has been covered numerous times by American and international artists alike: Hermes House Band, a popular Dutch party band, even had a top 10 hit in the U.K. with their version. Ironically, when the song’s writer, Bill Danoff, was quoted on NPR around the song’s 40th anniversary, he admitted that at the time of penning the lyrics, he’d never even been to West Virginia. “[It] might as well have been in Europe, for all I know,” he said, which makes a lot of sense. At its core, the song is about the feeling of belonging—a sentiment that brings people together no matter where they’re from.

“The radio reminds me of my home far away,” Denver croons, and you can feel the aching in his voice. “Driving down the road I get a feeling that I should have been home yesterday.” Blurring the line between homesickness and happiness, “Country Roads” offers a pure, emotional connection—and the perfect drunken sing-along—during Oktoberfest and all year long.

Mystery, Murder, and Storytelling in the World of German Hip-Hop

June 19, 2018

Set against Berlin’s hip-hop scene is a music journalist’s dark tale. Insane interview subjects, artist breakdowns, festival freak-outs and, ultimately, a murder. Intrigued? All this could easily be the premise of the next great action movie, but instead, it’s the newest fictional podcast hitting headphones across Germany: Visa Vie’s “Das allerletzte Interview.”

The podcast, which translates into English as “The Very Last Interview,” is a fictional crime story that draws from the experiences of one of Germany’s most highly respected hip-hop journalists, Visa Vie, who knows the German hip-hop scene from the inside out. Now, she’s turned to podcasting, combining hip-hop with one of her other passions: crime stories.

The whodunit tells the story of a loner named Clara who wrangles her way into the role of a head editor for Germany’s biggest hip-hop magazine. However, Clara has a sinister intention. Her goal is to kill Germany’s most popular rapper—but only after their very last interview.

Visa Vie had been formulating the story for quite some time. Although it was drawn from her own experiences, writing and producing the podcast wasn’t easy. “For me, the whole project was one of the biggest challenges of my career,” says Visa Vie. “I’m just incredibly proud to publish the first hip-hop crime series in Germany on Spotify.”

Visa Vie herself

 

Though modern German music is most commonly associated with rock or techno, the country’s hip-hop scene has grown since the 1980s, evolving into an equally important part of its musical culture. German hip-hop is home to a diverse range of styles that incorporates voices from the Turkish community, among other ethnic groups, that shape modern Germany. The Spotify playlist “Modus Mio,” a playlist for the German rap generation, has a huge presence on the platform, with over 740k followers.

“Das allerletzte Interview” isn’t the only fictional podcast to garner listener interest and streams. The American podcast “Welcome to Night Vale” has hooked its audience on tense and grisly tales of crime since 2012. It’s perhaps the intimate nature of putting in headphones and immersing ourselves in a story that has made crime and mystery podcasts so popular. Listeners are eagerly tearing through entire series as quickly as they can to uncover the truth and discuss their theories with friends.

Now, more storytellers around the world are writing podcasts. The growing number of people streaming (rather than just downloading stories) has helped to make Spotify the number two podcast-listening destination in the world. It means when people tune in, it’s not just music they’re listening to anymore. “Spotify has evolved from a pure music to an audio platform,” says Michael Krause, Managing Director EMEA of Spotify. “Podcasts and audiobooks are streaming a lot, especially in Germany, and have seen a tremendous upswing over the past year.”

Fictional podcasts and other forms of audio storytelling have surged in popularity in recent years. Spotify has even expanded its original podcast offering to help listeners find their new obsession, be it fictional stories, mindfulness tips, or Stanley Cup debates. The allure, says Michael, is obvious. “The fact that we have the hip-hop crime story from Visa Vie on board for the fourth German Spotify Original Podcast is great. Rarely has a thriller been written with so much passion, background knowledge and references to the German rap scene.”

So whether you’re into fact, fiction, or something in between, look out for more and more audio options to take you to a world even beyond music.

“Das allerletzte Interview,” Visa Vie’s 10-part crime/hip hop series, hits Spotify June 19.