My collection of great German Songs to sing at Karaoke.

My job at Alpine Village did not happen by accident, it came about largely in part because of my love for German culture. Of all of the more practical foreign languages I could have studied in school, I chose German because it seemed like so much more fun. I even spent a year abroad in Erfurt for what should have been my senior year of high school. My American friends couldn’t believe that I would give up the year that they had been looking forward to since the beginning of school. I didn’t see it that way though. I know I gained something much more valuable than a senior prom or graduation. Those who know me well now also know that one of my other great passions in life is karaoke. It’s such an adrenaline rush to stand in front of a room of strangers and belt out a song you love. It’s like sharing a piece of yourself, and because karaoke crowds are comprised of some of the most supportive people you’ll ever meet, you’re left with a great feeling of warmth and acceptance. You can imagine how happy I am that we now have Bierhall Karaoke every Thursday night at the Alpine Village Restaurant. So in celebration, I’ve put together a list of 10 great German songs that are sure to be a hit for German fans and karaoke fans alike!

Peter Schilling – Major Tom (Coming Home)

In 1983, West German Peter Schilling recorded Major Tom (Völlig losgelöst) a song which tells the story of David Bowie’s character Major Tom from his 1969 song Space Oddity. The song rose quickly to number one in the German speaking world, then Schilling re-recorded it in English and it swept the New Wave scene in the US, UK, Canada, and South Africa. You’ll recognize it immediately by the hook that starts, “4, 3, 2, 1, earth below us…” With this very catchy hook and a great synth sound, this song makes a great sing along at any karaoke night in English or the original German.

Falco – Rock Me Amadeus

If you don’t speak German, you may have a hard time navigating these very fast lyrics, but when the chorus comes around, I assure you the entire bar will be singing along to “Amadeus, Amadeus, whoa, whoa, whoa, Amadeus!” Because this was Falco’s only song to top the English speaking charts, many may think him a one hit wonder, but this Austrian musician in fact has been rocking the German speaking world for decades and been quite successful at it. Look up some of his other songs, and I think you’ll find that they do not disappoint.

Nena – 99 Luftballons

If you’ve come to Alpine Village Oktoberfest then you’ll know that this song, when performed by our German band, not only gets the crowd of thousands pumped up, but it is also accompanied by the nightly anticipated red balloon drop. Of course we know that luftballon simply translates to “balloon” in English and doesn’t specify a color, but why not red? Most Karaoke bars will carry this song, but many only have the English version. If you’re dying to sing it in German though, you can either pull up the lyrics on your phone like I did for years or come to ground control Karaoke at Alpine Village because Andrew has the real deal.

Scorpions – Wind of Change

Not just one of the best German bands of all time, but one of the best rock power ballad bands of all time, Scorpions has been recording and touring since 1965 and just celebrated their 50^th anniversary last year. Although they recorded all of their songs in English, the band’s vocals from Klaus Meine have a distinctly German sound. When choosing which song you’d like to do for karaoke there are a few greats that stand out like “Rock You Like a Hurrricane” and “Still Loving You”, but I think if you’ve only got time for one, the clear choice is “Wind of Change” a song that defines an era of German and World history and sold over 14 million copies world-wide.

Rammstein – Engel

Rammstein is easily one of the most famous German bands of all time. Industrial Metal fans all over the world flock to their huge pyrotechnic concerts, and they’ve inspired quite a few tribute bands including Krampstein, a band of musicians dressed as Krampus (Devilish, German Christmas character) who perform covers of Rammstein songs with holiday specific lyrics. Many metal fans like to break out “Du Hast” at karaoke for the shock and awe of singing such a heavy song in German, but I suggest trying “Engel” instead as a solo or duet with a male and female vocalist. Last week Jürgen and Meicah from the German band Eifelexpress perfomed it at Karaoke and it was truly epic.

David Bowie – Helden

Bowie is the only artist on this list who is not German born. Germany, however, proudly names him a fellow citizen. He lived in Berlin for 3 years in the late 70’s and Germany and it’s political struggles influenced many of his songs. German inspiration is perhaps most evident in David Bowie’s hit “Heroes” which was inspired by the need to bring down the Berlin wall. I did not know until recently that Bowie had recorded a German version of the song. He even performed it in 1989 in front of the Berlin wall and said that it was one of the most powerful and emotional performances of his entire career.

Alpahaville – Forever Young

This song wouldn’t necessarily be classified as a hit since it never even reached the top 40 charts in the US, but since it’s release on Alphaville’s debut album titled “Forever Young” it has been covered by multiple artists and appeared in commercials, TV shows, and movies. It is certainly well-known and recognized and one of those songs that everyone “knows” when they hear it but probably couldn’t tell you who recorded it. Regardless, the crowd is sure to enjoy this new wave power ballad when you break it out at your next karaoke night.

Milli Vanilli – Girl You Know It’s True

While many Germans may want to forget the international embarrassment of Milli Vanilli, I think it’s important to acknowledge and have a good laugh at this group that made the music world stop and reflect upon itself. The late 80’s dance hit “Girl You Know It’s True” went 6 times platinum and earned the band a Grammy in 1990 for Best New Artist which was subsequently revoked after the public learned that the bands’ two front men did not record the song’s vocals and only lip synced them. Lip synced or not, this song is a great nostalgic groove that will get any karaoke crowd pumped up.

Tanz der Vampire – Totale Finsternis

You can rarely go to a night of karaoke without hearing Bonnie Tyler’s Total Eclipse of the Heart, it is truly a karaoke staple and for good reason. But, I suggest throwing a curve ball to the crowd with the German language “Totale Finsternis” an adaptation of Total Eclipse re-written by the song’s original writer Jim Steinman for the Austrian musical Tanz der Vampire an adaptation of the Roman Polanski film “The Fearless Vampire Killers.” This song has all of the soul and romantic longing of the original with the added bonus of being a duet. It’s totally worth learning some German just to do this song.

Die Toten Hosen – Zehn Kleine Jägermeister

Here’s a song that hasn’t made its way onto American charts at all, but has the main attribute of any good Karaoke song in that it’s fun to sing along with. Most Americans even if they don’t speak German, know what Jägermeister is and have a great story ready to tell about a night when they drank too much of it. When they hear this German count-along, sing-along song akin to “99 bottles of Beer on the Wall”, they’re sure to appreciate the fun that it stirs up.