Dschinghis Khan
- For the song of the same name, see Dschinghis Khan (song).
Dschinghis Khan (Pronounced "Jingis" Khan (IPA pronunciation: 'dʒɪŋ.ɪs kaːn)) was a German pop band, created in 1979 to compete in the Eurovision Song Contest. The name of the band was chosen to fit the song of the same name, written and produced by Ralph Siegel with lyrics by .
Appearing at the height of the disco boom and following on the heels of other German-produced bands such as Boney M, Arabesque, and Silver Convention, the band achieved wide popularity throughout the world, especially in Europe, Russia, Australia and Japan, though they went wholly unnoticed in the United States. Their songs invariably were themed on historical figures and exotic cultures and locales.
Though the group broke up in the mid-1980s, it has enjoyed a recent resurgence in popularity on the Internet due to the discovery of a video of them performing their hit song Moskau. The video and the song associated with it have become a popular topic on blogs and can be considered an Internet fad. The specific video was a part of the show "Disco", very popular on ZDF through the 70s.
The original members of the group were:
- Steve Bender (1946-2006)
- Wolfgang Heichel
- Henriette Heichel
- Leslie Mándoki
- Edina Pop
- Louis Hendrik Potgieter (1951-1993)
The band re-formed in late 2005, with replacing Potgieter as the "Khan" character. They performed at the Olympiyski Arena in Moscow on October 17, 2005. On May 7th, 2006, Steve Bender (the member famous for his bald appearance) died of cancer.
The band, now assisted by young singer/dancer group "The Legacy of Dschinghis Khan", has a tour scheduled for Winter 2006 - Fall 2007. In the tour, their show will consist of "Cirque du Dschinghis Khan", featuring other performers, including Mongolian circus acts. Their announced dates are listed on the official website of the group and are subject to change. Their planned German national tour dates in January 2007 will coincide with the release of their latest CD called "7 Leben" (7 Lives). It will be their first release since 2004's Best Of compilation "Jubilee".
Dschinghis Khan is the German spelling of Genghis Khan, the name of the historical figure who founded the Mongol Empire.
Contents |
Discography
Longplay
- (1979)
- Rom (1980) ("Rome")
- (1980)
- Re-release of Rom without bonus tracks.
- (1981) ("We're all sitting in the same boat")
- (1982) ("Heroes, Roguess & the Dudelmoser")
- (1983) ("The Bullfight")
- (1993)
- (1999)
- Jubilee (2004)
- (2007)
Singles
(only German releases)
- Dschinghis Khan (1979)
- Moskau (1979) ("Moscow")
- Hadschi Halef Omar (1979) ("Hadschi Halef Omar")
- Rom (1980)
- Pistolero (1981)
- Loreley (1981) ("Lorelei")
- Wir sitzen alle im selben Boot (1981)
- Klabautermann (1982)
- Der Dudelmoser (1982)
- Himalaja (1983) ("Himalaya")
- Olé Olé (1984)
- Mexiko (1985) ("Mexico")
Trivia
- The song "Dschinghis Khan" is played at New York Rangers games following goals by rookie star Petr Prucha.
- Popular Jewish singer Mordechai Ben David wrote Yiddish lyrics for the song. This version is extremely well known in the Orthodox Jewish community and is often played at Weddings and Bar/Bat Mitzvahs. Guests often perform a complicated choreographed dance to it. Very few people familiar with this version are aware of its origin.
- The famous Korean group Koyote has also taken songs from the group and remixed them into rap/pop songs.
- Their songs appear in the video games Taiko No Tatsujin, Pop'n Music, and Stepping Selection.
- Moskau became an Internet phenomenon on many websites such as YouTube and YTMND.
- Despite being a German band, only two of the group members (Steve Bender & Wolfgang Heichel) were Germans. Louis Hendrik Potgieter was born in South Africa, Henriette Heichel was Dutch, & Leslie Mándoki & Edina Pop were Hungarians.
- During the 2006 University of Chicago Scavenger Hunt, one of the items successfully completed was to create a Dschinghis Khan tribute band and perform the song Moskau.
- All of the band members can speak English, and as a result, have performed English versions of the following songs (English titles are in parentheses): Dschinghis Khan (Genghis Khan), Moskau (Moscow), Sahara (Desert Land), Sierra Nevada, Die Fremden (The Strangers), Rom (Rome), Loreley, & Pistolero. In addition, the song "Rocking Son of Dschinghis Khan" has both a half-German/half-English version and a full English version, and the song "What Shall We Do With the Drunken Sailor?" is in English.
External links
- Fan Page STEPPENWIND (www.steppenwind.com)
- Official Site