Die Liebe ist ein seltsames Spiel
Encyclopedia
Die Liebe ist ein seltsames Spiel is the first German
single recorded by U. S.
entertainer Connie Francis
.
, often sold two to three million records per song, equivalent to about twelve million in the United States. Using this as the basis for her April 1960 recording, Everybody's Somebody's Fool, which had initially been written as a ballad, Francis convinced the song writers to speed up the song's tempo and revive the innovative drum rhythm from Guy Mitchell's
1959 hit recording Heartaches by the Number
, which had been a # 1 in Germany in its German cover version Ich zähle täglich meine Sorgen for Peter Alexander. Although Everybody's Somebody's Fool became her first # 1 on the US charts, and its B-side Jealous of you (Tango della Gelosia) became a huge hit in Italy, it failed to make any impression on the German charts.
Veteran lyricist Ralph Maria Siegel penned a set of German lyrics, named Die Liebe ist ein seltsames Spiel (which translates to Love is a strange game), which was subsequently recorded by several artists already established on the German market such as Siw Malmkvist
- self-harmonizing
as The Jolly Sisters - or The Honey Twins (a German duo despite their English name). When these versions also failed to score as hits, Francis decided to record the song in German herself contrary to her producers' wishes who had advised against it despite the fact that Connie Francis sings Italian Favorites had been such a huge success and she was currently planning a second Italian album as well as a Spanish
album and an album in Hebrew
and Yiddish
. But Francis insisted on a German version of her own, and after some further friction between Francis herself, her producers and the managers of MGM Records, Die Liebe ist ein seltsames Spiel was recorded in June 1960.
When executives of Polydor, distribution partner of MGM Records in Germany, pointed out that German listeners wouldn't be able to understand Francis' vocals during the first verse for the lack of correct pronunciation, Francis agreed to delete the first verse from the recording. After that, Die Liebe ist ein seltsames Spiel was finally released in an edited version.
The song peaked at #1 in Germany for two weeks, as it did in many other countries and Francis would have six more # 1 hits on the German charts and fifteen Top 10 Hits.
The B-side of the single was Robot Man which had been a # 2 for Francis on the UK charts earlier that year. Since it was an English language recording, German audiences took almost no notice of it.
Contrary to popular belief, Francis did not record any further foreign language versions of Everybody's Somebody's Fool; the German version is the only one recorded by herself although other artists have recorded further cover versions in various languages such as Portuguese
, Swedish
, or even Finnish
.
The unabridged version of Die Liebe ist ein seltsames Spiel was released for the first time in 1964 in the U. S. on the album Connie Francis sings German Favorites
.
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
single recorded by U. S.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
entertainer Connie Francis
Connie Francis
Connie Francis is an American pop singer of Italian heritage and the top-charting female vocalist of the 1950s and 1960s. Although her chart success waned in the second half of the 1960s, Francis remained a top concert draw...
.
Background
In her autobiography Who's Sorry Now?, published in 1984, Francis mentioned that in the early years of her career the language barrier in certain European countries made it difficult for her songs to get airplay, especially in Germany. Francis continued that Germany's most popular singer, Freddy QuinnFreddy Quinn
Freddy Quinn is an Austrian singer and actor whose popularity within the German-speaking world soared in the late 1950s and 1960s. Similar to Hans Albers two generations before him, Quinn adopted the persona of the rootless wanderer who goes to sea but longs for a home, family and friends...
, often sold two to three million records per song, equivalent to about twelve million in the United States. Using this as the basis for her April 1960 recording, Everybody's Somebody's Fool, which had initially been written as a ballad, Francis convinced the song writers to speed up the song's tempo and revive the innovative drum rhythm from Guy Mitchell's
Guy Mitchell
Guy Mitchell, born Albert George Cernik, was an American pop singer, successful in his homeland, the U.K. and Australia...
1959 hit recording Heartaches by the Number
Heartaches by the Number
"Heartaches by the Number" is a popular and country song written by Harlan Howard and published in 1959.The biggest hit version was recorded by Guy Mitchell on August 24, 1959. It reached the #1 spot on the Billboard Hot 100 for the weeks of December 14 and December 21, 1959. The recording was...
, which had been a # 1 in Germany in its German cover version Ich zähle täglich meine Sorgen for Peter Alexander. Although Everybody's Somebody's Fool became her first # 1 on the US charts, and its B-side Jealous of you (Tango della Gelosia) became a huge hit in Italy, it failed to make any impression on the German charts.
Veteran lyricist Ralph Maria Siegel penned a set of German lyrics, named Die Liebe ist ein seltsames Spiel (which translates to Love is a strange game), which was subsequently recorded by several artists already established on the German market such as Siw Malmkvist
Siw Malmkvist
Siw "Siwan" Gunnel Margareta Malmkvist is a Swedish singer who is popular in Scandinavia and Germany...
- self-harmonizing
Vocal harmony
Vocal harmony is a style of vocal music in which a consonant note or notes are sung at the same time as a main melody in a predominantly homophonic texture. Vocal harmonies are used in many subgenres of European art music, including Classical choral music and opera and in the popular styles from...
as The Jolly Sisters - or The Honey Twins (a German duo despite their English name). When these versions also failed to score as hits, Francis decided to record the song in German herself contrary to her producers' wishes who had advised against it despite the fact that Connie Francis sings Italian Favorites had been such a huge success and she was currently planning a second Italian album as well as a Spanish
Spanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
album and an album in Hebrew
Hebrew language
Hebrew is a Semitic language of the Afroasiatic language family. Culturally, is it considered by Jews and other religious groups as the language of the Jewish people, though other Jewish languages had originated among diaspora Jews, and the Hebrew language is also used by non-Jewish groups, such...
and Yiddish
Yiddish language
Yiddish is a High German language of Ashkenazi Jewish origin, spoken throughout the world. It developed as a fusion of German dialects with Hebrew, Aramaic, Slavic languages and traces of Romance languages...
. But Francis insisted on a German version of her own, and after some further friction between Francis herself, her producers and the managers of MGM Records, Die Liebe ist ein seltsames Spiel was recorded in June 1960.
Release and chart success
When the recording was finished, MGM producers on both sides of the Atlantic renewed their doubts in the song. They believed the release would mean "career suicide" for Francis in Europe. However, Francis unusual contract with MGM Records guaranteed her unlimited self-control over the release of her recorded material, and she persisted.When executives of Polydor, distribution partner of MGM Records in Germany, pointed out that German listeners wouldn't be able to understand Francis' vocals during the first verse for the lack of correct pronunciation, Francis agreed to delete the first verse from the recording. After that, Die Liebe ist ein seltsames Spiel was finally released in an edited version.
The song peaked at #1 in Germany for two weeks, as it did in many other countries and Francis would have six more # 1 hits on the German charts and fifteen Top 10 Hits.
The B-side of the single was Robot Man which had been a # 2 for Francis on the UK charts earlier that year. Since it was an English language recording, German audiences took almost no notice of it.
Contrary to popular belief, Francis did not record any further foreign language versions of Everybody's Somebody's Fool; the German version is the only one recorded by herself although other artists have recorded further cover versions in various languages such as Portuguese
Portuguese language
Portuguese is a Romance language that arose in the medieval Kingdom of Galicia, nowadays Galicia and Northern Portugal. The southern part of the Kingdom of Galicia became independent as the County of Portugal in 1095...
, Swedish
Swedish language
Swedish is a North Germanic language, spoken by approximately 10 million people, predominantly in Sweden and parts of Finland, especially along its coast and on the Åland islands. It is largely mutually intelligible with Norwegian and Danish...
, or even Finnish
Finnish language
Finnish is the language spoken by the majority of the population in Finland Primarily for use by restaurant menus and by ethnic Finns outside Finland. It is one of the two official languages of Finland and an official minority language in Sweden. In Sweden, both standard Finnish and Meänkieli, a...
.
The unabridged version of Die Liebe ist ein seltsames Spiel was released for the first time in 1964 in the U. S. on the album Connie Francis sings German Favorites
Connie Francis Sings German Favorites
Connie Francis sings German Favorites is a studio album of German songs recorded by U. S. Entertainer Connie Francis.Unlike the other installments in Francis' series of "Favorites"-albums, Connie Francis sings German Favorites does not focus on the traditional songs of a certain country or ethnical...
.