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As my interest in Eurovision progressed from interest to addiction (an interest is something you do or follow; an addiction is something you must do, whether you want to or not), I started coming across a new word.
Schlager
At ESCToday (the world's #1 Eurovision website, of which I"m the Australian Editor. Maaate!), a number of forum members call themselves schlagerheads, or schlager queens (there's a lot of gay men who are addicted to Eurovision and all it's campy-goodness). But whenever I asked anyone to explain what schlager was . . . nothing. Going to Istanbul helped though--a lot. When a song was performed I would ask several European homosexual men "is this schlager?" Their answers were remarkably uniform, so I feel I too can now discern schlager from other forms of popular music.
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jawnbc's 5 Critical Criteria for Schlagerness
1. Instant singability. Real schlager allows you to--and damned near compells all but the stuffiest--to sing or hum along to the chorus during the first listen. If you think of all the songs you've loathed over the years that nonetheless tricked you into humming along, they're probably schlager.
2. Love, Peace or Nostalgia. There are only three topics/themes for schlager. Love is #!--getting it, feeling it, missing it, looking for it in all the wrong places, remembering it, coming to terms with it. The second is Peace; peace songs are about hope (one day we shall live in peace), symbolism (let's light a candle for peace), or humanity-as-one (no borders, no politics, just everyone). Nostalgic schlager songs often integrate drinking into their narratives
3. Mixed groups or a female singer. You won't find any schlager songs 100% sung by a male/males. Schlager is definately more geared to the XX chromo combo, so you need either a mix of male and female voices (a male lead with female backups is OK). However a female can sing by herself. Dunno why, but it seems to be a rule
4. A simple melody. If everyone can sing/hum to it automatically (see #1), how complicated can the melody be?
5. From babbie to Nanny. Schlager gets support from the entire age spectrum. Schlager makes babies and grannies smile (often toothlessly in each case), and perhaps even gurgle and coo.
A schlager top 10 (get your hands above your head and start a-wavin' e'm):
10. Heaven - Bryan Adams
9. Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go - Wham!
8. How Do I Live -Leanne Rimes Trisha Yearwood
7. Seasons in the Sun - Terry Jacks
6. Dancing Queen - ABBA
5. I'd Like to Teach the World to Sing - The New Seekers
4. Those were the Days My Friend - Mary Hopkins
3. Sweet Caroline (Da! Da! Da!) - Neil Diamond
2. American Pie - Don McLean
1. You Light Up My Life - Debby Boone
Your task, should you choose to accept it, is to name some schlager songs in the comments. I'll do a follow-up entry with the
Schlager
At ESCToday (the world's #1 Eurovision website, of which I"m the Australian Editor. Maaate!), a number of forum members call themselves schlagerheads, or schlager queens (there's a lot of gay men who are addicted to Eurovision and all it's campy-goodness). But whenever I asked anyone to explain what schlager was . . . nothing. Going to Istanbul helped though--a lot. When a song was performed I would ask several European homosexual men "is this schlager?" Their answers were remarkably uniform, so I feel I too can now discern schlager from other forms of popular music.
jawnbc's 5 Critical Criteria for Schlagerness1. Instant singability. Real schlager allows you to--and damned near compells all but the stuffiest--to sing or hum along to the chorus during the first listen. If you think of all the songs you've loathed over the years that nonetheless tricked you into humming along, they're probably schlager.
2. Love, Peace or Nostalgia. There are only three topics/themes for schlager. Love is #!--getting it, feeling it, missing it, looking for it in all the wrong places, remembering it, coming to terms with it. The second is Peace; peace songs are about hope (one day we shall live in peace), symbolism (let's light a candle for peace), or humanity-as-one (no borders, no politics, just everyone). Nostalgic schlager songs often integrate drinking into their narratives
3. Mixed groups or a female singer. You won't find any schlager songs 100% sung by a male/males. Schlager is definately more geared to the XX chromo combo, so you need either a mix of male and female voices (a male lead with female backups is OK). However a female can sing by herself. Dunno why, but it seems to be a rule
4. A simple melody. If everyone can sing/hum to it automatically (see #1), how complicated can the melody be?
5. From babbie to Nanny. Schlager gets support from the entire age spectrum. Schlager makes babies and grannies smile (often toothlessly in each case), and perhaps even gurgle and coo.
A schlager top 10 (get your hands above your head and start a-wavin' e'm):
10. Heaven - Bryan Adams
9. Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go - Wham!
8. How Do I Live -
7. Seasons in the Sun - Terry Jacks
6. Dancing Queen - ABBA
5. I'd Like to Teach the World to Sing - The New Seekers
4. Those were the Days My Friend - Mary Hopkins
3. Sweet Caroline (Da! Da! Da!) - Neil Diamond
2. American Pie - Don McLean
1. You Light Up My Life - Debby Boone
Your task, should you choose to accept it, is to name some schlager songs in the comments. I'll do a follow-up entry with the
