Moskau (song) explained

Moskau
Cover:Moskau.jpg
Type:single
Artist:Dschinghis Khan
Album:Dschinghis Khan
Language:German
English Title:Moscow
B-Side:Rocking Son of Dschinghis Khan
Recorded:1979
Studio:Olympia Studios Munich
Genre:Eurodisco
Label:BMG
Producer:Ralph Siegel
Prev Title:Dschinghis Khan
Prev Year:1979
Next Title:Hadschi Halef Omar
Next Year:1979
Moscow
Cover:Genghis Khan’s “Moscow” single cover sleeve.jpg
Type:single
Artist:Genghis Khan
Album:Genghis Khan
B-Side:Moscow (German Version)
Released:3 September 1980
Recorded:1979
Studio:Olympia Studios Munich
Genre:Eurodisco
Length:4:30
Label:7 Records / Image Records
Producer:Norbert Daum

"Moskau" (German for Moscow) is the second single by German Eurodisco group Dschinghis Khan (known as Genghis Khan in Australia and other countries)[1] [2] [3] [4] released in 1979.

The band also recorded an English version, which they released in 1980 as "Moscow".

History

"Moskau" achieved enormous popularity in the Soviet Union. A 15-second clip of the song's performance was shown as a part of the New Year holiday lineup on the state-run TV, leading to the immediate dismissal of the network's director.[5]

In 2006, the song made its video game debut as a playable song in Taiko no Tatsujin Portable 2. On September 15, the song was uploaded to YouTube,[6] and it quickly became an internet meme related to Slavs. Most prominently, the meme was circulated on the image macro site YTMND, accompanied by the song's chorus or variations of it.

The song was also played at the opening at the Eurovision Song Contest 2009 in Moscow, Russia for Semi-Final 2.

"Moskau" is also a featured track in Just Dance 2014.

In 2018, Dschinghis Khan re-recorded "Moskau" with new lyrics for the 2018 FIFA World Cup, which was hosted in Russia. For the German and English versions, the lead vocals were performed by former US5 member Jay Khan. Alexander Malinin and his daughter Ustinya performed the Russian version, titled "Moskva". The Spanish version, titled "Moscú", was performed by Jorge Jiménez and Marifer Medrano.[7]

Versions

Moskau – the German-language version

"Moskau", the German-language version of the song, appears on their 1979 self-titled album Dschinghis Khan and their 1980 album Rom. The album version is nearly six minutes long, while the single version is four and a half minutes long.[8]

Moscow – the English-language version

The band, under their English-language band name Genghis Khan, released a version of the song with English lyrics entitled "Moscow" in Australia in 1980, the year of the 1980 Moscow Olympics. Australia's Channel 7 used the song as the theme to their television coverage of the Moscow Olympics, and the single was issued locally in a die-cut Channel 7 paper sleeve.[9] The song became a massive hit in Australia, staying at #1 for six weeks.[10]

Rocking Son of Dschinghis Khan

"Rocking Son of Dschinghis Khan" is the B-side of "Moskau", featuring Leslie Mándoki performing the chorus and Louis Hendrik Potgieter singing the final chorus. The song was also recorded in English and released as a single in 1979, with "Moscow" as the B-side.

Charts

Year-end charts

Chart (1979)Position
West Germany (Official German Charts)[11] 9
Chart (1980)Position
Australia (Kent Music Report)[12] [13] 16

Covers and remixes

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Country=Australia, Genghis Khan* - Moscow (Vinyl). Discogs website. 3 September 2018.
  2. Web site: Country=France, Genghis Khan* - Moscow (Vinyl). Discogs website. 1 January 2014.
  3. Web site: Country=Colombia, Genghis Khan* - Moscu (Vinyl). Discogs website. 3 September 2018.
  4. Web site: Country=Japan, Genghis Khan* - Moskau / Rocking Son Of Dschinghis Khan (Vinyl). Discogs website. 3 September 2018.
  5. Web site: Chin. Chin. Chinigs Khan . Zhurnal.ru . 2016-10-15 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20161019151903/http://www.zhurnal.ru/music/sherick/music/chingiskhan.htm . 2016-10-19 .
  6. live. https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211211/BQAKRw6mToA. 2021-12-11. Dschinghis Khan - Moskau . YouTube.
  7. Web site: Moskau Moskau . Dschinghis Khan Official Website . 2 February 2022.
  8. Web site: Start - STEPPENWIND - Offizielle Dschinghis Khan Fanseite . Steppenwind.com . 2016-10-15.
  9. Web site: ?? . Corporate.olympics.com.au . 2016-10-15.
  10. Book: Kent, David. David Kent (historian). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992. illustrated. Australian Chart Book. St Ives, N.S.W.. 1993. 0-646-11917-6. 122.
  11. Web site: Top 100 Single-Jahrescharts . . 1979 . 29 October 2021 . de .
  12. Web site: National Top 100 Singles for 1980. . 341 . . 5 January 1981 . 17 January 2022 .
  13. Book: Kent, David. David Kent (historian). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992. illustrated. Australian Chart Book. St Ives, N.S.W.. 1993. 0-646-11917-6. 432.
  14. Web site: ru-RU. София Ротару - "Здравствуй, Москва!" (Кавер версия песни Dschinghis Khan - Moskau) 1980. 2022-05-05. 2022-05-05. https://web.archive.org/web/20220505102448/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9PQHf_ExOF8.
  15. Web site: Georgie Dann - Moscú . . 2008-09-08 . 2016-10-15.
  16. Web site: Kramgoa låtar (8) | Svensk mediedatabas . SMDB.kb.se . 2016-10-15.
  17. Web site: The Heavy Anglican: Pointless Nightwish video post + brief update . 2011-12-25 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20120426071908/http://existentialmusingsofmatt.blogspot.com/2010/02/pointless-nightwish-video-post-brief.html . 2012-04-26.
  18. Web site: SirG . Black Messiah - Of Myths And Legends Review . Metal.de . 2006-11-19 . 2016-10-15.
  19. Web site: 大张伟 - 奋斗—在线播放—优酷网,视频高清在线观看 . V.youku.com . 2016-10-15 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20161018233221/http://v.youku.com/v_show/id_XMTE5MzcyOTA0.html . 2016-10-18.
  20. Web site: Music Russian Military Band One.. 2008-12-14. YouTube. 2016-11-20.
  21. Web site: Dschinghis Khan - Moskau - New year 2013. https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211221/JhDHtKpfP0o . 2021-12-21 . live. 2013-01-01. YouTube. 2019-03-11.
  22. Web site: Los Rotopedos - Moscau . https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211221/msQNUzz98D8 . 2021-12-21 . live. . 2012-11-01 . 2016-10-15.
  23. Web site: Da Tweekaz x Harris & Ford - Moskau (Official Video HD) . 2020-04-03 . .