Mitten im Leben: In Remembrance of Udo Jürgens

(welt.de)

To borrow the opening words of Whitney Houston in the song “So Emotional”, I don’t know why I like Udo Jürgen’s music, I just do!

But, wait a moment! Maybe, I do know why!

He reminds me of my paternal grandfather. Is that flimsy?

My grandfather was no music guru like Jürgens, but he was gentlemanly, told me stories about the journey called life, offered words of advice and wisdom. He was a sage! And Udo Jürgens was a musical sage! Whenever I listen to his songs, I glean nuggets of wisdom (“Immer wieder geht die Sonne auf” [The Sun always rises]). His songs mirror his life experiences and offer myriad lessons (“Mit 66 Jahren” [At 66 Years] ). His songs motivate and encourage (“Mein größter Wunsch” [My greatest Wish], “Mitten im Leben [In the middle of life], “Ich will, ich kann” [I will I can]). And the man was quite romantic (“Ich weiß, was ich will” [I know what I want], “Merci Chérie” [Thank you, darling] ”Es wird Nacht, Señorita” [Night falls,Señorita])

Jürgens has to be the most outstanding German music artist of all time. With a career that spanned about six decades, he came into international limelight following his 1964 win of the Eurovision Song Contest. His music virtuosity received critical acclaim beyond Germanic borders, and won him many accolades, friends and admirers within the Anglophonic musical terrain, particularly in the US and United Kingdom and beyond. Through his music, German language songs gained visibility therein.

An erudite composer, Jürgens wrote songs for the likes of Sammy Davis, Jr, Sarah Vaughn, Shirley Bassey, etc. His German songs were also covered and subjected to reinterpretation by various international artists. For instance, the 1967 “Was ich dir sagen will” [What I want to say to you] was changed to a folk-song in Japan and Spain. It became “Wakare no asa” in the former, and “Alguien canto” in the latter. His 1974 “Griechischer Wein” [Greek Wine] was covered by Bing Crosby and renamed “Come share the Wine”. He was clearly a charismatic and amiable artist whose songs diffused transnationally and broke racial barriers.

To celebrate the music genius that was Udo Jürgens, a Gala Night to mark his 80th birthday and pay tribute to his music contribution was organized in September 2014 and nationally televised. It was a Saturday and yours sincerely had reclined on the sofa in the living room on that autumn evening in search of some entertainment, a movie actually. In the process of scrolling through the television channels, I stumbled upon ZDF, Germany’s second largest national broadcast network, and there it was, Mitten im Leben!. And naturally, music prevailed over the movie which had been my initial interest.

It was a night to remember!

Mitten im Leben was grandiose, sophisticated, and elaborate. When an artist spends over fifty active years on the music scene, a simple low-key event to celebrate his birthday and career becomes sinful, ridiculous and unacceptable. It was Jürgens’ night and the crème de la crème of German, Austrian and Swiss celebrity worlds assembled to pay homage to the great man of music. Of course, there was plenty of room for multiple international guests.

(schlagerplanet.com)

The event opened with Jürgen’s rendition of the night’s theme song Mitten im Leben. As he played the piano and simultaneously belted with his ripe and boisterous voice, the accompanying horns, trumpets and entire orchestra invoked the entrance of celestial presence. As he played, he appeared to be encompassed by a host of angels. His performance transmitted bliss, euphoria and ecstacy. But I found ironic the theme. In my perception, this event felt like a culmination, an end, a retirement but yet it was supposedly wrapped around the middle of life.

And then the rank and file of German artists, young and old, and international artists like Jose Carreras, Chris de Burgh, etc, graced the stage with their covers of his multifarious songs. The lovely Yvonne Catterfeld kicked off with a sonorously rendered “Immer wieder geht die Sonne auf”. Germany’s ‘Beyonce-lite’ Helene Fischer gave a magical and outstandingly breath-taking performance of “Merci Chérie”, even the celebrant could hardly contend his emotions. And then the high-flying Tim Bendzko appeared twice, firstly in collaboration with the brilliant and dexterous pianist Lang Lang to perform the jovial and witty vibed “Vielen dank für die Blumen” (Thank you for the flowers) followed by a solo rendition of “Verloren in mir” (Lost in me). As Jürgens and Bendzko exchanged pleasantries after the latter’s performance, it appeared as if the baton of music excellence had been handed over to the young Bendzko.

The revelation of the evening for me was Jamie Cullum, the English jazz pianist and vocalist. He won a new fan that evening. I would go searching for more information about him and his music right after the event. His rendition of Jürgen’s “If I Never Sing Another Song”, written for Sammy Davis Jr, stretched the feeling of melancholy to a feverish pitch. It wringed the heart and kept the tear ducts pretty moist. The song mirrors the transiency of celebrity life and embodies the pained emotion of a famous and celebrated music artist - a celebrity’s celebrity- who had received all the pecks, encomiums and decorations associated with stardom. But, one day reality kicked in! The song stopped! The career ended! And the applause faded!

(schmusa.de)

On 21st December, 2014, barely three months after the event, Udo Jürgens died.

The news of his demise left me bewildered and I wondered if he had had any premonition. At last, Mitten im Leben - the middle of life, had become the end, or was it? Maybe, life is not what it seems! Maybe, when we think we are at the end, we are actually in the middle! Maybe, life is just a cycle! Be that as it may, it was a befitting passage, for Jürgens had lived life to the hilt.

And as I reflected upon his transition, I also reminisced on Michael Jackson and Whitney Houston, and wished they had enjoyed physical longevity like Udo Jürgens. Their demise was premature. About Whitney, I ruminated endlessly and rationalized her passage. I remembered the sparkly voice which was her essence. She was the Voice! But how would the Voice have thrived further without a voice? I reasoned that the loss of one’s voice should be deemed an extremely severe physical impediment. Perhaps, that handicap was a divine cue to exit the stage of life, who knows!

Just as much as I love Jackson and Houston, I would always love Jürgens. He was very special! He left a legacy of evergreen, meaningful and impactful music. Music to be enjoyed and relished for a lifetime. He left a template of how great music is to be made. He demonstrated that passion, dedication, consistency and perseverance are the salient factors for the attainment of greatness in any field of endeavour.

Rest in Power, Herr Udo Jürgens!