This week it is Aline’s turn to give some attention to a song from Germany. Who still knows this classic from the 80s? It immediately makes you happy and it is also a timeless summer hit.
Throwback to Brussels 1987
You may be surprised why I chose a 1987 song. After all, I am only 21 years old. Hereby I want to prove that I am indeed aware of the Eurovision history. I have done my research work and I still discover Eurovision songs that I have never heard before. I listen a lot to ESCRADIO and that is really a big tool for me. In recent years I have heard many songs that I already knew, but which I did not know were Eurovision submissions. One of them was “Lass die Sonne in dein Herz” by German band Wind. Another reason why I opted for this is because the 1987 edition took place in Brussels. So far the only time that Belgium has organized the Eurovision Song Contest.
About the song
Lass die Sonne in dein Herz was the second of a total of three Eurovision participations. The German group Wind participated in 1985 with ‘Für Alle’, good for a second place. Two years later they again finished in second place with the song this article is about. Their last attempt was in 1992, but then they only finished 16th. The famous German composer Ralph Siegel wrote the song. The German wrote the winning entry ‘Ein bisschen Frieden’ in 1982, sung by Nicole. ‘Lass die Sonne in dein Herz’ is part of the schlager genre and, after Eurovision 1987, had a fairly large success in Germany, but also in Belgium, the Netherlands and Austria.
This week’s guest star: Benjamin Hertlein (chief editor ESC Kompakt)
„Lass die Sonne in Dein Herz“ is the German entry from the year I was born in. Of course, it sounds a little bit dated nowadays, but I really love that it was well ahead of its time. That raggae-ish style became quite popular in Germany at the end of the 1990s, but it wasn’t a big deal back in 1987 yet.
So I really like that it won the national final “Ein Lied für Brüssel” anyway. The song delivers lyrics with a strong positive attitude and I think you can see that in their performance. That might be one of the reasons the song did so well at Eurovision. For me, it’s the best ever Eurovision entry of Wind.
What does the team think?
Angelos
A happy, fun song with a memorable chorus and a well deserved 2nd place for Germany with the typical 80’s tune “Lass die Sonne in dein Herz” performed by Wind. I have to say that the song, despite sounding very late 80’s, has aged quite well considering it has passed 33 years already (!).
By far Wind’s best Eurovision entry, 1985 and 1992 being the other two, and in my opinion much weaker songs.
Borislava
A song entry that isn’t in English will always be good in my book – even if at the time of this entry English was probably not as prevalent as it is right now. Furthermore, the entry brings a pure energy that feels so very unique to the 80s, and within a few seconds of hearing it, I couldn’t sit still and wanted to get up and dance. The band has good stage presence, taking up space well, while the soft white-yellow colour scheme is really aesthetically pleasing. I would love any of these outfits, really!
Luke
I will admit, 1987 is one of those years that I haven’t seen whatsoever, so I’ve never heard this song before. This is perfectly pleasant to me…but it’s a little lacklustre? Thinking that this came 2nd is a massive shock to me – unless the rest of the year really wasn’t great, then I would’ve put this much lower! After the first…even just the first minute, I feel like I’ve heard the song in its entirety and despite the 67.4 key changes it sitll just feels as if the whole song is one level that it’s really struggling to advance from. Sorry Germany, I’m afraid I don’t quite understand this one!
Wiv
Back in 1985, Wind’s song “Für Alle” was my winner. Despite being Norwegian I remember being super annoyed that Norway sent “La det swinge”, as it was such an obvious winner. In retrospect there is no doubt that the right song won, as “Für Alle” has aged terribly, as opposed to “La det swinge” which is a true classic. So, when Wind returned two years later, I was really hoping for another song I would love. However, “Lass die sonne in dein Herz” was a disappointment for me. I kind of liked the first minute and a half’ish of it, but then it just fell falt. As German entries go, this isn’t even near my top 10.
We hope you enjoyed this week’s review. Next Sunday we are back with another country! We have a few tips so you can already guess. The country for next week debuted in 1974 and has won the Eurovision Song Contest once so far.
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