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Yan's German chart comments - Issue date 11.06 Following many slow weeks, finally a lot of action in the German charts with ten new entries in the top 30. We have also quite an expected comeback to the number one, with Lena jumping there from #7 and taking the crown for a sixth non-consecutive week. The surge is of course due to her winning of the Eurovision contest two weeks ago. The Eurovision is also responsible for two other new entries this week at #20 and #24. There we can find respectively the great Belgian entry from Tom Dice and that of Azerbaijan from Safura. I personally don't remember the song contest to have produced so many hits recently, which perhaps is partially due to the current download era of the charts. So the world is officially football now despite K'Naan's "Wavin' Flag" falling to the runner-up spot. Shakira's official anthem however continues its upward trend and moves to #4 from #6. A welcome return to the chart for Safri Duo, who together with South African singer Velile have recorded a song for the tournament which manages to be the highest new entry of the week at #11. The song becomes the second most successful single of the Danish duo in Germany after the smash "Played-a-Live" which is one the top 20 best selling singles in the country for the previous decade. Monrose, perhaps the most famous German female pop trio for the last years, returns to the top 100 at #14. "Like A Lady" is the lead single of the girls' fourth album "Ladylike" and is their first pilot single to miss the top 10... Swiss singer Stefanie Heinzmann also celebrates her comeback to the top 20, after her mega-hit "My Man Is a Mean Man" and the top-ten placement of"The Unforgiven". "Roots to Grow" is taken from Stefanie's album of the same name and despite being the third single from it has been the most successful. The latest version of the song features vocals from reggae star Gentleman, who is still in the top 100 with "It No Pretty". Also new to the top 30 is the fourth single of German band Culcha Candela taken from their last album. "Somma in Kiez" comes after the success of party anthems "Monster" and "Schone neue Welt" and for now is the first single from the album to miss the top 20. It is a great summer song though. After the mega success of "When Love Takes Over", "Sexy Chick" and "Memories", French super DJ David Guetta is back with another party classic. "Gettin' Over You" for now is not so hot in Germany as in the UK but is still perfect for the summer season. New entries also from Stanfour, who have teamed up with Dutch singer Esmee Denters for their latest single (new at #25) and Alex Max, the ex-vocalist of The Calling (biggest hit - "Wherever You Will Go" (#16) ) at #29. Check out also the latest offering of the always great Xavier Naidoo at #30 and the follow-up to Rammstein's scandalous #1 "p*ssy" called "Haifisch", which once again exceeds mainly in terms of video quality and enters at #33. And finally for the singles chart, it has to be noted the way in which Germans seem to have ignored two of the biggest R&B hits worldwide as B.O.B.'s "Nothing on You" and Usher's "OMG" fall, respectively, to #32 from #22 and to #47 from #27 in their second weeks... And another flop at #42, where Timbaland's latest collaboration with Justin Timberlake enters with no big impact after the rapper/producer two previous singles both reached the top 10. As long as the LP chart is concerned, non-surprisingly it is still ruled by Lena, with the biggest new entry coming from Jack Johnson at #4.

Yan's German chart comments - Issue date 4.06 (sorry for the delay, but I was on holiday in Greece ;) No changes at the top of the German charts with K'Naan's "Wavin' Flag" standing there for a second week with the World Cup 2010 mania gaining strength. (I guess Lena will have something to say in the next week ;) Somewhat surprisingly, Mehrzad Marashi, the latest winner of DSDS, has failed to top the charts with his take on Inner Circle's retro hit "Sweat (A La La La La Long)" which enters at #2 this week. The new version of the song is more or less a typical single of Mark Medlock, with whom Mehrzad has teamed up for the cover and who as we all know is the most successful winner of DSDS so far. "Sweat" becomes the second top three hit of Mehrzad in just a month and the eighth! consecutive top five single of Medlock. Inner Circle's original stood at the summit for 12 weeks in the summer of 1992. Meanwhile, Shakira's official anthem for the football tournament jumps to #6 from #13. Oliver Pocher's football song "2010 - Wir gehen nur zurück um Anlauf zu nehm'" has regained steam and moved up to #47 from #60, while Sportfreunde Stiller's mini-classic "'54, '74, '90, 2010" jumped to #65 from #78. Expect more football-related songs in the next weeks... Further new entries at #20 by Unheilig's "Fur immer", the follow-up to the extremely successful "Geboren um zu leben" which for now has the danger to be lost in the never-ending appeal of its predecessor (still at #4). Somewhat surprisingly low entries by B.O.B and Usher outside the top 20 as the two singles have been enormous hits globally but in Germany for now have to be content with a top 30 placing. Perhaps the things will change in the weeks to come. The Eurovision win of Germany is yet to have an impact on the charts, but at least Lena manages to return to the top of the LP charts with her debut album "My Cassette Player". "MTV Unplugged – Live aus'm MV" - the unplugged album of Sido makes it new at #2, the same peak as the lead single "Der Himmel soll warten", while Katie Melua enters at #3 with her latest album "The House".

Yan's German chart comments - Issue date 28.05 The new German singles chart is dominated by the 2010 World Cup fever as K'Naan's Coca Cola song "Wavin' Flag" takes the number one sending the latest DSDS winner Mehrzad Marashi down to #4. The biggest new hit of the week comes from German rapper Sido, who, supported by Adel Tawil from Ich + Ich, brings his latest single to #2. "Der Himmel soll warten", taken from the just released MTV Unplugged album of Sido, becomes easily his best performing single in the country, beating "Hey du" which peaked at #4 in 2009. As long as Adel Tawil is concerned, apart from his more-than-successful career as part of Ich+Ich, he has already proved his supporting strength providing vocals for "Stadt", the mega-hit of Cassandra Steen from last year, and for the number one smash "Prison Break Anthem" of Azad from 2007. The second highest new entry is actually the official anthem of the football championship as Shakira's "Waka Waka" comes in at #13. So as four years ago, when Bob Sinclair's "Love Generation" was so massive and even ranked as the best seller of 2006, the German music chart is once again taken over by the football craziness. However, the countdown is still missing a real football hit coming from a German artist... The new chart also marks the invasion of the Romanian artists, who, after being massively successful in eastern Europe, are now aiming at control of the western European charts. Thus at #14 comes in Edward Maya and his "Stereo Love", a song which already hit number one in many countries including France, Sweden, Spain and entered the top 5 in UK. Just outside the top 30 we can also find ex-O-zone singer Dan Balan and "Chica Bomb". Actually Dan has already had a number 20 single in Germany with "Crazy Loop (Mm-ma-ma)" in 2008. And let's not forget that O-zone's "Dragostea Din Tei" was the most selling song in Germany in 2004. At #21 and #22 we have strong female entries coming from US star Kelis and DSDS finalist Annemie. "Acapella" quite deservingly becomes one of the biggest hits of Kelis in Germany, while "Animal Instinct" is a welcome reminder that the DSDS music contest is not only male dominated. A change also at the top of the LP chart where legendary rappers Die Fantastischen Vier took control with their latest album. "Für dich immer noch Fanta Sie" becomes their third album to peak at #1 after "4:99" and "Fornika" in 1999 and 2007. New entries also from the re-released "Exile On Main Street" of Rolling Stones at #3, "Jackpot" of schlager star Michael Wendler at #7 (his best peak so far) and from "The Dance" by Faithless at #10.

Yan's German chart comments - Issue date May 21 The new chart sees Mehrzad Marashi still being #1 for already a month now. And I guess he will be there with another song quite soon as the extremely cheesy cover of "Sweat" by Inner Circle is already getting airplay and it is a duet with the one and only Mark Medlock! :naughty: K'Naan's football anthem "Waving Flag" is jumping a position to enter the top three for the first time. The highest new entry comes from UK star Taio Cruz. After storming the UK and US charts with "Break Your heart", Taio now cements his global stardom with a new entry at #9. Also coming from the UK is Marina, whose catchy "Hollywood" makes a strong debut at #15, while Auara Dione's "Song for Sophie" gains strength by jumping two positions to #12. At the same time Gossip's "Heavy Cross" is still strong and climbs once again... A welcome return to the countdown for R&B diva Toni Braxton. Despite having a long career, her comeback single "Yesterday" becomes also her third biggest hit in Germany, trailing back only the megasmash "Un-Break My Heart" and the Il Divo collaboration from 2006. It also achieves the same peak as "He Wasn't Man Enough". British group Scouting For Girls (yes, it is the chart of the UK stars this week) makes a respective entering at #34 with "This Ain't A Love Song". Their most successful single in UK becomes the guys' sole single to make it to the German charts. Another UK star can be found at #46 where Ellie Goulding enters for the first time, albeit not so impressive, with the wonderful "Starry Eyed". The highest new entry by a German artist is as low as #57. As it is another football year, the charts cannot be the same without Oliver Pocher (whose Lena's impression on the VIVA's Comet was spot-on last Friday :D ). The TV presenter and occasionally music star has another football-themed song, which I guess we will see rising in the weeks ahead. The control at the LP chart has been taken by Lena, who comfortably brings her debut album to the top just a week before the Eurovision finals. Also new at #2 is German music veteran Reinhard Mey, who has been active for 41 years ...

Yan's German chart comments - Issue date 14.05 Finally we have a significant dose of new entries in the German singles chart, with five coming in straight in the top 20. However, there is no one trying to stop Mehrzad Marashi from being the king and the winner of DSDS stays at the top for a third week. With the forthcoming World Cup in South Africa in June, the chart will see many football themed songs in the next weeks. First however is K'naan's "Waving Flag". Actually the song was originally released last year and already has been a hit in K'naan's home country Canada. Now, the so-called Celebration Mix has become the official Coca Cola anthem for the World Cup and thanks to the promotion, and the fact that it is actually a great song, the single comes new at #4. Also new to the countdown is American sensation Adam Lambert. The runner-up of the American Idol contest last year (actually who knows the winner outside USA?) has successfully launched a music career worldwide. "Whataya Want From Me" is the first single to be released in Germany and by entering at #5 Adam fails by a notch to be the most successful singer coming from American Idol in the country as "Because of You" by Kelly Clarkson peaked at #4. The top ten sees also the comeback of Die Fantastischen Vier, perhaps the most famous German rap band. "Gebt uns ruhig die Schuld" is the pilot single of the guys' eight album "Für Dich Immer Noch Fanta Sie" and is their fifth top ten single. Thomas and co have reached the #1 only once with the great "Sie ist weg" in 1995. Following the surprising mega success of "I Will Love You Monday (365)" which reached number one towards the end of last year (the song actually never managed to cross the boundaries of Denmark and the German speaking countries), Danish singer Aura Dione brings her second single to the top 20. #14 is a very decent placing but the beauty will have to fight hard to prove she's not a one-hit wonder. Also coming from Denmark is Medina, whose "You And I" has already been massive here in Bulgaria, and Russia, and now Germany is one of the few countries (perhaps for the time being) to appreciate the song's appeal. At #35 US band Lifehouse makes its best charting position in Germany with its new song "Halfway Gone", while Mika once again struggles to enter the top 50 at #54. "Kick Ass" is once again a great song coming from him :P and this time from one of the best movies of the year... A thought also for Amanda Jenssen, a Swedish participant of the local Music Idol, who enters with "Happyland", her debut for Germany at #60 despite the backing up by Viva. And we should also celebrate the fact that Faithless, one of the best electro bands, is still alive and kicking and their first song in five years is at #63. No changes at the top of the album chart, with Unheilig still there, followed closely by AC/DC (which I watched live this weekend :w00t: ). The most successful winner of DSDS, Mark Medlock, brings another album to the top 3. Needless to say all his five albums so far have charted at #3 or higher...

Yan's German chart comments - Issue date 7.05 Following the chart "battle" last week, DSDS latest winner Mehrzad Marashi stays for a second time at the top with "Don't Believe". The video is already on air, so I guess Mehrzad may have the power to stand at the #1 position for some time. Though we should not underestimate the forthcoming Eurovision as Lena stays at #2 for a second week and may take the crown once again. Last week it was all about Blumchen and Led Zeppelin and the campaigns to bring the two acts to the top. Now, when the things have normalised Blumchen's "Boomerang" plummets to #30 from #7, while Led Zeppelin's "Stairway to Heaven" has also taken the downward path but more slowly and has fallen to #23 from #15. The highest new entry belongs to Jason Derulo. "In My Head", the second single of the US artist, comes in at #10, hot on the steps of his debut "Whatcha Say" which peaked at #7. A position behind Jason enters the second single of Kesha. "Blah Blah Blah" is of course the follow-up to her #1 global smash "Tik Tok". Once again not much going on in the chart with only two more new entries - at #53 from Trynamite and the massively supported by Viva "Scheiss Maenner" and at #84 from The Parlotones and "Life Design". A move worth mentioning is the #14 peak of Selena Gomez who is now officially more successful in the German singles chart than one Miley Cyrus ;). Several new entries in the top ten of the albums chart, which this week is led by Unheilig's "Große Freiheit", while Bullet For My Valentine are new at #3 with "Fever" (previous album "Scream Aim Fire" reached #3 as well). The #4 position sees the return of Meat Loaf (one of my all-time favourite singers) with his eleventh studio album "Hang Cool Teddy Bear". Kate Nash's "My Best Friend Is You" is new at #6 and Madsen's "Labyrinth" enters at #7.

Yan's German chart comments - Issue date 30.04 Once again history in the making for the German singles chart, with the biggest news not the new number one but the campaigns launched against the latest winner of Deutschland sucht den Superstar (DSDS) to top the countdown. Some may say that such efforts are more or less stupid or prove nothing. However, the biggest benefit from them is the fact that the singles chart has once again become a hot public issue and a subject for a lot of media and internet discussions. And as we have yet another week with only a few new entries, most of them outside the top 40, I think the time is quite ripe for changes to be implemented in the German charts and the way they are calculated. (Or at least VIVA has to change the way it sets up its playlist and not to only play the top 30, but that's another matter). Back to chart then. The campaigns have failed and Mehrzad Marashi takes the crown with his "Don't Believe" debut single. Mehrad enters the chart less than a year after the latest winner of DSDS Daniel Schuhmacher was its king (and later failed to have any considerable impact on it with his two follow-up singles). I still have no opinion on the song itself, as the video is not quite ready, and thus cannot predict whether Mehrzad is the new Mark Medlock (doubt it) or the new Tobias Regner. Thus Lena has to retreat to the number two position after being at the top for six weeks. The second new song in the chart comes in at #7 from Jasmin Wagner aka Blumchen and her "Boomerang", a hit originally released in 1996 when it reached #11. As it became clear this was one of the campaigns to stop Mehrzad from taking the crown. Hate it or love, the appearance of "Boomerang" in the top 100 brings a lot of memories at least for me and the glorious music days during the 1990s... The second campaign concerns a real classic at #15, coming from Led Zeppelin's "Stairway To Heaven". Originally released in 1971, the song has never been a proper single and only charted as a download at the lower end of the German chart two years ago. During times when Tina Turner's "The Best" is at #9 in UK, the entry of Led Zeppelin in the German top 20 should not surprise anyone... Not much going on in the top 40, apart from Gossip who climb again!!! and the Frauenarzt & Manny Marc's "Atzin" gaining in momentum after initially failing to set the charts on fire. The highest real new entries (sorry Mehrzad) come in at #42 from Saphir (the members of the new German girl band come from a live contest of German TV Kika) and #43 from Kate Nash (the amazing comeback single of Kate follows not so impressive career in Germany, with "Foundations" being her biggest single by peaking at #47). Glashaus, the former group of Cassandra Steen, release a second single from their latest album and once again fail to reach the top 40... As long as the albums chart is concerned, we have rock veterans AC/DC and their soundtrack to blockbuster Iron Man 2 taking the top position. The band's previous album "Black Ice" was also at the top some two years ago.

Yan's German chart comments - Issue date 23.04 Once again no changes at the top of the singles chart in Germany with Lena Meyer-Landrut standing there for a fifth week now. The biggest challenge for her crown comes from Mark Medlock, who by coming in at #2 cements for another year his status as the most successful winner of the DSDS, or the German Music Idol. Backed by a perfect marketing campaign (he doesn't release more than one single from an album) and the support of Dieter Bohlen, Mark has managed to bring all his seven singles to the top five. The song may be cheesy but for yet another year the summer in Germany will not start without the sound of Mark Medlock. Some nine years after the flop of "Drops of Jupiter" in Germany, where the song reached only #73, it is now time for US band Train to enter the top ten for the first time with their comeback single "Hey, Soul Sister" at #8. The sales of the song are also boosted by its inclusion in the soundtrack of German movie "Vincent will Meer". Also new to the countdown are Selena Gomez and her band The Scene at #20. The latest star to emerge from the Disney factory has the honour to have a top 20 single in Germany but still has to beat the best performing single of Miley Cyrus here as "7 Things" reached #17. A great song and a great video comes from German rapper Sido at #21. "Sie bleibt" (She stays) is the third single taken from Sido's "Aggro Berlin" album, though I think "Geburtstag" should not be counted, and comes after the top five success of "Hey du". Somewhat predictable flop for Leona Lewis' latest "I Got You", which manages to enter at only #43, after previous single "Happy" stormed the chart by peaking at #3. Unlike the singles chart, the album top 100 has a new number one, coming from reggae star Gentleman and his "Diversity". The album becomes the second LP of Gentleman to reach the top after "Confidence" in 2004. New entries also from legendary guitarist Slash at #4 and German rapper Dendemann at #9.

Yan's German chart comments - Issue date 16.04 The unstoppable Lena Meyer-Landrut is still number one in Germany with "Satellite", for what is a whole month now. The silver goes once again to Stromae, while the highest new entry comes in at #3. "Telephone" is the sixth single of Lady Gaga and the sixth to reach the top ten, with only "Just Dance" and "Love Game" missing the top three. Of course, the sales of the song were boosted by the extraordinary video, but still we should not underestimate the power of the song. So for now, it seems nothing is stopping Gaga and her worldwide dominance. A move worth mentioning is the #15-#10 jump of Black Eyed Peas' "Rock That Body" as now all singles taken from the latest album of Fergie and the guys have peaked inside the top ten. Another new entry can be found at #18, where the latest offering of party kings Frauenarzt & Manny Marc, or Die Atzen, comes in following the mega success of "Disco Pogo" (peak at #2) and "Das geht ab" (peak at #8). Actually "Disco Pogo" is so popular right now that is still at #14 in its 14th week, while "Atzin" enters four positions behind it. At #19 enters "Out Of My Hands" the duet of Nordic stars Marit Larsen and Milow. Marit already had a number one single in Germany with "If A Song Could Get Me You", while Milow became extremely popular with his take on the 50 Cent hit "Ayo Technology". So only one other new entry this week with Jamie Cullem's remake of Rihanna's hit "Don't Stop The Music" coming in at #65. Not many new entries in the album chart also, where the highest one comes in at #2 and belonging to Avantasia and double CD "The Wicked Symphony/Angel Of Babylon". After three weeks at the top, Amy Macdonald retreats to #3, while Unheilig return to the summit with "Große Freiheit".

Gaga and Beyonce at #3 ;)

Yan's German chart comments - Issue date 9.04 Still no changes at the top of the German charts, with both Lena Meyer-Landrut and Amy Macdonald standing firm at the summit of the singles and album chart, respectively. The highest new entry this week comes from German star Nena, who celebrated her 50th birthday two weeks ago (there was a nice show on RTL on Friday night). The media coverage of the event has led to her latest single "In meinem Leben" ("In my life") making it in the top 10 at #4 after the first two singles of the same album reached only #17 ("Wir sind wahr") and #39 (the great "Du bist so gut für mich"). The wonderful song is the 13th single of Nena (famous outside Germany with "99 Red Balloons") to reach the top 10. Another female star enters the top 10 new at #8. "Gypsy" is the third single from Shakira's latest album "She Wolf". The title track reached #2, while the follow-up "Did It Again" managed only #34. Further action in top 10 from Gossip. The band's megahit "Heavy Cross" surprisingly ended its downward trend and jumped #24 to #5 in its 42nd!!! week in the countdown. Other interesting new entries can be found outside the top 20 from German reggae star Gentleman at #25, from Pink at #26 (this is actually Pink's sixth single from her latest album and the fact that it is in the top 30 is to be admired) and from German superstar Daniel Schuhmacher at #30. The latter's song "If This Love" is if you ask me his best so far, but I doubt he has a potential for more hits. He is not the new Mark Medlock after all. The highest new entry in the album chart belongs to Madonna and her live CD "The Sticky And Sweet Tour" at #11. Nena's latest album manages to jump back in the top ten at #6, after reaching #3 in October last year.

No, at least they are not played on VIVA or MTV. Although Jennifer Braun's "I Care For You" is getting some airplay on VIVA.

Yan's German chart comments - Issue date 2.04.2010 Lena Meyer-Landrut continues to reign over the singles chart in Germany with "Satellite", despite that her other hits "Bee" (#6) and "Love Me" (#8) have taken the downward path. The second position is occupied once again by former number one "Alors On Danse" of Stromae, while Unheilig's "Geboren um zu leben" recoups two places to number three. The highest new entry belongs to Black Eyed Peas. "Rock That Body" is the fourth single taken from the band's "END" album and by entering at #14 is the first to miss the top 10. Their previous song "Meet Me Halfway" was a number one some months ago and is still at #27. The second highest new entry comes at #20 from German band Culcha Candela. The great "Eiskalt" is the third single taken from the guys' latest album and comes after the somewhat slow burner "Monsta". The later started slowly outside the top 10 before eventually reaching #3 as a peak. A place below Culcha Candela is the newest single from dance project Cascasa. By coming in at #21, "Pyromania" is not among their most successful singles but still among the highest charting ones. Following the top ten success of "Doesn't Mean Anything", Alicia Keys returns to the chart with "Try Sleeping With A Broken Heart" at #33. And finally one of the collaborations of the year at #57, where Czech legend Karel Gott meets Austrian superstar DJ Oetzi ... The LP chart sees no change at the top where Amy Macdonald stands for a second week with her "A Curious Thing" album. The highest new entry belongs to German band Scorpions at #2. "Sting In The Tail" is the last album to be released by the already 45-year old group before its separation. The rockers have only one number one CD, the 1991-released "Crazy World", which of course features their biggest hit "Wind Of Change". At #3 we have as new the eastern German rock band Silly and their latest album "Alles Rot".

Yan's German chart comments - Issue date 26.03 A history in the making in this week's chart as Lena Meyer-Landrut, the country's representative in the 2010 Eurovision contest in Oslo, not only enters at #1 but also brings two other songs to the top five, which has never happened before in Germany. So, no problems for "Satellite", the song to be played in Norway, to top the chart, like it or not. The other two songs which the 18-year student performed at the "Unser Star für Oslo" (the show that selected the Germany's star in Oslo) enter at #3 ("Bee") and at #4 ("Love Me"). Actually it has not been so long when the German song for the Eurovision was at #1, as "No No Never" by Texas Lightning also reached it in 2006. Jennifer Braun, Lena Meyer-Landrut's competitor for Eurovision, also enters with three songs in the countdown. "I Care For You" is at #10, while her versions of "Bee" and "Satellite" are at #21 and #32, respectively. Thus Stromae's "Alors On Danse" has to retreat to #2, while Unheilig's "Geboren um zu leben" is at #5. The highest non-Eurovision entry can be found at #30, coming from dance project The Disco Boys. "I Surrender" is cover of the famous hit of Rainbow and for now is the second-biggest single of the Hamburg-duo after "For You" which reached #17 in 2007. Another dance single and another cover at #34. "Stuck on Replay" is the fourth single of the latest album of Scooter and at least manages to beat the #38 peak of previous single "The Sound Above My Hair". The song is based on the 1984 hit of Lionel Richie "Stuck on You" (peak #45) and is the official anthem of the 2010 IIHF World Championship in Germany. Changes also at the summit of the LP chart, where Amy Macdonald's second album enters new at #1 (previous album "This Is the Life" reached #3), followed by the sixth LP of German DJ Schiller at #2. Schiller's former album, the excellent "Sehnsucht" peaked at the number one spot. Former number one Unheilig's "Große Freiheit" falls to three, while German rapper Kool Savas is new at #4 with "Die John Bello Story 3". Also new is "In Farbe" the third album of German band Revolverheld at #6.

Yes, that was my first reaction too but it is a grower :D

Yan's German chart comments - Issue date 19.03 No changes at the top of the singles charts as Stromae's "Alors On Danse" stands there for a second consecutive week. I think the single is also the first song in French to top the charts in 23 years as last time the honour went to France Gall and her hit "Ella, elle l'a". Kesha's former number one "Tik Tok" recoups two positions and returns in the top three at #2, while German band Unheilig is at #3 with "Geboren um zu leben". The latter is also number one in the LP chart for a third week now. The highest new entry comes in at #4, belonging to superstar Rihanna. "Rude Boy" is the second single taken from her "Rated R" and comes two notches below the peak position of the pilot song "Russian Roulette". Excluding "We Ride" (peak #45) and "Hate That I Love You" (peak #11), "Rude Boy" continues the ever-growing top ten single list of Rihanna. New to the chart are also OneRepublic at #14. "All The Right Moves" is the second single from the boys' "Waking Up" album and comes after the huge success of number-one hit "Secrets". Another great song from Ryan Tedder and co. Ich+Ich, perhaps one of the best German bands now, also enters the top 20. "Einer von zweien" is the second single from the amazing "Gute Reise" album and despite making it to the top 20, I think that there are much better songs in the album which deserved to be singles (especially "Alleine tanzen", which even would have passed to the same video...). Further down the chart we have a new entry from Justin Bieber at #22. Perhaps "Baby" has received the biggest support from media among Justin's releases, so it is a little bit strange that it only manages for now to reach the same peak position as the teen star last single "One Less Lonely Girl". Still, "One Time", his debut single remains his biggest hit in Germany by reaching #14. A good German song can be found at #23, where the latest single of Jan Delay, "Hoffnung" charts. It is also time for Avril Lavigne to return to the charts at #27. "Alice" is of course the title song of the latest Tim Burton hit "Alice in Wonderland" and has the honour to be a rare example in the latest decade of a movie song actually making it to the top 100. German megastar Xavier Naidoo also returns to the chart with "Halte Durch". This is the second single from "Alles kann besser werden", whose title song reached #6 some months ago. And finally Robbie Williams struggles (somewhat expected) to make another top 30 hit as "Morning Sun" debuts at #32 after the #1 "Bodies" and the #26 peak of "You Know Me". The highest new entry in the LP chart comes from Gorillaz, whose third album "Plastic Beach" enters at #3. Debut LP "Gorillaz" peaked at #3, while the follow-up "Demon Days" reached #2. Australians rockers Airbourne are new at #4 with "No Guts. No Glory."

Yan's German chart comments - Issue date 12.03 After six weeks at the top, Kesha's debut single "Tik Tok" retreats to number four this week as Belgian dance hit "Alors On Danse" jumps two places to take the crown. The last time a dance project was number one was last summer when David Guetta's "Sexy Bitch" was there. Actually Stromae also has the honour to be the first non-German or non-English hit to reach the top after Juanes did so in the summer of 2005 with "La Camisa Negra". The second place belongs to Unheilig, whose album is still number one in the LP charts and at the third position is Keri Hilson with "I like". The highest new entry comes in at #5, where Cheryl Cole debuts in the German charts with her solo hit "Fight For This Love". It beats by far the #42 peak of "Sound of the Underground" the only single of Girls Aloud to ever chart in the top 100. Also new and proving that the huge success of "This Is The Life" was not by chance, Amy MacDonald scores another top ten single with "Don't Tell Me That It's Over" entering at #6. The great song marks the release of her second album and is her second best charting single in Germany. Another new entry in the top ten can be found at #9. The ever-popular Timbaland and Katy Perry are new to the chart with "If We Ever Meet Again", which is the second straight single from Timbaland's latest album to make it to the top ten after "Morning After Dark" reached #6. Katy Perry was last in the top ten with the number one smash "Hot N Cold". It's also great to see German band Revolverheld return to the Top 100 after their top three single "Helden 2008". "Spinner" marks the release of the guys' third album "In Farbe" and by entering the top 20 at #13 becomes their second best charting song. A nice song and great video ;) Despite the failure of "Undisclosed Desires" in the UK, in Germany, somewhat surprisingly the song becomes the best charting ever single of Muse in the country by coming this week new at #17. And finally further down the chart Yvonne Catterfeld, who once was a queen of the Top 100 struggles to have any impact with her comeback single "Blau im Blau" at #52. This week may also be the end of the chart career of teen band Killerpilze, whose latest single "Drei" despite quite a good song and despite marking the release of the boys' latest album, flops at #72. As long as the LP chart is concerned, it sees the return of country legend Johnny Cash at #3, while hip hop group Fettes Brot bring two live albums to the countdown in preparation to their forthcoming tour. Frauenarzt & Manny Marc and their party album "Atzen Musik Vol.2" is new at #5, while Swiss superstar DJ Bobo returns with a new CD at #10.

Yan's German Chart Comments - Issue date 5.03 So the German singles chart is dominated for yet another week by Kesha and her "Tik Tok". The second place belongs to Keri Hilson, who rises again with former number one "I Like", while Belgian dance project Stromae and its "Alors On Danse" enters the top three for the first time. The highest new entry is at #7, where US rapper Iyaz comes in with his global smash "Replay". New to the chart, and to the top ten, is also the fourth single taken from David Guetta's "One Love" album. Following the huge success of "When Love Takes Over" and number one "Sexy Bitch", the French DJ is once again in the top ten after the somewhat not so impressive chart run of "One Love" with Estelle (peak #18). "Memories" is a collaboration with Kid Cudi, whose debut single was a hit on these shores last year, reaching #13. The third highest new entry comes in at #21 and marks not only the first ever single of Three 6 Mafia in the chart, but also the highest charting single in which Tiesto, one of the most prominent DJs worldwide, has been involved. This fact however may be changed when his new single featuring Nelly Furtado is released in Germany. In what is a good period for dance singles in the top 100, two other songs also deserve attention - at #28 Darius & Finlay's "Rock To The Beat" and at #37 Paul & Fritz Kalkbrenner's "Sky And Sand". And two more new entries worth mentioning can be found at #38 where Marit Larsen follows her number one single "If A Song Could Get Me You", with the not so successful "Under The Surface" and #39 where Nena enters with yet another single in her long career, the rather good "Du bist so gut für mich". Following the success of "Geboren um zu leben" in the singles chart, German band Unheilig manages to score its first number one in the LP countdown with its seventh album "Große Freiheit". It is actually only their fourth album to chart and having in mind "Geboren um zu leben" was only their second single to enter the Top 100 - it was a long way until the fame reached the guys... Following the release of his movie "Zeiten ändern dich" in German cinemas, rapper Bushido's LP with the same name enters the album chart at #2 this week. Also new to the top ten is the second album of Owl City at #7, whose sales were boosted by the success of lead single "Fireflies", and the soundtrack to the German High School Musical - "Rock It!" at #10.

Yan's German chart comments - Issue date 26.02 This week's German singles chart is strongly affected by the carnival fever in the country. Cologne-based schlager band Brings alone has five singles in the top 100, while party kings Höhner have four and Bläck Fööss three songs in the chart. The most successful carnival song this year belongs to Höhner, whose "Schenk mir dein Herz" jumps to #13 from #37. Of course, the band is most famous for its hit Viva Colonia, this week standing at #51. The number one, however, once again belongs to Kesha for a fifth consecutive week, while Frauenarzt & Manny Marc's "Disco Pogo" makes a new peak at #2, also supported perhaps by the party mood in the country. It thus becomes the most successful song of the project, beating the #8 peak of "Das Geht Ab". The latter however has stayed in the countdown for 40 weeks and this week returns to the top 20 at #17... The highest new entry comes from the UK Helping Haiti project, whose version of "Everybody Hurts" enters at #16. The song has no TV airplay in Germany, unlike the latest version of "We Are The World" and it will be curious to see where the later will chart. The REM classic has not charted in Germany according to Wikipedia... This week also see the return of Fettes Brot, the famous German hip-hop group, with two new songs. First, at #38 enters the 2010 version of one of their most popular singles. The original version of "Jein" peaked at #10 in 1996. At #90 we can find "Kontrolle", another new song of the guys. In fact the two songs mark the release of not one but two live albums of Fettes Brot, called Fettes and Brot, respectively. And last at #44 Canadian legend Bryan Adams returns to the top 100 with "One World One Flame", his song for this year's Winter Olympic Games in Vancouver. Bryan was last here with "I Thought I'd Seen Everything" two years ago. The LP chart is ruled for a third consecutive week by Peter Maffay, while the latest album of legend Peter Gabriel comes in at #2. Finnish band HIM is also new at #4 with "Screamworks: Love In Theory And Practice". Their best efforts in Germany include the number one LPs "Razorblade Romance" and "Deep Shadows and Brilliant Highlights".

Yan's German chart comments - Issue date 19.02 Once again we have no changes on the top of the German singles charts, where Kesha's "TikTok" remains for a full month now. She is again followed by Keri Hilson's "I Like" and last week's new entry - Unheilig's "Geboren um zu leben". Boosted by a physical release, "Alors On Danse", the dance hit of Belgian producer Stromae jumps from #16 and enters the top ten at #7. The highest new entry belongs to German rapper Bushido, whose latest single "Alles wird gut" enters at #10. The singer, who became a movie star, actually now has a film called "Zeiten ändern dich" at the German cinemas. His entry in the top 10 is also quite a feat having in mind he has banned MTV and VIVA from playing his videos. Further down the charts, benefiting from the carnival fever in Germany most of the schlager singers register big jumps led by Jürgen Drews at #18, Ella Endlich at #21, Bläck Fööss at #22, Tim Toupet at #30 and so on... The second biggest new entry can be find at #34, belonging to HIM. "Heartkiller" is the pilot single from the band's seventh album and despite not having the strength of their first releases, it is good to see the guys back in the top 50. Back in the top 50 is also Swiss superstar DJ Bobo at #41. The placing of "Superstar" is a far cry from the singer's glorious days from the 90s but still it is good that he continues his consistent music career. The LP chart is headed as last week by Peter Maffay, while Sade scores the highest new entry at #2 with "Soldier Of Love". The band was last in the German charts eight years ago with the live album "Lovers Live". Sade's debut album "Diamond Life" stood for 77 weeks in the chart, including ten at the top. New to the top ten are also Massive Attack at #4 with "Heligoland" and Kesha at #7 with "Animal".

Yan's German chart comments - Issue date 12.02 No changes at the top this week as Kesha makes a third week there, followed once again by former number one - "I Like" by Keri Hilson. The highest new entry belongs to German band Unheilig at #3 with "Geboren um zu leben". Despite that the group's first album was released in 2001, the band had only one charted single so far - "An Deiner Seite", which even jumps this week to #49 from #61. So with the wonderful "Geboren um zu leben" entering the top 3, I think that the Graf and co will face a new era in their career. New to the top 20 is also Alexandra Burke, whose debut single "Bad Boys" finally arrives in Germany. The entry at #14 makes Alexandra the most successful XFactor winner in Germany apart from Leona Lewis. I think that only Gareth Gates (yes, he actually did not win) has had a strong career in Germany as long as this show is concerned. Another new entry can be found at #16, belonging to Belgian producer Stromae. His "Alors On Danse" has already been number one in the French speaking parts of Belgium and somewhat surprising arrives in the upper reaches of the German charts. Further down the chart at #27 arrives the next casting star. This time it is Dominik Büchele, a former contestant at DSDS (the German music idol), with actually quite a good song. Perhaps the biggest news of the week lies in the LP chart, where German rocker Peter Maffay tops the top 100 with his best of "Tattoos". Thus he sets an astonishing record of bringing 14 albums to the number one in Germany. Still I cannot see why he is so loved having in mind that there are much better German artists... Previous number one Tocotronic's "Schall und Wahn" plummets to number eight this week, while the Cologne-band Wiseguys enters at #2 with "Klassenfahrt".

Shame, as it is a much better song than the first single but I guess that it was going to be a flop, so they decided to cancel the release...

Yan's German chart comments - Issue date 5.02 Not much happening at the top of the German singles chart, where Kesha, Keri Hilson and Lady Gaga once again occupy the top three positions. The highest new entry belongs to Owl City, whose global smash "Fireflies" finally charts in Germany at #7. In addition, Herbert Grönemeyer and his amazing "Komm zur Ruhr" flies back to the top 10 from #21. Further down the chart, DJ Oetzi makes another top 20 hit with "Sweet Caroline", which jumps six positions to #19 and maybe it will go higher. This proves how timing is everything in the music business as the first time around the song's performance was somewhat weak, but now, supported by the carnival fever in the country, it manages to become a hit. The second highest new entry belongs to Bon Jovi. "Superman Tonight" is the follow-up to "We Weren't Born to Follow", which peaked at #6. The placement of the new single in the top 30 is to show once again that the group has a strong fanbase in Germany. Next up at #30 we can find the collaboration between Giovanni and Ross Antony. The former is a big TV star in Germany nowadays, and of course this is not the first time the two sing together as they were part of Bro'sis, the second winners of Popstars in Germany, whose career include the number one "I Believe" and four other top 10 singles. Some movement in the LP chart with German band Tocotronic making their first ever number one with "Schall und Wahn". The guys' previous two albums "Kapitulation" and "Pure Vernunft darf niemals siegen" reached both #3 and were their best placing LPs in Tocotronic's 17-year career. Get Well Soon, the music project of singer, songwriter and instrumentalist Konstantin Gropper, enters at #11 with its latest album "Vexations", while legend German duo Modern Talking returns to the chart with its best-of CD "25 Years Of Disco-Pop" at #16. As the title suggests it commemorates the 25-year anniversary of Dieter and Thomas' first appearance in the charts. At the same time Lady Gaga, despite giving up the first position, can congratulate herself as her debut album makes a whole year in the Top 100.

Yan's German chart comments - Issue date 29.01 As I predicted last week, Germany has another female star as a leader of the singles charts. This time the honour goes to Kesha and her global smash "TiK ToK", which smoothly rises a place to number one. Thus Keri Hilson falls once again to #2, and perhaps will not return to the summit again... The top three is rounded by Lady Gaga'a "Bad Romance". However, don't count the men out as the catchy Frauenarzt & Manny Marc's "Disco Pogo" rises to a new peak at #5 and Jason Derulo's "Whatcha Say" moves three places to seven. The highest new entry (and the only one worth mentioning) comes in at #16 from Sportfreunde Stiller. "Lass mich nie mehr los" is the third single taken from the MTV unplugged album of the German band and it manages to beat the #24 peak of previous single "Ich war noch niemals in New York". Once again a perfect track from the guys. In addition, with the carnivals in Germany approaching, "Sweet Caroline" the latest single of DJ Otzi, which somewhat underperformed several months ago, returns this week to the top 100 with a new peak at #25. The LP chart is again ruled by Lady Gaga, who as last week is followed by Adoro and Falco. The highest new entry belongs to Romanian pan pipes player Petruta Kuepper. She ranked third on the latest addition of the "Das Supertalent" show and her debut album "Pantraeume" enters at #5. Opera singer and silver medallist from the same show Vanessa Calcagno is also new to the countdown at #19.

Yan's German chart comments - Issue date 22.01 Another week and a new change at the top of the German singles chart. Yes, once again Keri Hilson becomes the country's number one after debuting there five weeks ago, falling the next week, climbing back, falling once again and now ruling the top 100 for a third non-consecutive time. I don't remember a similar change pattern at the top in recent history. The biggest challenge comes at #2, where the now extremely hot Kesha debuts with "Tik Tok". And I have the feeling, that after Aura Dione, Lady Gaga and Keri Hilson we will have another female star at the top in the next weeks. Kesha has been in the Top 100 only with her collaboration with Flo Rida in "Right Round" which peaked at #4 last year. The next new entry comes in at #7, belonging to German legend Herbert Groenemeyer."Komm zur Ruhr" is a song dedicated to the Ruhr region in Germany as the city of Essen is the European city of culture this year. Herbert's long career includes only three number ones but of course his album "Mensch" is among the top sellers in the country ever, so he won't complain. We have another new entry in the top ten as Jason Derulo's former UK and US number one "Whatcha Say" storms the German charts at #10. In addition, "Disco Pogo", the follow-up of the extremely popular "Das geht ab", manages to beat the latter's peak position (#8) in what is its only second week in the countdown. Whether it will have the same long stay as its predecessor remains to be seen. Good news also for German band Stanfour, whose latest single "Wishing You Well" jumps to #12 and becomes their best charting song in the country. Further down the chart we have several new schlager hits invading the top 100 in the face of Tim Toupet, Brings and Markus Becker and with the carnivals just around the corner, we can expect more in the upper parts of the chart. Also worth mentioning are the unimpressive new entries from Chipmunk's UK smash "Oopsy Daisy" at #52 and Mika's "Rain" at #56. The latter, a massive flop in the UK, has become a strong hit in France and Italy so I really hoped it would score better in Germany... The LP chart is once again dominated by Lady Gaga, while US indie rockers Vampire Weekend deservingly manage to score the biggest new entry at #15. Their first album peaked at only #85. In the top three, Lady Gaga is followed by Adoro at #2, while "The Spirit Never Dies" which contains unreleased songs of Austrian legend Falco jumps nine places to #3. The lead single has not charted yet in the Top 100, despite being a great song.