German-based No Angels, one of the most successful acts in German music history, [1] are an all-female pop band formed in 2000 on the debut season of the German adaption of the talent series Popstars . Originally a quintet, consisting of band members Nadja Benaissa, Lucy Diakovska, Sandy Mölling, Vanessa Petruo, and Jessica Wahls, they were one of the first television-cast acts to achieve continued success throughout Central Europe in the early 2000s. No Angels made their debut with Elle'ments (2001). Cheyenne Records consulted a small team of German-based musicians to work with the quintet on the album, including Thorsten Brötzmann, Peter Ries, Leslie Mándoki, and Peter Plate. [2] Most of them would become frequent collaborators on subsequent projects Now... Us! (2002) and Pure (2003). [3] [4] Beginning with their second album Now... Us!, the band took a wider role in contributing own lyrics and melodies to their music, with Petruo co-writing the number-one single "Something About Us." [3] At the same time, the group sourced songs from a growing number of international songwriters, particularly from Australia, Scandinavia, and the United Kingdom. [3]
Song | Writer(s) | Originating album | Year | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|
"100% Emotional" | Johan Aberg Paul Rein Winston Sela | Elle'ments | 2001 | [2] |
"2 Get Over You" | Tim Brettschneider Alan Glass Sandi S. | Now... Us! | 2002 | [3] |
"A New Day" | Nasri Atweh | 20 | 2021 | [7] |
"A Reason" | Derek Bramble Dana Glover Lindy Robbins | Destiny | 2007 | [5] |
"Ain't Gonna Look the Other Way" | Tracy Ackerman Peer Astrom Anders Bagge | Destiny | 2007 | [5] |
"All Cried Out" | Steve Jolley Alison Moyet Tony Swain | Now... Us! / When the Angels Swing | 2002 | [8] |
"Amaze Me" | Steve Mac Karen Poole | Destiny | 2007 | [5] |
"Anchor Your Love" | Oliver Dommaschk Kaidy-Ann Morgan Marco Quast | Now... Us! | 2002 | [3] |
"Angel of Mine" | Stephan Browarczyk Christoph Brüx Alexandra Prince Mirko von Schlieffen | Pure | 2003 | [4] |
"Atlantis" (with Donovan) | Donovan Leitch | Now... Us! | 2002 | [3] |
"Autumn Breeze" | D. Dowlut | Now... Us! | 2002 | [3] |
"Back Off" | Pelle Ankarberg David Jassy Niclas Molinder Joacim Persson | Destiny | 2007 | [5] |
"Be My Man (The Plan)" | Laszlo Bencker Leslie Mándoki | Elle'ments | 2001 | [2] |
"Been Here Before" | Mia Bergström Haakan Nils Ingvar Glante Tobias Gustafsson | Destiny | 2007 | [5] |
"Cold as Ice" | David Brunner Christopher Cousins Marc Klammer | Elle'ments | 2001 | [2] |
"Come Back" | Cal Abate Nadja Benaissa Daniel Troha | Now... Us! | 2002 | [3] |
"Confession" | Lucy Diakovska | Pure | 2003 | [4] |
"Couldn't Care Less" | Franciz & LePont | Elle'ments | 2001 | [2] |
"Cry for You" | Thomas Anders Christian Geller | Elle'ments | 2001 | [2] |
"Dance-Aholic" | Nasri Atweh Aaron Pearce | Welcome to the Dance | 2009 | [6] |
"Daylight in Your Eyes" | Tony Bruno Tommy Byrnes | Elle'ments | 2001 | [2] |
"Derailed" | Nasri Atweh Bill Blast Nicolas Furlong Aaron Pearce | Welcome to the Dance | 2009 | [6] |
"Disappear" | Remee Hanne Sørvaag Thomas Troelsen | Destiny | 2007 | [5] |
"Do They Know It's Christmas?" (with TV-Allstars) | Bob Geldof Midge Ure | The Ultimate Christmas Album | 2003 | [9] |
"Don't Hesitate" | — | Magix Video Maker | 2001 | [10] |
"Down Boy" | Tiyon Mack Le'che Martin Chad Roper Aaron Pearce | Welcome to the Dance | 2009 | [6] |
"Eleven Out of Ten" | Pelle Ankarberg Charlie Dore Niclas Molinder Joacim Persson | Pure | 2003 | [4] |
"Faith Can Move a Mountain" | Julian Feifel | Elle'ments | 2001 | [2] |
"Feelgood Lies" | Pelle Ankarberg Charlie Dore Niclas Molinder Maryann Morgan Joacim Persson | Pure | 2003 | [4] |
"Forever Yours" | Fredrik Thomander Anders Wikström | Pure | 2003 | [4] |
"Funky Dance" | Thomas Anders Christian Geller Lucy Diakovska | When the Angels Swing | 2002 | [8] |
"Goodbye to Yesterday" | Pelle Ankarberg Charlie Dore Niclas Molinder Joacim Persson | Destiny | 2007 | [5] |
"How Can We Be Friends" | Dane Deviller Sean Hosein Pam Sheyne | Pure | 2003 | [4] |
"I Believe in You" | Johan Ekhé Negin Djafari Ulf Lindström | Destiny | 2007 | [5] |
"I Don't Wanna Talk About It" | David Clewett Negin Djafari Ivar Lisinski | Destiny | 2007 | [5] |
"I Had a Feeling" | Arnthor Birgisson Jörgen Elofsson | Destiny | 2007 | [5] |
"In My Head" | Henrik Nielsen | Pure | 2003 | [4] |
"Let Me Be the One" | — | Magix Video Maker | 2001 | [10] |
"Let's Go to Bed" (with Mousse T.) | Errol Rennalls Mousse T. | Now... Us! | 2002 | [3] |
"Life Is a Miracle" | Michelle Leonard Frank Kurt Meyer Dieter Müller-Christ Claudio Pagonis | Kleiner Dodo soundtrack | 2008 | [11] |
"Like Ice in the Sunshine" | Holger Julian Copp Hanno Harders | Now... Us! | 2002 | [3] |
"Lost in You" | Tim Brettschneider Alan Glass Sandi S. | Now... Us! | 2002 | [3] |
"Love You for Eternity" | Christoph Assmann Nasri Atweh Christian Geller Sandy Mölling | 20 | 2021 | [7] |
"Lovestory" | Par Åström Anders Bagge Reed Vertenley | Now... Us! | 2002 | [3] |
"Mad Wild" | Flo August Sophie Alexandra Tweed-Sunnibs Andrew Tyler Ásdís María Viðarsdóttir | 20 | 2021 | [7] |
"Make a Change" | Peter Ibsen Christina Rumbley Sacha Skarbek | Destiny | 2007 | [5] |
"Maybe" | Pelle Ankarberg Niclas Molinder Maryann Morgan Joacim Persson | Destiny | 2007 | [5] |
"Minute by Minute" (featuring Nasri) | Arnthor Birgisson Savan Kotecha | Welcome to the Dance | 2009 | [6] |
"Misguided Heart" | Hannah Robinson Steve Robson | Destiny | 2007 | [5] |
"New Beginning" | Negin Djafari Thomas Who | Pure | 2003 | [4] |
"Nitelife" | — | Magix Video Maker | 2001 | [10] |
"No Angel (It's All in Your Mind)" | Tim Hawes Pete Kirtley Liz Winstanley | Pure | 2003 | [4] |
"Now That We Found Love" | Thorsten Brötzmann Ulrich Wehner | Now... Us! | 2002 | [3] |
"One Life" | Nasri Atweh Hakim Bell Nadja Benaissa Lucy Diakovska Akene Dunkley Adam Messinger Sandy Mölling Jessica Wahls | Welcome to the Dance | 2009 | [6] |
"Promises Can Wait" | Dawn Faith Schönherz Peter Ries | Elle'ments | 2001 | [2] |
"Push Me to the Limit" | Laszlo Bencker Leslie Mándoki | Now... Us! | 2002 | [3] |
"Reason" | Thorsten Brötzmann Alexander Geringas | The Best of No Angels | 2003 | [12] |
"Rebel" | Bill Blast Alisha Brooks | Welcome to the Dance | 2009 | [6] |
"Rivers of Joy" | Hans Andersson Niklas Pettersson | Elle'ments | 2001 | [2] |
"Say Goodbye" | Velroy Baily Celetia Martin Sandy Mölling Ian Pitter | Now... Us! | 2002 | [3] |
"Say Goodbye" | Nasri Atweh Adam Messinger | Welcome to the Dance | 2009 | [6] |
"Secret's Out" | Mats Berntoft Celetia Martin Magnus Wallbert | Destiny | 2007 | [5] |
"Send Me Flowers" | Axel Breitung | Elle'ments | 2001 | [2] |
"Shield Against My Sorrow" | Laszlo Bencker Leslie Mándoki Nik Hafemann Jessica Wahls | Now... Us! | 2002 | [3] |
"Shut Your Mouth" | Evan "Kidd" Bogart Nadja Benaissa Lucy Diakovska David Quiñones Aaron Pearce | Welcome to the Dance | 2009 | [6] |
"Sister" | Thorsten Brötzmann Alexander Geringas Vanessa Petruo | Pure | 2003 | [4] |
"So Wanna Be with You" | Ferdinand Bolland Peter Ries | The History of Popstars | 2004 | [13] |
"So What" | Denise Adam Jane Dobbins Tim Hawes Pete Kirtley | Pure | 2003 | [4] |
"Soft Place to Fall" | Allan Simpson | Pure | 2003 | [4] |
"Someday" | Niklas Hillbom Thomas Jansson | Pure | 2003 | [4] |
"Something About Us" | Thorsten Brötzmann Alexander Geringas Vanessa Petruo | Now... Us! | 2002 | [3] |
"Still in Love with You" | Figge Boström Johan Lindman | Now... Us! | 2002 | [3] |
"Stop" | Bill Blast Alisha Brooks | Welcome to the Dance | 2009 | [6] |
"Takes a Woman to Know" | Charlie Dore Terry Britten | Pure | 2003 | [4] |
"Teardrops" | Cecil Womack Linda Womack | Destiny Reloaded | 2008 | [5] |
"Ten Degrees" | Thorsten Brötzmann Alexander Geringas Vanessa Petruo | Pure | 2003 | [4] |
"That's the Reason" | Thorsten Brötzmann Alexander Geringas | Elle'ments | 2002 | [2] |
"The Rhythm of My Heart" | Alexah Carlton Andreas John Erik McHoll Mario Novack Hanne Sørvaag Adrian Zag | Destiny | 2007 | [5] |
"There Must Be an Angel" | Annie Lennox David A. Stewart | Elle'ments | 2002 | [2] |
"Three Words" | Josef Larossi Andreas Romdhane | Now... Us! | 2002 | [3] |
"Thunderstorm" | Arnthor Birgisson Bill Blast Lucy Diakovska Savan Kotecha Peter Patzer | Welcome to the Dance | 2009 | [6] |
"Too Old" | Nasri Atweh Lucy Diakovska Adam Messinger | Welcome to the Dance | 2009 | [6] |
"Up Against the Wall" | Evan "Kidd" Bogart Sandy Mölling David Quiñones Aaron Pearce Jessica Wahls | Welcome to the Dance | 2009 | [6] |
"Venus" | Robbie van Leeuwen | Pure | 2003 | [4] |
"Washes Over Me" | Arlene Gold Brian Nash Mike Post | Pure | 2003 | [4] |
"We Keep the Spirit Alive" | Christoph Assmann Christian Geller Sandy Mölling | 20 | 2021 | [7] |
"Welcome to the Dance" | Bill Blast Alisha Brooks | Welcome to the Dance | 2009 | [6] |
"What Am I Supposed to Do" | Rob Hardt Senait Mehari Harry Zier | Elle'ments | 2002 | [2] |
"What If" | Adrian Newman | Destiny | 2007 | [5] |
"Where Is Your Love" (DJ Bobo featuring No Angels) | Axel Breitung René Baumann | Celebration | 2002 | [2] |
"Wherever You Go" | — | Magix Video Maker | 2001 | [10] |
"When the Angels Sing" | Peter Ries Charlemaine Thomas-Schmidtmer | Elle'ments | 2001 | [2] |
"You Could Be the First" | Ralf Lübke | Elle'ments | 2001 | [2] |
"You Lied" | Sandy Frederickson Kit Hain Suzanne Smith | Pure | 2003 | [4] |
"Young Love" | Nasri Atweh Adam Messinger Sandy Mölling Jessica Wahls | Welcome to the Dance | 2009 | [6] |
These songs were recorded by No Angels but remain unreleased:
Song | Artist(s) | Writer(s) | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|
"2 Get Over U" | No Angels & Hear'Say | Sandi S. Tim Brettschneider Alan Glass | [14] |
"Boy It's You" | No Angels | Hermann Hinrich Behrens Terri Bjerre Piero Brunetti Ambrogio Crotti | [15] |
"Chemicals React" | No Angels | Timothy Hawes Obi Mhondera Will Simms | [16] |
"Copy And Paste" | No Angels | Jens Gad LaMenga Kafi Erik Lewander | [17] |
"Even If I Try" | No Angels | Thomas Anders Lucy Diakovska Christian Geller | [18] |
"Falling Up, Standing Down" | No Angels | Hiten Bharadia Iain Farquharson Blair MacKichan | [19] |
"I Need Your Love" | No Angels | Figge Boström Johan Lindman | [20] |
"I Want to Be There" | No Angels | Alexander Geringas Alan Glass Emma Owens | [21] |
"Latino Mi Amor" | No Angels | Unknown | [22] |
"Since I Found You" | No Angels | Thorsten Brötzmann Alexander Geringas Vanessa Petruo | [23] |
"Somebody" | No Angels | Nadja Benaissa Peter Ries | [24] |
"Tears That I Cry" | No Angels | Thomas Anders Lucy Diakovska Christian Geller | [25] |
"Under Your Sun" | No Angels | Martin Briley Dana Calitry Jeffrey Franzel | [26] |
"When I Found Love" | No Angels | Thomas Anders Lucy Diakovska Christian Geller | [27] |
William Frederick Rieflin was an American musician. Rieflin came to prominence in the 1990s mainly for his work as a drummer with groups such as Ministry, the Revolting Cocks, Lard, KMFDM, Pigface, Swans, Chris Connelly, and Nine Inch Nails. He worked regularly with R.E.M. following the retirement of Bill Berry in 1997. He was a member of King Crimson from 2013 until his death in 2020.
Vanessa Anneliese Petruo-Zink is a German former singer, songwriter, actress and television personality. Born and raised in Berlin within a family of actors, she had minor roles in television and as a voice actress before she rose to fame as one of the members of the girl group No Angels, which were formed in 2000 on the German television talent show Popstars, becoming one of the best-selling girl groups of European origin of all time. Throughout her musical career, Petruo scored four number-one hits, including "Something About Us", which she co-wrote, and sold over five million albums and singles worldwide.
Now... Us! is the second studio album by German girl group No Angels. It was released by Polydor–Zeitgeist and Cheyenne Records on June 24, 2002, in German-speaking Europe. Recorded after the release of the band's majorly successful debut album Elle'ments (2001) and its accompanying Rivers of Joy Tour, the group consulted work by frequent collaborators Thorsten Brötzmann, Peter Ries, and Leslie Mándoki as well as international songwriters and producers such as Anders Bagge, Figge Boström, Dennis Dowlut, Mousse T., Pontus Söderqvist, and Quiz & Larossi, while taking a wider role in contributing own lyrics and melodies to the album.
Elle'ments is the debut studio album by German girl group No Angels. It was first released by Polydor–Zeitgeist and Cheyenne Records on 12 March 2001 in German-speaking Europe. After winning the inaugural season of the reality talent contest Popstars in late 2000, Polydor consulted a small team of German-based musicians to work with the quintet, including Thorsten Brötzmann, Peter Ries, Leslie Mándoki, and Peter Plate. Elle'ments is a pop record with an inclusion of styles such as dance, R&B, Latin and rock. Conceptually, the album centered on the idea of the classical elements, and during that time was compared to English girl group the Spice Girls' Forever (2000) era.
"Thank You" is a song written and performed by English singer-songwriter Dido. The song made its first appearance in 1998 on the soundtrack of the movie Sliding Doors. It was later included on Dido's 1999 debut album, No Angel, and was released in September 2000 to mainstream success. It was also sampled in the 2000 single "Stan" by Eminem, which helped propel "Thank You" and No Angel to mainstream success.
"Thinking It Over" is the debut single of English-Irish pop group Liberty, before they became Liberty X. The garage song was produced by Pete Devereux and the Wideboys. It was co-written by band members Kelli Young and Tony Lundon. In the United Kingdom, the single was a hit, reaching number five, but was not as successful internationally, peaking at number 29 in Ireland and number 81 in Australia.
"Something About Us" is a song by German female pop band No Angels. It was chiefly written by band member Vanessa Petruo along with frequent collaborator Thorsten Brötzmann and Alexander Geringas for the group's second studio album Now... Us! (2002), and created as a response to what the band felt was intense and sometimes unfair and inaccurate media criticism at the time, predominantly resulting from the clichés and prejudices generally associated with their manufactured band image. Produced by Brötzmann and co-producer Jeo, the uptempo track incorporates elements of both the contemporary R&B and dance-pop genre as well as Latin-pop and church music during the bridge.
"Pure and Simple" is a song by British pop group Hear'Say, the winners of the UK version of Popstars. It was a cover of the original version recorded three years earlier by English-Dutch girl group Girl Thing, who were dropped from BMG before the song was given to Hear'Say. It was written by Pete Kirtley, Tim Hawes, and Betty Boo. The song was released on 12 March 2001 as the lead single from Hear'Say's debut studio album, Popstars (2001). The B-side is a cover of Simon & Garfunkel's "Bridge over Troubled Water".
"The Way to Your Love" is the second single from British pop group Hear'Say, the winners of the UK version of Popstars. The song was written and produced by Norwegian production team StarGate and was released as the second and final single from Hear'Say's debut studio album, Popstars (2001), on 25 June 2001.
"Daylight in Your Eyes" is the debut single by German girl group No Angels. It was written by Tony Bruno and Tommy Byrnes and initially recorded by American rock band New Life Crisis. A Tony Moran-produced remix of their version appeared on the MTV Party to Go Remixed compilation album (2001), but as their record company, Tommy Boy Entertainment, folded soon after, the group's original recording failed to receive a wider release, and the song was eventually sold separately abroad. There, "Daylight in Your Eyes" was purchased by Epic Records and re-recorded by the singer Victoria Faiella for her debut album with the label.
"Feelgood Lies" is a song by all-female German pop band No Angels. It was written by Pelle Ankarberg, Charlie Dore, Niclas Molinder, Maryann Morgan and Joacim Persson for the group's third studio album Pure (2003), while production was helmed by Molinder and Persson under their production moniker Twin, with Ankarberg serving as co-producer. A dark urban dance pop song that is built upon a heavy guitar riff and uplifting strings, the subjects of "Feelgood Lies" are revenge and karma. Not wanting to feel broken-hearted, the female protagonist warns a love interest to check his alibis.
"Rivers of Joy" is a song recorded by German pop group No Angels. It was written by Swedish composing duo Petterson & Haze, consisting of Hans Andersson and Niklas Petterson, and produced by Peter Ries for the band's debut studio album, Elle'ments, released in March 2001. An anthemic song about self-empowerment, the dance-pop track combines elements of gospel music and eurodance with prominent usage of a piano sample.
"When the Angels Sing" is a song recorded by German pop group No Angels. It was written by Peter Ries and Charlemaine Thomas-Schmidtner and produced by the former for the band's debut studio album, Elle'ments (2001). A midtempo pop ballad, "When the Angels Sind" features a cascading piano arrangement and dominant drum pattern. Lyrically, it finds the group, as the protagonists, thinking deeply over their relationship with their love interests from whom they parted, still pining for them.
"Reason" is a song by German girl band No Angels. It was written by Thorsten Brötzmann and Alexander Geringas and produced by the former for their debut studio album Elle'ments (2001). "Reason" is a piano-led pop ballad with soft string arrangements and lyrics that talk about reminiscing past memories with a loved one. One of the slower songs on the album, its original version, entitled "That's the Reason", served as the closing track on both the original version of Elle'ments as well as its Special Winter deluxe edition.
"Drama Queen" is a song by German pop singer Vanessa Petruo. Written by Petruo, Alexander Geringas, and Thorsten Brötzmann, it was released by Polydor and Cheyenne Records on 26 April 2004 as Petruo's first solo single following the disbandment of her group No Angels in fall 2003. The pop song achieved moderate success on the charts, peaking at number eleven in Germany, number 35 in Austria and number 88 in Switzerland. "Drama Queen" marked Petruo's only release with the label and her former No Angels management.
"Sweetest Poison" is a song by short-lived German pop band Nu Pagadi. After winning the fourth series of German reality television show Popstars in 2004, Nu Pagadi recorded "Sweetest Poison" and released it as their debut single on 13 December 2004. Written by Jörn-Uwe Fahrenkrog-Petersen, Lukas Hilbert, and Rea Garvey, the song became a number-one hit in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland and was included on the band's only studio album, Your Dark Side, the following year. Despite the song's success, Nu Pagadi would release one more single before disbanding less than a year after winning Popstars.
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