Alphaville is a German synth-pop band formed in Münster in 1982. They gained popularity in the 1980s. The group was founded by singers Marian Gold, Bernhard Lloyd, and Frank Mertens. They achieved chart success with the singles "Forever Young", "Big in Japan", "Sounds Like a Melody", "The Jet Set", and "Dance with Me". Gold remains the only continuous original member of Alphaville. They took their name from Jean-Luc Godard's film Alphaville.
"99 Luftballons" is a song by the West German band Nena from their 1983 self-titled album. An English-language version titled "99 Red Balloons", with lyrics by Kevin McAlea, was also released by Nena on the album 99 Luftballons in 1984 after widespread success of the original in Europe and Japan. The English version is not a direct translation of the German original and contains lyrics with a somewhat different meaning. In the US, the English-language version did not chart, while the German-language recording became Nena's only US hit.
"No Limit" is a song recorded by Belgian/Dutch Eurodance group 2 Unlimited, released in January 1993 by Byte, ZYX and PWL. It was their fifth single in total and the first to be released from their second album, No Limits! (1993). Co-written by the group's Ray Slijngaard and Anita Dels, the song became one of their most commercially successful singles, especially in Europe, reaching the number-one spot in 35 countries and the top 10 in several others. Like previous releases, the UK version of the single removed all of the raps from Slijngaard, leaving just Dels' vocals. One word from the rap was kept, the word 'Techno' which was looped and repeated during the middle of the song, turning the line into "Techno! Techno! Techno! Techno!" and giving the song an extra vocal hook. Its accompanying music video was directed by Nick Burgess-Jones and received heavy rotation on MTV Europe.
"Axel F" is an electronic instrumental track by German musician Harold Faltermeyer. It served as the theme song for the 1984 film Beverly Hills Cop, its eponymous character and the film franchise it is based from, which became an international number-one hit in 1985. The track reached number one in Ireland as well as on the US Billboard Hot Dance Club Play chart. Additionally, it was a number two hit in Belgium, Canada, the Netherlands, Switzerland, the UK, and West Germany.
"You Win Again" is a song written by Barry, Robin and Maurice Gibb and performed by the Bee Gees. The song was produced by the brothers, Arif Mardin and Brian Tench. It was released as the first single on 7 September 1987 by Warner Records, from their seventeenth studio album E.S.P. (1987). It was also their first single released from the record label. The song marked the start of the group's comeback, becoming a No. 1 hit in many European countries, including topping the UK Singles Chart—their first to do so in over eight years—and making them the first group to score a UK No. 1 hit in each of three decades: the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s.
"Words" is a song by F. R. David, released as a single in 1982 from his debut album of the same name. The song was a huge European hit, peaking at number one in West Germany, Switzerland, Spain, Italy, Sweden, Austria, Denmark, Ireland, Belgium, and Norway. In early 1983, it peaked at number two on the UK Singles Chart, and it also went to number one in South Africa in late 1982, spending 25 weeks on the charts, eventually becoming the most successful hit on that country's year-end chart. In Australia, the single peaked at number 12 and spent 41 weeks within the top 100 in two chart runs throughout 1983 and early 1984.
"Wonderful Life" is a song by British singer Black from his 1987 debut album, Wonderful Life. The song was released twice as a single and was successful the second time, becoming a top-10 hit in Australia, Austria, France, Germany, Italy, Switzerland, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom. Black, who wrote the song while broke, commented: "I was really being ironic... Most people took it at face value."
"Lessons in Love" is a single by English jazz-funk band Level 42, released in 1986 from the album Running in the Family, issued one year later. This single is the band's biggest hit in their homeland, where it reached number three on the UK Singles Chart, and internationally, entering the top 10 in numerous countries, reaching the number-one spot in five of them: Spain, Germany, South Africa, Switzerland, and Finland.
"Such a Shame" is a song written by Mark Hollis for the English band Talk Talk's second album It's My Life (1984). It was released as the album's second single and went on to become a top 10 hit across Europe.
"Live Is Life" is a 1984 song by Austrian pop rock band Opus. It was released as the first single from their first live album, Live Is Life (1984), and was also included on the US version of their fourth studio album, Up and Down (1984). The song was a European number-one hit in the summer of 1985, and also reached number one in Canada and the top 40 in the US in 1986. It has been covered by many artists. The title is sometimes mistaken as "Life Is Life": German phonology has final-obstruent devoicing, so that the word "live" sounds like "life".
"Could You Be Loved" is a 1980 song by Jamaican reggae band Bob Marley and the Wailers. It was released as the first single from their twelfth and last album, Uprising (1980), and is also included on their greatest-hits album Legend (1984). It was written in 1979 on an aeroplane while The Wailers were experimenting on guitar. In the middle of the song, background singers quote a verse from Bob Marley's first single "Judge Not": "The road of life is rocky; And you may stumble too. So while you point your fingers, someone else is judging you". Instruments used on the original record of this song are guitars, bass, drums, acoustic piano, the Hohner Clavinet and an organ, as well as the Brazilian cuíca. "Could You be Loved" was very successful on the charts in Europe, peaking within the top 10 in Belgium, France, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Switzerland and the UK. Additionally, it was a top 20 hit in Sweden and West Germany.
"U Got 2 Let the Music" is a song by Italian Eurodance group Cappella, released in September 1993 by label Media as the fourth single from their second studio album, U Got 2 Know (1994). The track samples "Sounds Like a Melody" by German musical group Alphaville and charted in various countries around the world, including the UK, where it reached number two on the UK Singles Chart, becoming the 36th-best-selling single of 1993 in the UK. In Austria, Finland and Switzerland, it peaked at number one. Its accompanying music video received heavy rotation on MTV Europe in January 1994. "U Got 2 Let the Music" was re-released in 1998, 2004 and 2006, in remixed versions.
"Dr. Beat" is the first international single released by the American band Miami Sound Machine, led by Cuban-American singer Gloria Estefan, on their first English language, but eighth overall, studio album, Eyes of Innocence (1984). The song was written by the band's drummer Enrique "Kiki" Garcia and was released worldwide in 1984 becoming a hit in several Europe countries and propelled the album to success.
"Big in Japan" is the debut single of German synth-pop band Alphaville, from their 1984 album Forever Young.
"I Like Chopin" is a song by Italian singer-songwriter Gazebo from his debut studio album, Gazebo (1983). It peaked at number one in several European national charts. The music was composed by Pierluigi Giombini and the lyrics were written by Gazebo.
"Come Back and Stay" is a 1981 song written and originally recorded by the American musician Jack Lee. In 1983, the English singer Paul Young, with backing singers The Fabulous Wealthy Tarts, released his version as a single from his album No Parlez, and it became an international hit, reaching number one in Belgium, New Zealand, Switzerland and West Germany, and the top three in several other countries. The song reached number four on the UK singles chart.
"Dance with Me" is the first of five singles from Alphaville's second album, Afternoons in Utopia. It was released in March 1986, ahead of the album. The track was a top 10 hit in Europe.
"Read All About It, Pt. III" is a song by Scottish recording artist Emeli Sandé, from her debut album, Our Version of Events (2012). The song was written by Sandé, Professor Green, Iain James, Tom Barnes, Ben Kohn and Pete Kelleher and produced by Gavin Powell. It is a sequel to the 2011 hit single "Read All About It", which appears on Professor Green's second studio album, At Your Inconvenience (2011). The song was first performed at the 2012 Summer Olympics closing ceremony. It has received positive reviews from critics.
"Sonnentanz" (German for 'Sun Dance') is the debut single by Austrian electronic music duo Klangkarussell. The song was written and produced by Tobias Rieser and Adrian Held. It was originally published through the duo's SoundCloud on 29 September 2011. It was officially released as a single on 23 July 2012 digitally with remixes through the label Stil Vor Talent. After the track became a viral hit and entered the charts by downloads only, it was released physically in German speaking countries on 14 September 2012 (CD) and 27 September 2012 (vinyl). The song has reached the top 10 in 6 countries (Austria, Belgium, Germany, Netherlands, Switzerland and the United Kingdom). A second version, titled "Sonnentanz (Sun Don't Shine)", features vocals from Will Heard. This version was released in the United Kingdom on 15 August 2013. Both tracks were included in their 2014 debut album Netzwerk. A third version, titled "Sun Don't Shine" and featuring vocals from American singer Jaymes Young, was released on 31 March 2015 in North America.
"Hey Brother" is a dance song by Swedish DJ and record producer Avicii from his debut studio album, True (2013). American bluegrass singer Dan Tyminski provides vocals for the track. It was written by Avicii, Ash Pournouri, Salem Al Fakir, Vincent Pontare and Veronica Maggio. "Hey Brother" sees Avicii giving his brother advice.
