Jürgen Udo Bockelmann, better known as Udo Jürgens, was an Austrian-born composer and singer of popular music whose career spanned over 50 years. He won the Eurovision Song Contest 1966 for Austria, composed close to 1,000 songs, and sold over 104 million records. In 2007, he additionally obtained Swiss citizenship. In 2010, he legally changed his name to Udo Jürgens Bockelmann.
Switzerland has long had a distinct cultural identity, despite its diversity of German, French, Italian, Romansh and other ethnicities. Religious and folk music dominated the country until the 17th century, with growth in production of other kinds of music occurring slowly.
"This Is My Song" is a song written by Charlie Chaplin in 1966, and performed by Petula Clark.
"J'attendrai" is a popular French song first recorded by Rina Ketty in 1938. It became the big French song during World War II; a counterpart to Lale Andersen's "Lili Marleen" in Germany and Vera Lynn's "We'll Meet Again" in Britain.
Nouvelle Vague is a French cover band led by musicians Olivier Libaux and Marc Collin. Their name means "new wave" in French, and refers simultaneously to the French New Wave cinema movement of the 1960s, to the new wave music movement of the 1970s and 1980s, which provides many of the songs that the band covers, and to bossa nova, a musical style that the band frequently uses in its arrangements.
Philippe Djian is a popular French author of Armenian descent. He won the 2012 Prix Interallié for the novel "Oh...".
"Don't Play That Song (You Lied)" is a song written by Ahmet Ertegun and Betty Nelson, the wife of soul singer Ben E. King. It was first recorded by King and was the title track on his third album Don't Play That Song! (1962). The song reached number 2 on the U.S. R&B singles chart and number 11 on the pop chart when released as a single on Atco Records in 1962. In Europe, it ranked at #10 in Italy on FIMI National Charts between 1962 and 1963.
"Lara's Theme" is the name given to a leitmotif written for the 1965 film Doctor Zhivago by composer Maurice Jarre. Soon afterward, the leitmotif became the basis of the song "Somewhere, My Love". Numerous versions, both orchestral and vocal, have been recorded, among the most popular was the version by Ray Conniff Singers.
Dominique Regef is a French improvisor, composer, and musician specializing in stringed instruments: the cello, the rebec, the vièle à archet, and the Rajasthan dilruba. Dominique Regef is recognized as an exceptional soloist on the hurdy-gurdy; he is known for surprising and moving audiences with his sound on the instrument. His concerts, be it a solo recital or a small group performance, shock listeners from all over the world with their originality and their strength. He has performed in several well-known music festivals, including the International Baroque Music Festival, the Jazz à Luz festival and the Grenoble Jazz Festival. He is cited as one of the best examples of modern hurdy-gurdy playing.
Campari Soda is a song of the Swiss band Taxi released in 1977. It was written by Dominique Grandjean who works as a psychiatrist today.
"Song Sung Blue" is a 1972 hit song written and recorded by Neil Diamond, inspired by the second movement of Mozart's Piano Concerto #21. It was released on Diamond's album Moods, and later appeared on many of Diamond's live and compilation albums. The song was a #1 hit on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in the United States for one week, the week of July 1, and it spent twelve weeks in the Top 40. It also reached #14 on the UK Singles Chart.
Grauzone was a band from Bern, Switzerland, that was active and disbanded in the early 1980s. The band is most famous for their 1981 hit "Eisbär". The single charted at number 12 in Germany and number 6 in Austria. In addition to "Eisbär", they had some success with the singles "Film 2" and "Wütendes Glas".
Je te dis vous is an album recorded by the French singer Patricia Kaas. It was released in 1993 and achieved success in many countries.
Engelberg is the ninth album recorded by Swiss singer Stephan Eicher, released in 1991. It contains songs in French, English and German languages. In France, it provided four successful singles : "Déjeuner en paix" (#2), "Pas d'ami " (#7), "Hemmige" (#27) and "Tu ne me dois rien" (#25). It remains to date the singer's largest commercial success.
"Tougher Than the Rest" is a song by Bruce Springsteen from his 1987 Tunnel of Love album. It was released as a single in some countries, following "Brilliant Disguise" and the title track, but was not released as a single in the United States. It reached as high as No. 3 on the Swiss charts, and also reached the Top 20 in the United Kingdom, the Netherlands and Austria. While the song is not one of his most popular ones in the USA, it sold much better in the UK and is one of Springsteen's most beloved songs in Europe.
"Eisbär" is a 1980 song by the Swiss Neue Deutsche Welle band Grauzone. A cult hit, it first appeared on the 1980 compilation album Swiss Wave – The Album. The shorter single version was later collected on the Grauzone album Die Sunrise Tapes (1998).
"Reality" is a song by French composer Vladimir Cosma, performed by English singer Richard Sanderson. It was released in 1980 as part of the soundtrack to the popular 1980 French film La Boum, which starred French actress Sophie Marceau. It also served as the theme song to the 2011 Korean film Sunny.
Federico Palana, better known by the stage name Fred De Palma, is an Italian rapper and singer.
"Déjeuner en paix" is a 1991 pop rock song recorded by Swiss singer Stephan Eicher. Written by Philippe Djian and composed by Eicher, it was released in the middle of 1991 as the lead single from his sixth studio album Engelberg, on which it appears as the fourth track. It became a hit in France and Belgium (Wallonia) and became Eicher's most successful single on the charts.
"Pas d'ami (comme toi)" is a 1991 pop rock song recorded by Swiss singer Stephan Eicher. Written by Philippe Djian and composed by Eicher, it was released in December 1991 as the second single from his sixth studio album Engelberg, on which it appears as the second track. It became a top ten hit in France.
