Udo Jürgens facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Udo Jürgens
Jürgens in 2010
Background information
Birth name	Jürgen Udo Bockelmann
Born	(1934-09-30)30 September 1934 Klagenfurt, Austria
Died	21 December 2014(2014-12-21) (aged 80) Münsterlingen, Switzerland
Genres	Pop, schlager, soft rock
Occupation(s)	Singer, musician, composer
Instruments	Vocals, piano
Years active	1950–2014

Udo Jürgens (born Jürgen Udo Bockelmann, September 30, 1934 – December 21, 2014) was a famous Austrian singer, composer, and musician. He had a very long career, lasting over 50 years. He won the Eurovision Song Contest 1966 for Austria. Udo Jürgens wrote almost 1,000 songs. He sold more than 104 million records worldwide. He also became a Swiss citizen in 2007. In 2010, he officially changed his name to Udo Jürgens Bockelmann.

Udo Jürgens helped change German pop music. He added modern pop sounds and French chanson style to traditional German "schlager" songs. His music was loved by people of all ages. He performed in big venues in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland until he passed away at age 80.

Udo Jürgens' Music Journey

In 1952, Udo Jürgens started a band called the Udo Bolan Quartet. They played jazz and dance music in Klagenfurt, Austria. They also performed on the radio.

In 1950, he won a songwriting contest held by Austria's public TV channel, ORF. He wrote the song "Je t'aime". He also wrote the song "Reach for the Stars" in 1961. This song became a worldwide hit for singer Shirley Bassey.

Eurovision Song Contest Success

Udo Jürgens represented Austria three times at the Eurovision Song Contest. In 1964, he sang "Warum nur, warum?" and finished sixth. A British singer, Matt Monro, liked the song. He made an English version called "Walk Away," which became a hit in the UK and the US.

Jürgens after winning the Eurovision Song Contest 1966, with France Gall.

In 1965, his song "Sag ihr, ich lass sie grüßen" came in fourth place. On his third try, he won the Eurovision Song Contest 1966 in Luxembourg. He won with his famous song "Merci, Chérie". This song sold over one million copies.

Later Hits and Collaborations

After his Eurovision win, Udo Jürgens wrote many more popular songs. Some of his big hits include "Griechischer Wein," "Aber bitte mit Sahne," and "Mit 66 Jahren." He also had a huge success with "Buenos Días, Argentina." He performed this song with the Germany national football team in Argentina in 1978.

In 1977, he invited the famous American group The Supremes to perform at his concert. They sang some of their own songs. They also performed a duet with Udo Jürgens, singing "Walk Away" in English.

Jürgens in 1987

In 1979, he released a disco album called Udo '80. It included the hit song "Ich weiß was ich will." This song was also released as a special extended version for nightclubs.

Udo Jürgens' music inspired Shepard Fairey to create the clothing brand OBEY Clothing.

Musical and Chart Records

In 2007, a musical called Ich war noch niemals in New York opened in Hamburg, Germany. This musical uses Udo Jürgens' songs to tell a family story. It's similar to how the musical Mamma Mia! uses ABBA songs.

Udo Jürgens was very popular in Argentina. He had one of his biggest fan bases there, outside of German-speaking countries.

Since 2015, Udo Jürgens holds a world record. He is the artist with the longest time on the music charts. His songs have been in the charts for over 57 years, from 1958 to 2015. In December 2022, a new album of his unreleased songs was released. It quickly reached number one on the German charts. This means Udo Jürgens has been in the German charts for more than eight decades!

Songs Covered by Other Artists

A "cover version" is when another artist performs a song that was originally sung by someone else. Many artists have covered Udo Jürgens' songs.

Merci, Chérie Covers

His winning Eurovision song, "Merci, Chérie," was translated into many languages. Many artists recorded their own versions. Some of these include:

• "Merci Chérie" in French
• "Merci" in Italian
• "Merci Cherie" in English
• "Merci Cherie" in Dutch
• "Merci Chérie" in Swedish
• "Merci Chérie" in Romanian
• "Merci Cheri" in Polish

Udo Jürgens himself recorded many of these translated versions. This helped his music become popular around the world. For example, he recorded a version in Japanese. More recently, Belinda Carlisle recorded the French version in 2007.

Jürgens in 2010

Matt Monro and Other Covers

The British singer Matt Monro covered six of Udo Jürgens' songs. His manager, Don Black, wrote new English lyrics for them. Four of these songs became very famous for Matt Monro:

• "Warum nur warum?" became "Walk Away" (a hit in 1964).
• "Du sollst die Welt für mich sein" became "Without You" (a UK hit in 1965).
• "Was ich dir sagen will" became "The Music Played" (1968).
• "Illusionen" became "If I Never Sing Another Song" (1977). This last song was also performed by other famous singers like Frankie Laine and Shirley Bassey.

Another Jürgens song, "In dieser Welt," became "Lovin' You Again." Matt Monro recorded both Spanish and English versions of this song.

In 1977, after his death, Bing Crosby released an English version of Jürgens' "Griechischer Wein." It was called "Come Share the Wine." The country singer Marty Robbins also released an English version of "Buenos Dias Argentina" in 1979.

In the early 1990s, the German metal band Sodom made a heavy metal version of "Aber bitte mit Sahne." In 2009, the German band Sportfreunde Stiller performed "Ich war noch niemals in New York" with Udo Jürgens himself.

Udo Jürgens' Passing

Jürgens' grave at the Vienna Central Cemetery

Udo Jürgens passed away on December 21, 2014, in Münsterlingen, Switzerland. He was 80 years old. He died from a sudden heart problem.

Austria won the Eurovision Song Contest 2014 that year. It was their first win since Udo Jürgens won in 1966. He had said he wanted to perform at the next contest. After he passed away, the organizers of the Eurovision Song Contest 2015 in Vienna honored him. They had a special tribute day for him. During the final show, a violinist played a part of his winning song, "Merci, Chérie."

Family Members

Udo Jürgens had a talented family:

• His brother, Manfred Bockelmann (born 1943), is a painter.
• His son, John Jürgens (born 1964), is a singer, actor, and DJ.
• His daughter, Jenny Jürgens (born 1967), is an actress.
• His uncle, Werner Bockelmann (1907–1968), was the mayor of Frankfurt am Main.

Udo Jürgens was not related to the singer Andrea Jürgens or the actor Curd Jürgens.

Albums by Udo Jürgens

Movies Featuring Udo Jürgens

Udo Jürgens appeared in several movies:

• Our Crazy Aunts (1961), as Pitt van Rees
• Drei Liebesbriefe aus Tirol (1962), as Martin Hinterkirchner
• Dance with Me Into the Morning (1962), as Max Kainz
• Our Crazy Nieces (1963), as Pitt van Rees
• Our Crazy Aunts in the South Seas (1964), as Pitt van Rees
• Das Spukschloß im Salzkammergut (1966), as Udo

As Himself

• The Legs of Dolores (1957)
• … und du mein Schatz bleibst hier [de] (1961)
• Hochzeit am Neusiedler See (1963)
• La battaglia dei Mods [it] (1966)

Soundtracks and Film Adaptations

• Montana Trap [de] (1976) – Soundtrack
• The Man with the Bassoon [de] (2011) – A movie based on Udo Jürgens' autobiography.
• Ich war noch niemals in New York [de] (2019) – A musical movie based on his songs.

See also

In Spanish: Udo Jürgens para niños