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Germany: Ralph Siegel wants to try again
63-year-old Ralph Siegel has stated that he has written about 30 or 40 exposés over the last few months until he has chosen his personal winner. He told: "It is my dream to represent Germany again and, of course, I also want to win again." He composed the only German winning song in the competition, Ein bißchen Frieden, back in 1982. In total, he wrote 18 songs in the competition for Germany, Luxembourg and Switzerland. His last try in a national final was in 2005 with the song Miracle of love, which finished second.
The Ralph Siegel "Hall of Fame" (as a composer):
For Luxembourg:
- 1974: Ireen Sheer - Bye, bye, I love you (4th place)
- 1980: Sophie & Magaly - Papa pingouin (9th place)
- 1985: Margo, Franck Olivier, Diane Solomon, Ireen Sheer, Malcolm & Chris Roberts - Children, Kinder, enfants (13th place)
For Germany:
- 1976: Les Humphries Singers: Sing sang song (15th place)
- 1979: Dschinghis Khan - Dschighis Khan (4th place)
- 1980: Katja Ebstein - Theater (2nd place)
- 1981: Lena Valaitis - Johnny Blue (2nd place)
- 1982: Nicole - Ein bißchen Frieden (1st place)
- 1987: Wind - Laß' die Sonne in dein Herz (2nd place)
- 1988: Maxi & Chris Garden - Lied für einen Freund (14th place)
- 1990: Chris Kempers & Daniel Kovac - Frei zu leben (8th place)
- 1992: Wind - Träume sind für alle da (16th place)
- 1994: MeKaDo - Wir geben 'ne Party (3rd place)
- 1997: Bianca Shomburg - Zeit (18th place)
- 1999: Sürpriz - Reise nach Jerusalem (3rd place)
- 2002: Corinna May - I can't live without music (21st place)
- 2003: Lou - Let's get happy (11th/12th place)
For Switzerland:
- 2006: six4one - If we all give a little (16th place)
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I have been wathing the E.S.C. since 1972 (I´m ancient, i know!). And Mr. Siegel is definatly a part of the E.S.C history.
But for heavens sake,Mr Spiegel. Let by-gones be by-gones... Whatever happened to welcoming the new and innovative? afterall isn´t that exactly why this tv-show was created in the first place?
oh okay, wel, why not? i moosly liked his songs,
it always got some kitsh and clichés to it that i love
Good Luck Germany
Such a great news, it would be so cool to hear the next composition of the super composer. "I can't live without music" was a powerfull song, not that well performed in my oppinion during the contest, as the sound engineering, cameras job and the chorus performance could be better IMO. But I still like the studio version of the song and consider it as the timeless ESC classic.
zohar
Ralph's song (Ein Bißchen Frieden Nicole) won in 1982 with Frieden Nicole
His songs finished 2nd both in 1981 and in 1987
and finished 3rd in 94 and 99
also he reached top 5 and finished 4th in 74 and 79
so there you go his done well and proved himself
What about you, what do you do other than copying esc songs and changing the lyrics to pathetic lyrics such as the one with anna vissi where you say i f**k you etc....
There is big difference bitween you and Ralph, he certainly doesn't need your farts and we don't need it on here, go back to your sad website and take a piss at artists and their songs, with your childish mentality.
Je Je, Three guys wrote to my emai and asked me why i hate Ralph Siegel so much ..... so..... my answer is I DON'T. Infact, I like his songs and even voted for A Journey To Jerusalem, but when the guy is so obsessed with ESC, he's bound to get a bad parody from me.
Even Let's Be Gay was a brilliant number, even for the best year we ever had (2003), but Eurovision had moved on...... and schlagger-camp just doesn't go anymore. (and i am 35 !)
@ Max Raspail: Yes. It's the NDR who must act and present us good, modern songs as I mentioned before. But if the NDR does not Siegel is as good as any other composer and should not be blamed for it.
Well said Larry Dart. The man is a genius. 'Miracle of Love' would have scored highly in 2005. I'd love him to return big next year and give Germany their second win...........or maybe he should write for the UK final..........a song for Brotherhood of Man perhaps....what a combination that would be!
@Jan
Someone should be involved in a country's song who is present in its music scene. Siegel isn't.
I'd rather prefer a song by Dieter Bohlen than any new try of Siegel who stopped being up to date more than 20 years ago.
I hope, our Song will be in German Language again.
Ralph Siegel is 1 our very best Composer & we should take the Chance, as long as he is willing to write Entries.
He wrote one of my all-time ESC favourites "Dschingis Kahn" 
@ Little Imp
Eh, yes, of course... Texas Lightning's No No Never was # 2 in the annual charts of the year with several weeks in the first position and Roger Cicero reached a seventh place...
You're right, the styles aren't new but nowadays there is pratically no style in which you can't sell songs...
I think it would be right to send some of the actual chartbreakers... In my opinion, in Germany it's all about changing the dusty image of the ESC and that can't be reached with Siegel - apart from what great songs ever he had sent in the past - but only with recent big names (like the ones I've mentioned in the post below)...
No one mentioned his numerous preselectionsongs, like "Blue jeans kinder", "Peter Pan", "Tingel tangel man", "Mannequin", etc. etc. All songs are great and composed by someone, who loves the music scene and theater... he also picked out the finest singers for every song ! (Sometimes they were too nervous and therefore sang out of key... like in "Frei zu leben" 
This man should be honoured by us, eurovision fans...
He truly has a Eurovisionheart and is therefore is a hero !
The German broadcasters tried to keep him away from the national final, so he went to countries like Malta and Switzerland, because he still wanted to make part of the contest...
If Ralph is reading this...... why not write a song for our "Toppers" from the Netherlands for next year ?
Why all these complaints about him not being 'modern'?
Most 'modern' music is plain awful !!
'Ein bisschen Frieden' does appear sugary seen in 2008, but you forget that in 1982 the 'cold war' was still going strong, there was the cruise missile crisis, Soviets in Afghanistan, huge CND protests and the peace movement and old man Siegel caught the mood of the time perfectly.
Hmm, I think far greater news would be "Ralph Siegel does NOT want to try again!"
Really Larry, I thought "Zeit" was one of his worse ones ever... Funny isn't it, taste
Let's see, what did he write ?
2003 Let's get happy : Plain awful
2002 I can't live : hrrrrrrrrrrrrrr
1999 Reise nach Jeruzalem : Like that one
1997 Zeit : Dion wannabe but so boring
1994 Wir geben 'ne party : ok song
1992 Traume sind... : Wind's worst song, awful
1991 Dieser Traum : hrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr
1990 Frei zu leben : ok, actually liked that one
1988 Lied fur einen freund : ok song
1987 Lass die sonne : German reggae, give me a break
1985 Fur Alle : Good song
1982 Ein bisschen : I can not stand songs about piece
1981 Johnny blue : like that one
1980 Theater : Absolutely loved it
1979 Dschinghis Khan : great song
and so on.... looks like I like all his older stuff, the more recent the more I dislike his entries
@ Max Raspail: 2006 and 2007 modern? Appreciated yes, but not modern.
@ Zohar Rashit : " Thomas Gayson " - lol, great
I just cannot understand the hate being thrown at Siegel. I've liked a lot of his songs, particularly 'Zeit' which was fabulous. Admittedly 'Ein Bischen Frieden' was horribly sickly but you can't like them all. He clearly loves Eurovision & writes catchy enjoyable songs, on the whole. They are certainly vastly better than the hideous ethno-bores we are being subjected to every year from the likes of Serbia, Albania, Bulgaria, Macedonia & a load of other Eastie mega dreary drivel. I say "Come back Ralphie. We need you more than ever now."
The only song I like from this man is "Ein Bißchen Frieden" from 1982 and other (17 songs) he wrote for Eurovision was not really my taste. Especially last 2 entries.
I don't know... Somehow I feel his time has expired, this is not 80's anymore. I don't think (from what I've heard of his compositions) he can write song that will bring Germany good result. It's my personal opinion.
But u never know, and they are bringing jury back in so until I hear the song (IF) he do one I can't judge.
Zohar Rashit
He writes artificial songs with ESC especially in mind, using the "Eurovision Songwriters Handbook"(which he too wrote) and ends up with an over-camp, artificial???????????????
Excuse me sir, but your website is full of over-camp, artificial as you have glued your eyes and nose to Eurovision Songs Handbook which includes previous eurovision songs.
Since you are so smart about ralph why not stop wasting your talent and that brain box of yours to show ralph the way?
He writes artificial songs with ESC especially in mind, using the "Eurovision Songwriters Handbook"(which he too wrote) and ends up with an over-camp, artificial???????????????
Excuse me sir, but your website is full of over-camp, artificial as you have glued your eyes and nose to Eurovision Songs Handbook which includes previous eurovision songs.
Since you are so smart about ralph why not stop wasting your talent and that brain box of yours to show ralph the way?
I guess he wants to explore his strategy in esc, and he is given a warm welcome as always.
Francine Jordi? Oh my god, that would be a complete step back in the dusty, outdated time the ESC had to suffer in Germany in the 90s...
Nothing against Jordi but her 2002 song for Switzerland and the placing she got for it shows how far away she is from doing well in a modern ESC...
I think the NDR should use the most of its energy to make the preselection a big rating hit... When we send a modern song which is appreciated by the Germans like we did in 2004, 2006 and 2007 there is at least a minor chance to do well in the Contest itself (f. ex. 2004)...
A show like "Who is the German diva?" with Sarah Connor, Yvonne Catterfeld, Joana Zimmer, Jeanette Biedermann and Annett Louisan fighting for the title...
Or a concept like "Best German Band" with Rosenstolz, Ich + Ich, Rammstein, Tokio Hotel, Fettes Brot, Mia and Wir Sind Helden...
Something like that. Of course, I know how unrealistic that sounds, but I'm often wondering if this really is so impossible to organize. If you get one of them under the title of this show, it must be easy to get the rest of them, too...
18 songs in the ESC Finals and one win? Maybe because the Germans kept choosing his soings is the reason why they have such a dismal record in the ESC?
I'm really not fed up with 'SIR Siegel' in spite to the contrary, I'm also not surprise because is the only great German Writter who want to compose once again for Eurovision with his heart and love and i'm very happy that it returns to the contest every song that has composed this Mister in the past was a success
Oh, I forgot something. It must be:
"(not just eurovisionary or nationally aimed)"
Isn't Cusco just isntrumental?
@ Ralph Siegel: I have nothing against him. I like many of his songs. Concerning Corinna May she was just the wrong singer for 'I can't live without music'. The song was okay. His songs are rather outdated but he can try as often as he wishes. NDR must act and organise a preselection with modern, contemporary and internationally aimed (not just eurovisionary aimed) pop songs or ballads. If NDR does not so Siegel is as good as any other. And yes I am curious about his song.
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