Klaus Sperber (January 24, 1944 - August 6, 1983), better known as
Klaus Nomi, was a German
countertenorA countertenor is a male singing voice whose vocal range is equivalent to that of a contralto, mezzo-soprano, or a soprano, usually through use of falsetto, or more rarely the normal or modal voice. A pre-pubescent male who has this ability is called a treble...
noted for his wide vocal range and an unusual, otherworldly stage persona.
Nomi was known for his bizarrely theatrical live performances, heavy make-up, unusual costumes, and a highly stylized signature hairdo which flaunted a receding hairline. His songs were equally unusual, ranging from
synthesizerA synthesizer is an electronic instrument that is capable of producing a variety of sounds by generating and combining signals of different frequencies...
-laden interpretations of classical music
operaOpera is an art form in which singers and musicians perform a dramatic work combining text and musical score. Opera is part of the Western classical music tradition. Opera incorporates many of the elements of spoken theatre, such as acting, scenery and costumes and sometimes includes dance...
to covers of 1960s pop standards like
Chubby CheckerChubby Checker is an American singer-songwriter best known for popularizing the The Twist with his 1960 hit cover of Hank Ballard's R&B hit "The Twist"...
's "
The Twist"The Twist" is a twelve bar blues song that gave birth to the Twistdance craze. The song was written and originally released in 1959 by Hank Ballard and the Midnighters as a B-side but his version was only a moderate 1960 hit, peaking at 28 on the Billboard Hot 100...
" and
Lou ChristieLugee Alfredo Giovanni Sacco , known professionally as Lou Christie, is an American singer-songwriter best known for three separate strings of pop hits in the 1960s, including his 1965 smash, "Lightnin' Strikes."-Biography:...
's "
Lightnin' Strikes"Lightnin' Strikes" is a song written by Lou Christie and Twyla Herbert, and recorded by Christie on the MGM label. The song was arranged, conducted, and produced by Charles Calello and was recorded on September 3, 1965. The backup singers on the recording were Peggy Santiglia, Bernadette Carroll...
". He is perhaps best remembered by the general public as being one of
David BowieDavid Bowie is an English musician, actor, record producer and arranger. Active in five decades of popular music and frequently reinventing his music and image, Bowie is widely regarded as an innovator, particularly for his work in the 1970s...
's backing singers during a 1979 performance on
Saturday Night LiveSaturday Night Live is a weekly late-night sketch comedy and variety show filmed in New York City. It made its debut on October 11, 1975, under a slightly different title. The show features a regular cast of comedy actors, joined by a guest host and musical act...
.
Nomi was one of the first celebrities to contract
AIDSAcquired immune deficiency syndrome or acquired immunodeficiency syndrome is a disease of the human immune system caused by the human immunodeficiency virus ....
. He died in 1983 at the age of 39 as a result of complications from the disease.
Early life
Klaus Nomi was born Klaus Sperber in
ImmenstadtImmenstadt im Allgäu is a municipality in the Upper Allgäu, far southern region of Bavaria, Germany, in the German Alps.-External links:*...
,
BavariaBavaria , with an area of and almost 12.5 million inhabitants, is located in the southeast of Germany and is the largest state of Germany by area, forming almost 20% of the total land area of Germany...
,
GermanyGermany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a country in Central Europe. It is bordered to the north by the North Sea, Denmark, and the Baltic Sea; to the east by Poland and the Czech Republic; to the south by Austria and Switzerland; and to the west by France, Luxembourg, Belgium,...
on January 24 1944. In his youth in the 1960s, he worked as an usher at the Deutsche Oper in West
BerlinBerlin is the capital city and one of sixteen states of Germany. With a population of 3.4 million within its city limits, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city and the eighth most populous urban area in the European Union...
where he would sing on stage in front of the fire curtain after the shows for the other ushers and maintenance crew. Around that time he also sang operatic arias at a
BerlinBerlin is the capital city and one of sixteen states of Germany. With a population of 3.4 million within its city limits, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city and the eighth most populous urban area in the European Union...
gay discothèque called Kleist Casino.
Nomi moved from
GermanyGermany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a country in Central Europe. It is bordered to the north by the North Sea, Denmark, and the Baltic Sea; to the east by Poland and the Czech Republic; to the south by Austria and Switzerland; and to the west by France, Luxembourg, Belgium,...
to
New York CityNew York is the most populous city in the United States, and the center of the New York metropolitan area, which is among the most populous urban areas in the world. A leading global city, New York exerts a powerful influence over worldwide commerce, finance, culture, fashion and entertainment...
in 1972. He began his involvement with the art scene based in the
East VillageThe East Village is a neighborhood in the borough of Manhattan in New York City. It lies east of Greenwich Village, south of Gramercy and Stuyvesant Town, and north of the Lower East Side...
. According to a documentary film made by Andrew Horn, Nomi took singing lessons and supported himself working as a
pastryPastry is the name given to various kinds of baked goods made from ingredients such as flour, butter, shortening, baking powder or eggs. Small cakes, tarts and other sweet baked goods are called "pastries"....
chef.
Career
Nomi appeared in a satirical
campCamp is an aesthetic sensibility wherein something is appealing because of its bad taste and ironic value. When the usage appeared, in 1909, it denoted: ostentatious, exaggerated, affected, theatrical, and effeminate behaviour, and, by the middle of the 1970s, the definition comprised: banality,...
production of
Richard WagnerWilhelm Richard Wagner was a German composer, conductor, theatre director and essayist, primarily known for his operas...
's
Das RheingoldDas Rheingold is the first of the four operas that comprise Der Ring des Nibelungen , by Richard Wagner...
with
Charles LudlamCharles Braun Ludlam was an American actor, director, and playwright.-Early life:Ludlam was born in Floral Park, New York, the son of Marjorie and Joseph William Ludlam. He was raised in Greenlawn, New York, on Long Island, and attended Harborfields High School. The fact that he was gay was not a...
's Ridiculous Theater Company in 1972 as the Rheinmaiden and the Wood Bird.
Nomi first came to the attention of New York City's art scene in 1978 with his performance in "New Wave
VaudevilleVaudeville was a theatrical genre of variety entertainment in the United States and Canada from the early 1880s until the early 1930s. Each performance was made up of a series of separate, unrelated acts grouped together on a common bill...
", a four-night event MC'd by artist David McDermott. Dressed in skin-tight spacesuit with clear plastic cape, Klaus sang the aria
Mon cœur s'ouvre à ta voix ("My heart opens to your voice") from
Camille Saint-SaënsCharles-Camille Saint-Saëns was a French composer, organist, conductor, and pianist, known especially for The Carnival of the Animals, Danse Macabre, Samson and Delilah, Havanaise, Introduction and Rondo capriccioso, and his Symphony No...
' 1877 opera
Samson et DalilaSamson et Dalila , Op. 47, is a grand opera in three acts and four tableaux by Camille Saint-Saëns to a French libretto by Ferdinand Lemaire...
. The performance ended with a chaotic crash of strobe lights, smoke bombs, and loud electronic sound effects as Nomi backed away into the smoke.
Joey AriasJoey Arias is a New York City based performance artist, cabaret singer, and drag artist.Born in Fayetteville, North Carolina on October 3, 1949, he was six when he moved with his family to Los Angeles...
recalls, "I still get goose pimples when I think about it... It was like he was from a different planet and his parents were calling him home. When the smoke cleared, he was gone." The reaction was so overwhelmingly positive that he was invited to perform at clubs all over New York City.
It was at the New Wave Vaudeville show that Klaus Nomi met songwriter for the Mumps
Kristian HoffmanKristian Hoffman is an American musician. His sister is writer Nina Kiriki Hoffman.-History:Singer/songwriter Kristian Hoffman first emerged during the late 1970s fronting the New York City cult favorite the Mumps, and was also an active figure in the No Wave, performing alongside the likes of...
, who was a performer and an MC in the second incarnation of New Wave Vaudeville, and a close friend of Susan Hannaford and Tom Scully (who produced the show) and
Ann MagnusonAnn Magnuson is an American actress, performance artist, and nightclub performer who first gained prominence in the 1985 film Desperately Seeking Susan...
(who directed it).
Anya Phillips, then manager of James Chance in the Contortions, suggested that Klaus and Kristian form a band. Thus Hoffman became Klaus' de facto musical director, assembling a band which included Page Wood from another New Wave vaudeville act, Come On, and Joe Katz, who was concurrently in The Student Teachers, the Accidents, and The Mumps.
Hoffman helped Klaus choose his pop covers, including the Lou Christie song "Lightning Strikes", and wrote several of the pop songs with which Klaus is most closely identified: "The Nomi Song", "Total Eclipse", "After The Fall", and "Simple Man", which was the title song of Klaus Nomi's second RCA France LP.
This configuration of the Klaus Nomi band performed at clubs all over Manhattan, including several performances at Max's Kansas City, Danceteria and Hurrah.
Disagreements with the management Klaus ultimately engaged led to a dissolution of this particular band, and Klaus continued on without them.
In the late 1970s while performing at
Club 57Club 57 was a nightclub located at 57 St. Mark's Place in the East Village, New York City during the late 1970s and early 1980s. It was a hangout and venue for performance- and visual-artists and musicians, including Keith Haring, Futura 2000, Kenny Scharf, Staceyjoy Elkin, John Sex, Wendy Wild,...
, The
Mudd ClubThe Mudd Club was a TriBeCa nightclub that was opened in October 1978 by Steve Mass, art curator Diego Cortez and Anya Philips, a figure in the downtown punk scene...
, The
Pyramid ClubThe Pyramid Club is a nightclub that has been located in the East Village of Manhattan, New York City since 1979, which helped define the East Village scene of the 1980s...
, etc. Nomi assembled a group of up-and-coming models, singers, artists, and musicians to perform live with him, which at times included
Joey AriasJoey Arias is a New York City based performance artist, cabaret singer, and drag artist.Born in Fayetteville, North Carolina on October 3, 1949, he was six when he moved with his family to Los Angeles...
,
Jean-Michel BasquiatJean-Michel Basquiat was an American artist and the first African-American painter to become an international art star. He gained popularity first as a graffiti artist in New York City, and then as a successful 1980s-era Neo-expressionist artist...
,
Keith HaringKeith Haring was an artist and social activist whose work responded to the New York City street culture of the 1980s.-Early life:...
,
John SexJohn McLaughlin , better known as "John Sex" was a cabaret singer and performance artist in New York City from the late 1970s until his death.-Early life:...
and
Kenny ScharfKenny Scharf is an American painter who lives in Brooklyn, New York. The artist received his B.F.A in 1980 at the School of Visual Arts located in New York City...
. He also appeared on Manhattan Cable's
TV PartyTV Party was a cable access TV show in New York City that ran from 1978 to 1982. Glenn O'Brien was the host. Chris Stein, co-founder of the pop band Blondie, was the co-host and Walter "Doc" Steding was the leader of the TV Party orchestra. Amos Poe was the director...
.
David BowieDavid Bowie is an English musician, actor, record producer and arranger. Active in five decades of popular music and frequently reinventing his music and image, Bowie is widely regarded as an innovator, particularly for his work in the 1970s...
heard about Nomi's performances in New York, and soon after met him and
Joey AriasJoey Arias is a New York City based performance artist, cabaret singer, and drag artist.Born in Fayetteville, North Carolina on October 3, 1949, he was six when he moved with his family to Los Angeles...
at the
Mudd ClubThe Mudd Club was a TriBeCa nightclub that was opened in October 1978 by Steve Mass, art curator Diego Cortez and Anya Philips, a figure in the downtown punk scene...
. Bowie hired them as performers and back-up singers for his appearance on
Saturday Night LiveSaturday Night Live is a weekly late-night sketch comedy and variety show filmed in New York City. It made its debut on October 11, 1975, under a slightly different title. The show features a regular cast of comedy actors, joined by a guest host and musical act...
which aired on December 15, 1979. The band performed "
TVC 15"TVC 15" was a single by David Bowie.The song was inspired by an episode in which Iggy Pop, during a drug-fuelled period at Bowie’s LA home, hallucinated and believed that the television set was swallowing his girlfriend. Beyond oblique mentions to absorption via television, the lyrics are largely...
", "
The Man Who Sold the WorldThe Man Who Sold the World is the third studio album by David Bowie. It was originally released on Mercury Records in November 1970 in the United States and in April 1971 in the UK. The album was Bowie's first with the nucleus of what would become the "Spiders from Mars", the backing band made...
", and "Boys Keep Swinging". During the performance of "TVC 15", Nomi and Arias dragged around a large prop pink
poodleThe Poodle is a breed of dog, and is regarded as one of the most intelligent breeds of dog. The poodle breed is found in small, medium, and large sizes, and in many coat colors. Originally bred as a type of water dog, the poodle is skillful in many dog sports, including agility, obedience,...
with a
televisionTelevision is a widely used telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images, either monochromatic or color, usually accompanied by sound. "Television" may also refer specifically to a television set, television programming or television transmission...
screen in its mouth. Nomi was so impressed with the plastic quasi-
tuxedoA tuxedo is a type of semi-formal dress for men.Tuxedo may also refer to:* Tuxedo , a middleware platform to manage distributed transaction processing* The Tuxedo, a Jackie Chan movie* Tuxedo , an 1891 vaudeville show...
suit that Bowie wore during "The Man Who Sold the World" that he commissioned one to be made for himself. Nomi can be seen wearing the suit on the cover of his self-titled album, as well as during a number of his music videos. Nomi wore his variant of the outfit, in monochromatic black-and-white with spandex and makeup to match, up until the last few months of his life, when he, now mostly focusing on operatic pieces and increasingly ill with AIDS-related illnesses (including
Kaposi's sarcomaKaposi's sarcoma is a tumor caused by Human herpesvirus 8 , also known as Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus . It was originally described by Moritz Kaposi, a Hungarian dermatologist practicing at the University of Vienna in 1872. It became more widely known as one of the AIDS defining...
), wore a Baroque era operatic outfit complete with full collar.
Nomi also collaborated with producer
Man ParrishMan Parrish is considered to be one of the pioneers of the electronic music and electro genres. He, along with artists such as Kraftwerk, Art of Noise, Arthur Baker, Afrika Bambaataa, John Robie, Jellybean Benitez and Aldo Marin helped create and define the sound of B-Boy electro of the early 1980s...
. He appeared on Parrish's album
Hip Hop Bee Bop as backing vocalist on the track "Six Simple Synthesizers."
He played a supporting role as a Nazi official in Anders Grafstrom's 1980 underground film
The Long Island Four.
The 1981 rock documentary film,
Urgh! A Music WarUrgh! A Music War is a British film released in 1981 featuring performances by punk rock, New Wave, and post-punk acts, filmed in 1980. Among the artists featured in the movie are Magazine, The Go-Go's, The Fleshtones, Joan Jett and the Blackhearts, XTC, Devo, The Cramps, Oingo Boingo, Dead...
features Nomi's live performance of
Total EclipseA total eclipse is an eclipse where either the Sun is entirely covered by the Moon, or the Earth's shadow entirely covers the Moon.Total Eclipse may also refer to:-Music:* Total Eclipse , a Goa trance music group...
.
666 Fifth Avenue666 Fifth Avenue is a 41-story office building on Fifth Avenue between 52nd and 53rd Streets in New York City.-Tishman ownership:The Tishman family via Tishman Realty and Construction built the tower in 1957. It was designed by Carson & Lundin and the building was called the Tishman Building...
was listed as the contact address in the liner notes of Nomi's 1981 self-titled record.
Illness and death
Nomi died early morning on August 6, 1983 at the Sloan Kettering Hospital Center in New York City, one of the first celebrities to die of an illness complicated by
AIDSAcquired immune deficiency syndrome or acquired immunodeficiency syndrome is a disease of the human immune system caused by the human immunodeficiency virus ....
. His ashes were scattered over New York City.
Influence and cultural significance
Filmmakers such as Andrew Horn and writers such as Jim Fouratt consider Nomi an important part of the 1980s
East VillageThe East Village is a neighborhood in the borough of Manhattan in New York City. It lies east of Greenwich Village, south of Gramercy and Stuyvesant Town, and north of the Lower East Side...
scene, which was a hotbed of development for punk rock, music, the visual arts, and the avant-garde. Although Nomi's work had not yet met with national commercial success at the time of his death, he garnered a cult following, mainly in New York and in France.
Andrew Horn's 2004 feature documentary about Nomi's life,
The Nomi SongThe Nomi Song is a 2004 documentary about the life of singer Klaus Nomi, written and directed by Andrew Horn. It features notable East Village personalities such as Kristian Hoffman. and songs by artists such as The Bongos, The Marbles, The Mumps, David Bowie, and others...
, which was released by
Palm PicturesPalm Pictures is a US based entertainment company owned and run by Chris Blackwell. Palm Pictures produces, acquires and distributes innovative music and film projects with a particular focus on the DVD format...
, helped spur renewed interest in the singer, including an art exhibit in San Francisco at the
New Langton Arts-About:New Langton Arts is not-for-profit arts organization focusing on contemporary art founded in 1975 in San Francisco, California. Part of the first wave of alternative art spaces in the US, New Langton Arts was a leader in exhibiting new media forms in art, and involving artists in the...
gallery and one in
MilanMilan in Italy, is the capital of the region of Lombardia and of the province of Milan. The city proper has a population of about 1.3 million, while the urban area is the fifth largest in the E.U. with an estimated population of 4.3 million...
(
ItalyItaly , officially the Italian Republic , is a country located on the Italian Peninsula in Southern Europe and on the two largest islands in the Mediterranean Sea, Sicily and Sardinia. Italy shares its northern, Alpine boundary with France, Switzerland, Austria and Slovenia...
) at the Res Pira Lab (subsequently moved to Berlin's Strychnin Gallery), entitled: Do You Nomi? New music pieces inspired by the German singer were commissioned by the gallery to a variety of up and coming European musicians, among these the singer who is considered by many Nomi's heir:
Ernesto TomasiniErnesto Tomasini is an Italian actor/singer/writer living in Britain. Best known for his more recent forays into contemporary music, he has behind himself a 20 year career on the stage.- Early performances :...
.
In 2001 German band
RosenstolzRosenstolz is a German music band from Berlin. Their music combines several styles including rock, pop and ballads. AnNa R. and Peter Plate form the duo. They had their breakthrough in 1998 with the song Herzensschöner...
, featuring alternative pop stars
Marc AlmondMarc Almond is an English singer, songwriter and recording artist, who originally found fame as half of the seminal synthpop/New Wave duo Soft Cell. He has sold over 30 million records worldwide...
and
Nina HagenNina Hagen is a singer from East Berlin, Germany.-Early years:Hagen's parents are Hans Hagen , a scriptwriter, and Eva-Maria Hagen, an actress and singer. Her paternal Jewish grandparents died in Sachsenhausen concentration camp...
, have covered "Total Eclipse" for a maxi single CD release.
British pop icon
MorrisseySteven Patrick Morrissey , known primarily as Morrissey, is a British singer-songwriter. After a short stint in the punk rock band The Nosebleeds in the late 1970s, he rose to prominence in the 1980s as the lyricist and vocalist of the alternative rock band The Smiths...
used the song
Wayward Sisters as an
introductionThis article is about introductions as they relate to music. For other uses of introduction, see Introduction.In music, the introduction is a passage or section which opens a movement or a separate piece. In popular music this is often called an intro...
prior to appearing on stage to begin a concert for his
Kill UncleKill Uncle sometimes written as "Kill Uncle" is Morrissey's second solo album, released on 4 March 1991. It is generally considered Morrissey's most unconventional album, probably due to its mature torch song aspects combined with quirky music and lyrics that range from ironic and tongue-in-cheek...
tour. He used the song
After the Fall for the same purpose during his 2007 American tour. Morrissey included Nomi's song
Death in his compilation of influential songs titled
Under the Influence, having in 1984 selected it as the last track for his appearance on the BBC radio show 'My Top 10'.
On television, a fictionalized version of Klaus Nomi appears in a two-part episode of animated comedy/adventure series
The Venture Bros.The Venture Bros. is an American animated television series which premiered on Cartoon Network's Adult Swim on February 16, 2003. The series chronicles the adventures of two dopey yet well-meaning teenage boys, Hank and Dean Venture; their emotionally insecure, ethically challenged super-scientist...
In "
Showdown at Cremation Creek (Part I)"Showdown at Cremation Creek " is the twelfth episode in the second season of The Venture Bros.-Plot:After a romantic tryst between Dr. Girlfriend and The Monarch goes sour over the Monarch's jealousy of Phantom Limb, Dr. Girlfriend gets ready to leave in a huff when Monarch proposes to her. Dr...
," he appears as one of
David BowieDavid Bowie is an English musician, actor, record producer and arranger. Active in five decades of popular music and frequently reinventing his music and image, Bowie is widely regarded as an innovator, particularly for his work in the 1970s...
's bodyguard henchmen (alongside an animated
Iggy PopIggy Pop is a songwriter, and occasional actor. Although he has had only limited mainstream commercial success, Iggy Pop is considered an influential innovator of punk rock, hard rock, and other related styles...
, another Bowie collaborator). "Klaus" attacks his opponents with ultra-high-pitched singing and the over-sized bow tie of his famous costume, spun and ejected as a battering weapon. In "
Showdown at Cremation Creek (Part II)"Showdown at Cremation Creek " is the thirteenth episode in the second season of The Venture Bros. It is the season two finale.-Plot:...
," "Klaus" seems to have been killed after betraying Bowie in order to become a henchman of a villain known as The Phantom Limb.
Nomi's over-the-top cover of
Lesley GoreLesley Gore is an American singer-songwriter of the "girl group era". She is perhaps best known for her 1963 pop hit, "It's My Party", which she recorded at the age of 16. Following the hit, she became one of the most recognized teen pop singers of 1963-1967...
's 1964 hit "You Don't Own Me" has been featured on the nationally broadcast
The Rush Limbaugh ShowThe Rush Limbaugh Show is an American talk radio show hosted by Rush Limbaugh on Premiere Radio Networks...
as the "Gay Update Theme." Nomi does not change the gender of the song, singing, "Don't say I can't play with other... BOYS!"
Nomi's visual aesthetic has been noted as an influence on women's fashion such as Boudicca,
GivenchyGivenchy is a French brand of clothing, accessories, perfumes and cosmetics with Parfums Givenchy.The house of Givenchy was founded in 1952 by designer Hubert de Givenchy and is a member of Chambre Syndicale de la Haute Couture et du Pret-a-Porter...
, and
Paco RabannePaco Rabanne, born Francisco Rabaneda Cuervo on February 18 1934 in San Sebastián in the Basque Country, Spain, is a fashion designer. He fled Spain for France with his mother when the Spanish Civil War broke out...
,
as well as men's fashion designers such as
Gareth PughGareth Pugh is an English fashion designer. He currently lives and works in Paris.-Career:At 14, Pugh began working as a costume designer for the English National Youth Theatre. He started his fashion education at City of Sunderland College and finished his degree in Fashion Design at Central...
and Bruno Pieters for
Hugo BossHugo Ferdinand Boss , known simply as Hugo Boss, was the founder of clothing company Hugo Boss AG.-Famous designs:In the third quarter of 1932, the all-black SS uniform was designed by SS-Oberführer Prof. Karl Diebitsch and Walter Heck...
.
Jean Paul Gaultier's Spring 2009 couture was influenced by Nomi and he used Nomi's recording of
Nomi Song in his runway show.
Albums
- Klaus Nomi
Klaus Nomi is the debut album by German countertenor Klaus Nomi.-Track listing:#"Keys Of Life" – 2:26#"Lightning Strikes" – 2:59#"The Twist" – 3:10...
1981
- Simple Man
Simple Man is the second album by German countertenor Klaus Nomi. It was also the last album to be released during Nomi's lifetime.-Track listing:#"From Beyond" – 2:51...
1982
- Encore
Encore! is the third album by German countertenor Klaus Nomi, released posthumously in 1983. It is partly a compilation of previous works, with some new work added.Nomi died of complications from AIDS earlier in the year...
1983
- In Concert 1986
- Za Bakdaz
Za Bakdaz is a collection of songs German countertenor Klaus Nomi was working on up until his death in 1983, released posthumously in 2007. The large majority of the tracks have never before seen a studio release...
2007 (posthumous compilation of an "unfinished opera")
Singles
- "You Don't Own Me
"You Don't Own Me" is the title of a popular song by Lesley Gore from 1964, recorded when Gore was 18 years old. The song reached number two on the Billboard Pop Singles Chart in the United States...
" / "Falling in Love Again (Can't Help It)"Falling in Love Again " is the English language name for a 1930 German song composed by Frederick Hollander as Ich bin von Kopf bis Fuß auf Liebe eingestellt . The song was originally performed in the film Der Blaue Engel by Marlene Dietrich, who also recorded the most famous English version...
" (1981)
- "Nomi Song" / "Cold Song" (1982)
- "Lightnin' Strikes
"Lightnin' Strikes" is a song written by Lou Christie and Twyla Herbert, and recorded by Christie on the MGM label. The song was arranged, conducted, and produced by Charles Calello and was recorded on September 3, 1965. The backup singers on the recording were Peggy Santiglia, Bernadette Carroll...
" / "Falling in Love Again (Can't Help It)" (1982)
- "Simple Man" / "Death" (1982)
- "Ding-Dong! The Witch Is Dead" / "ICUROK" (1982)
- "ICUROK" / "Ding-Dong! The Witch Is Dead" (Canadian 12")
- "Za Bak Daz" / "Silent Night
"Silent Night" is a popular Christmas carol. The original lyrics of the song Stille Nacht were written in German by the Austrian priest Father Josef Mohr and the melody was composed by the Austrian headmaster Franz Xaver Gruber. In 1859, John Freeman Young published the English translation that is...
" (CD single, 1998)
- "After the Fall"
| valign=top |
Music videos
- "Simple Man" (Directed and Edited by John Zieman)
- "Lightning Strikes"
- "Nomi Song"
- "After the Fall"
- "Falling in Love Again"
- "The Cold Song" (from Henry Purcell
Henry Purcell , was an English Baroque composer. Purcell incorporated Italian and French stylistic elements but devised a peculiarly English style of Baroque music.-Early life and career:...
's 1691 opera "King ArthurKing Arthur or, The British Worthy , is a semi-opera in five acts with music by Henry Purcell and alibretto by John Dryden. It was first performed at the Queen's Theatre, Dorset Garden, London, in late May or early June 1691....
")
Movie appearances
- Urgh! A Music War
Urgh! A Music War is a British film released in 1981 featuring performances by punk rock, New Wave, and post-punk acts, filmed in 1980. Among the artists featured in the movie are Magazine, The Go-Go's, The Fleshtones, Joan Jett and the Blackhearts, XTC, Devo, The Cramps, Oingo Boingo, Dead...
(1982)
- Long Island Four (1979)
External links