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Alphaville: Forever Young

 A l b u m   D e t a i l s


Label: Warner Bros. Records
Released: 1984
Time:
 43:34
Category: Pop/Rock
Producer(s): See Artists ...
Rating: *******... (7/10)
Media type: CD
Web address: www.alphaville.de
Appears with:
Purchase date: 2010.04.15
Price in €: 2,00





 S o n g s ,   T r a c k s


[1] A Victory of Love (Alphaville) - 4:14
[2] Summer in Berlin (Alphaville) - 4:45
[3] Big in Japan (Alphaville) - 4:43
[4] To Germany with Love (Alphaville) - 4:15
[5] Fallen Angel (Alphaville) - 3:55
[6] Forever Young (Gold/Lloyd/Mertens) - 3:45
[7] In the Mood (Alphaville) - 4:29
[8] Sounds Like a Melody (Alphaville) - 4:42
[9] Lies (Alphaville) - 3:32
[10] The Jet Set (Gold/Lloyd/Mertens) - 4:52

 A r t i s t s ,   P e r s o n n e l


Marian Gold - Vocals, Arranger, Composer
Bernhard Lloyd - Rhythm
Frank Mertens - Contributor, Melody Arrangement

Curt Cress - Drums
The Claudias - Background Vocals
Deutsche Opera Berlin - Strings
Gulfstream - Background Vocals
The Rosie Singers - Background Vocals
Ken Taylor - Bass
Ralph Vornberger - Vocals
Wednesday - Background Vocals

Wolfgang Loos - Arranger, Producer, Engineer
Andreas Budde - Producer
Colin Pearson - Producer
Bernhard Lloyd - Contributor
Uli Rudolph - Engineer   

 C o m m e n t s ,   N o t e s


1984 LP WEA 2292404811
1984 CS WEA 2292404814
1985 LP Gong SLPXL 17956
1989 CD Atlantic 80186-2
1989 CS Atlantic 80186-4
2008 CD Stradavari 240481

Recorded at Studio 54, Berlin, Germany between July and August 1984.

Named after Godard's 1959 science-fiction masterpiece and heavily influenced by '80s synth bands like Depeche Mode, Alphaville was the Munich-based trio of Marian Gold, Bernhard Lloyd and Frank Mertens. Their 1984 debut, FORVER YOUNG, features sombre but catchy synth-pop not unlike late Ultravox. Three songs-- the title track, "The Jet Set" and "Sounds LikeA Melody"--were sizeable hits, and a fourth, the brooding and atmospheric "Big In Japan" (ostensibly about heroin addiction) was a worldwide Top Ten smash. Unfortunately, by the time of Alphaville's 1986 follow-up, synth-pop was no longer a chart concern, and the trio quickly faded from sight.



Alphaville's 1984 debut, Forever Young, deserves to be viewed as a classic synth pop album. There's no doubting that Germans are behind the crystalline Teutonic textures and massive beats that permeate the album, but vocalist Marian Gold's impressive ability to handle a Bryan Ferry croon and many impassioned high passages meant the album would have worldwide appeal. Indeed both "Big in Japan" and the touching, sad change-of-pace "Forever Young" raced up the charts in multiple continents. Borrowing inspiration from Roxy Music's detached theatricality and Kraftwerk's beats and rhythms, Gold and company hit upon a magic formula that produced here an album's worth of impossibly catchy tunes that could almost serve as pure definitions for the synth pop genre. The hits race straight for one's cranium and embed themselves upon impact. "Big in Japan" feels like a more serious cousin to Murray Head's "One Night in Bangkok," as a slow-pounding beat spars with Gold's desperate voice. "Forever Young," a stark, epic song that would become essential for every post-1984 high school graduation, drips sadness and never fails to cause a listener to nostalgically reflect on life and loss. Outside of these hits, the remainder of the songs rarely falter, mixing emotion, theater, and of course electronics into a potent, addictive wave of synth euphoria. It's likely every fan could pick his own favorite of the other should-have-been-hits, but "Fallen Angel" deserves special mention. It begins with spooky, funny warbling and icy keyboards, and then explodes and transforms into a startling, romantic epiphany at the chorus. If its lyrics are a bit goofy or juvenile, it only adds to the heartfelt love the song expresses. Alphaville stick firmly to their synths and sequencers on Forever Young, but they keep things interesting by incorporating motifs from funk, Broadway, Brazilian jazz, and even hip-hop. Even when the band takes itself too seriously, the songs' catchy drive and consistently smart production cover any thematic holes. Forever Young is a technically perfect and emotionally compelling slice of 1980s electronic pop/rock music. It's also a wonderfully fun ride from start to finish.

Tim DiGravina - All Music Guide



Sure, it screams mid-1980s as joyously as any John Hughes teen flick, but this debut - from perhaps the only German export to sound positively gleeful - deserves as long a nostalgic afterlife as Soft Cell's "Tainted Love," Yaz's "Only You" or mid-period Depeche Mode. Forget OMD's "If You Leave," "Forever Young" is the best should-be prom-theme the decade produced. While "Big in Japan" was the KROQ anthem, everything here is deliriously tuneful. Revel in the manic melodies of "The Jet-Set," delight in the guilty synth-pleasure of "Sounds Like a Melody," surrender to the international romantic intrigue of "To Germany with Love," and hope that VH-1 re-discovers them for a reunion tour.

David Daley - Amazon.com



Heute hochgejubelt, morgen schon vergessen. Auch Alphaville tanzten kaum länger als einen Sommer. Die Hamburger Hoffnung für den internationalen Markt hetzte mit ihrem Debüt Forever Young so schnell die Karriereleiter hoch, daß sich weitere CDs fast erübrigten. Schließlich finden sich da schon die Welthits Big In Japan und Forever Young. Letzteres feiert momentan in einer Techno-Version Auferstehung. Das Originalalbum (und seine Nachfolger) gibt es jetzt zum Spartarif.

© Audio



The side of German synthesizer music we always expected existed but until now had never seen-yes, Virginia (and the rest of America) there is synth-pop in Germany. And it's pretty catchy, too. "Big In Japan" is big in the rest of the world, and sure to follow here. Also of note are "Forever Young" (a scared ballad questioning of world leaders), "Lies" and "Fallen Angel."

CMJ.com
 

 L y r i c s


A Victory of Love

waiting
for a change in the weather
i'm waiting for a shift in the air
could we get it together, ever
hoping for your return, hoping for your sweet, sweet
return

hello
is this heaven calling
hello, hello, is somebody there, she must be somewhere
and then she says hello, hello, hello
she's really an angel
she stands in the sunshine
she's closing her eyes, she starting to dream,
she's pulling the strings
she's dreaming a strange dream
where nothing is grey
then she takes me away and she's pulling the strings
when she's playing with love
she's playing with love...

counting
i count every second
and i'm standing
i stand in the rain, i walk up that lane
which leads to the sunshine
she stands in the sunshine
she's closing her eyes
then she takes me away and she's pulling the strings
when she's playing with love
she's playing with love...


Summer in Berlin

this days an invitation
and it's just for you
you've got a reservation
for the 17th of june
open your eyes and let the sun break in for a while
there may be something that you've never seen inside
feel how your heart beats like a
heavy machine
the sound of the traffic is like a
silent dream
the dust in the park, the exhaust from the cars
ascends in that heated afternoon
you touch a sweaty body

summer in berlin, it's alright
the day feel so tired from the led in the air and the fire in the sky
life seemed to be a fault of grace but it's okay
it gave you a kiss in the middle of the crossroads
summer in berlin, it's alright
the heat of the sun which is stored in the pavement feels so fine
here stands the innocent and there it comes oh so wild
that's when you're longing for a summer by the wall

summer in berlin, it's okay


Big in Japan

Winter's cityside,
Crystal bits of snowflakes all around my head and in the wind...
I had no illusions
That i'd ever find a glimpse of summer's heatwaves in your eyes.
You did what you did to me,
Now it's history I see
Here's my comeback on the road again.
Things will happen while they can,
I will wait here for my man tonight--
It's easy when you're big in Japan!

Are your big in Japan, tonight
Big in Japan, be tight
Big in Japan where( or "ooh"?) the Eastern Sea is so blue.
Big in Japan, all right, pay, then I'll sleep by your side
Things are easy when you're big in Japan, Are you're big in Japan

Neon on my naked skin
Passing silhouettes of strange illuminated mannequins
Shall I stay here at the zoo,
Or should I go and change my point of view for other ugly scenes?
You did what you did to me, now it's history all I see.
Things will happen while they can...
I will wait here for my man tonight, it's easy when you're big in Japan

Are your big in Japan, tonight
Big in Japan, be tight
Big in Japan, oh, the Eastern Sea is so blue.
Big in Japan, all right, pay, then I'll sleep by your side
Things are easy when you're big in Japan, are you big in Japan.
(Repeat)


To Germany with Love

i am an emigree, i write to germany
in foreign words, a tongue of actuality
hands in grey gloves
to germany with love
a war between the wars
a war between the wars

triumph over bygone sorrow
can in unity be won
let them all persue this purpose
till reality is gone
i am an unexpected spy
from the outside of my eye
translate it first then comprehend
i'm here indeed but there i stand

i write to germany, i write to germany
to germany with love, to germany with love

this is the turn of colours
all real, some still unseen
there is no more decision cause there's too much in between
let us build a nightmare nation
learn and work as never yet
that this cold new generation faith in its own fears beget
here comes the modern rat, here comes the terror squad
ours is the salt of wisdom, here we come all dressed in black
from the ruins risen slowly to the future turned we stand
flourish in this blessing glory
flourish german fatherland

i write to germany, i write to germany
all quiet in germany, all quiet in germany


Fallen Angel

i hear those voices on the radio
i switched it off because she told me so
she's an investigator, she's like an elevator
nobody told me we'd be all alone, you know
somewhere my friend had left me in that twilight zone, you know
she said, i've seen your deepest secrets now
they're just as lightning in the look of your eyes

i said, i want you baby, isaid, i want some more
i said, i never ever felt it like that moment before
she's an assassin, she's melting steel in my heart
and i beg for more
she said, i want your body, she said, i want your soul
she said, a fallen angel takes it and she'll never let go
she's an invader, she's from another world
and i beg for more and more

she's raising feelings cutting like a knife
she's pouring fire into my liquid life
there's no escaping from her mysteries
she gives me kisses of the strangest kind, she says
i know you'll like it, so come over here, she says
and let that rhythm filter through your body, dear
and then she...
she always did it and she always will
she'll stay that hunter till the end of time

i said, i want you baby, isaid, i want some more
i said, i never ever felt it like that moment before
she's an assassin, she's melting steel in my heart
and i beg for more
she said, i want your body, she said, i want your soul
she said, a fallen angel takes it and she'll never let go
she's an invader, she's from another world
and i beg for more and more..


Forever young

Let's dance in style, let's dance for a while
Heaven can wait we're only watching the skies
Hoping for the best but expecting the worst
Are you gonna drop the bomb or not?

Let us die young or let us live forever
We don't have the power but we never say never
Sitting in a sandpit, life is a short trip
The music's for the sad man

Can you imagine when this race is won
Turn our golden faces into the sun
Praising our leaders we're getting in tune
The music's played by the, the madman

Forever young, I want to be forever young
Do you really want to live forever?
Forever, or never

Forever young, I want to be forever young
Do you really want to live forever?
Forever young

Some are like water, some are like the heat
Some are a melody and some are the beat
Sooner or later they all will be gone
Why don't they stay young?

It's so hard to get old without a cause
I don't want to perish like a fading rose
Youth like diamonds in the sun
And diamonds are forever

So many adventures couldn't happen today
So many songs we forgot to play
So many dreams are swinging out of the blue
We let 'em come true

Forever young, I want to be forever young
Do you really want to live forever?
Forever, or never

Forever young, I want to be forever young
Do you really want to live forever?
Forever, or never

Forever young, I wanna be forever young
Do you really want to live forever?


In the Mood

he's in the mood to touch the fire
he's in the mood to touch everything you are

jacky's locked in a silent dream
he's watching movies on the tv screen
he feels unsteady, lights a cigarette
he's getting mellow in his cabinet

oh, jacky, when everything goes wrong
get ready, for you've got to be, you've got to be so strong
it's so supersensual, sentimental
forget about your deepest fears
switch back to the golden years

you've got to touch the fire, wake up little boy
you've got to play the fire

jacky's spying, is it her or not
his eyes are burning cause the brain's too hot
he sitting calmly on his swivel chair
there's something coming from the upper stairs

now listen to me, jacky
you were always so lonesome in that quiet lonely house
high on a hill
now come... come and meet me
you know where
and we take a nice and easy holiday
back in the old, old days of happiness

oh jacky....
switch back to the golden years


Sounds like a Melody

it's a trick of my mind
to faces bathing in the screenlight
she's so soft and warm in my arms
i tune it into the scene
my hand are resting on her shoulders
when we're dancing away for a while
oh, we're moving, we're falling, we step into the fire
by the hour of the wolf in a midnight dream
there's no reason to hurry, just start that brand new story
set it alight, we're head over heels in love
head over heels

the ringing of your laughter it sounds like a melody
to once forbidden places we'll go for a while

it's the definite show
our shadows resting in the moonlight
it's so clear and bright in your eyes
it's the touch of your sighs
my lips are resting on your shoulder
when we're moving so soft and slow
we need the extasy, the jelousy, the comedy of love
like the cary grants and kellys once before
give me more tragedy, more harmony and phantasy, my ***D E A R***
and set it alight, just starting that satellite
set it alight


Lies

baby
what do i do
playing my tune for you
just to get you in the mood
everybody's going to hollywood
you're driving me mad
but i'm smiling to the crowd instead
a lot of money is at stake, this is a hit and that's a fake
this is what you mean to me
this is what they all should see
make a make up in a foolish style
telling the truth by making a big lie
when i come, i come but nothing's at ease
breaking up the whole is a modern disease
maybe you think tomorrow's just a joke
it's a joke after joke after joke after joke

my love
everything's an interview
and nothing's really new
and everybody's looking for clues and you know what to do with a clue
my love
get ready for the show
they're waiting and they will never go
this night is just a go
and it's only for show

dig that deal and be a millionaire
drinking cocktails in the stratosphere
getting jetlagged with my business friends in these supersonic wonderlands
there's a shadow on the graphic display, first he's smiling then he's fading away
maybe he thinks tomorrow's just a joke
it's a joke after joke after joke after joke


The Jet Set

this is the time, now gimme that beat
feel how the rhythm grips your feet
kitty baby, take my hand
she's like a devil, heaven sent
i'm in her arms and she's in mine
maybe we make the film on time
sitting in the 15th row
oh baby, baby, i love you so

we are the jet set society
we are the jet set and that means liberty, liberty
the jet set society
we are the jet set set, we are the jet set set
society

we're on the run, we know where to go, we got the tickets for the midnight show
these nights are burning out so fast, hop on the beam, you won't be last
the russians seem to be that way, we love them like we love d. kaye
we need no money, we get it for free
we are the high-high-high society

we are the jet set, hop on the beam
shine on, society, shine on, liberty
shine on, luxury, shine on, society

streets are full of love and fear, this could be the final year
enrico's dead but still okay, we dance the streets, feeling well
if she's a liar, i'm her lover
if she's a priestess, i'm her cover
if she's a lady, i'm her man
if she's a man, i'll do what i can

lets go to the moon, lets go to the moon
dig that kind of liberty and lets go to the moon..
come and join the institution

 M P 3   S a m p l e s


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