Heck was born in Flensburg, Germany and grew up in Hamburg. In April 1943, when he was five years old, he developed a stutter after being trapped under a staircase after a nighttime British bombing raid during World War II. The stutter went away after he received training in classical singing at age 16. After completing "Mittelschule" (middle school) and a technical "Oberschule" (high school) he was trained as a "Technischer Kaufmann" (technical salesman) by Borgward in Hamburg and worked afterwards as a salesman. He left the company before it went bankrupt in 1961.
In 1959, Heck appeared on Peter Frankenfelds talent show Toi – Toi – Toi, singing Hippe-di-hipp, mein Mädchen. In 1961, he participated in the preliminary round of the Grand Prix Eurovision de la Chanson (now Eurovision Song Contest). After employment as a car salesman, Heck worked for a record company. He visited the radio station Südwestfunk (SWF) in Baden-Baden on 23 November 1963 and was asked to be interviewed because a scheduled guest did not show up. The moderator asked clumsy questions so Heck took over conducting the interview himself. As a result, Herbert Falk offered him the job of hosting a 90-minute "Sendung" (broadcast) every Saturday. Heck then worked for Radio Luxemburg from 1965 to September 1966. It was customary there to use only a first name, and as "Dieter" was already taken, Heck asked readers of the youth magazine Bravo for an alternative name. The readers chose "Thomas", and he has used it since. He collaborated with Frank Elstner and they became friends.
He then worked for SR 1 Europawelle of the Saarländischer Rundfunk. He concentrated on German Schlager music, a topic not favored by other moderators. His series Die Deutsche Schlagerparade was so successful that it was partly recorded. In 1967, he was a co-founder of the award Goldene Europa for German singers, which was first awarded in 1968.
Heck's breakthrough came with ZDF-Hitparade, a TV series for the ZDF in Mainz, based on the model of the Schlagerparade and staged by Truck Branss. It was considered an influential music feature of the 1970s and 1980s. He presented it 183 times between 1969 and 1984. Heck initiated the award Goldene Stimmgabel. From 1982 to 1989, he was also moderator for the Südwestfunk in the series Gute Laune aus Südwest and Vom Telefon zum Mikrofon. For the ZDF, he moderated 4 gegen 4 (1973), Die Pyramide (1978), Schwarz auf Weiß, Ihr Einsatz bitte – Made in Germany, Das ist ihr Leben (1994), Das große Los, Showpalast, Das Sommer-Hitfestival, Das Silvester-Hitfestival and finally Melodien für Millionen (Melodies for Millions), a gala for the benefit of the German Cancer Aid. He retired from the ZDF in 2007.[2] Heck published his biography in 2011.
As an actor, in 1970 he starred in the role of the showmaster in the TV play Das Millionenspiel. He played supporting roles in TV crime series, such as Tatort in 1981, Rosenheim-Cops, Praxis Bülowbogen, and SOKO Stuttgart in 2009.
Heck married in 1962 and again in 1976. He had two sons and one daughter.
Awards
1971: Goldene Kamera in the category Beste Sendung für junge Leute (best feature for young people) for ZDF-Hitparade
1984: Verdienstkreuz am Bande, the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany
1999: Saarländischer Verdienstorden, the Order of Merit of the State of Saarland
2000: Verdienstmedaille of Baden-Württemberg, the Order of Merit of the State of Baden-Württemberg
2001: The Goldene Feder, a special prize for charitable work
2003: Verdienstorden des Landes Rheinland-Pfalz, the Order of Merit of the State of Rhineland-Palatinate
2008: Echo Music Prize for exceptional merits for music in German
2009: Verdienstkreuz 1. Klasse of the Federal Republic of Germany
2012: Deutscher Musikpreis
2017: Goldene Kamera lifetime achievement award
CDU
Dieter Thomas Heck Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Vor drei Jahren, nach der letzten Wahl –
Für die Renten neue Normen
Bildungs- und Finanzreformen
Und ein bess'res Führungspersonal!
Ziehen wir von alledem Bilanzen
Sehen wir, die Lage ist fatal –
Schall und Rauch blieb das Erneuern
Und die Preise stiegen maximal!
Wir wählen CDU, CDU!
Wähl auch du CDU!
Ich weiß jetzt schon längst was ich tu –
Was denn sonst? CDU!
Sekretäre gingen und Minister
Einer nach dem Andern nahm den Hut!
Nach dem Rücktritt von Herrn Möller
Lief das Karussell noch schneller –
Schiller zog den Schluss: Das geht nicht gut!
Bald schon können wir uns neu entscheiden
Wer in Zukunft uns regieren wird –
Wir holen jetzt die Mannschaft ran
Auf die man sich verlassen kann
Die uns in eine sich're Zukunft führt!
Wir wählen CDU! CDU!
Wähl auch du CDU!
Ich weiß jetzt schon längst was ich tu –
Was denn sonst? CDU!
CDU! CDU! Wähl auch du CDU!
Ich weiß jetzt schon längst was ich tu –
Was denn sonst? CDU!
The song "CDU" by Dieter Thomas Heck is a political commentary on the state of affairs in Germany after the last election. The lyrics describe the disappointment and disillusionment among the people, who were promised a better future by the CDU, the ruling party at the time. The singer expresses his frustration at the lack of progress in areas such as pensions, education, and finance, and the failure of the government to deliver on their promises of reform. Instead, he notes that prices have skyrocketed and that the country is in a precarious state. The chorus repeatedly calls for a vote for the CDU as the solution to the country's problems, emphasizing the party's reliability and ability to lead the nation into a more secure future.
Line by Line Meaning
Alles hat man damals uns versprochen
We were promised everything back then
Vor drei Jahren, nach der letzten Wahl –
Three years ago, after the last election –
Für die Renten neue Normen
New standards for pensions
Bildungs- und Finanzreformen
Reforms for education and finance
Und ein bess'res Führungspersonal!
And better leadership personnel!
Ziehen wir von alledem Bilanzen
When we assess all of this
Sehen wir, die Lage ist fatal –
We see that the situation is disastrous –
Schall und Rauch blieb das Erneuern
The renewal was just noise and smoke
Und die Senkung uns'rer Steuern
And the reduction of our taxes
Und die Preise stiegen maximal!
And the prices rose to the maximum!
Wir wählen CDU, CDU!
We choose CDU, CDU!
Wähl auch du CDU!
You should also choose CDU!
Ich weiß jetzt schon längst was ich tu –
I already know what I'm going to do -
Was denn sonst? CDU!
What else? CDU!
Sekretäre gingen und Minister
Secretaries and ministers left
Einer nach dem Andern nahm den Hut!
One after another quit the job!
Nach dem Rücktritt von Herrn Möller
After Mr. Möller resigned
Lief das Karussell noch schneller –
The carousel spun even faster -
Schiller zog den Schluss: Das geht nicht gut!
Schiller drew the conclusion: This is not going well!
Bald schon können wir uns neu entscheiden
Soon we can make a new decision
Wer in Zukunft uns regieren wird –
Who will govern us in the future –
Wir holen jetzt die Mannschaft ran
We're going to bring in the team now
Auf die man sich verlassen kann
On whom we can rely
Die uns in eine sich're Zukunft führt!
Who will lead us into a secure future!
CDU! CDU!
CDU! CDU!
Wähl auch du CDU!
You should also choose CDU!
Ich weiß jetzt schon längst was ich tu –
I already know what I'm going to do -
Was denn sonst? CDU!
What else? CDU!
CDU! CDU!
CDU! CDU!
Wähl auch du CDU!
You should also choose CDU!
Ich weiß jetzt schon längst was ich tu –
I already know what I'm going to do -
Was denn sonst? CDU!
What else? CDU!
Contributed by Olivia O. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Stefan Wöhlke
Original: "Deine Liebe legt mein Herz in Ketten" von Tommy Kent.
Monika Schreiber
So kann man die Wähler auch das Fürchten lehren…😱
Angelika Hagedorn
Hits aus Bonnanza, die Single hab ich auch noch
Angelika Hagedorn
Nach Recherche, die Platte ist von 1972