He is credited with broadening German-language pop music beyond the traditional postwar "Schlager" (hit song) in the 1950s by infusing it with a modern pop appeal and French chanson style. His compositions and arrangements attracted fans of all ages. Until his death at age 80 he continued to fill venues in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland.
Career
In 1952 Udo Bolan, as he was called then, formed the Udo Bolan Quartet In Klagenfurt, Austria appearing regularly at the Café Obelisk in Klagenfurt with Englishman Johnny Richards on drums, Klaus Behmel on guitar and Bruno Geiger on Bass. The quartet played regularly at various dance and jazz venues and also broadcast on Radio Alpenland and the British Forces Radio network produced by Mike Fior.
In 1950, he won a composer contest organized by Austria's public broadcasting channel ORF with the song "Je t'aime". He wrote the 1961 worldwide hit "Reach for the Stars", sung by Shirley Bassey.
In 1964, he represented Austria for the first time at the Eurovision Song Contest 1964 with the song "Warum nur, warum[/trackUdo Jürgens]?", finishing sixth. The UK participant, Matt Monro, was impressed with the melody and covered the song (with English lyrics by his manager Don Black) as "Walk Away," which reached number four in the UK Singles Chart and number 23 in the US Billboard Hot 100 chart.
Jürgens' song "Sag ihr, ich lass sie grüßen" came fourth in 1965's contest, and on his third try he won the Eurovision Song Contest 1966 in Luxembourg with "Merci, Chérie", which became an English-language hit for Vince Hill, another cover by Monro, and one of Jürgens' most recognized compositions. Jürgens' version alone sold over one million copies, and he was awarded a gold disc by Deutsche Vogue in 1966.
In the following years, he wrote the songs, like "Griechischer Wein", "Aber bitte mit Sahne", "Mit 66 Jahren", and — one of his biggest successes — "Buenos Días, Argentina", which he performed together with the Germany national football team in 1978.
In 1977, he invited The Supremes to appear as guests on his televised and recorded gala concert. The Supremes (Mary Wilson, Scherrie Payne, and Susaye Green), who were on a brief farewell tour of Europe at the time, performed two of their own hits, "You Are the Heart of Me" and "You're My Driving Wheel", as well as a duet with Jürgens' "Walk Away" in English.
In 1979, he released a disco album entitled Udo '80. It produced a hit song "Ich weiß was ich will". This song was also released as a 12 inch disco single in an extended remix for discothèques.
On 2 December 2007, the jukebox musical "Ich war noch niemals in New York" ("I've never been to New York") opened in Hamburg's Operettenhaus. It weaves songs by Jürgens into a familial storyline, similar to the treatment of ABBA songs in "Mamma Mia!", the musical it succeeded at the venue.
Since 2015, Udo Jürgens holds the worldwide-record as the artist with the longest presence in the charts ever - more than 57 years from his first entry 1958 till 2015.
Death
On 21 December 2014, Jürgens died of acute heart failure in Münsterlingen, Switzerland at the age of 80. With Austria's success at the 2014 Eurovision Song Contest, the first since Jürgens' success in 1966, Jürgens expressed his interest in performing in the interval of the next contest. With his death, the organisers of the 2015 contest in Vienna paid tribute to him with a tribute day on 20 May and a tribute act at the beginning of the Grand Final.
Studio albums
1965 Portrait in Musik
1966 Françoise und Udo
1967 Was ich dir sagen will
1967 Portrait in Musik II
1967 International
1967 Chansons
1968 Udo Jürgens
1968 Mein Lied für dich
1968 Udo
1969 Portrait International
1969 Udo '70
1970 Udo '71
1971 So weit die Züge geh'n
1971 Jonny & Jenny
1972 Ich bin wieder da
1973 Es ist Zeit für die Liebe
1973 International 2
1973 Jonny & Jenny - Alle Kinder dieser Welt
1973 New World of Udo Jürgens
1974 Udo heute
1974 Meine Lieder
1975 Griechischer Wein - Seine neuen Lieder
1975 Griechischer Wein
1975 Udo '75 - Ein neuer Morgen
1976 Meine Lieder 2
1977 Meine Lieder '77
1977 Lieder, die auf Reisen gehen
1978 Buenos dias, Argentina
1978 Nur ein Lächeln
1979 Die Blumen blüh'n überall gleich
1979 Udo '80
1981 Willkommen in meinem Leben
1981 Leave a Little Love
1982 Silberstreifen
1983 Traumtänzer
1984 Hautnah
1985 Treibjagd
1986 Deinetwegen
1988 Das blaue Album
1989 Ohne Maske
1990 Sempre Roma
1991 Geradeaus!
1993 Café Größenwahn
1995 Zärtlicher Chaot
1999 Ich werde da sein
2002 Es lebe das Laster
2005 Jetzt oder nie
2008 Einfach ich
2011 Der ganz normale Wahnsinn
2014 Mitten im Leben
Merci Chérie
Udo Jürgens Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Merci
Merci für die Stunden, Chérie
Chérie
Chérie uns're Liebe war schön
So schön
Sei nicht traurig muss ich auch von dir gehen
Adieu
Adieu
Adieu
Deine Tränen tun weh
So weh
So weh
Unser Traum fliegt dahin
Dahin
Merci, Chérie
Weine nicht
Auch das hat so seinen Sinn
Schau' nach vorn
Nicht zurück
Zwingen kann man kein Glück
Denn kein Meer ist so wild wie die Liebe
Die Liebe allein
Nur die kann so sein
So sein
So sein
Merci
Merci
Merci für die Stunden, Chérie
Chérie
Chérie uns're Liebe war schön
So schön
Merci, Chérie
So schön
So schön
Merci, Chérie
So schön
So schön
Merci, Chérie, Merci
The song "Merci Chérie" by Udo Jürgens is a gentle and sentimental tune that expresses gratitude for the time spent with a lover. The song begins with the repeated phrase "Merci" or "Thank you" in French, expressing gratitude for the time spent together. The chorus repeats the phrase "Merci, Chérie," thanking the singer's beloved, whose love was "so beautiful." However, there is a bittersweet farewell, with the singer acknowledging that they must leave their lover with the word "Adieu." As the song continues, the singer encourages their lover not to be sad and to look forward, not back. They acknowledge that happiness cannot be forced, and that love alone can be as wild as the sea, with its own path and destiny that cannot be controlled.
Overall, "Merci Chérie" conveys timeless wisdom about love and the inevitability of parting. The song acknowledges the beauty and power of love, but it also acknowledges that nothing lasts forever, and that life's journey can take us down different paths. Despite the inherent sadness of saying goodbye, the song ends on a note of gratitude and appreciation for the time spent together.
Line by Line Meaning
Merci
Thank you
Merci
Thank you
Merci für die Stunden, Chérie
Thank you for the moments, my dear
Chérie
My dear
Chérie uns're Liebe war schön
Our love was beautiful, my dear
So schön
So beautiful
Merci, Chérie
Thank you, my dear
Sei nicht traurig muss ich auch von dir gehen
Don't be sad, I have to leave you too
Adieu
Goodbye
Adieu
Goodbye
Adieu
Goodbye
Deine Tränen tun weh
Your tears hurt me
So weh
So much
So weh
So much
Unser Traum fliegt dahin
Our dream flies away
Dahin
Away
Merci, Chérie
Thank you, my dear
Weine nicht
Don't cry
Auch das hat so seinen Sinn
Everything happens for a reason
Schau' nach vorn
Look forward
Nicht zurück
Not back
Zwingen kann man kein Glück
You can't force happiness
Denn kein Meer ist so wild wie die Liebe
For no sea is as wild as love
Die Liebe allein
Love alone
Nur die kann so sein
Only it can be like that
So sein
Like that
So sein
Like that
So sein
Like that
Merci
Thank you
Merci
Thank you
Merci für die Stunden, Chérie
Thank you for the moments, my dear
Chérie
My dear
Chérie uns're Liebe war schön
Our love was beautiful, my dear
So schön
So beautiful
Merci, Chérie
Thank you, my dear
So schön
So beautiful
So schön
So beautiful
Merci, Chérie, Merci
Thank you, my dear, thank you
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: Baker Cavendish, Thomas Hoerbiger, Udo Juergens
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Mike Marchall
Merci chérie
Merci, merci, merci
Pour les heures chéri, chéri, chéri
Notre amour était beau, tellement beau
Merci, chéri
Ne sois pas triste, je dois te quitter
Au revoir, au revoir, au revoir
Vos larmes sont douloureuses, si douloureuses, si douloureuses
Notre rêve s'envole, s'en va
Merci, ma chérie
Ne pleure pas, cela sert aussi un but utile
Ne regarde pas en avant, pas en arrière
Tu ne peux pas forcer la chance
Parce qu'aucune mer n'est aussi sauvage que l'amour
Seul l'amour peut être comme ça
Sois comme ça, sois comme ça
Merci, merci, merci
Pour les heures, chéri, chéri, chéri
Notre amour était beau, tellement beau
Merci, chéri
Si belle, si belle
Merci chérie
Si belle, si belle
Merci chérie
Merci
philippe bestetti
PAROLES ORIGINALES DE TINOI ROSSI
Merci, merci, chérie
Toi l'amour de ma vie
Merci chérie
pour les heures, d'un bonheur, passé
Merci chérie
POur les jours les nuits qu'on oublie jamais.
Adieu, Adieu, Adieu,
j'ai des larmes dans les yeux,
Je dois- partir
je sais, que tout doit finir
Merci, chérie
pour toutes les joies que tu m'as donné
Un moment important
est venu aujourd'hui
de choisir le tournant de ma vie
adieu, je dois m'en allé
je dois te quitter
le cœur blessé
Merci, merci chérie …...
Nadin Cano
MERCI, CHÉRIE
Merci, merci, merci
Für die Stunden, Chérie, Chérie, Chérie
Uns're Liebe war schön, so schön, merci, Chérie
Sei nicht traurig, muß ich auch von dir geh'n
Adieu, adieu, adieu
Deine Tränen tun weh, so weh, so weh
Unser Traum fliegt dahin, dahin, merci, Chérie
Weine nicht, auch das hat so seinen Sinn
Schau nach vorn, nicht zurück, zwingen kann man kein Glück
Denn kein Meer ist so wild wie die Liebe
Die Liebe allein, nur die kann so sein
So sein, so sein
Merci, merci, merci
Für die Stunden, Chérie, Chérie, Chérie
Uns're Liebe war schön, so schön, merci, Chérie
So schön, so schön, merci, Chérie
So schön, so schön, merci, Chérie, merci
Michel Dubuis
Une chanson magnifique chantée à l'Eurovision fin des années 60 , une époque formidable , merci pour le partage.
Barbara Wielander
It may sound strange, but this song helped me a lot improving my free diving (apnoe) skills, because I find it so relaxing... When I'm in the water, trying not to think about not being able to breathe, I just imagine Udo Jürgens singing this song for me, and with every "Merci" I feel a little better 🙂
NIKOLA DEMONJA
One of the best songs in Europe. The song of my boyhood.
Maria Brett
@conny manero what are you crazy he has a lovely voice
Oscar H
Una porquería de canción.
Scheherasad
@conny manero scroll down the comments and you will read there is a comment by Markus Sparfeldt who says that this is a cover sung by him+watch the original video this is really not the original voice of Udo Jürgens.
Elektrogstanzl
@conny manero There are world class classic musicians who are literally huge fans of him too - but „Conny Manero“ knows better 😆.
They also say he had pitch perfect.
conny manero
I have ears, I just heard him 'sing'@Elektrogstanzl. He's terrible.
Martine LABONDE
Un chanteur formidable que je n'ai pas oublié. J'ai été peinée d'apprendre son décès juste avant Noël 2020. Je me rappelle très bien la chanson "Warum? ". Merveilleux chanteur simple et oublié en France, hélas.
Ewa Paszkiewicz
Na chwile obecną, mysle sobie, nie ma piękniejszej piosenki o rozstaniu