{{Short description|Austrian singer and composer (1934–2014)}} {{Use dmy dates|date=March 2023}} {{Expand German|topic=bio|date=February 2025}} {{Infobox musical artist | name = Udo Jürgens | image = ROMY 2012 41 Udo Jürgens.jpg | caption = Udo Jürgens in 2012 | birth_name = Jürgen Udo Bockelmann | birth_date = {{birth date|1934|9|30|df=y|}} | birth_place = [[Klagenfurt]], Austria | death_date = {{death date and age|2014|12|21|1934|9|30|df=y}} | death_place = [[Münsterlingen]], Switzerland | instrument = Vocals, piano | genre = [[Pop music|Pop]], [[Schlager music|schlager]], [[chanson]], [[soft rock]] | occupation = Singer, musician, composer | years_active = 1950–2014 | label = | website = {{Official website}} }}
'''Udo Jürgens''' (born '''Jürgen Udo Bockelmann'''; 30 September 1934 – 21 December 2014) was an Austrian composer and singer of popular music whose career spanned over 50 years. He won the [[Eurovision Song Contest 1966]] for Austria, composed close to 1,000 songs, and sold over 104 million records.<ref>{{cite web|title=Philosophische Hilfestellungen (159. Folge). Diesmal für: Udo Jürgens, Selbstdarsteller|url=http://www.zeit.de/2004/32/Lebenshilfe_2fEthikrat_32|work=Lebensart|publisher=Zeit Online|access-date=29 October 2010|author=Jan Meyer-Veden|language=de|date=29 July 2004}}</ref> In 2007, he additionally obtained Swiss citizenship.<ref>[http://www.blick.ch/people-tv/udo-juergens-ist-jetzt-schweizer-id1443124.html ''Udo Jürgens ist jetzt Schweizer''], blick.ch. 28 February 2007. (in German)</ref>
He is credited with broadening German-language pop music beyond the traditional post-war "[[Schlager music|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, and he continued to fill venues in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland until his death at age 80.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.starpulse.com/Music/Udo_J%C3%BCrgens-P684712/Biography |title=Udo Jürgens Biography |author=Dave Thompson |publisher=All Music Guide |access-date=26 October 2012 }}{{Dead link|date=July 2025 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>
==Career== {{Moresources|section|date=February 2023}} 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.<ref>{{Cite web |title=1950 - 1959 |url=http://www.magnudo.de/startseite/biographie/1950-1959/ |access-date=2024-03-21 |website=Udo Jürgens Fan-Site |language=de-DE}}</ref>
In 1950, he won a composer contest organized by Austria's public broadcasting channel [[ORF (broadcaster)|ORF]] with the song "Je t'aime". He wrote the 1961 worldwide hit "[[Reach for the Stars (Shirley Bassey song)|Reach for the Stars]]", sung by [[Shirley Bassey]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.vistawide.com/german/german_music/udo_juergens.htm |title=German Music: Udo Jurgens |work=World Languages and Cultures - Germans |publisher=Vistawide.com |access-date=10 May 2010}} </ref>
In 1964, Jürgens represented Austria for the first time at the [[Eurovision Song Contest 1964]] with the song "[[Warum nur, warum?]]", finishing sixth. The UK participant, [[Matt Monro]], was impressed with the melody and [[cover version|covered]] the song (with English lyrics by his manager [[Don Black (lyricist)|Don Black]]) as "Walk Away", which reached number four in the [[UK Singles Chart]] and number 23 in the US ''[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]'' [[Billboard Hot 100|Hot 100]] [[record chart|chart]]. [[File:Eurovisie Songfestival 1966 te Luxemburg. De winnaar Udo Jürgens met de winnares, Bestanddeelnr 918-9214.jpg|thumb|upright=0.9|Jürgens after winning the [[Eurovision Song Contest 1966]], with [[France Gall]] ]] Jürgens' song "[[Sag ihr, ich lass sie grüßen]]" came fourth in 1965's [[Eurovision Song Contest 1965|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 [[music recording sales certification|gold disc]] by Deutsche Vogue in 1966.<ref name="The Book of Golden Discs">{{cite book | first= Joseph | last= Murrells | year= 1978 | title= The Book of Golden Discs | edition= 2nd | publisher= Barrie and Jenkins Ltd | location= London | page= [https://archive.org/details/bookofgoldendisc00murr/page/206 206] | isbn= 0-214-20512-6 | url-access= registration | url= https://archive.org/details/bookofgoldendisc00murr/page/206 }}</ref>
In the following years, Jürgens wrote 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 Argentina.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2014-06-10 |title=Spiel mir das Lied von der Schmach |url=https://www.stern.de/sport/fussball/wm-2014/wm-erinnerungen---argentinien-1978-spiel-mir-das-lied-von-der-schmach-3160822.html |access-date=2024-03-21 |website=stern.de |language=de}}</ref>
In 1977, he invited [[The Supremes]] to appear as guests on his televised and recorded gala concert. The Supremes ([[Mary Wilson (singer)|Mary Wilson]], [[Scherrie Payne]], and [[Susaye Greene]]), 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.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.stafaband.info/download/mp3/lagu_the_supremes_live_with_udo_jurgens_1977/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141222204920/http://www.stafaband.info/download/mp3/lagu_the_supremes_live_with_udo_jurgens_1977/|url-status=dead|archive-date=22 December 2014|title=THE SUPREMES LIVE WITH UDO JURGENS 1977 - Mp3 Download (3.65 MB)|website=stafaband.info|access-date=22 December 2014}}</ref> [[File:Bundesarchiv Bild 183-1987-0302-032, Berlin, Friedrichstadtpalast, Udo Jürgens.jpg|thumb|left|Jürgens in 1987]] In 1979, he released a [[disco]] album entitled ''Udo '80'', which spawned the hit single "Ich weiß was ich will". This song was also released as a [[Twelve-inch single|12"]] disco single in an extended [[remix]] for nightclubs.
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 [[:de:Operettenhaus|Operettenhaus]]. It weaves songs by Jürgens into a familial storyline, similar to the treatment of [[ABBA]] songs in ''[[Mamma Mia! (musical)|Mamma Mia!]],'' the musical succeeded at the venue.
Like [[Keith Richards]], Jürgens is very famous in Argentina, where he has one of the biggest fan bases outside of German speaking countries.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Sinay |first=Javier |date= |title=Los Rolling Stones en Argentina: cómo fue su primera visita en 1995 |work=La Nacion |url=https://www.lanacion.com.ar/espectaculos/musica/the-rolling-stones-en-argentina-como-fue-su-primera-visita-en-1995-nid1867821/ |access-date=28 March 2023}}</ref>
Since 2015, 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. On 16 December 2022, a new album consisting of his legacies was released by his children. This reached #1 on the German charts on 24 December. Thus, Jürgens has been in the German charts for more than eight decades.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://germanchartblog.blogspot.de/2015/01/2nd-of-jan-2015-first-list-of-year.html |title=German Chartblog: 2nd of Jan 2015: First List of the Year |publisher=Germanchartblog.blogspot.de |date=25 September 2009 |access-date=19 August 2015}}</ref>{{clear}}
==Cover versions==
"[[Merci, Chérie]]", whose original German lyrics were written by [[Thomas Hörbiger]], has been translated or adapted into several languages and covered by dozens of artists in both vocal and instrumental recordings. These versions include: * "Merci Chérie" by Claude Carrère and André Salvet (French) * "Merci" by [[Vito Pallavicini]] (Italian) * "Merci Cherie" by Baker Cavendish (English) * "Merci Cherie" by Fred Bekky (Dutch) * "Merci Chérie" by Al Sandström (Swedish) * "Merci Chérie" by Gina Trandafirescu (Romanian) * "Merci Cheri" by Andrzej Ozga (Polish) Jürgens himself recorded many of the translations for international release, including a version in Japanese. More recent covers include [[Belinda Carlisle]]'s 2007 recording of the French version.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.secondhandsongs.com/work/126086#work126086 |title=Merci Cherie |publisher=SecondHandSongs.com |access-date=25 October 2012}}</ref> [[File:Udo Jürgens - Der Soloabend 2010 (02).jpg|thumb|Jürgens in 2010]] In addition to recording Cavendish's "Merci, Chérie" lyric, [[Matt Monro]] covered five more Jürgens compositions, all with English lyrics (unrelated to the German ones), written by his manager [[Don Black (lyricist)|Don Black]]. Four of these became closely associated with Monro (and were subsequently covered by Jürgens himself): * "Warum nur warum?" became "Walk Away" (a 1964 Top 40 hit in both the U.S. and UK) * "Du sollst die Welt für mich sein" became "Without You" (a 1965 UK Top 40 hit) * "Was ich dir sagen will" became "The Music Played" (1968) * "Illusionen" became "[[If I Never Sing Another Song]]" (1977), which was later performed by [[Frankie Laine]], [[Shirley Bassey]], [[Sammy Davis Jr.]], and other entertainers.
A fifth Jürgens song, "In dieser Welt", became "Lovin' You Again", and in 1969, Matt Monro recorded both Spanish and English versions, the latter not released until August 2012.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.mint-audio-restoration.co.uk/News/UncoveredCD.html |title=Matt Uncovered - The Rarer Monro |author=Richard Moore |publisher=MintAudioRestoration.com |access-date=3 October 2012 |archive-date=26 October 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121026205339/http://www.mint-audio-restoration.co.uk/News/UncoveredCD.html |url-status=dead }}</ref> (Monro also recorded Spanish versions of "Walk Away" and "The Music Played"; all three Spanish lyrics were adapted for Monro from Don Black's versions by Leonardo Schultz, who also produced the Spanish recordings.)
In one of his last recording sessions, [[Bing Crosby]] covered an English version of Jürgens' "Griechischer Wein" called "Come Share the Wine", which also was written by Black.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.allmusic.com/album/come-share-the-wine-mw0001309770 |title=Come Share The Wine |author=William Ruhlmann |publisher=AllMusic.com |access-date=4 November 2012}}</ref> The song was released after Crosby's death in 1977 as the title track of a compilation album and was later recorded by [[Al Martino]].
In 1979, [[Marty Robbins]] released an English version of "Buenos Dias Argentina" that became a latter-day standard for Robbins.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://theseconddisc.com/2016/07/07/try-little-tenderness-morello-reissues-four-marty-robbins|title=Try A Little Tenderness: Morello Reissues Four From Marty Robbins|author=Joe Marchese|date=7 July 2016|publisher=TheSecondDisc.com|access-date=17 November 2020}}</ref>
In the early 1990s, German [[thrash metal]] band [[Sodom (band)|Sodom]] released a 'metalized' cover of the boogie "[[Aber bitte mit Sahne]]".
In 2009, the German band [[Sportfreunde Stiller]] covered "Ich war noch niemals in New York" together with Jürgens on their ''[[MTV Unplugged]]'' concert in Munich.
==Death== [[File:2018-12-17-udo-juergens-centralfriedhof.jpg|thumb|upright|Jürgens' grave at the [[Vienna Central Cemetery]]]]
On 21 December 2014, Udo Jürgens collapsed unconscious during a walk in the municipality of [[Gottlieben]] ([[Thurgau|Canton of Thurgau]]), where he had rented a house. Despite resuscitation attempts, he died at the Cantonal Hospital in [[Münsterlingen]] at the age of 80 due to heart failure. Two weeks earlier, he had completed the first part of his 25th concert tour in Zurich which covered 27 cities. The tour began on 24 October 2014 in [[Heilbronn]] and ended in [[Hallenstadion|Zurich Hallenstadion]] on 7 December 2014. His final public performance took place on 12 December 2014, at the [[Velodrom (Berlin)|Velodrom in Berlin]] during the [[Helene Fischer]] Show. The performance was broadcast on [[ZDF]] on 25 December 2014.
On 15 January 2015, around 200 friends, family and companions gathered in [[Zurich]] for a memorial service to bid farewell to Udo Jürgens. His urn was placed in the Volkshalle of the [[Vienna City Hall]], allowing the public to pay their final respects. High-ranking officials, including the then Austrian President [[Heinz Fischer]] and Chancellor [[Werner Faymann]], signed the condolence books. Jürgens was laid to rest in an honorary grave of the City of Vienna at the [[Vienna Central Cemetery]].
The gravestone, depicting a grand piano draped in a white mourning cloth, was designed by his brother Manfred Bockelmann and sculpted in Laas marble by artist Hans Muhr. The memorial plaque features one of his lyrics—after multiple corrections of an initially misspelled inscription—reading: "Ihr seid das Notenblatt, das alles für mich war. Ich lass’ Euch alles – ich lass’ Euch alles da!" ("You are the sheet music that meant everything to me. I leave you everything – I leave you everything behind!").{{fact|date=August 2025}}
Between 23 January and 30 January 2025, a selection of Udo Jürgens' possessions was auctioned by [[Sotheby's|Sotheby’s]]. The proceeds will go to the Udo Jürgens Foundation, which supports children without parental care and provides assistance to young musical talents.{{fact|date=August 2025}}
One of the highlights of the auction was a Schimmel transparent concert grand piano from Jürgens' estate, which sold for €240,000—far exceeding its estimated value which had originally been valued at €20,000 to €30,000.<ref>{{cite web | title=UDO - the Personal Collection of the late Udo Jürgens | Sotheby's | url=https://www.sothebys.com/en/auction-catalogue/2025/udo-the-personal-collection-of-the-late-udo-jurgens-de2495?s=udo-jurgens-grand-piano }}</ref>
The auction, which included many other memorabilia from Jürgens’ life, saw overwhelming demand, with nearly 400 bidders placing a total of 3,150 bids. In the end, the total auction proceeds amounted to approximately €1.7 million—far surpassing the initial estimate of €370,000 to €500,000 for the entire collection.<ref>{{cite web | title=Udo Jürgens Auktion: Gläserner Flügel erzielt Rekordpreis | Nau.ch | date=31 January 2025 | url=https://www.nau.ch/news/europa/udo-jurgens-flugel-bringt-240000-euro-bei-auktion-ein-66901816 }}</ref>
==Family== * His brother, Manfred Bockelmann (born 1 July 1943), is a painter. * His son by his first marriage, John Jürgens (born 20 February 1964), is a singer, actor and [[Disc jockey|DJ]]. * His daughter by his first marriage, Jenny Jürgens (born 22 January 1967), is an actress. * His uncle, [[Werner Bockelmann]] (23 September 1907 – 7 April 1968), was mayor of [[Frankfurt|Frankfurt am Main]]. As [[Jürgens]] was not the real family name of Udo Jürgens, he was not related to real Jürgens' like the singer [[Andrea Jürgens]] (1967 – 2017) or the actor [[Curd Jürgens]] (1915 – 1982).
==Discography== {{div-col}} * "Portrait in Musik" (1965) * "Merci, Chérie" (1966, Eurovision Song Contest) * "Chansons" (1967) * "Portrait in Musik – 2. Folge" (1967) * "Was ich dir sagen will" (1967) * "Mein Lied für dich" (1968) * "Udo" (1968) * "Wünsche zur Weihnachtszeit" (1968) * "Udo Live" (1969) * "Portrait International" (1969) * "Udo '70" (1969) * "Udo '71" (1970) * "Zeig mir den Platz an der Sonne" (1971) * "Helden, Helden" (musical) (1972) * "Ich bin wieder da" (1972) * "Udo in Concert – Europatournee '72/'73" (1973) * "International 2" (1973) * "Live in Japan" (1973) * "Udo heute" (1974) * "Meine Lieder" (1974) * "Udo '75" (1975) * "Meine Lieder 2" (1976) * "Udo Live '77" (1977) * "Meine Lieder '77" (1977) * "Lieder, die auf Reisen gehen" (1978) * "Buenos Días Argentina" (football world championship) (1978) * "Ein Mann und seine Lieder – Live" (1978) * "Nur ein Lächeln" (1979) * "Udo '80" (1979) * "Meine Lieder sind wie Hände – Live" (1980) * "Leave a Little Love" (1981) * "Willkommen in meinem Leben" (1981) * "Silberstreifen" (1982) * "Udo Live – Lust am Leben" (1982) * "Traumtänzer" (1983) * "Hautnah" (1984) * "Udo live und hautnah" (1985) * "Treibjagd" (1985) * "Deinetwegen" (1986) * "Udo Live '87" (1987) * "Das blaue Album" (1988) * "Sogar Engel brauchen Glück" (best-of compilation including five remakes) (1989) * "Ohne Maske" (1989) * "Live ohne Maske" (1990) * "Sempre Roma" (football world championship) (1990) * "[[Das Traumschiff]]" (instrumental soundtrack) (1990) * "Geradeaus" (1991) * "Open Air Symphony" (1992) * "Café Größenwahn" (1993) * "Aber bitte mit Sahne" (hits compilation including a new song and two remakes) (1994) * "140 Tage Café Größenwahn Tour 94/95" (1995) * "Zärtlicher Chaot" (1995) * "Gestern-Heute-Morgen" (1996) * "Gestern-Heute-Morgen – Live '97" (1997) * "Aber bitte mit Sahne 2" (hits compilation including eight remakes) (1998) * "Ich werde da sein" (1999) * "Mit 66 Jahren (Was wichtig ist)" (2000) * "Mit 66 Jahren – Live 2001" (2001) * "Es lebe das Laster" (2002) * "Es werde Licht" (2003) * "Es Lebe das Laster – Udo Live" (2004) * "Jetzt oder nie" (2005) * "Der Solo-Abend – Live am Gendarmenmarkt" (2005) * "Jetzt oder nie – Live 2006" (2006) * "Einfach ich" (2008) * "Einfach ich – Live 2009" (2009) * "Best Of" (including a remake live by ''[[MTV Unplugged]]'') (2009) * "Der ganz normale Wahnsinn" (2011) * "Der Mann mit dem Fagott" (soundtrack to his own film) (2011) * "Der ganz normale Wahnsinn – Live" (2012) * "Mitten im Leben" (2014) * "Udo Jürgens Live – Das letzte Konzert Zürich 2014 mit dem Orchester Pepe Lienhard" (new live album recorded at his last concert of his last tour, 7 December 2014, only two weeks before he died) (2015) * "Merci, Udo!" (2016) * "Merci, Udo! 2" (2017) * "Da Capo - 3 CD Box" (2022) * "Die schönsten Lieder zur Weihnachtszeit" (2023) {{div-col-end}}
==Selected filmography== * ''[[Lilli (1958 film)|Lilli]]'' (1958), as Matrose Benno *''[[Our Crazy Aunts]]'' (1961), as Pitt van Rees *''[[Drei Liebesbriefe aus Tirol]]'' (1962), as Martin Hinterkirchner *''[[Dance with Me Into the Morning]]'' (1962), as Max Kainz *''[[Our Crazy Nieces]]'' (1963), as Pitt van Rees *''[[Our Crazy Aunts in the South Seas]]'' (1964), as Pitt van Rees *''Das Spukschloß im Salzkammergut'' (1966), as Udo '''As himself''' *''[[The Legs of Dolores]]'' (1957) *''{{Ill|… und du mein Schatz bleibst hier|de}}'' (1961) *''Hochzeit am Neusiedler See'' (1963) *''{{ill|The Battle of the Mods|it|La battaglia dei Mods}}'' (1966) '''Soundtrack''' * ''[[Potato Fritz]]'' (1976) '''Film adaptations''' * ''{{ill|The Man with the Bassoon|de|Der Mann mit dem Fagott}}'' (2011) – Based on Udo Jürgens' autobiography * ''{{ill|Ich war noch niemals in New York (film)|de|3=Ich war noch niemals in New York (Film)|lt=Ich war noch niemals in New York}}'' (2019) – Musical, based on songs by Udo Jürgens
== See also ==
* [[List of Austrians in music]]
==References== {{Reflist}}
==External links== {{Commons category}} *{{Official website}} {{in lang|de}} *Wolfgang Spahr: [https://books.google.com/books?id=NQgEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA68 ''Casebook Udo Jürgens'']. Billboard, 26. März 1994 *[https://web.archive.org/web/20030311150147/http://www.udofan.de/diplom/diplom/ Excerpts from a thesis on Jürgens (2002)] by Christian Mädler {{in lang|de}} *{{discogs artist|artist=Udo Jürgens}} *{{IMDb name|0433830}} *[http://www.kultur-fibel.de/musical_ich_war_noch_niemals_in_new-york_musik_lieder_udo-juergens.html Udo Jürgens - Ich war noch niemals in New York Musical] {{in lang|de}}
{{S-start}} {{S-ach}} {{succession box | before={{flagicon|Luxembourg}} [[France Gall]]<br />with "[[Poupée de cire, poupée de son]]" | title=[[List of Eurovision Song Contest winners|Winner of the Eurovision Song Contest]] | years=[[Eurovision Song Contest 1966|1966]] | after={{flagicon|United Kingdom}} [[Sandie Shaw]]<br />with "[[Puppet on a String (Sandie Shaw song)|Puppet on a String]]" }} {{Succession box | before=[[Carmela Corren]]<br />with "[[Vielleicht geschieht ein Wunder]]" | title=[[Austria in the Eurovision Song Contest]] | years=[[Eurovision Song Contest 1964|1964]]–[[Eurovision Song Contest 1966|1966]]<br />''"[[Warum nur warum?]]"(1964)''<br />and ''"[[Sag ihr, ich lass sie grüßen]]"(1965)''<br />with ''"[[Merci, Chérie]]"(1966)'' | after=Peter Horton<br />with "[[Warum es hunderttausend Sterne gibt]]" }} {{S-end}}
{{List of Eurovision Song Contest winners}} {{Eurovision Song Contest 1964|state=collapsed}} {{Eurovision Song Contest 1965|state=collapsed}} {{Eurovision Song Contest 1966|state=collapsed}} {{Austria in the Eurovision Song Contest|state=collapsed}} {{Songs of Europe (Eurovision)|state=collapsed}} {{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Jurgens, Udo}} [[Category:1934 births]] [[Category:2014 deaths]] [[Category:20th-century Austrian male singers]] [[Category:21st-century Austrian male singers]] [[Category:Eurovision Song Contest winners]] [[Category:United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees goodwill ambassadors]] [[Category:Musicians from Klagenfurt]] [[Category:Naturalised citizens of Switzerland]] [[Category:Officers Crosses of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany]] [[Category:Burials at the Vienna Central Cemetery]] [[Category:Vogue Schallplatten artists]] [[Category:Eurovision Song Contest-winning songwriters]]