Cindy & Bert
Encyclopedia
Cindy & Bert are a German
schlager
vocal duo from Völklingen
, Saarland
consisting of Jutta Gusenberger (born 26 January 1948) and Norbert Berger (born 12 September 1945). They were most successful in the 1970s, and are known for their participation in the 1974 Eurovision Song Contest
.
's "Paranoid
" which has become a collector's curiosity. Their most successful period came between 1972 and 1975 when they placed eight singles on the German chart, including their biggest hit "Immer wieder Sonntags" which reached #3.
. The following year they performed two songs in the final, but could only manage eighth and ninth place. They got their chance in 1974 when, unusually for Germany by internal selection, their song "Die Sommermelodie
" was chosen as the country's entry for the 19th Eurovision Song Contest
, held in Brighton
, England
on 6 April. "Die Sommermelodie" had been considered a particularly weak song choice by German observers. It also happened to have been chosen for a contest which featured a number of already internationally-established performers (Olivia Newton-John
, Gigliola Cinquetti
, Mouth & MacNeal
), and launched the winning group ABBA
into global superstardom, so its poor showing - one of four songs to share last place - did not come as a surprise. Cindy & Bert entered the German selection again in 1978
, their two songs finishing fourth and fifth.
(finishing second) and 1991
(seventh). The couple reunited in the mid 1990s and began performing on the nostalgia circuit in addition to releasing new material. Cindy continues to release solo material, her latest album being Von Zeit zu Zeit in 2008.
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
schlager
Schlager
Schlager music is a style of popular music prevalent in Central and Northern Europe and the Balkans and also in France and Poland. In Portugal, it was adapted and became pimba music...
vocal duo from Völklingen
Völklingen
Völklingen is a town in the district of Saarbrücken, in Saarland, Germany. It is situated near the border with France, on the river Saar, approx. 10 km west of Saarbrücken....
, Saarland
Saarland
Saarland is one of the sixteen states of Germany. The capital is Saarbrücken. It has an area of 2570 km² and 1,045,000 inhabitants. In both area and population, it is the smallest state in Germany other than the city-states...
consisting of Jutta Gusenberger (born 26 January 1948) and Norbert Berger (born 12 September 1945). They were most successful in the 1970s, and are known for their participation in the 1974 Eurovision Song Contest
Eurovision Song Contest
The Eurovision Song Contest is an annual competition held among active member countries of the European Broadcasting Union .Each member country submits a song to be performed on live television and then casts votes for the other countries' songs to determine the most popular song in the competition...
.
Early career
Gusenberger and Berger started singing together in 1965, and were married in 1967. They signed a recording contract in 1969, with singles being regularly issued, notably "Der Hund von Baskerville", an unlikely cover version of Black SabbathBlack Sabbath
Black Sabbath are an English heavy metal band, formed in Aston, Birmingham in 1969 by Ozzy Osbourne , Tony Iommi , Geezer Butler , and Bill Ward . The band has since experienced multiple line-up changes, with Tony Iommi the only constant presence in the band through the years. A total of 22...
's "Paranoid
Paranoid (song)
"Paranoid" is a song by the British heavy metal band Black Sabbath, featured on their second album Paranoid . It is the first single from the album, while the B-side is the song "The Wizard". It reached number 4 on the UK Singles Chart and number 61 on the Billboard Hot 100...
" which has become a collector's curiosity. Their most successful period came between 1972 and 1975 when they placed eight singles on the German chart, including their biggest hit "Immer wieder Sonntags" which reached #3.
Eurovision Song Contest
Cindy & Bert's first attempt to represent Germany at Eurovision came in 1972, when "Geh' die Straße" finished in second place in the national selectionGermany in the Eurovision Song Contest 1972
Germany was represented by Mary Roos, with the song "Nur die Liebe läßt uns leben", at the 1972 Eurovision Song Contest, which took place on 25 March in Edinburgh. "Nur die Liebe läßt uns leben" was the winner of the German national final, Ein Lied für Edinburgh, held on 19 February...
. The following year they performed two songs in the final, but could only manage eighth and ninth place. They got their chance in 1974 when, unusually for Germany by internal selection, their song "Die Sommermelodie
Die Sommermelodie
"Die Sommermelodie" was the West-German entry in the Eurovision Song Contest 1974, performed in German by Cindy & Bert...
" was chosen as the country's entry for the 19th Eurovision Song Contest
Eurovision Song Contest 1974
The Eurovision Song Contest 1974 was the 19th Eurovision Song Contest. It was held in the seaside resort of Brighton on the south coast of the United Kingdom...
, held in Brighton
Brighton
Brighton is the major part of the city of Brighton and Hove in East Sussex, England on the south coast of Great Britain...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
on 6 April. "Die Sommermelodie" had been considered a particularly weak song choice by German observers. It also happened to have been chosen for a contest which featured a number of already internationally-established performers (Olivia Newton-John
Olivia Newton-John
Olivia Newton-John AO, OBE is a singer and actress. She is a four-time Grammy award winner who has amassed five No. 1 and ten other Top Ten Billboard Hot 100 singles and two No. 1 Billboard 200 solo albums. Eleven of her singles and 14 of her albums have been certified gold by the RIAA...
, Gigliola Cinquetti
Gigliola Cinquetti
Gigliola Cinquetti is an Italian singer, TV presenter and journalist.-Biography:At the age of 16 she won the Sanremo Music Festival in 1964 singing "Non ho l'età" , with music composed by Nicola Salerno and lyrics by Mario Panzeri...
, Mouth & MacNeal
Mouth & MacNeal
Mouth & MacNeal was a pop duo from the Netherlands. They are best known for their million selling recording of "How Do You Do".-Career:They were formed in 1971 when record producer Hans van Hemert brought together the solo talent of Mouth and Maggie MacNeal...
), and launched the winning group ABBA
ABBA
ABBA was a Swedish pop group formed in Stockholm in 1970 which consisted of Anni-Frid Lyngstad, Björn Ulvaeus, Benny Andersson and Agnetha Fältskog...
into global superstardom, so its poor showing - one of four songs to share last place - did not come as a surprise. Cindy & Bert entered the German selection again in 1978
Germany in the Eurovision Song Contest 1978
Germany was represented by Ireen Sheer, with the song '"Feuer", at the 1978 Eurovision Song Contest, which took place on 22 April in Paris. "Feuer" was chosen as the German entry at the national final on 20 February, and was the second of Sheer's three Eurovision appearances; she had previously...
, their two songs finishing fourth and fifth.
Later career
Cindy & Bert divorced in 1988, with Cindy starting a solo career as Cindy Berger while Bert moved into production. As a soloist, Cindy participated in two further Eurovision selections, in 1988Germany in the Eurovision Song Contest 1988
Germany was represented by mother and daughter duo Maxi & Chris Garden, with the song "Lied für einen Freund", at the 1988 Eurovision Song Contest, which took place on 30 April in Dublin. "Lied für einen Freund", written by prolific Eurovision duo Ralph Siegel and Bernd Meinunger, was the winner...
(finishing second) and 1991
Germany in the Eurovision Song Contest 1991
Germany was represented by six-member group Atlantis 2000, with the song "Dieser Traum darf niemals sterben", at the 1991 Eurovision Song Contest, which took place on 4 May in Rome. "Dieser Traum darf niemals sterben" was the winner of the German national final, held on 21 March.-Final:The final...
(seventh). The couple reunited in the mid 1990s and began performing on the nostalgia circuit in addition to releasing new material. Cindy continues to release solo material, her latest album being Von Zeit zu Zeit in 2008.
Charting singles
(Indicates highest position on German Singles Chart)- 1972: "Geh die Straße" (#36)
- 1973: "Immer wieder Sonntags" (#3)
- 1973: "Hallo, Herr Nachbar" (#37)
- 1973: "Ich komm' bald wieder" (#10)
- 1974: "Spaniens Gitarren" (#11)
- 1974: "Aber am Abend (da spielt der Zigeuner)" (#12)
- 1975: "Ich suche einen Schatz" (#36)
- 1975: "Wenn die Rosen erblühen in Malaga" (#13)
- 1979: "Darling" (#37)