Lena Valaitis
Encyclopedia
Lena Valaitis is a Lithuania
n-German
Schlager
singer. She had her greatest success during the 1970s and 1980s and competed in three Eurovision Song Contest
s.
, in 1943 part of the Memel Territory of East Prussia
, Germany
, now in Lithuania
. Her father, a soldier of the Wehrmacht
, was killed during World War II
. At the end of the war, Valaitis, her mother, and her brother arrived as refugees in West Germany
. She first attended Volksschule
in Memmingen
and then the Litauisches Gymnasium Hüttenfeld ("Lithuanian Gymnasium
of Hüttenfeld") in Hüttenfeld, Hesse
. Valaitis left for training with the Deutsche Bundespost
in Frankfurt
, where she received private singing instruction.
Valaitis has one son, Marco (born 1973), from her first marriage. In 1979 she married actor Horst Jüssen, with whom she had her second son, Don David (born 1983). Valaitis currently lives in Munich
, Bavaria
.
in 1970 and released her first single, "Halt das Glück für uns fest", on June 13, 1970. She made her first television appearance in the same year, appearing on ZDF-Drehscheibe, a musical program on ZDF
. Valaitis achieved her first hit with 1971's "Ob es so oder so, oder anders kommt". Under the production of Jack White
, she hits in the following years with "So wie ein Regenbogen", "Bonjour mon amour", and "Wer gibt mir den Himmel zurück".
In 1976 Valaitis reached the Top 20 of the German singles chart for the first time with "Da kommt José der Straßenmusikant" and "Ein schöner Tag", a German version of "Amazing Grace
". She sang "Du machst karriere" in the German finals of the 1976 Eurovision Song Contest
, achieving seventh place. She also sang the chanson
in the 1977 feature film Der Mädchenkrieg.
Valaitis is perhaps best known for her performance in the 1981 Eurovision Song Contest in Dublin, Ireland
. She represented Germany with the song "Johnny Blue
", which finished second to the British
entry, "Making Your Mind Up
" by Bucks Fizz
. In the following years she made additional recordings, including a duet with the Greek
-born German singer Costa Cordalis
in 1984.
Her last Eurovision attempt was in 1992 with "Wir sehen uns wieder", which came third in the German selection show, Ein Lied Für Malmö. Valaitis left show business in the end of 1993, but began releasing new material in the 2000s. She released "Ich lebe für den Augenblick" in 2001 and "Was kann ich denn dafür", a duet with the Austria
n singer Hansi Hinterseer
, in 2002. Valaitis recorded another duet with Hinterseer, "Muss i denn zum Städtele hinaus", in summer 2006.
Lithuania
Lithuania , officially the Republic of Lithuania is a country in Northern Europe, the biggest of the three Baltic states. It is situated along the southeastern shore of the Baltic Sea, whereby to the west lie Sweden and Denmark...
n-German
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...
singer. She had her greatest success during the 1970s and 1980s and competed in three 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...
s.
Personal life
Valaitis was born in Memel (Klaipėda)Klaipeda
Klaipėda is a city in Lithuania situated at the mouth of the Nemunas River where it flows into the Baltic Sea. It is the third largest city in Lithuania and the capital of Klaipėda County....
, in 1943 part of the Memel Territory of East Prussia
East Prussia
East Prussia is the main part of the region of Prussia along the southeastern Baltic Coast from the 13th century to the end of World War II in May 1945. From 1772–1829 and 1878–1945, the Province of East Prussia was part of the German state of Prussia. The capital city was Königsberg.East Prussia...
, Germany
Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany , also known as the Third Reich , but officially called German Reich from 1933 to 1943 and Greater German Reich from 26 June 1943 onward, is the name commonly used to refer to the state of Germany from 1933 to 1945, when it was a totalitarian dictatorship ruled by...
, now in Lithuania
Lithuania
Lithuania , officially the Republic of Lithuania is a country in Northern Europe, the biggest of the three Baltic states. It is situated along the southeastern shore of the Baltic Sea, whereby to the west lie Sweden and Denmark...
. Her father, a soldier of the Wehrmacht
Wehrmacht
The Wehrmacht – from , to defend and , the might/power) were the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It consisted of the Heer , the Kriegsmarine and the Luftwaffe .-Origin and use of the term:...
, was killed during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. At the end of the war, Valaitis, her mother, and her brother arrived as refugees in West Germany
West Germany
West Germany is the common English, but not official, name for the Federal Republic of Germany or FRG in the period between its creation in May 1949 to German reunification on 3 October 1990....
. She first attended Volksschule
Volksschule
A Volksschule was an 18th century system of state-supported primary schools established in the Habsburg Austrian Empire and Prussia . Attendance was supposedly compulsory, but a 1781 census reveals that only one fourth of school-age children attended. At the time, this was one of the few examples...
in Memmingen
Memmingen
Memmingen is a town in the Bavarian administrative region of Swabia in Germany. It is the central economic, educational and administrative centre in the Danube-Iller region. To the west the town is flanked by the Iller, the river that marks the Baden-Württemberg border...
and then the Litauisches Gymnasium Hüttenfeld ("Lithuanian Gymnasium
Gymnasium (school)
A gymnasium is a type of school providing secondary education in some parts of Europe, comparable to English grammar schools or sixth form colleges and U.S. college preparatory high schools. The word γυμνάσιον was used in Ancient Greece, meaning a locality for both physical and intellectual...
of Hüttenfeld") in Hüttenfeld, Hesse
Hesse
Hesse or Hessia is both a cultural region of Germany and the name of an individual German state.* The cultural region of Hesse includes both the State of Hesse and the area known as Rhenish Hesse in the neighbouring Rhineland-Palatinate state...
. Valaitis left for training with the Deutsche Bundespost
Deutsche Bundespost
The Deutsche Bundespost was created in 1947 as a successor to the Reichspost . Between 1947 and 1950 the enterprise was called Deutsche Post...
in Frankfurt
Frankfurt
Frankfurt am Main , commonly known simply as Frankfurt, is the largest city in the German state of Hesse and the fifth-largest city in Germany, with a 2010 population of 688,249. The urban area had an estimated population of 2,300,000 in 2010...
, where she received private singing instruction.
Valaitis has one son, Marco (born 1973), from her first marriage. In 1979 she married actor Horst Jüssen, with whom she had her second son, Don David (born 1983). Valaitis currently lives in Munich
Munich
Munich The city's motto is "" . Before 2006, it was "Weltstadt mit Herz" . Its native name, , is derived from the Old High German Munichen, meaning "by the monks' place". The city's name derives from the monks of the Benedictine order who founded the city; hence the monk depicted on the city's coat...
, Bavaria
Bavaria
Bavaria, formally the Free State of Bavaria is a state of Germany, located in the southeast of Germany. With an area of , it is the largest state by area, forming almost 20% of the total land area of Germany...
.
Career
Valaitis began her musical career by joining the band Frederik Brothers. She signed a record contract with PhilipsPhilips
Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. , more commonly known as Philips, is a multinational Dutch electronics company....
in 1970 and released her first single, "Halt das Glück für uns fest", on June 13, 1970. She made her first television appearance in the same year, appearing on ZDF-Drehscheibe, a musical program on ZDF
ZDF
Zweites Deutsches Fernsehen , ZDF, is a public-service German television broadcaster based in Mainz . It is run as an independent non-profit institution, which was founded by the German federal states . The ZDF is financed by television licence fees called GEZ and advertising revenues...
. Valaitis achieved her first hit with 1971's "Ob es so oder so, oder anders kommt". Under the production of Jack White
Jack White (producer)
Jack White is a music composer and producer.- Musical work :White started out as a songwriter/producer for German singers in the early 70s and then developed an international style mainly as a producer...
, she hits in the following years with "So wie ein Regenbogen", "Bonjour mon amour", and "Wer gibt mir den Himmel zurück".
In 1976 Valaitis reached the Top 20 of the German singles chart for the first time with "Da kommt José der Straßenmusikant" and "Ein schöner Tag", a German version of "Amazing Grace
Amazing Grace
"Amazing Grace" is a Christian hymn with words written by the English poet and clergyman John Newton , published in 1779. With a message that forgiveness and redemption are possible regardless of the sins people commit and that the soul can be delivered from despair through the mercy of God,...
". She sang "Du machst karriere" in the German finals of the 1976 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...
, achieving seventh place. She also sang the chanson
Chanson
A chanson is in general any lyric-driven French song, usually polyphonic and secular. A singer specialising in chansons is known as a "chanteur" or "chanteuse" ; a collection of chansons, especially from the late Middle Ages and Renaissance, is also known as a chansonnier.-Chanson de geste:The...
in the 1977 feature film Der Mädchenkrieg.
Valaitis is perhaps best known for her performance in the 1981 Eurovision Song Contest in Dublin, Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
. She represented Germany with the song "Johnny Blue
Johnny Blue
Johnny Blue was the German entry in the Eurovision Song Contest 1981, performed in German by Lena Valaitis.The song was performed third on the night...
", which finished second to the British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
entry, "Making Your Mind Up
Making Your Mind Up
"Making Your Mind Up" is a song by British pop group Bucks Fizz. It was the winner of the 1981 Eurovision Song Contest and a UK Number-one single...
" by Bucks Fizz
Bucks Fizz (band)
Bucks Fizz are an English pop group who achieved success in the 1980s, most notably for winning the 1981 Eurovision Song Contest with the song "Making Your Mind Up". The group was formed in January 1981 specifically for the contest and comprised four vocalists: Bobby G, Cheryl Baker, Mike Nolan and...
. In the following years she made additional recordings, including a duet with the Greek
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
-born German singer Costa Cordalis
Costa Cordalis
Costa Cordalis is a German schlager singer of Greek origin.Born Konstantinos Cordalis in Elatia, Greece, Cordalis moved to Germany in 1963....
in 1984.
Her last Eurovision attempt was in 1992 with "Wir sehen uns wieder", which came third in the German selection show, Ein Lied Für Malmö. Valaitis left show business in the end of 1993, but began releasing new material in the 2000s. She released "Ich lebe für den Augenblick" in 2001 and "Was kann ich denn dafür", a duet with the Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
n singer Hansi Hinterseer
Hansi Hinterseer
Hans "Hansi" Hinterseer is an Austrian singer, actor, entertainer and former alpine skier.In the 1970s, Hans Hinterseer became famous as a member of the Austrian Ski Team. He won six alpine skiing World Cup races in Slalom skiing and Giant Slalom skiing. In 1973 he won the alpine skiing World Cup...
, in 2002. Valaitis recorded another duet with Hinterseer, "Muss i denn zum Städtele hinaus", in summer 2006.
Singles
- 1970 "Halt das Glück für uns fest"
- 1970 "Und das Leben wird weitergehen"
- 1971 "Ob es so oder so oder anders kommt"
- 1971 "Alles was dein Herz begehrt"
- 1971 "Die kleinen Sünden und die kleinen Freuden"
- 1972 "Und da steht es geschrieben"
- 1972 "Lächeln ist der Weisheit letzter Schluß"
- 1973 "So wie ein Regenbogen"
- 1973 "Die Welt wird nicht untergeh´n"
- 1973 "Ich freu' mich so auf morgen"
- 1974 "Bonjour mon amour"
- 1974 "Wer gibt mir den Himmel zurück"
- 1974 "Ich möchte die Gitarre sein"
- 1975 "Was der Wind erzählt"
- 1975 "Immer die schönen Träume"
- 1975 "Im Regen kann man keine Tränen sehen"
- 1976 "Da kommt José, der Straßenmusikant"
- 1976 "Ein schöner Tag" (Amazing GraceAmazing Grace"Amazing Grace" is a Christian hymn with words written by the English poet and clergyman John Newton , published in 1779. With a message that forgiveness and redemption are possible regardless of the sins people commit and that the soul can be delivered from despair through the mercy of God,...
) - 1976 "Komm wieder, wenn du frei bist"
- 1977 "Heinz, lass doch die Pauke stehn"
- 1977 "...denn so ist Jo"
- 1977 "Cheri je t´aime"
- 1978 "Ich spreche alle Sprachen dieser Welt"
- 1978 "Oh Cavallo"
- 1978 "Ich bin verliebt"
- 1979 "Auf der Strasse ohne Ziel"
- 1979 "Nimm es so wie es kommt"
- 1980 "Jamaika Reggae Man"
- 1981 "Johnny BlueJohnny BlueJohnny Blue was the German entry in the Eurovision Song Contest 1981, performed in German by Lena Valaitis.The song was performed third on the night...
" - 1981 "Johnny Blue (English Version)"
- 1981 "Rio Bravo"
- 1982 "Highland oh Highland" (with the German national football teamGermany national football teamThe Germany national football team is the football team that has represented Germany in international competition since 1908. It is governed by the German Football Association , which was founded in 1900....
) - 1982 "Gemeinsam mit Dir"
- 1982 "Gloria"
- 1983 "Worte wie Sterne"
- 1984 "So sind meine Träume"
- 1984 "Wenn der Regen auf uns fällt" duet with Costa CordalisCosta CordalisCosta Cordalis is a German schlager singer of Greek origin.Born Konstantinos Cordalis in Elatia, Greece, Cordalis moved to Germany in 1963....
) - 1985 "Mein Schweigen war nur Spiel"
- 1986 "Männer sind ´ne verückte Erfindung"
- 1987 "Ich liebe dich"
- 1988 "Nastrowje Mr. Gorbatschow"
- 1992 "Wir sehn uns wieder"
- 1993 "Menschen mit Herz"
- 2001 "Ich lebe für den Augenblick" (German version of "There You'll BeThere You'll Be"There You'll Be" is a song by Faith Hill, which became a hit single in 2001. Written by Diane Warren and Alan Menken, known for his Disney film scores such as "The Little Mermaid", "Beauty and the Beast", "Aladdin", "Pocahontas" and "Tangled", it was featured on the Pearl Harbor soundtrack...
" by Faith HillFaith HillFaith Hill is an American country singer. She is known both for her commercial success and her marriage to fellow country star Tim McGraw. Hill has sold more than 40 million records worldwide and accumulated eight number-one singles and three number-one albums on the U.S...
from the movie "Pearl HarborPearl HarborPearl Harbor, known to Hawaiians as Puuloa, is a lagoon harbor on the island of Oahu, Hawaii, west of Honolulu. Much of the harbor and surrounding lands is a United States Navy deep-water naval base. It is also the headquarters of the U.S. Pacific Fleet...
") - 2002 "Was kann ich denn dafür" (duet with Hansi HinterseerHansi HinterseerHans "Hansi" Hinterseer is an Austrian singer, actor, entertainer and former alpine skier.In the 1970s, Hans Hinterseer became famous as a member of the Austrian Ski Team. He won six alpine skiing World Cup races in Slalom skiing and Giant Slalom skiing. In 1973 he won the alpine skiing World Cup...
) - 2002 "Und wenn ich meine Augen schließ"
- 2003 "Still rinnt die Zeit"
- 2004 "Morgen soll die Hochzeit sein"
- 2005 "Komm lass uns tanzen (Arabische Nächte)"
- 2006 "Muss i denn zum Städtele hinaus" (duet with Hansi Hinterseer)
Discography
- 1972 Die Welt der Stars und Hits
- 1974 Wer gibt mir den Himmel zurück
- 1975 Star für Millionen
- 1975 Da kommt Lena
- 1976 Meinen Freunden
- 1976 Komm wieder, wenn du frei bist
- 1977 ...denn so ist Lena
- 1978 Ich bin verliebt
- 1978 Stardiscothek
- 1979 Nimm es so, wie es kommt
- 1981 Johnny Blue - Meine schönsten Lieder
- 1982 Lena
- 1989 Weihnachten mit Lena Valaitis
External links
- Official website (with Cover photos)