"Kriminaltango" (''Criminal tango'') is a
traditional pop
Traditional pop (also known as classic pop and pre-rock and roll pop) is Western pop music that generally pre-dates the advent of rock and roll in the mid-1950s. The most popular and enduring songs from this era of music are known as pop standard ...
song released in 1959. The
Italian
Italian(s) may refer to:
* Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries
** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom
** Italian language, a Romance language
*** Regional Ita ...
original by
Piero Trombetta only achieved a modest success, whereas the German version performed by
Hazy Osterwald became a big hit in
Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...
,
Austria
Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...
and
Switzerland.
Describing scenes from tavern, the song juxtaposes the appearance of shady figures ("dunkle Gestalten") and their mysterious dealings with dancing
tango
Tango is a partner dance and social dance that originated in the 1880s along the Río de la Plata, the natural border between Argentina and Uruguay. The tango was born in the impoverished port areas of these countries as the result of a combina ...
("Und sie tanzen einen Tango"). The song culminates with a shot in the dark and the arrival of the police, unable to assemble any evidence.
The song was covered by
Die Toten Hosen
Die Toten Hosen (literally "The Dead Trousers", figuratively "The Deadbeats") is a German punk rock band from Düsseldorf.
History
The current members of Die Toten Hosen are Campino (Andreas Frege), Kuddel (Andreas von Holst), Vom (Stephe ...
, featuring
Kurt Raab
Kurt Raab (20 July 1941 – 28 June 1988) was a West German stage and film actor, as well as a screenwriter and playwright. Raab is best remembered for his work with German film director Rainer Werner Fassbinder, with whom he collaborated on 31 ...
, in a non-album single in 1984.
It was also covered by
The Deadfly Ensemble, appearing as a bonus track on their album "
An Entire Wardrobe of Doubt and Uncertainty".
Die Toten Hosen cover
Track listing
# "Kriminaltango" (Trombetta/Feltz) − 3:32
# "Allein vor deinem Haus" (''Alone in front of your house'') (von Holst, Frege/Frege, Meurer, Trimpop) − 2:26
# "Es ist vorbei...." (''It's over....'') (Frege, von Holst/Frege, Meurer, Trimpop) − 3:09
References
''Eskapaden um den Kriminaltango''- article about on the song at
SWR (German, retrieved 2010-4-2)
{{authority control
1984 singles
1959 songs
Die Toten Hosen songs
Songs with lyrics by Kurt Feltz