Trio was a German band also known as ZAM in Europe, formed in the town of
Großenkneten
Großenkneten is a municipality in the district of Oldenburg, in Lower Saxony, Germany.
Geography
Großenkneten is one of the largest municipalities in Germany, in terms of its area, and is situated between the rivers Hunte and Lethe, in the land ...
in 1979. The band is most known for the 1982 song "
Da Da Da
"Da Da Da I Don't Love You You Don't Love Me Aha Aha Aha" (usually shortened to "Da Da Da") is a song by the German band Trio. Trio was formed in 1980 by Stephan Remmler, Gert "Kralle" Krawinkel and Peter Behrens. Released as a single in 19 ...
" which was a hit in 30 countries worldwide.
History
Trio consisted of
Stephan Remmler (b. 1946), lead vocals and keyboards;
Gert "Kralle" Krawinkel (1947–2014), guitar and backing vocals; and
Peter Behrens
Peter Behrens (14 April 1868 – 27 February 1940) was a leading German architect, graphic and industrial designer, best known for his early pioneering AEG Turbine Hall in Berlin in 1909. He had a long career, designing objects, typefaces, and ...
(1947–2016), drums and backing vocals.
The band recorded a number of albums, the first of which was ''
TRIO'', released in 1981. This album included their signature song, "
Da Da Da
"Da Da Da I Don't Love You You Don't Love Me Aha Aha Aha" (usually shortened to "Da Da Da") is a song by the German band Trio. Trio was formed in 1980 by Stephan Remmler, Gert "Kralle" Krawinkel and Peter Behrens. Released as a single in 19 ...
", the full English title of which is "Da Da Da (I Don't Love You, You Don't Love Me, Aha Aha Aha)". The next album was ''Bye Bye'', released in 1983. ''Bye Bye'' was marketed with many different covers; for example, copies in North America were called ''TRIO and Error'' and featured no artwork.
While Trio was active, in the early 1980s, the group enjoyed some popularity in Germany, UK, Canada, and the United States. The German version of "Da Da Da" was a #2 hit on the charts (April 1982). Their most notable songs, in addition to "Da Da Da", are "Broken Hearts for You and Me", "Boom Boom", "Hearts Are Trump" and "Anna – Letmein Letmeout". All of these songs, except the first, have a corresponding German version, which sometimes differs considerably in lyrics, and were also released in the English-speaking world. "Da Da Da" hit #2 on the
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...
in July 1982,
and #3 in Canada in December 1982. They had another three top ten hits in Germany until the end of 1983, then disbanded the following year. Every member launched a solo career, with only Remmler managing to be somewhat successful.
They produced a film called ''Drei gegen Drei'', meaning "''Three Against Three''". In the movie, three people (played by Trio members) kill doubles of themselves as part of a twisted scam to gain riches. The film was a flop; even avid Trio fan Matthias Klein noted that, "
he members of
He or HE may refer to:
Language
* He (pronoun), an English pronoun
* He (kana), the romanization of the Japanese kana へ
* He (letter), the fifth letter of many Semitic alphabets
* He (Cyrillic), a letter of the Cyrillic script called ''He'' ...
Trio are not actors". The corresponding soundtrack is the album ''Whats the Password''; however, drummer Peter Behrens did not perform on any of the songs, despite appearing on the album's cover. He left the band due to disagreement with Krawinkel and Remmler over financial matters, leading to the complete break-up of Trio in 1986.
The 1997 CD re-issue of ''TRIO and Error'' was also released as ''Da Da Da'' in the United States, in response to the U.S.
Volkswagen
Volkswagen (),English: , . abbreviated as VW (), is a German Automotive industry, motor vehicle manufacturer headquartered in Wolfsburg, Lower Saxony, Germany. Founded in 1937 by the German Labour Front under the Nazi Party and revived into a ...
commercial that featured their most famous song. The re-release had some changes: two songs were added and the album was digitally remastered.
Krawinkel died in 2014 and Behrens died in 2016, making Remmler the sole living former member.
"Da Da Da" in popular culture
Many
cover version
In popular music, a cover version, cover song, remake, revival, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording by a musician other than the original performer or composer of the song. Originally, it referred to a version of a song release ...
s of "Da Da Da" have been recorded worldwide in various languages including the Spanish version by disc jockey Nacho Dogan, which was a No. 2 hit in Spain in 1982; a Mexican version by the band
Molotov on their 2004 cover album ''
Con Todo Respeto
''Con Todo Respeto'' is a 2004 covers album by the Mexican band Molotov. The album was released in October 2004 by the label Universal Latino. The songs covered are from a variety of genres, including new wave, hip hop music, punk, and tradi ...
'';
alternative
Alternative or alternate may refer to:
Arts, entertainment and media
* Alternative (''Kamen Rider''), a character in the Japanese TV series ''Kamen Rider Ryuki''
* ''The Alternative'' (film), a 1978 Australian television film
* ''The Alternative ...
band
Elastica
Elastica were an English rock band formed in London in 1992 by ex- Suede members Justine Frischmann and Justin Welch. The band was stylistically influenced by punk rock, post-punk and new wave music. The band's members changed several times ...
on their 1999 album ''The Menace''; and Filipino entertainer
Yoyoy Villame
Roman Tesorio Villame (November 18, 1932 – May 18, 2007), better known as Yoyoy Villame, was a Filipino singer, composer, lyricist, actor and comedian.
Early life
A native of Calape, Bohol Province, Villame was the youngest of ten children ...
in 1982. Pett Productions used "Da Da Da" in the second series of ''
Tittybangbang
''Tittybangbang'' is a female-led BBC television sketch comedy show, featuring Lucy Montgomery and Debbie Chazen. It ran between 2005 and 2007 on BBC Three. The show was largely written by Bob Mortimer and Jill Parker and produced by their comp ...
'' for the intro to Pete Wade's sketches. An Italian version (''Mundial Da Da Da'') was also released in 1982 to celebrate the Italian Team's winning the FIFA World Cup.
In addition to the famous Volkswagen ad, several others have featured "Da Da Da". A
Pepsi
Pepsi is a carbonated soft drink manufactured by PepsiCo. Originally created and developed in 1893 by Caleb Bradham and introduced as Brad's Drink, it was renamed as Pepsi-Cola in 1898, and then shortened to Pepsi in 1961.
History
Pepsi was ...
ad for the
2006 FIFA World Cup
The 2006 FIFA World Cup, also branded as Germany 2006, was the 18th FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial international football world championship tournament. It was held from 9 June to 9 July 2006 in Germany, which had won the right to host the ...
starred several footballers including
Thierry Henry
Thierry Daniel Henry (born 17 August 1977) is a French professional football coach, pundit, and former player who is an assistant coach for the Belgium national team. Considered one of the best strikers of all time and one of the best player ...
,
Raúl
Raul, Raúl and Raül are the Italian, Portuguese, Romanian, Spanish, Galician, Asturian, Basque, Aragonese, and Catalan forms of the Anglo-Germanic given name Ralph or Rudolph. They are cognates of the French Raoul.
Raul, Raúl or Raül may re ...
,
Roberto Carlos
Roberto Carlos da Silva Rocha (born 10 April 1973), commonly known as Roberto Carlos, is a Brazilian former professional footballer who now works as a football ambassador. He started his career in Brazil as a forward but spent most of his car ...
,
Fernando Torres
Fernando José Torres Sanz (; born 20 March 1984) is a Spanish football manager and former player who played as a striker. He is the current manager of Atlético Madrid Juvenil A. Due to his consistent goalscoring rate as a young player, ...
,
Frank Lampard
Frank James Lampard (born 20 June 1978) is an English professional football manager and former player who is the manager of club Everton. He is widely regarded as one of Chelsea’s greatest ever players, and one of the greatest midfielder ...
,
Ronaldinho
Ronaldo de Assis Moreira (born 21 March 1980), commonly known as Ronaldinho Gaúcho () or simply Ronaldinho, is a Brazilian retired professional association football, footballer who played mostly as an attacking midfielder, but was also deplo ...
and
David Beckham playing football inside of an
Oktoberfest
The Oktoberfest (; bar, Wiesn, Oktobafest) is the world's largest Volksfest, featuring a beer festival and a travelling carnival. It is held annually in Munich, Bavaria, Germany. It is a 16- to 18-day folk festival running from mid- or ...
tent.
Christina Aguilera
Christina María Aguilera (; ; born December 18, 1980) is an American singer, songwriter, actress, and television personality. Known for her four-octave vocal range and ability to sustain high notes, she has been referred to as the " Voice of ...
sang the tune in several Pepsi spots, including duets with
Rain
Rain is water droplets that have condensed from atmospheric water vapor and then fall under gravity. Rain is a major component of the water cycle and is responsible for depositing most of the fresh water on the Earth. It provides water f ...
and
Elissa.
Ariston used the song in their 1987 spots featuring animated white goods, clothing and kitchen utensils forming dancing humanoids. Some ads used modified lyrics.
Teletext
A British Ceefax football index page from October 2009, showing the three-digit page numbers for a variety of football news stories
Teletext, or broadcast teletext, is a standard for displaying text and rudimentary graphics on suitably equipp ...
replaced "da da da" with "blah blah blah" (vocalized by Ewan Bailey);
Sakata Rice Crackers
replaced "da da da" with their brand name as did Lois Jeans. Others who have use the tune in advertisements include Vicks
Vicks is an American brand of over-the-counter medications owned by the American companies Procter & Gamble and Helen of Troy Limited. Vicks manufactures NyQuil and its sister medication, DayQuil as well as other medications in the “Quil” l ...
Cough Drops, and Speeds shoe stores.
Following the popular Volkswagen commercial, ABC
ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet.
ABC or abc may also refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting
* American Broadcasting Company, a commercial U.S. TV broadcaster
** Disney–ABC Television ...
aired a promo for the sitcom ''Spin City
''Spin City'' is an American sitcom television series that aired from September 17, 1996 to April 30, 2002, on ABC. Created by Gary David Goldberg and Bill Lawrence, the show is set in a semi-fictionalized version of the New York City mayor' ...
'' parodying the car ad. In the original VW commercial, two men drive around and pick up a smelly couch, which they quickly dispose of. In the ABC ad, Michael J. Fox
Michael Andrew Fox (born June 9, 1961), known professionally as Michael J. Fox, is a Canadian-American retired actor. Beginning his career in the 1970s, he rose to prominence portraying Alex P. Keaton on the NBC sitcom ''Family Ties'' (1 ...
and Michael Boatman
Michael Patrick Boatman (born October 25, 1964) is an American actor and writer. He is known for his roles as New York City mayoral aide Carter Heywood in the ABC sitcom ''Spin City'', as U.S. Army Specialist Samuel Beckett in the ABC drama s ...
's characters pick up Richard Kind
Richard Bruce Kind (born November 22, 1956) is an American actor and comedian, known for his roles as Dr. Mark Devanow in ''Mad About You'' (1992–1999, 2019), Paul Lassiter in ''Spin City'' (1996–2002), Andy in ''Curb Your Enthusiasm'' (2002 ...
's character, who becomes so obnoxious that they throw him out of the car.
The rice cracker brand Sakata also used the song in advertisements with the lyrics changed to "sa-ka-ta".
The song has been used in the Italian film ''Il Divo
Il Divo (; ) are a multi-national classical crossover vocal group. The male quartet, which originated in the United Kingdom in December 2003, consists of tenors Urs Bühler, David Miller, and Sébastien Izambard. It also included bariton ...
'', directed by Paolo Sorrentino
Paolo Sorrentino (; born 31 May 1970) is an Italian film director, screenwriter, and writer. His 2013 film ''The Great Beauty'' won the Academy Awards, Academy Award, the Golden Globe Awards, Golden Globe, and the British Academy of Film and Te ...
, a fictional biography of Italian politician Giulio Andreotti. The song was also included in the comedy film ''Bio-Dome
''Bio-Dome'' is a 1996 American stoner comedy film directed by Jason Bloom. It was produced by Motion Picture Corporation of America on a budget of $8.5 million and was distributed theatrically by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer.
The plot of the film revo ...
'', directed by Jason Bloom, starring Pauly Shore
Paul Montgomery Shore (born February 1, 1968) is an American actor, comedian and filmmaker best known for his roles in 1990s comedy films. Shore began as a stand-up comedian at the age of 17, before becoming an MTV VJ in 1989. This led to a sta ...
and Stephen Baldwin
Stephen Andrew Baldwin (born May 12, 1966) is an American actor, producer and director. He has appeared in the films '' Born on the Fourth of July'' (1989), '' Posse'' (1993), '' 8 Seconds'' (1994), ''Threesome'' (1994), ''The Usual Suspects'' ...
, and in the thriller '' Thick as Thieves'', starring Alec Baldwin and Rebecca De Mornay.
Musical style
Trio was part of the Neue Deutsche Welle
Neue Deutsche Welle (NDW, , "New German Wave") is a genre of West German rock music originally derived from post-punk and new wave music with electronic influences. The term was first coined by Dutch radio DJ Frits Spits on the popular nationwid ...
(or NDW); however, the band preferred the name "Neue Deutsche Fröhlichkeit", which means "New German Cheerfulness", to describe their music.
Trio's main principle was to remove almost all the ornamentation and polish from their songs, and to use the simplest practical structures (most of their songs were three-chord song
A three-chord song is a song whose music is built around three chords that are played in a certain sequence. A common type of three-chord song is the simple twelve-bar blues used in blues and rock and roll.
Typically, the three chords used are t ...
s). For this reason, many of their songs are restricted to drums, guitar, vocals, and just one or maybe two other instruments, if any at all. Bass was used very infrequently until their later songs, and live shows often saw Remmler playing some simple pre-programmed rhythms and melodies on his small Casio VL-1
The VL-1 was the first instrument of Casio's VL-Tone product line, and is sometimes referred to as the VL-Tone. It combined a calculator, a monophonic synthesizer, and sequencer. Released in June 1979,Mark Vail, ''The Synthesizer: A Comprehens ...
keyboard while Behrens played his drums with one hand and ate an apple with the other.
Personnel
* Stephan Remmler – lead vocals, keyboards
* Kralle Krawinkel – guitar, backing vocals
* Peter Behrens
Peter Behrens (14 April 1868 – 27 February 1940) was a leading German architect, graphic and industrial designer, best known for his early pioneering AEG Turbine Hall in Berlin in 1909. He had a long career, designing objects, typefaces, and ...
– drums, backing vocals
The band was produced by Klaus Voormann
Klaus Otto Wilhelm Voormann (born 29 April 1938) is a German artist, musician, and record producer.
Voormann was the bassist for Manfred Mann from 1966 to 1969, and performed as a session musician on a host of recordings, including " You're So ...
, who also played bass on a few songs.
Discography
Albums
Studio
Live
* 1982: ''TRIO Live im Frühjahr '82'' ("''Live in Spring '82''")
Compilations
* 1986: ''5 Jahre zuviel'' (''5 Years Too Many'')
* 1997: ''Da Da Da'' (US only)
* 2000: ''Triologie'' (Best-of)
* 2003: ''Trio Deluxe Edition''
Singles
References
External links
* http://www.stephan-remmler.de Stephan Remmler/Trio fansite
*
{{Authority control
Musical groups established in 1980
Musical groups disestablished in 1985
Neue Deutsche Welle groups
German new wave musical groups
German pop music groups
German musical trios
Minimal wave groups