"Trojan Horse" is the fifth single by the Dutch girl group

Luv' Luv' were a Dutch girl group that scored a string of hit records in Continental Europe ( Benelux, Germany, Switzerland, Austria, France, Spain, Denmark, Norway and Finland) as well as Israel, South Africa, Zimbabwe, Australia, New Zealand, Cana ...

, released in autumn 1978 by

Philips Koninklijke Philips N.V. (), simply branded Philips, is a Dutch multinational health technology company that was founded in Eindhoven in 1891. Since 1997, its world headquarters have been situated in Amsterdam, though the Benelux headquarter ...

Phonogram Records Phonogram Incorporated was started in 1970 as a successor to Philips Phonographic Industries, a unit of the Grammophon-Philips Group (GPG), a joint venture of Philips N.V. of the Netherlands and Siemens AG of Germany. It was a holding company f ...

. This million-seller appears on some editions of the group's debut album, With Luv' (1978), and was a successful hit record in a large part of

continental Europe Continental Europe or mainland Europe is the contiguous mainland of Europe, excluding its surrounding islands. It can also be referred to ambiguously as the European continent, – which can conversely mean the whole of Europe – and, by som ...

Israel Israel, officially the State of Israel, is a country in West Asia. It Borders of Israel, shares borders with Lebanon to the north, Syria to the north-east, Jordan to the east, Egypt to the south-west, and the Mediterranean Sea to the west. Isr ...

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. Its Provinces of South Africa, nine provinces are bounded to the south by of coastline that stretches along the Atlantic O ...

Zimbabwe file:Zimbabwe, relief map.jpg, upright=1.22, Zimbabwe, relief map Zimbabwe, officially the Republic of Zimbabwe, is a landlocked country in Southeast Africa, between the Zambezi and Limpopo Rivers, bordered by South Africa to the south, Bots ...

Argentina Argentina, officially the Argentine Republic, is a country in the southern half of South America. It covers an area of , making it the List of South American countries by area, second-largest country in South America after Brazil, the fourt ...

and

New Zealand New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and List of islands of New Zealand, over 600 smaller islands. It is the List of isla ...

. It was a minor hit in

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

and

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

. The single was remixed in 2006, 2015 and 2022.

Background

This song is the follow-up single to "

You're the Greatest Lover "You're the Greatest Lover" is a single by the Dutch girl group Luv', released in July 1978 by Philips/Phonogram Records. It appears on the 1978 debut album '' With Luv. The song is the group's international breakthrough as it was successful ...

" and uses a bagpipe theme. The intro of this track was inspired by the famous "20th-Century Fox Fanfare" by

Alfred Newman Alfred Newman (March 17, 1900 – February 17, 1970) was an American composer, arranger, and conductor of film music. From his start as a music prodigy, he came to be regarded as a respected figure in the history of film music. He won nine Acad ...

that accompanies the

20th Century Fox 20th Century Studios, Inc., formerly 20th Century Fox, is an American film studio, film production and Film distributor, distribution company owned by the Walt Disney Studios (division), Walt Disney Studios, the film studios division of the ...

studio logo at the beginning of its productions. Thanks to this hit record, Luv' established itself as one of the most popular Dutch pop acts of the late 1970s. "Trojan Horse" was included in some editions of the With Luv' album and on CD compilations such as

Luv' Gold ''Luv' Gold'' is a 1993 greatest hits album by Dutch girl group Luv' which features hit singles like "You're the Greatest Lover", "Trojan Horse", " Casanova", "Ooh, Yes I Do" and some album tracks from the formation's heyday (1977–1981). This c ...

and 25 Jaar Na Waldolala. It was used for the soundtrack of the movie

Spetters ''Spetters'' (English translation: ''Splashes'') is a Dutch film released in 1980 and directed by Paul Verhoeven. The film follows the lives of three young men who have little in common but their love for dirt-bike racing. Set on the outskirts o ...

, directed by

Paul Verhoeven Paul Verhoeven (; born 18 July 1938) is a Dutch filmmaker, who has worked variously in the Netherlands, the United States, and in France. He is known for directing genre films with strong satirical elements, often featuring graphic violence and ...

. In 1979, Luv' played a cameo role in the German movie

Cola, Candy, Chocolate ''Cola, Candy, Chocolate'' is a 1979 West German sex comedy film directed by Sigi Rothemund and starring Olivia Pascal, Philippe Ricci and .Schliesser & Moser p.133 Cast * Olivia Pascal as Gaby * Philippe Ricci as Dr. Andreas Witzig * as Christ ...

in which they performed "Trojan Horse".

Commercial performance

Trojan Horse was a No. 1 hit single in the Netherlands and

Flanders Flanders ( or ; ) is the Dutch language, Dutch-speaking northern portion of Belgium and one of the communities, regions and language areas of Belgium. However, there are several overlapping definitions, including ones related to culture, la ...

(Belgium). It reached the top 5 in Denmark, Austria, Switzerland and Germany, the top 10 in New Zealand and Argentina (where Luv' became a

one-hit wonder A one-hit wonder is any entity that achieves mainstream popularity, often for only one piece of work, and becomes known among the general public solely for that momentary success. The term is most commonly used in regard to music performers with ...

), the top 20 in Israel, South Africa, Zimbabwe and Finland, the top 50 in France and Australia as well as the top 100 in Canada. According to a special issue of

Billboard magazine ''Billboard'' (stylized in lowercase since 2013) is an American music and entertainment magazine published weekly by Penske Media Corporation. The magazine provides music charts, news, video, opinion, reviews, events and styles related to th ...

about the German recording industry published on December 8, 1979, the single sold 480.000 copies in the

Federal Republic of Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen constituent states have a total population of over 84 ...

. It also sold 80.000 copies in France, 50.000 copies in Austria (where it turned gold), 100.000 copies in Belgium (gold certification) and 200.000 copies in the Netherlands (platinum certification). In total, more than one million units of the record were sold worldwide.

Track listing and release

Philips/Phonogram licensed the rights for Luv's records to various labels around the world. 7" Vinyl * a. "Trojan Horse" * b. "Life Is On My Side"

Cover versions

* The German cover band Super Hit Power performed a version of Trojan Horse in 1978. * In 1979, the Dutch band, De Bumpers, performed a parody entitled "M'n Doedelzak" (). * In 1979, the Swedish female singer, Siw Inger, sang a German version of the song as "Komm und spiel mit mir" (). She also covered it in Swedish as "Superman," with different lyrics from the German cover. * In 1979, Orchester Tony Anderson from Germany recorded a version of the song. * Singer Glenys Lynne covered the song into Afrikaans under the name "Tsitsikamawoud" in 1979. * The German cover band, Orchester Tony Anderson, recorded the track for a compilation album "Super Hits '79". * Disco Light Orchestra from Germany performed an instrumental version for their LP "Disco Sensation" in 1979. * The German formation, The Golden Akkordeon Harmonists, covered the song for their album "Schlager Hits Akkordeon" in 1979. * An East German sister duo, Die Molly Sisters, sang a Schlager version of this composition entitled "Im grünen Wald" () in 1979. * King's Group And Singers from the UK recorded their cover of Trojan Horse in 1979. * German cover band The Hiltonaires recorded a version of Trojan Horse in 1979. * Romanian group 5T recorded a cover version entitled "Calul Troian" in 1979. * The Czech girl group, Bezinky, covered the song (entitled "Trojský Kůň") in their language in 1980. * Juraj Lehotský from Czechoslovakia covered it in 1981. * In 2001, Estonian group Trobikond, a singing group composed of DJs from the radio station "Raadio Elmar," covered the song in their language as "Üks päev" (). This version has new lyrics entitling how everybody has just one day that's their birthday, and has become a well-known birthday song in Estonia. * A short-lived German girl group, Luv' Connection, covered the track in 2003. * Kamelie from the Czech Republic performed the song as "Trojský Kůň," with different lyrics from Bezinky's cover, in the 2000s. *

Jump With Me "Jump with Me" is the first single of the Dutch jumpstyle group Sheffield Jumpers, released on 28 August 2008. A music video was also produced for the single, featuring all the jumpers. The track samples the song "Trojan Horse" by Dutch pop trio L ...

, a song by the

Dutch Dutch or Nederlands commonly refers to: * Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands ** Dutch people as an ethnic group () ** Dutch nationality law, history and regulations of Dutch citizenship () ** Dutch language () * In specific terms, i ...

jumpstyle Jumpstyle is an electronic dance music, electronic dance style and music genre popular in Western Europe, originally in Belgium. Jumpstyling is often referred to as "Jumpen": a combination of the English word 'Jump' and the Dutch and German suf ...

band, the

Sheffield Jumpers The Sheffield Jumpers are a dance troupe and group of musicians from Rotterdam, who practice the jumpstyle type of dancing and music. They are most well known with their performances with German band Scooter. The name "Sheffield Jumpers" came from ...

, featured a re-sung chorus from "Trojan Horse" and was released in August 2008. This version peaked at #69 on the German Media Control Charts. * In 2009, the entertainer Marco de Hollander sang the song in Dutch and translated it as "Hij speelde elke avond op zijn doedelzak" (). * In 2010, the Dutch rock and party band Kiek Now Us rendered it as "Hemel Zonder Bier" () in 2010 and reissued it in 2014. * In 2011, the German-Bosnian act, Engel & Engel, performed it as "So ist die Liebe, mi Amor". * In 2018, Gáspár Enikő from Hungary covered Trojan Horse in her native language.

Charts and certifications

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

2006 remix

In 2006,

Universal Music Universal Music Group N.V. (often abbreviated as UMG and referred to as Universal Music Group or Universal Music) is a Dutch– American multinational music corporation under Dutch law. UMG's corporate headquarters are located in Hilversum ...

put out the

Completely In Luv' ''Completely in Luv is a four-CD boxed set of four studio albums, '' With Luv (1978), '' Lots of Luv (1979), ''True Luv (1979) and '' Forever Yours'' (1980) recorded by Dutch girl group Luv' during their heyday in the late 1970s and early ...

box set including the remastered version of four studio albums: With Luv' (1978), Lots of Luv' (1979),

True Luv' ''True Luv is the third album by Dutch girl group Luv', released in December 1979 by CNR/Carrere Records. It includes the hit singles "Ooh, Yes I Do" and " Ann-Maria" scored in the charts of European countries and also in a new territory: Mexico. ...

(1979) and Forever Yours (1980) on CD. It featured a 2006 remix of Trojan Horse by J.R Beltman and F.M Endenburg. In 2012, Cloud 9 Music released the compilation entitled "The Best of LUV" which was only available on digital platforms. It included an Extended Mix of Trojan Horse 2006 that was previously unreleased.

2015 remix

In 2015, Peter Boonstra published the biography The Story Of Luv' (including exclusive pictures of the girl group). DJ/remixer/producer Matt Pop remixed two tracks: "Trojan Horse" and "Life Is On My Side" for the CD compilation included in the book. ''The Story Of Luv'' was eventually banned due to copyright issues on some photographs.

2022 remix

On February 11, 2022, Cloud 9 Music released

Trojan Horse In Greek mythology, the Trojan Horse () was a wooden horse said to have been used by the Greeks during the Trojan War to enter the city of Troy and win the war. The Trojan Horse is not mentioned in Homer, Homer's ''Iliad'', with the poem ending ...

(Kav Verhouzer Remix) as a digital single. Two days later, this remix entered the Dutch

iTunes iTunes is a media player, media library, and mobile device management (MDM) utility developed by Apple. It is used to purchase, play, download and organize digital multimedia on personal computers running the macOS and Windows operating s ...

Top 100 at #10. One week later, it dropped out of this chart.

Track listing

Digital download/streaming # "Trojan Horse (Kav Verhouzer Remix)" – 2:27 # "Trojan Horse (Club Mix by Jaz von D) - 2:50

References

{{Luv' 1978 singles 1978 songs Carrere Records singles Dutch Top 40 number-one singles Mega Top 50 number-one singles Luv' songs Mercury Records singles Number-one singles in Belgium Philips Records singles Phonogram Records singles Polydor Records singles Songs written by Hans van Hemert Songs written by Piet Souer