Moder tokin. Modern Talking, the history of the group, before the formation of the duet, the beginning of modern talking. Modern Talking – return
Biography of Thomas Anders.
Thomas Anders was born on March 1, 1963. in the small village of Merz (two kilometers from Münstermayfeld and twenty kilometers from Koblenz.) The real name of the singer is Bernd Weidung. He lived almost his entire life (excluding childhood, youth and tours) in the city of Koblenz. After the first breakup, Modern Talking often lived in America, in Los Angeles.
Bernd dreamed of becoming a singer since childhood; he played the piano for about 13 years, and liked to spend more time listening to music than hanging out with his peers. He loved to sing, and since his mother ran a small store in Merz, he sometimes performed for the sales representative, who stopped by once a week to discuss deliveries. Bernd recalled: “Standing in front of the mirror and practicing being a singer, I kept imagining that I was performing on a large concert stage or in front of a television audience, and my music would bring tears to the eyes of thousands of people.” At Christmas he sang songs for all the guests in the house, for which he received a bar of chocolate and a bag of chips. He really liked it, because not only did he do what he liked, but he also received something good for it.
As a young man, Bernd performed at holidays and sang by invitation at evenings. I started earning some money. Since he had to go to the city for school, he used to go home by taxi rather than by bus. At home they scolded him for this, but he said that the bus was still a whole hour. He was not a very sociable person, although good relations with classmates. For example, if a class had a lesson cancelled, he did not like to sit on the mats and drink brewed tea. He went to a cafe in the city and ordered himself a delicious coffee with cream. To which his father said that with such requests he would have to earn a lot in life. Bernd also did not like physical education lessons. Especially playing football.
After Bernd grew up, he worked as an assistant bartender. He also managed to study at the University, where he studied journalism and musicology, but decided to take a break to focus on his singing career. He participated in various competitions: on radio, on television. After one of his TV appearances, where his ratings were lowered, Bernd was very upset, but nevertheless, he was noticed by the record company and producer Daniel David. In 1980, his first single “Judy” was released. Bernd planned to sing in German. He was asked to change his name to something more easily pronounced and memorable. Tommy was suggested as a name, but Bernd insisted on Thomas. The head of their company had the last name Anders. Thus, they quickly came up with a surname, and the producer also hoped that this surname could somehow help them in the future. Thomas Anders releases singles, then an album. He appears on TV several times and gives concerts.
By the way, Thomas said that even his credit cards have his pseudonym Thomas Anders. Because one day he was paying at a hotel with a card with his real name Bernd Weidung, and the employee called the police, saying that she didn’t know what to do because Thomas Anders was paying with someone else’s cards. (But in family photos with his first wife Nora, you can see the name Bernd on his mug.) Mom also calls the singer Bernd. However, he says that he does not share himself like Bernd or Thomas, that he is alone everywhere.
Soon after recording his first German-language singles, Thomas met his future wife—Nora Isabel Balling. Nora was from a very wealthy family, and her good friend introduced her to Thomas, apparently wanting to somehow show off his acquaintances. According to Nora, when she saw Thomas, she thought he was very cute, but so small. In fact, Nora is almost a head taller than Thomas, but this did not interfere with this beautiful couple. Nora had only her mother alive. She herself looked like her father, unlike her sisters, who were brunettes. Nora studied to become a makeup artist and worked part-time as a fashion model. She advertised jewelry, watches, perfume. After a year of illness, her mother died. The sisters had long had their own lives and Nora lived absolutely alone in her penthouse in Koblenz. Soon Thomas and Nora got married. Nora was twenty and Thomas was twenty-one. And just a few months later, Thomas recorded his first hit “You’re My Heart, You’re My Soul” as part of the group Modern Talking.
Thomas Anders and Dieter Bohlen.
Thomas was once asked to collaborate with songwriter and producer Dieter Bohlen, who worked on the Hansa label. Together they record several songs in German.
Dieter, although he did not have a musical education, but with early childhood I taught myself to play the guitar. He once took one lesson, but since he was left-handed, he didn’t get anything useful out of it. He mastered the instrument himself and was also fond of playing the synthesizer. While studying economics, where his parents sent him, he earned money playing in clubs, creating several groups. His parents ran a small business of their own, related to building materials. But unprofitable times often happened, and parents generally developed independence in Dieter. He never sat without work, although, for example, he did not like to do housework; as a rule, this was done by the girl who lived with him, later his wife, etc. Dieter was not distinguished by constancy. Although it should be noted that he always took care of his children, of whom he has three from his first marriage and recently another baby was born in a new family, and that his family had a decent home, even when he still did not earn much. According to him, he never went near the kitchen. This is one of his opposites with Thomas, because Thomas loves to cook. As he grew older, this became one of his small hobbies.
Dieter liked to say that if he removed notes from his friend’s piano, she could not play anything. While he could calmly. This is of course neither a plus nor a minus. The fact is that Dieter Bohlen, first of all, wonderful author songs, he is a melodist. And not everyone who is good at using instruments has musical education, they know how to compose songs. He composes songs directly, and if it is really necessary, he can arrange something and play some instruments already as a professional when recording it. Although Dieter mainly worked on the song from beginning to end - that is, he recorded it and worked on the arrangement.
When Dieter graduated from the University, he had one prospect, to work in a small company with his father. But he headed to that record company, which invariably refused to send him letters with his demos and, by some miracle, showing his diplomas and it’s hard to imagine what, he got a job there. He wrote songs and offered them to famous or more or less famous performers, but was often refused. He thought that managers simply didn’t pass them on and tried to meet him himself. Over time, he made progress. He could already live quite well on the copyrights from songs that were popular. Dieter always dreamed of international success, and therefore believed that he needed to write songs in English.
Dieter really liked Thomas' voice. He said the following: “There was so much feeling in his voice, so much sweet honey that, if desired, you could spread it on toast. A chill went down my spine. This was probably the only time in my life when I met a performer with truly good voice. The main thing in it was not volume, not strength, but the charm of the shades.”
Modern Talking - 80s.
When Dieter began working with Thomas Anders, and they still had time after recording the main songs in German, Dieter invited him to perform the song “You’re My Heart, You’re My Soul.” Thomas studied English at school and in general he certainly has excellent pronunciation. He listened to the song several times, read the lyrics and wrote it down fairly quickly.
This song was originally called “My love is gone.” Dieter was always thinking about what to add to the chorus of this song to make it better. He said the following: “It dawned on me during my vacation, when I was sunbathing on Paguero Beach. The English band “Fox The Fox” was blaring through the speakers until my eardrums burst. In one song they squealed in the chorus in falsetto, high-high, in C minor. And inspiration descended on me, insight descended. Idea for a new brilliant song. I decided that the chorus from “My love is gone” should be sung by the high voices of the castrati, it should be repeated in an echo. This created a completely new exotic sound, nothing in common with boring, incomprehensible songs. And I finally had a reason to appear on stage and sing along with the performer. For a shriek like the voice of a eunuch, with student years, has been my specialty since Marianne Rosenberg. “ Dieter did not have outstanding vocal abilities, but he was, of course, an expert in this type of singing. His vocals were overdubbed many times during recording, and as a result, Thomas' singing resulted in the signature sound of the Modern Talking group.
None of them could have imagined that the song “You’re My Heart, You’re My Soul” would become so popular. This song changed their whole lives. It topped the charts in twelve countries and was a hit in Spain, Italy, France, Denmark, Switzerland, Finland, Russia and many other countries. The song reached high places in Japan, on the African continent. The single sold eight million copies.
The head of the Hansa label initially wanted to name the group “Turbo-Diesel.” But Dieter immediately imagined a thundering tractor and his father’s construction site. They argued for a long time until the chief secretary approached the “Top Fifty” poster hanging in the corner. There were some bands on the charts called "Talk Talk" and "Modern Romance", and she suggested: "I would call the group Modern Talking."
Dieter was very worried about whether he would be able to write another hit like “You’re My Heart, You’re My Soul.” He said that he was composing, sending half of it to the trash, while they constantly called him that there were performances of the band, when there would be new demos and so on. However, he wrote a second hit, “You Can Win, If You Want,” which, despite the story of a girl with family difficulties, of course reflects his torment at that time .
The hit “Cheri, Cheri Lady” was released largely thanks to Thomas. Dieter rejected this song, considering it too simple, but Thomas said that it was just a great song and he should have discarded it in vain. And the song actually became a hit. Here's what Thomas said about their collaboration: “For the new album, Dieter always sent me 40-50 compositions, of which I chose the ones I liked, about 20. Of these, Dieter chose 12-13, which I then recorded in the studio. Dieter sent me tape cassettes with demo songs home (such cassettes have long become a legend from the past). The cassettes contained computer-made drums and a keyboard track. If he had time, maybe also a bass line. Everything else was a howl from his voice, or simply saying “there should be a guitar solo here.”
Despite the fact that the group lasted only three years, and later Thomas and Dieter went solo, Modern Talking released six very popular albums. That is, two albums were released a year. Of course, largely thanks to Dieter’s incredible performance and perseverance. At the same time, he still managed to appear with Thomas on TV and concerts, give interviews - and the schedule was very busy. When the group in 1985 in one program they awarded all their “gold” and “platinum” for albums and singles sold, there were about 50 awards.
When I was a child, I had the Modern Talking record “Let’s Talk About Love.” This was their second album. And I can’t say that I liked the voice or the music more. I really liked everything together. I had records by Abba, the Hungarian singer Judith, the “Super Hits” compilation (hits “Self-control”, “Girl just want yo have fun”, etc.) When I wanted to listen to Modern Talking, for me it was unusual group, with a sound unique to them. There was something light, magical and romantic in this music. I loved listening to them while drawing my childhood “masterpieces.” Even when I listened to this record, sometimes for some reason I imagined some beautiful house on a rocky shore, or which was hidden behind vines and wild vegetation. I also didn’t think that those who perform these songs are very happy. The songs sometimes had slight notes of sadness. On back side The album included a photo of the band members. Of course, I didn’t single out anyone, it was just interesting to see what those who sing the songs on the record look like. And for some reason I correctly decided who owned which voice in the songs. When I grew up, the group had already broken up. I haven’t heard much about the work of Thomas Anders or Dieter Bohlen. I had pen pals who liked, among other things, this group. I remember how the group came together. Then I sometimes wrote articles for several newspapers. And an acquaintance asked me to write a fictional article about Modern Talking related to their tour in Russia, after I showed him one Russian newspaper, where there were a lot of fake articles. He just wanted to joke with a fellow fan of the group. But it was not my style, and I refused, although I still communicate with this person to this day.
Even before the second unification of the group, I accidentally came across some program about them on TV around the year 97-98. There were excerpts from clips, Thomas with a chain with a “Nora” pendant. I was very surprised by the appearance of young Thomas, I noted that he looked very good and stylish and had no doubt that he had many fans at that time. The program constantly talked about Nora, but either I wasn’t listening attentively, or that’s how everything was presented. But then it seemed to me that Nora was simply some kind of woman who did not take a step away from Thomas and simply wanted to become famous herself and wanted to be the third member of the group.
I, of course, like the group's old hits, a number of Thomas' solo songs. I liked the group’s Comeback because it was nice to hear familiar melodies that brought back a lot of memories, but rap in in this case seemed superfluous. On the other hand, then the only option left was to create remixes of old hits. I really liked a few of the new songs that were in frequent rotation, but a lot of them were very formatted or something for me.
My favorite songs of the group are “Cheri, Cheri Lady” (the video is also very good), “You Can Win If You Want”, “Jet Airliner”, “Atlantis Is Calling (S.O.S. for Love)”, “Geronimo’s Cadillac”. After the reunion, my favorites are “Juliet,” “Sexy sexy love,” “After your love is gone,” “You’re not Lisa,” “Mrs. Robota.”
In the new albums of the group, in addition to dance hits, you can also find slow ballads accompanied by piano, several songs in the Spanish style, for example, such as “Mystery”, “Maria”, “No face, no name, no number.” In my opinion, the best album with new songs after the second reunion of the group is “Year of the dragon.”
I’m sorry that truly friendly relations never developed in the group. But I certainly agree that the success of Modern Talking is the combination of the talents of both. Perhaps Dieter wanted more recognition. In the group in the 80s, to the uninitiated, he actually looked like just a member. Not everyone knew that he wrote all the music. On the other hand, if he had remained just a songwriter, then no one would have known even more about him. After all, his performance on stage with Thomas was not initially planned.
After the first breakup of the group, Dieter initially worked as a producer. He wrote a very successful song for Chris Norman, “Midnight lady,” which was heard in the popular TV series Tatort (Commissioner Szymanski), and again helped remind Bonnie Tyler of himself. Dieter also wrote songs and produced C. C. Catch (Carolina Katharina Müller). This is what he wrote about her in his memoirs: “It turned out that although Caroline is not Maria Callas, she can sing beautifully with a breathy “hhh...”. If she sang “I love you,” it sounded more like “Ayhai lahav yuuhuu,” as if she was singing in Tyrolean. There was something unique about her, and uniqueness in our environment is much more important than a good voice. And I decided to give her a chance.” Several songs performed by C. C. Catch are once rejected songs for Modern Talking. For example, the song “I Can Lose My Heart Tonight”, which was discarded because they thought it would not rise above the twentieth place in the charts. Of course, one can blame Dieter for being so concerned about the charts. But at the same time, you need to have a unique talent in order to manage to hit the bull’s eye so often. Many, even with a strong desire, will not succeed, so this is a combination of skill, good knowledge and understanding of musical cuisine. Of course, if he was doing some kind of instrumental music, or jazz, his constant talk about the charts could be alarming. But since he is a producer and works in the field of popular music and show business, he basically does what he does, but at the same time is quite original and talented. Moreover, he speaks quite honestly about the time when he is producing a person with a good voice, and when he is producing a person who is not very good, because he needs to pay the loan for the house.
Subsequently, C. C. Catch, according to Dieter, fell ill star fever, stopped preparing for performances, etc., and left for another company. But albums recorded with other producers were no longer as successful.
Later Dieter Bohlen created the group “Blue system.” Initially, they did not want to see him on stage after the collapse of Modern Talking, but only as a producer. This offended him very much. One day he finally came to the head of the label and began to insist that he wanted to create his own group. He was asked what the name would be and since he did not expect such a quick agreement, he looked at the label of his denim jacket and said “Blue system”. The group existed from 1987 to 1998 and released 13 fairly successful albums during this time.
Some thoughts about Thomas Anders during the 80s and in general. I am, of course, amazed by his decency. It would seem an attractive young man, a world star, millions of fans and such devotion to his wife. This is admirable. And in principle, an attractive appearance, in addition to natural data, is also the efforts of Nora, the first wife, who was trained as a makeup artist and stylist. Thomas has a tanned look, gorgeous hair, clothes that generally look good today. He looked like such a sophisticated, romantic esthete.
I was very surprised by Thomas’s words that someone did not understand this look of his, by the sayings of some journalists. In my opinion, this look was also, in fact, the key to the group’s success, in addition to good vocals and song melodies. Although I was amused by the story in the biography of Thomas Anders about how he ordered mouthwash for Nora at the hotel, and the employee mistook it for Nora. I just also had cases when I was in a group of friends and “girls” could approach us, although there were more than just girls there. This amused me too.
I understand, for example, some people here can find fault with a person’s hairstyle, simply because they need to cling to something. As a rule, these are narrow-minded people and often in a not particularly sober state. But it seemed to me that Germany in the 80s was a completely civilized country. And here the banal reason for some articles about Thomas, his appearance and the general rejection of other people’s individuality is revealed. Banal envy. I'm not saying that one or the other is better. appearance. People shouldn't look the same.
When the group became popular, Thomas's wife Nora was initially very carried away by all this turmoil, and according to the singer, it was good for her, since she was distracted from the sad events in her own life. But then, of course, Nora became jealous, noticing how popular her husband was. My feelings here are twofold. On the one hand, Thomas is a very constant person, unlike Dieter, and jealousy was unnecessary. On the other hand, for Nora, Thomas was practically the only close person at that time. Moreover, she was still very young and not very experienced. Many were under the impression that Nora put a chain with her name on Thomas, forced him to get married in church, and did some joint photo shoots. But Thomas himself said that she did not force him to do anything, that she was sometimes overly jealous, but she did not have all the terrible things that were attributed to her. And after watching several programs of that time with her participation, I did not form an opinion of her as some kind of self-confident, arrogant woman. She seemed a little shy at times and, most importantly, sincere. Of course, we can add to this good taste, spectacular figure and appearance.
For some reason, when I first saw Thomas with the “Nora” chain, I had thoughts that the man apparently loved this Nora very much and this aroused respect. Of course, from a promotional point of view, given the large number of fans, this was not a profitable enterprise. But it was honest. If a person likes to sing, he has an attractive appearance, now he should take a vow of celibacy. There was simply some conflict here between who Thomas Anders was in life and how his group was promoted. Nora just needed to be more confident in herself, and I have no doubt that Thomas himself would talk about her and take pictures and stuff, as he is now doing with his second wife Claudia, and she probably is not particularly keen on this.
And at the same time, I want to note that the group actually has enough male fans. For example, my father loved listening to this group, our family friends could play their songs in the car all day long, and I myself had several friends whose favorite singer was Thomas.
Reasons for the collapse of Modern Talking.
I had a chance to watch Thomas Anders' concert in Chile, where he sings the group's songs, but without Dieter and in a new image. On backing vocals are his first wife Nora and her friend. And frankly, they look good. Another thing is that only Thomas and Dieter sang in the group. And of course, for marketing purposes, it is beneficial for the company that there are no chains with Nora, that she is not on stage. Of course, if she were older, I think she would behave smarter. Because everything depends on the person, and not on his popularity. Dieter, as fickle as he was from his youth, remained so, and Thomas was very an honest man and responsible and has always behaved that way. If he got married quite early, at 21, before his career in the group, then it’s not just like that. It seems to me that Nora also needed some kind of serious occupation, she needed to continue trying to work as a fashion model.
It cannot be said that Nora emanated one negative thing for the group. Look at Dieter, who did not understand clothes and wore things provided free of charge by Adidas for advertising. And look at Thomas, who has everything in the size that was fashionable at that time. He himself is tanned, his hair is dyed, well styled, his lips are anointed with gloss. In addition to natural talents, there is also the merit of Nora, who was Thomas’s stylist and make-up artist. Her hand is visible even in the way she sometimes lined Thomas's eyes, as well as herself. It's just that different people can do it differently.
In general, reading books and interviews, it is difficult, so to speak, to make a final verdict regarding the first breakup of the group. Everyone says one thing first, then another. It seems to me that Dieter’s key phrase was that Nora said: “My Thomas in the video will not go with you in the car, but with me. “And he was outraged by this, they say, how did she do it when I revealed him to the world. He was not in charge, he could not command. It’s just that Dieter is not used to taking anyone seriously. And Nora too. And Thomas took a neutral position. This was all, of course, due to the fact that they were still inexperienced, Nora didn’t have anything she liked, and Dieter wasn’t used to it when someone disagreed with him. In addition, Thomas himself believed that he just needed to rest for a couple of months after continuous touring. Maybe Nora would calm down. During this time, Dieter would have slowly composed new songs. But Dieter was so tired of the confrontation with Nora, and the fact that Thomas supported her, that the quarrels between them began to negatively turn some fans and spectators against the group, that he decided to close the group. At the same time, it is clear that Nora did not fit into the concept of the group. Dieter just needed to find something for Nora to do. But he, of course, was not used to working with someone, to worry about someone, if it was not a singer.
I also read books written by Dieter Bohlen. Of course, Thomas and I are very different in character. Thomas is constant, balanced, Dieter is hot-tempered, straightforward, not constant. At first, of course, the fact that Thomas was still very young, like his first wife, was a hindrance. They did not understand that such success could be temporary, that they needed to work. And Dieter understood this well, since in his life he often had to demonstrate independence. And he walked towards this success for many years.
And in general, in fact, working together in creativity is not as easy as it seems. You need to be able to find compromises, and when people who are essentially strangers to creativity get involved in this, it doesn’t lead to any good.
Regarding the second collapse of Modern Talking, of course, Dieter went a little overboard in his second book. It feels like he's deliberately trying to slander Thomas. Because before that he wrote about the same things differently. Of course, he was also unhappy that they never became friends at least a little. As I understand it, Dieter didn’t like that Thomas didn’t devote as much time to the group as he did. But here, too, sometimes you need to understand that he is a singer to sing, look good and be photographed, let’s say. He still won't pore over the song as much as the author.
I believe that there is nothing good or bad about what happened. Everything happened as it should have. It is not a fact that it would have been better if, for example, Nora had a different character or behaved differently. I don't think anyone in particular is to blame for the band's first breakup. Everyone in some way contributed to this, to the fact that the group was going towards this. The fault lies in lack of understanding of each other and unwillingness to compromise and come to an agreement. In any case, the group recorded six excellent albums, many hits - that’s not enough.
Solo career of Thomas Anders.
Thomas subsequently records solo albums. He wanted to move away from the image that he had in the group. He started wearing his hair in a ponytail and wearing ripped jeans. The albums were not as successful as the Modern Talking records, although they are not bad and there are very strong songs. And the reason is of course obvious. Firstly, there is a lack of more rhythmic songs, and secondly, a hit-maker like Dieter is not lying around on every corner. Of course, many criticize Dieter for being too simple in his songs. But there is still a certain style of the group and it is musically difficult to copy. In addition, you need to understand the conditions under which Dieter worked. His first contract was that he had to write more than thirty songs in a month and at the same time they hung charts in front of him and told him to learn how to work.
In general, Thomas’s solo albums before the second renewal of Modern Talking were beautiful melodic pop songs and ballads. There is a whole album in Spanish “Barcos de Cristal”. A very beautiful song of the same name, which sounded like main song in the Argentine television series.
When I started listening to Thomas’ album “Strong” (2010), I initially had a slightly biased opinion, based on what I heard most often from it. I thought it would be something overly commercial or something in the spirit of “Why do you cry.” The last song is certainly not bad, but as it turns out, it’s far from the best on the album. But I liked the album. I included 70 percent in one of my playlists. The album contains romantic songs, sometimes melancholic, which makes it stand out from general mood other solo albums of the singer, light dance tunes. It’s nice that they worked on the album in Russia, that they didn’t lose face, so to speak.
My sympathy for the work of Thomas Anders, of course, is explained not only by the fact that from the age of 5 to 10 I listened to the Modern Talking album “Let's Talk About Love” on the record. After all, an artist also grows up and can change in some ways. Besides, I liked not only the voice in the album, but also, first of all, the music. It’s just that Thomas Anders, one might say, grew up in the 80s, and I also had a lot of favorite bands, the dawn of which was at that time, so it’s natural that I might like the songs that this famous singer chooses to perform.
Of course, it cannot be said that Thomas has a very strong voice by general standards, but in the genre that he performs, he has quite a voice. And his sound is very beautiful and sensual. This is its highlight. Thomas' voice is immediately recognizable, you can't confuse him with anyone, he's special. And this is actually important and says a lot. Besides of course positive image and the same personal qualities also played a significant role.
I also really liked the single song “Ibiza Baba Baya” from 2008, very beautiful melody, sound, superbly sung. From Thomas’s early solo albums, I really liked the songs “The sweet hello, the sad goodbye” (especially), “You are my life,” “Will you let me know,” “Don’t say you love me,” “Road to higher love”, “South of love” and many songs in the Spanish-language album.
I think Thomas didn't need to spend so much time in Los Angeles looking for songwriters there. I understand that after the group broke up, he wanted peace and quiet. But while he was abroad, Dieter was establishing, figuratively speaking, connections in his homeland. In addition, I think Thomas did not need to change his image, or at least not right away. He changed it successfully. But in this way he showed that “Modern Talking” is in the past, he has become different. And you could say I tried to start everything over again. What for? It was necessary to continue. The lonely abandoned vocalist from “Modern Talking”, who still looks sophisticated in contrast to Dieter and sings romantic songs, he is gradually growing up and changing his image. I just think they changed their image very abruptly.
Nora initially went on tour with Thomas, but gradually she realized that it was not so easy. Especially the tour of Russia. She lived increasingly in Los Angeles, where she and Thomas bought a house. They still had Nora's penthouse in Koblenz and an apartment in Berlin. Later they bought a big one luxury house near Koblenz, and Nora's penthouse and apartment in Berlin were sold. But Nora still lived more in Los Angeles. She worked a little at travel agency, although of course Thomas provided for both himself and her in the future. They were married for fifteen years, although Thomas says they actually lived as a family for about six years. It’s just that, according to him, he was scared by the paperwork and there was no need for a divorce.
Nora probably didn’t want to return to Germany, because she felt some kind of guilt that through some actions she had somehow interfered with Thomas’s career and realized that it was not as easy as she thought, without Dieter. Perhaps she was simply more interested in Los Angeles. For Thomas alone, the house in Germany was too big, so they decided to sell it and he bought himself a penthouse in Koblenz. At first, she and Nora visited each other and were worried about parting, but gradually they began to live, unfortunately, different lives. It's a shame that it's like this beautiful love I couldn’t stand the difficulties and ended up like that.
Thomas sometimes gave concerts, his recordings enjoyed some success abroad, but in Germany he was stubbornly ignored. Well, there is also a saying “no prophet is in his own country.” In general, I noticed even from the articles that some German journalists are less respectful of the group in their articles than foreign ones. Although they should be proud that a group from their country is known all over the world and has gone down in the history of popular music. But nothing human is alien to journalists either...
Modern Talking is back.
Thomas and his friends organized a company to prepare holidays, hosted the “Loveline” program on the radio from 10 p.m. to midnight, and sometimes gave concerts. Soon he meets Claudia. He and his friends liked to sit in a cafe in the evening. He knew almost all the visitors, when suddenly he saw a pretty unknown woman at the next table. He began asking his friends who she was. Resourceful friends began to casually approach Claudia and try to start a conversation, and one even brought a flower, saying it was from Thomas. Claudia said to Thomas: “Are you always so indecisive?” She found out who he was, but in Koblenz they treated Thomas “calmerly”, he was a more familiar person there.
Claudia worked as a secretary in a construction company, and she also had a relationship with a man. They were just friends with Thomas for several months. Thomas, of course, was upset by this, but he decided to wait for Claudia’s previous relationship to end on its own and only then do something. Claudia could cry to Thomas for hours, and he would listen to her carefully. As a result, when Claudia was left alone, she realized that she loved Thomas. She said that one day she dropped by for 15 minutes, and he cooked her a sumptuous dinner and sang songs, accompanying himself on the piano. As a result, she went home only at four o’clock. Her parents didn't take Thomas seriously at first. They believed that Claudia was just a toy for him, and besides, he was still officially married.
Thomas and Nora divorced. Nora also has a new family and no longer wants to be a public person. They maintained a respectful attitude towards each other. Thomas says that of course it is impossible to completely erase Nora from his biography, since they were together for many years. However, Nora once sued Thomas over his autobiography. They just had an agreement not to disclose details life together. Although in fact he didn’t reveal anything much, and in comparison with Dieter’s books, one can say he wrote almost nothing at all.
One day, Thomas received an offer to restart the Modern Talking group. He doubted it for a very long time, but since Dieter also agreed, he decided that he needed to try. He thought that they had become older and everything would be different. Of course, he was worried that their return would not be a failure.
Initially, Dieter just wanted to record new songs, but the label advised them to first make new arrangements of their old hits. Nobody expected such a successful comeback of the Modern Talking group. Record sales even outpaced their initial success in the 1980s. Of course, many people were pleased to remember their past, listen to their favorite songs again, and new fans also joined in. And in general, there was and is still a lack of something original and at the same time memorable in the music. As Thomas rightly said, there are now so many channels that they all need to quickly sculpt some stars and spin them. And in his time there were not so many of them. As a result, quantity began to dominate over quality.
Comeback was very successful. The group released seven albums in five years, shot new videos, and gave many concerts. Claudia and Thomas married and had a son, Alexander. Dieter had strange relationships: Naddel, Verona, Estefania. These are those whose names were widely known. They wrote that someone made a career thanks to Dieter’s name. Maybe I’m reading some magazines incorrectly, but to be honest, I only learned all these names when I read Dieter Bohlen’s book. I remember Naddel from a photo in a magazine in 2000, where she and Dieter were in a train compartment during concerts in Russia.
Dieter was invited to do the show “Germany is looking for a superstar”, where artists were cooked up from talented and not so talented guys and he gradually lost interest in “Modern Talking”, and of course he again lacked something in the group. It seems to me that at that time he was more impressed by his own success than by his joint success. But be that as it may, the main thing is that Thomas Anders and Dieter Bohlen together really wrote their chapter in the history of music, that they delight fans with their solo work and will continue to delight.
© Maria Sergina. All rights reserved. Use of the entire article or its fragments is impossible without the written permission of the author.
Email: [email protected]
© Copyright: Maria Sergina, 2012
Throughout its existence, the Modern Talking group was not only one of the most popular, but also the most influential group of the eighties.
To be precise, the Modern Talking group was a duet consisting of two soloists - Thomas Anders and Dieter Bohlen.
After graduating from university, Dieter Bohlen received a degree in business economist and participated in youth musical groups, where he wrote about 200 songs. It’s interesting that the singer’s maternal grandmother had Russian origin. In his youth, Dieter constantly made attempts to find work at recording studios, sending them his demo recordings. After many attempts, luck smiled at him - Dieter was hired by the music publishing house Intersong, where he worked as a producer and musician.
Before meeting Thomas Anders, Bohlen was a member of the groups Monza, Sunday, collaborated with Katya Ebstein, Bernd Klüver, and also released his own singles.
Bernd Weidung (real name of Thomas Anders) was born in the town of Münstermayfeld. The boy was lucky, as his father encouraged his musical studies in every possible way. Bernd actively studied to play the guitar and piano and graduated from the university with a degree in German and literature.
In 1980, his debut song Judy was released, at the same time the singer came up with his stage name. In 1981, there was a historical acquaintance with Dieter Bohlen, who at that time was an aspiring producer looking for a vocalist to record a cover of a F.R. David song.
The recorded song became the beginning of a fruitful collaboration - 1983-84 was marked by the release of five German-language singles, one of which entered the German charts. To achieve international recognition, Dieter takes the initiative to record the English-language song “Catch Me I’m Falling”. However, no one knew the names of the musicians yet - the project was known as Headliner.
The musicians became famous after the hit “You’re My Heart, You’re My Soul.” This song "Modern Talking" is their business card, by which they are recognized in all corners of the world. After the stormy fame that fell on the heads of the musicians, Adidas signed a contract with Dieter.
In 1985, Modern Talking recorded their first collaboration, “The First Album,” on which Thomas contributed primarily vocals. The record was a stunning success - the group received gold and platinum discs for a total of 75 pieces.
In the fall of the same year, another song from “Modern Talking” was released, without which it is difficult to imagine their era: “Cheri, Cheri Lady.”
The group was rapidly gaining momentum in Europe, but Bohlen longed to become popular in the USA and Great Britain. His dream was helped to come true by the songs “Brother Louie” and “Atlantis Is Calling”, which reached the Canadian and English charts.
“Modern Talking,” whose songs everyone knew by heart, were heard in every home in Europe at that time.
Despite their prosperity and fame, tensions arise between Thomas and Dieter, which led to their breakup in 1986. Official reason breakup - disagreement with the recording of backing vocalists. Although there were rumors in the press that the real reason was Thomas’s overly ambitious wife, Nora Balling. By the way, an interesting fact: after marriage, the singer took her last name.
The group existed for another year, releasing two albums during this time, and after the end of the contract they broke up. After the collapse of Modern Talking, Dieter switched to his brainchild Blue System, which the singer created even before the collapse of Modern Talking.
The band's reunion took place in 1998, which the musicians celebrated with the album “Back For Good.” In the new album “Modern Talking”, remixes of old hits took up the main part, and were diluted with only four new compositions.
A gift for fans was the “Modern Talking” concert, where the soloists were accompanied by Blue System musicians.
Between 1999 and 2003, five more records were released, which received a warm response from the audience.
A surprise for fans and the management of the group was Bohlen’s statement about the breakup of the group, made at one of the concerts in 2003: “I have to say that the group is finished. Thomas and I decided to go our separate ways." According to Dieter, the reason for the breakup was Thomas's tour in the USA, without the consent of his colleague.
Fans agreed that the reason for the breakup was a drop in album sales and Bolen’s desire to pursue his own projects.
However, the musicians could not just leave their fans - in 2003, The Final Album was released, which collected the best songs of the duo recorded throughout the existence of the group.
The personal lives of musicians are not as successful as their careers. Dieter Bohlen lived most of his life with Erika Sauerland, who gave him three children. After divorcing his wife, Dieter married Verona Felbusch in 1996, but did not live with her for even a year.
But the musician is quite philosophical about success in all aspects of life: “Before you know victory, you will experience many more failures. Success is the exception and failure is the rule. On the path to success you will fall a thousand times, but it is important to be able to rise.”
Thomas Anders also could not devote his life to one woman - after breaking up with Nora, in 2000 he married Claudia Hess, and two years later the couple had a son.
Despite the fact that the Modern Talking group no longer exists, and the musicians have gone their separate ways, their joint work has become a striking contribution to contemporary art.
The music of “Modern Talking” is still beloved by millions of fans to this day.
Clip Modern Talking “You’re my heart you’re my soul”
MODERN TALKING – A GERMAN PHENOMENON
- a cult group. Its members deserve such fame, because their songs are recognizable by the first chords and are drawn to the dance floor. Over 100 million records sold says a lot. No one has achieved greater success in the Eurodisco style than the guys from .
Could he have thought during the studio recording of the song “You’re My Heart, You’re My Soul” that this composition would radically change his whole life. It was their first song and an instant hit.
Sweet beginning
In the early 1980s, the Eurodisco style just appeared, and with it the composer. At that time he worked in a music publishing house and almost everything that was heard in Germany was written by him. Dieter's vocal abilities were not outstanding, but his compositional abilities quickly helped him get on his feet. Bolen realized that for complete success he lacked English-language compositions and a singer whose voice could make his songs real hits.
At this time he came to Hamburg to record his album 
young Thomas Anders. After completing his work, he still had two hours left before the plane, and Dieter took advantage of this. He suggested that Thomas record his new song"You're My Heart, You're My Soul." After listening to the music on a cassette recorder and reading the words, Thomas became interested in this composition.
The single was released in September 1984, but no one really bought it. In the first 2-3 weeks, only about 1,000 records were sold. But after the Christmas holidays, this figure increased 60 times. Only then did the guys realize that they might have hit the bull's eye.
Modern conversation
– that’s what two young and talented musician from Germany. The name was inspired by the success of the band Talk, Talk. Dieter wrote songs one after another, so that the entire debut album with the simple name “The First Album” could easily be compiled entirely from his compositions. Dieter's songs flowed like a river, and the group released 2 records a year. Today no one does this anymore. A mix of the normal soft voice of Thomas Anders and falsetto tones, which Dieter Bohlen superimposed on each other 50 times, as in 
the song “Cheri, Cheri Lady”, and created the contrast that turned out to be in demand and was a huge success.
Their further success stretched from Japan to Thailand, from China to Russia, from South America to France. It was real popularity, part of the history of pop music. One after another they released hits, received music awards, it was hard to even imagine. became the most popular German group
of all times.
The moment came when Dieter Bohlen and Thomas Anders could no longer go out into the street, wherever they were, they were surrounded by a crowd of fans everywhere. And in front of Thomas’s house, heartbreaking scenes unfolded. A guy with the same dark hair and similar clothes drove up, got out of the car, and fans rushed towards him with squeals and screams. Imagine their disappointment when the truth was revealed.
The group was greeted with the same love outside their homeland. In the world's largest capitals, entire streets were closed as tens of thousands of people gathered to see their favorite musicians. Now it’s even difficult to understand what they liked more – their music or the images they created.
Music records Modern Talking 
The songs “You’re My Heart, You’re My Soul”, “You Can Win If You Want”, “Cheri, Cheri Lady”, “Brother Louie” are combined into a kind of record. They were performed
within two years and became number 1 hits in Germany. In addition, 4 albums in a row went multi-platinum. No one can beat this record to this day. However, the group was not very popular among American audiences. There, in the mid-1980s, completely different musical styles . If in Europe it was enough to perform at 8-10 major cities
In order to mark their positions on the musical map, then for America this mark had to be 50-60 cities. While they were winning over a European audience (including the fastidious British), the United States simply did not have the necessary forces. Perhaps this is why their songs never entered the American charts.
Third wheel
Despite all the creative victories, three years later problems arose in the group, not last role in which Thomas Anders' wife Nora played. This trio became a powder keg, within which the situation was already critical. From album to album, the managers and producer thought only about how to save the group from collapse.
For the band members themselves, this was not a surprise. Dieter Bohlen later admitted that it was very difficult to find a common language with Nora, perhaps due to the ten-year age difference.
Thomas was happy about the breakup of the team; he finally had free time, and life on suitcases ended. But Dieter was not going to rest and created new project Blue System.
Together is impossible and apart is impossible
For 10 years they each went their own way, until in 1998 their paths crossed again. It is impossible to enter the same river twice, Anders and Bohlen understood this very well, so they were terribly worried that their reunion and return to the banner would be a failure. For the first seven years after the breakup, the musicians did not even see each other, then they began to gradually establish communication, rarely seeing each other. 
And then the manager of the record company they worked with suggested they revive the band and try to regain their former popularity. At first, both were not particularly accommodating on this issue, but something still made them go on stage together again, as before.
Having modernized several old hits and appeared in several television programs, Thomas Anders and Dieter Bohlen announced the resumption of the band's work. New songs were created that became hits one after another.
The hit comeback of Modern Talking
The first album after the reunion, “Back For Good,” became the leader in global sales and took first place in the charts in many countries. In the first day alone, 180 thousand copies were sold out in music stores. In Germany, it became a four-time platinum collection. 26 million discs were sold worldwide. 
This figure exceeded all Dieter Bohlen's expectations; the success was stunning. It was the best-selling album of the year. This was largely facilitated by the younger generation, who liked the work of the resurrected group.
At this time, musicians often invited vocalists from Dieter Bohlen's Blue System project, as well as rapper Eric Singleton, to collaborate. But not all fans liked such an original trio; many wanted to see their favorites in the usual lineup.
The new hit that blew up the world in 2001 was the song “Last Exit To Brooklyn.” At the same time, they recorded an equally popular anthem song for Formula 1 racing - “Win The Race”. This was thanks to Dieter Bohlen and his commercial acumen. He not only talentedly composed songs, his thoughts were also occupied with how to promote the composition, what needed to be done for it to become another hit, and moreover, the anthem of Formula 1.
The theme of the group's songs from that period music critics denoted by two words – “love” and “success”, referring to the group’s two super hits – “Sexy Sexy Lover” and “Ready For The"Victory". None of the group's managers could have dreamed that the comeback would be triumphant and create such a sensation.
Back in USSR
The creative “relationship” of the group with the former deserves special mention Soviet Union 
and subsequently the CIS countries. Since the 1980s, the participants were absolute stars in the USSR; they were not afraid to come to the communist country, unlike many of their colleagues. The Russian public did not lose interest in Dieter and Thomas even after their reunion.
The group’s TV promoter, Peter Angemeyer, said in an interview that one of the close friends of the current Russian President Vladimir Putin asked him for a performance by Thomas Anders as a birthday present. This is how the group ended up after the reunion with a concert in the Kremlin.
End of the legend
There has never been a group of such level and scale as before. So many No. 1 hits, 12 albums over two periods of the band’s existence, a lot of “golden discs” and, of course, wonderful video clips at the turn of the 2000s. The big point of the group’s “second phase” was set by the song 
“TV Makes The Superstar”, and their last concert took place in 2003 in Berlin.
Summarizing the results, we can state that during the first 3-year and second 5-year periods of existence, the group managed to set a lot of records and, most importantly, win as many fans and awards around the world as other groups cannot collect in 40 years. Maybe the timing coincided, or maybe the stars aligned in such a way that these two musicians were destined to leave a not very long, but such a memorable page in the history of music. The Germans can feel proud of, because they don’t have many bands and musicians who managed to achieve such success all over the world.
DATA
Musicians have always had a unique style of clothing. Thomas appeared on stage in elegant jackets or jackets and light trousers, while Dieter preferred original tracksuits pastel colors. At the same time, during the first period of the group’s existence, Thomas always wore a chain in the form of the word NORA on his chest. Then many laughed at him and considered him henpecked, giving him the nickname “Chain Nora.”
Turns out famous song Dieter Bohlen dedicated “Brother Louie” to sound engineer Luis Rodriguez, who helped him arrange his compositions for many years.
Updated: April 9, 2019 by: Elena
In the second half of the 1980s, the group-duo “Modern Talking” was perhaps the most popular pop group in our country. The team broke up long ago, but its fans are still interested in the biography of the performers of this group, and they believe that the duo will be reborn.
Modern Talking Group - biography
Producer Dieter Bohlen was looking all over Germany for a guy who could be trusted with new hits. 20-year-old handsome Thomas Anders (real name Bernd Weidung) fit the bill: he played piano, guitar, and had already recorded a single and taken part in a tour. During the audition, Dieter came up with an idea: to go on stage with him. Play with contrast! The duet turned out to be colorful: a brutal blond and a slender brunette. And the single “You”re My Heart, You”re My Soul, released in 1984, took first place in all European charts.
The Modern Talking group has become especially popular in our country. Anecdotes immediately appeared about the “sick” Dieter, and the name of the duet was changed to “Electrocution in the face.” Jokes are a sign of real recognition! But before the fans had time to transfer the group’s first vinyl albums onto cassettes, the terrible news came - the duet was no more. Many did not believe: why run away at the peak of popularity?
It turned out to be true. In 1986, at a concert in Munich, there was a quarrel between the backing vocalists. Nora Balling, who is also Thomas's wife, was offended by two other girls, Dieter's protégés, for something. Everyone rushed to defend their own - and the duo began to crack. However, the contract required two more albums to be recorded. No one was going to slam the door and then pay a fine.
In 1987, when the obligations were fulfilled, Anders and Bohlen separated. Only then did Thomas explain his version: he was tired of endless concerts and tours. He asked to take a break from touring for several months, but Bohlen did not want to lose money.
Refusing Anders, Bohlen was sure that he would return anyway. But just in case, he created the Blue System group, with which he continued performing. As a composer, he collaborated with CC Ketch, Bonnie Tyler, Chris Norman and other pop artists.
But Anders did not disappear: already in 1989 he released solo album, and a year later founded a recording company. He himself turned out to be a good writer, and the second album included his songs. In the 1990s, Thomas began writing music for films and acting in films, took part in dance shows and, of course, gave concerts.
The news that the Modern Talking group was back together was completely unexpected for everyone. In 1998, the plump Dieter and short-haired Thomas, reviving old hits, went on tour. In five years, they released five successful albums, recorded many video clips, and even experimented: the three of them began performing together, with rapper Eric Singleton. The ending was just as unexpected.
On June 21, 2003, the Modern Talking group gave a farewell concert in Berlin, and on the 23rd it went on sale last album. Shortly before this, Bolen accused Anders of “going to the left”: he allegedly gave solo concerts on the sly. And soon he released an autobiography, where he also accused his partner of embezzling the duo’s money. Anders stood his ground good name in court, however, it became clear: the cooperation was over.
And yet fans continue to hope. In 2014, in honor of the band's 30th anniversary, a remix album was released, and Anders announced reconciliation and a possible reunion with Bohlen. So far the “third coming” has not happened, but Thomas’ fans are already celebrating: his solo concerts are planned in Russia in the summer of 2016. What if Dieter comes on stage?..
Wikify
Modern Talking(with "Modern Conversation") - a German English-language musical duo who performed dance music in Eurodisco style, consisting of Thomas Anders and Dieter Bohlen. At the end of their existence, the duo developed into what is still the most commercially successful German pop formation. Formed in 1984. They performed and released records from 1984 to 1987 until the first breakup. After 11 years, they connected again and continued performing from 1998 to 2003. In the second half of the 1980s, the Modern Talking group was one of the most popular in the world. The duo made a great contribution to the development of European and, partly, Asian music.
History of the group
Beginning of Modern Talking
The duo’s star story began with the popular composition “ You"re My Heart, You"re My Soul"("You are my heart, you are my soul") - a super hit released in September 1984. When Thomas and Dieter recorded this song, everyone present in the studio applauded - they loved this melody so much. Success soon came. 40 thousand records were sold daily in Germany alone. Initially, the single did not receive proper appreciation from listeners, and only after performing on the Formel Eins program (January 21, 1985) did the duo become truly popular: the single took first place first in the German charts, and then in the European charts.
The sportswear company Adidas enters into a contract with Dieter to show their clothes in videos and at concerts.
