"Moskau" | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Single by Dschinghis Khan | ||||
from the album Dschinghis Khan | ||||
Language | German | |||
English title | Moscow | |||
B-side | "Rocking Son of Dschinghis Khan" | |||
Released | 1979 | |||
Recorded | 1979 | |||
Studio | Olympia Studios Munich | |||
Genre | Eurodisco | |||
Length |
| |||
Label | BMG | |||
Songwriter(s) | ||||
Producer(s) | Ralph Siegel | |||
Dschinghis Khan singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
Music videos | ||||
"Moskau" on YouTube | ||||
"Moskau" (2020 Moscow Edition) on YouTube |
"Moscow" | |
---|---|
Single by Genghis Khan | |
from the album Genghis Khan | |
B-side | "Moscow (German Version)" |
Released | 3 September 1980 |
Recorded | 1979 |
Studio | Olympia Studios Munich |
Genre | Eurodisco |
Length | 4:30 |
Label | 7 Records / Image Records |
Songwriter(s) |
|
Producer(s) | Norbert Daum |
Music videos | |
"Moscow" on YouTube |
"Moskau" (German for Moscow) is the second single by German Eurodisco group Dschinghis Khan (known as Genghis Khan in Australia and other countries)[1][2][3][4] released in 1979.
The band also recorded an English version, which they released in 1980 as "Moscow".
"Moskau" achieved enormous popularity in the Soviet Union. A 15-second clip of the song's performance was shown as a part of the New Year holiday lineup on the state-run TV, leading to the immediate dismissal of the network's director.[5]
In 2006, the song made its video game debut as a playable song in Taiko no Tatsujin Portable 2. On 15 September, the song was uploaded to YouTube,[6] and it quickly became an internet meme related to Slavs. Most prominently, the meme was circulated on the image macro site YTMND, accompanied by the song's chorus or variations of it.
The song was also played at the opening at the Eurovision Song Contest 2009 in Moscow, Russia for Semi-Final 2.
"Moskau" is also a featured track in Just Dance 2014.
In 2018, Dschinghis Khan re-recorded "Moskau" with new lyrics for the 2018 FIFA World Cup, which was hosted in Russia. For the German and English versions, the lead vocals were performed by former US5 member Jay Khan. Alexander Malinin and his daughter Ustinya performed the Russian version, titled "Moskva". The Spanish version, titled "Moscú", was performed by Jorge Jiménez and Marifer Medrano.[7]
"Moskau", the German-language version of the song, appears on their 1979 self-titled album Dschinghis Khan and their 1980 album Rom. The album version is nearly six minutes long, while the single version is four and a half minutes long.[8]
The band, under their English-language band name Genghis Khan, released a version of the song with English lyrics entitled "Moscow" in Australia in 1980, the year of the 1980 Moscow Olympics.[1] Australia's Channel 7 used the song as the theme to their television coverage of the Moscow Olympics, and the single was issued locally in a die-cut Channel 7 paper sleeve.[9] The song became a massive hit in Australia, staying at #1 for six weeks.[10]
"Rocking Son of Dschinghis Khan" is the B-side of "Moskau", featuring Leslie Mándoki performing the chorus and Louis Hendrik Potgieter singing the final chorus. The song was also recorded in English and released as a single in 1979, with "Moscow" as the B-side.[11]
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|
1. | "Moskau" | 4:43 | |
2. | "Rocking Son of Dschinghis Khan" |
| 4:13 |
Total length: | 8:56 |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|
1. | "Moskau" |
| 7:40 |
2. | "Rocking Son of Dschinghis Khan" |
| 6:10 |
Total length: | 13:50 |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|
1. | "Moscow" (English Version) |
| 4:30 |
2. | "Moskau" (German Version) |
| 4:43 |
Total length: | 9:13 |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|
1. | "Rocking Son of Dschinghis Khan" (English Version) |
| 4:15 |
2. | "Moscow" (English Version) |
| 4:29 |
Total length: | 8:44 |
Weekly charts[edit]
|
Year-end charts[edit]
|
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
---|---|---|
Australia (ARIA)[20] | Platinum | 100,000^ |
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. |