Blau und blond (Das Meer ist blau und du bist blond...)

[Penary]

[Topic entitled "Blond und Blau" renamed by the host, I. Ž.]

Hello everyone,

My friend recently came across the song "Blond und Blau" [incorrect title], and upon a further search, we could only find minimal information on this piece. We could only find a list of three composers, all of whom seem to have no mention on this forum. Edmund Koetscher, Fritz Reiter and Klaus Richter [both Edmund Kötscher and Klaus S. Richter - note the spellings - were mentioned multiple times on the forum; "Fritz Reiter", being fictional, wasn't].

Here is the link for the source: [pirate YouTube link removed]

If any information on these men or this song, its origins and history is known, that would be wonderful!

Thank you,

Penary

[Ivan Ž.]

Hello, Penary

First of all and as I wrote before, YouTube has "legalised" a number of bogus, pirate (so-called) companies, which shamelessly claim copyright to other companies' and individuals' recordings and digitisations. Not only that, they also uploaded them along with tons of bogus info, made-up artists or authors, and so on. And this track is one of them.

The digital track in question actually originates from the CD "Heimat, deine Sterne, Vol. 4: Lili Marleen und der Soldatensender Belgrad" by UraCant, 1999 (not the phoney album and company that YouTube credited). The recording itself originates from the record Kristall 2168 by Carl Lindström AG, 1943. (Now see the bogus YouTube credits: "Lieder Deutscher Soldaten, Vol. 2", 2016, Kontor New Media GmbH, Autarc Media GmbH, CH, Masterphon MV GmbH - rubbish, rubbish and more rubbish!)

The song's real title was "Blau und blond" (not "Blond und Blau"; the incorrect title actually originates from the UraCant CD and the ignorant pirates copied the mistake on YouTube). The "blau" (blue) refers to the sea and the "blond" (blonde) to a girl (the opening line translates "the sea is blue and you are blonde"). The music was composed by popular bandleader and composer Edmund Kötscher (who served in the second half of WWII in the capital of my country, at the famous radio - Soldatensender Belgrad) and the lyrics were written by Klaus S. Richter, one of the best known Third Reich lyricists (YouTube additionally credited imaginary person "Fritz Reiter" as an author, which is, again, pure rubbish).

This sailors' song was initially recorded by its composer and his dance band (Tanzorchester Edmund Kötscher, a.k.a. Landser spielen für Landser) for Electrola GmbH, in 1942, with unnamed male and female vocals. The next year, it was recorded for Lindström's Kristall label by Musikkorps des Luftnachrichten-Regiments des Oberbefehlshabers der Luftwaffe (YouTube credited "Musikkorps des Nachrichtenregiments der Luftwaffe") under Obermusikmeister Erich Kiesant, with vocals by Soldatenchor des Landesschützen-Bataillons 344 (chorus uncredited on the original record label).

You can listen to the composer's recording here (uploaded by an actual record collector; check out the record label as well).

No info on whether the score for the piece was ever published (it might have been recorded from a manuscript).

Cheers,
Ivan

[Penary]

Thank you so much for that information Ivan, very detailed and knowledgable.

It is really interesting the history of the songs, and how youtube and pirates have distorted it.
Apologies for uploading the link from youtube, and for the correct naming, thank you for correcting it.

Thank you,
Penary.