Willst du mit mir gehn (German: Do You Want to Go with Me) is a studio album by German singer Nena. It was released by Warner Music on 21 March 2005 in German-speaking Europe. The singer reunited with former band mate Uwe Fahrenkrog-Petersen to work on the album. A two-CD set, the Rot disc of the album was recorded in a Berlin studio, while the Orange disc was produced during a jam sessions on Majorca.[1]
| Willst du mit mir gehn | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 21 March 2005 | |||
| Length | 42:06 | |||
| Language | German | |||
| Label | Warner | |||
| Producer | Uwe Fahrenkrog-Petersen | |||
| Nena chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Willst du mit mir gehn | ||||
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The album earned mixed to positive reviews. It debuted at number one on the albums chart in Austria and Switzerland and reached number two of the German Albums Chart, largely reprising the success of previous album Nena feat. Nena (2002). It was eventually certfified 3× Gold by the Bundesverband Musikindustrie (BVMI) and also reached Gold status in Austria and Switzerland. Willst du mit mir gehn spawned three singles, including Nena's second number one hit "Liebe ist" and its title track.
Background
editArtistically Willst du mit mir gehn is arguably the most significant studio album in Nena's career since it ended the dominance of her discography by the 1980s songs which had both made her famous in the first place and then rekindled her career at the start of the new millennium. Although since 2002 Nena had had modest chart success as a featuring artist with Tok Tok, Sam Ragga Band and WestBam,[2] she had not been a contemporary force with new material in her own name. In 2005 Willst du mit mir gehn, and in particular its first two tracks to be released as singles, changed that for the remainder of the decade and beyond.
In 2003, Nena went on vacation to Majorca with her band. There they got together for jam sessions in the evenings, in which Nena sang lyrics she made up in those particular moments. With the only changes made to them being shortenings, select songs are collected on the second CD.[1] The first CD contains the eventual studio album, where three of the recordings from the Majorca sessions were reworked into complete songs.[1]
"Immer weiter" and "Der Anfang" were already performed in Cologne in December 2003.[1] This concert was recorded and released on the live album Nena Live Nena in 2004,[3] before the release of Willst du mit mir gehn. Concerts from Nena's 2005 Willst du mit mir gehn tour were recorded with a view to being released on DVD but a subsequent dispute between Nena and her management company means that they remain unpublished.[4]
Promotion
edit"Liebe ist," written by Nena, is a straightforward celebration of a loving relationship which musically alternates between slow, intimate verses and its uptempo, anthemic chorus.[5] In contrast to her other number one single, "99 Luftballons", which stalled at number two in Germany for a massive seven weeks before reaching the top position,[6] "Liebe ist" entered at number one on 14 March 2005.[7] This, being 22 years after "99 Luftballons", set a new record, which still stands, for the longest span between first and last number one in German chart history.[8]
Title track "'Willst du mit mir gehn" was jointly written by Nena and Jörn-Uwe Fahrenkrog-Petersen, the keyboard player from the former band, the same combination that had written a number of the band's most successful 1980s tracks.[9] Like "Liebe ist" the song has a positive message (about moving forwards and not looking back).[10] A high-energy, disco track,[11] the song peaked at number six on the German Singles Chart.[12] A third single, "Lass mich," was released in October 2005 but only peaked at number 44 in Germany.
Critical reception
edit| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| CDStarts | 7.5/10[13] |
| Laut.de |   [14] |
Laut.de editor Benjamin Fuchs rated the album two stars out of five. He found that "it was certainly a brave step for Nena to put such long and experimental songs on the album, but she certainly won't scare away her old fans by doing so [...] Willst du mit mir gehn is overall an attempted but mixed comeback with a number of pleasant songs and too few highlights."[14] Similarly, Tanja Kraus from CDStarts noted: "The courage to put the very experimental music and the chart-worthy music side by side deserves respect." While she was less enthusiastic about the Orange disc, she furtner wrote: "The extensive promotion and Nena's name in the music world are guaranteed to make this work a success."[13]
Track listing
editAll tracks produced by Jörn-Uwe Fahrenkrog-Petersen.[15]
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Willst Du mit mir gehn" | 3:45 | |
| 2. | "Lass mich" |
| 3:29 |
| 3. | "Und jetzt steh ich hier und warte" |
| 4:47 |
| 4. | "Liebe ist" |
| 4:55 |
| 5. | "Ich komm mit dir" |
| 4:08 |
| 6. | "Immer weiter" |
| 4:13 |
| 7. | "Ohne Liebe bin ich nichts" (Berlin Version) |
| 3:43 |
| 8. | "Vitamine" |
| 4:07 |
| 9. | "Wir fliegen" |
| 3:47 |
| 10. | "Neues Land" |
| 4:55 |
| 11. | "Der Anfang" |
| 8:27 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 12. | "Ich will was Neues" (Berlin Version) |
| 3:14 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Ja kann man denn da überhaupt was machen"/"Ich will was Neues" |
| 9:04 |
| 2. | "Es ist noch nicht zu spät"/"Das ist der Anfang" |
| 7:37 |
| 3. | "Ohne Liebe bin ich nichts" |
| 3:14 |
| 4. | "Machs doch" |
| 11:06 |
| 5. | "Hey Pauli ein neuer Ton" |
| 3:40 |
| 6. | "Wenn die Sonne scheint" |
| 4:39 |
| 7. | "Das verträgt sich nicht mit uns" |
| 3:47 |
| 8. | "Hochzeit je t'aime" |
| 6:38 |
| 9. | "Die Tür geht zu" |
| 3:46 |
Charts
edit
Weekly chartsedit
|
Year-end chartsedit
|
Certifications and sales
edit| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| Austria (IFPI Austria)[23] | Gold | 15,000* |
| Germany (BVMI)[24] | 3× Gold | 300,000^ |
| Switzerland (IFPI Switzerland)[25] | Gold | 20,000^ |
|
* Sales figures based on certification alone. | ||
References
edit- ^ a b c d "Willst du mit mir gehn". Nena.de. Retrieved 2 September 2019.
- ^ "Official German Charts". Charts.de. Media Control GfK International GmbH. Archived from the original on 31 October 2014. Retrieved 31 October 2014.
- ^ "Nena Live Nena". Retrieved 2 September 2019.
- ^ Jörg, Manhold. "Mit Shirley MacLaine in der Wüste - In der Welt zu Hause Teilen Tweeten Weiterleiten". General Anzeiger. Retrieved 20 February 2021.
- ^ "Lyrics and credits for "Liebe ist"". Nena.de. Retrieved 31 October 2014.
- ^ "Official German Charts, 1983". Charts.de. Media Control GfK International GmbH. Archived from the original on 31 October 2014. Retrieved 31 October 2014.
- ^ "Official German charts 2005". Charts.de. Media Control GfK International GmbH. Archived from the original on 31 October 2014. Retrieved 31 October 2014.
- ^ "Official German charts, April 2005". Charts.de. Media Control GfK International GmbH. Archived from the original on 31 October 2014. Retrieved 31 October 2014.
- ^ "Lyrics and credits for "? (Fragezeichen)"". Nena.de. Retrieved 31 October 2014.
- ^ "Lyrics and credits to "Willst du mit mir gehn"". Nena.de. Retrieved 31 October 2014.
- ^ "Video to "Willst du mit mir gehn"". Nena.de. Retrieved 31 October 2014.
- ^ "Official German charts, 11 July 2005". Charts.de. Media Control GfK International GmbH. Archived from the original on 31 October 2014. Retrieved 31 October 2014.
- ^ a b Kraus, Tanja. "Nena – Willst Du Mit Mir Gehn". laut.de (in German). Archived from the original on 6 September 2005. Retrieved 24 November 2023.
- ^ a b Fuchs, Benjamin. "Einige gefällige Songs und wenige Höhepunkte". laut.de (in German). Retrieved 24 November 2023.
- ^ a b c "Willst du mit mir gehn – Standard edition". iTunes.Apple (DE). Retrieved 3 June 2017.
- ^ "Austriancharts.at – Nena – Willst du mit mir gehn" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved 3 June 2017.
- ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Nena – Willst du mit mir gehn" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 3 June 2017.
- ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – Nena – Willst du mit mir gehn" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 3 June 2017.
- ^ "Swisscharts.com – Nena – Willst du mit mir gehn". Hung Medien. Retrieved 3 June 2017.
- ^ "Ö3 Austria Top 40 - Album Charts 2005". Retrieved 3 June 2017.
- ^ "Top 100 Album-Jahrescharts (2005)". Retrieved 3 June 2017.
- ^ "Schweizer Jahreshitparade 2015". Retrieved 3 June 2017.
- ^ "Austrian album certifications – Nena – Willst du mit mir gehn" (in German). IFPI Austria.
- ^ "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (Nena; 'Willst du mit mir gehn')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie.
- ^ "The Official Swiss Charts and Music Community: Awards ('Willst du mit mir gehn')". IFPI Switzerland. Hung Medien.
External links
edit- Willst du mit mir gehn at the official Nena website
- Willst du mit mir gehn at Discogs (list of releases)