"Erika" (Niel) Luftnachrichten-Abteilung ObdL, 1939

German soldiers' love song composed in 1939 by Herms Niel (1888-1954). Performed by the Band of the Air-Signal Battalion of the Commander-in-Chief of the Air Force (from Potsdam) under lieutenant Erich Kiesant; the uncredited singers are probably the "4 lustigen Jungens" (Rudi Schuricke's quartet). Recorded in Berlin, 1939.

Additional info: song of a soldier, about his young and attractive bride, Erika. He describes her in a very poetic way - as a flower, with the same name, which is attracting all the bees (other men). But he is not worried and knows she is faithful to him; because there's another little Erika-flower, in his barracks, through which his girl speaks to him every day, saying that she cries and misses him too... Song originally has three strophes; 1st and 2nd (and the ending line of the 3rd) strophe recorded.

"Erika" was published for the first time in January 1939 and it instantly became a huge hit. Although it was officially a "marching - and soldiers' song", it was generally performed by civilian artists at the time. Out of over 10 commercial recordings from the period, only one (!) was made by an army band - and that is the one we're listening to right now (there was a radio recording by another army band, but those, radio tracks, were not made for sale). Civilian dance bands performed "Erika" also as a march-fox and by the end of 1939 it was mostly played as a waltz. Song was popular outside Germany as well; one of the very first foreign arrangements was made in the USA, under the title "Tavern Waltz"; other arrangements were made in the Netherlands ("Prikkeldraad", a.k.a. "Blonde Mientje"), Denmark ("Erika"), Finland ("Kaarina"), Hungary ("Rózsika")... After WWII, it became one of the most recorded songs by the bands of the new German army. Today, many people around the world consider it to be The typical German soldiers' song.

Note: mono recording, from I.Ž. 78rpm record collection; not to be used for commercial or propaganda purposes.

Other known recordings of this song:
1939 Metropol Vocalists & Band of the State Labour Service under H. Niel
1939 Chorus & Band of the 18th Cavalry Regiment under Ludwig Wehmeyer
1939 Chorus & Band of the State Labour Service under Herms Niel
1939 Erich Heyn's Quartet & Herms Niel's Brass Band
1939 Erich Heyn's Quartet & Bruno Seidler-Winkler's Brass Band
1939 Chorus & Carl Woitschach's Brass Band
1939 Erich Schultz's Terzet & The Entertainment Symphony Orchestra
1939 Erwin Hartung, chorus & Adalbert Lutter's Dance Orchestra
1939 Metropol Vocalists & Bernhard Ette's Dance Orchestra
1939 Quartet & Erich Schneidewind's Accordion Orchestra (waltz version)
1939 Will Glahé's Accordion Orchestra (waltz version)
1939 The Jolly Village Band under Ernst Zebe (waltz version)
1939 Snip Snap Quartet & Ramblers (Dutch version)
1939? Bob Scholte & orchestra (Dutch version)
1940 Erich Heyn's Quartet & orchestra
1940 Harry Harden's Orchestra (USA waltz version)
1940 Jimmy Ray & Harry's Tavern Band (USA waltz version)
1940 Ole Monty & Sid Merriman's Dance Orchestra (Danish version)
1940 Johannes Wahl & Jens Warny's Orchestra (Danish version)
1940 Victor Cornelius & Teddy Petersen's Orchestra (Danish version)
1941 Aimo Andersson & orchestra (Finnish version)
1941 Chorus & Helsinki Garrison Band under Artturi Rope (Finnish version)
1942? Kalmár Pál, chorus & orchestra (Hungarian version)
1942? Chorus & orchestra (Hungarian version)
1942 Georg Malmstén & military band (Finnish version)
1953 Berlin Symphony Brass Orchestra under Hans Felix Husadel
195? Chorus & Band of the Berlin Protection Police under Heinz Winkel
1961 Chorus & Band of the 11th Motorized Infantry Division under Hans Frieß
1965? The Old Comrades
19?? Chorus of the Frankfurt Comradeship Association & brass band
1971 H. d. Bruin, L. v. Hoesselt, R. Pia & F. Engelen's Orch. (Dutch version)
197? De Merano's (new Dutch version: "Marian")
1977 Tony Marshall
1986 The Gulf War Veterans' Choir (Finnish version)
1996 Chorus & Orch. of the North Kymi Soldier Boy Assoc. (Finnish version)
1996 Untsakad (Estonian version)
+ several more modern recordings...

[it was also included in medleys "Schön ist das Soldatenleben" by Hermann Krome (1939), "Parole: Stimmung" by Eric Plessow (1939), "Wir marschieren mit Herms Niel" by Erich Gutzeit (1942), "Frisch und froh II" by Hermann Schäfer (1954), "Marsch, marsch - zum Tanzen" (1954), "Singendes klingendes Spiel" (1955), "Sota-ajan tyttöjä" by Urpo Jokinen (1955, in Finnish), "Wenn die Soldaten" by Franz Josef Breuer (1956), "Drei Lilien, drei Lilien" by Gustav Kneip (1959), "Soldatenlieder-Potpourri" (19??)...]

[it was also recorded for movies "Orkestar jedne mladosti" (1985), "Schindler's List" (1993), "Uprising" (2001), "Pljačka Trećeg rajha" (2004)...]