The German version of the Samanyolu [Milky Way] song was performed by Austrian actor, singer and entertainer Peter Alexander in 1970.
The sound rising from the Turkish music industry in Germany may barely have reached German ears, but that Turkish composition occupied the No.1 spot on German and Austrian charts for 8 weeks and kept the floor busy with slow dancing.
Translated to English by Zeynep Beler.
Cover image: Samanyolu film set in 1967 © Director Orhan Aksoy Archive
In 1967, the song Samanyolu [Milky Way], composed by Metin Bükey for the eponymous film, became a big hit. He subsequently decided to put the piece out as a record with lyrics written by Teoman Alpay.
Performed by Berkant, Samanyolu or “Bir Şarkısın Sen Ömür Boyu Sürecek” [“You’re a Song for a Lifetime”], would become hugely celebrated and even win its composer a golden record.
The following year, the song was performed in French with the title “Oh Lady Mary” by Dutch artist David Alexandre Winter, setting forth its international journey.
The German version of the song was performed by Austrian actor, singer and entertainer Peter Alexander. The sound rising from the Turkish music industry in Germany may barely have reached German ears, but that Turkish composition occupied the No.1 spot on German and Austrian charts for 8 weeks and kept the floor busy with slow dancing.
This piece is written in the framework of #60JahreMusik project financed by Berlin Yunus Emre Institute.
