It's a week of music posts here at cabel.name, celebrating and sharing some of the weirder stuff sitting around on my hard drive.

Swinging Nordwest.m4a (2.90 MB)

We'll start with Swinging Nordwest, from the Popshopping compilation of 70's German commercial songs. (There was a time when German advertisers, hoping to create new ways to move product, would create full-length jingle-pop-songs, distributing them as free flexidiscs to customers. And thanks to how awesome the world is, these were collected and rolled into a compilation in 2000.)

Tormented by this catchy, mega-jolly jingle and unable to purge it from my brain, I asked friend Dominik Wagner of the brilliant team TheCodingMonkeys to whip up a German translation to deepen my understanding.

The results were even better than expected. Short story: it's all about the shoes. Sing along!

[Talking] Hey people, you get everything you want, fancy sound and fancy shoes, shoes for swinging life - my shoes, your shoes!

Schuh nordwest / swinging nordwest!
Swinging nordwest, that's the hit, we are making shoe fashion, join in
YEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEs!

Shoes for you ladies, great chic, sophisticated,
so you present yourself always happy in the morning, midday and evening.

Trendy, chic, trendy, chic

Shoes exist for being happy, baby sing baby sing,
that's your new hit: fancy shoes. Shoes with swing.

Swinging Nordwest, that is the hit, we are making shoe fashion, join in!

[Talking] Hey lords, these are shoes for you, men's shoes, fancy shoes, with them man is absolutely warmly received...?

Schuh nordwest / swinging nordwest
These are shoes for aces, this trend is enormous
that is chic with class trendy chic in super-shape.

Super, classy, super, classy

Hey man, these shoes are chic, every pair? Yes, it's true [jedes paar, ja ist klar - great rhyme!]
[mumbledumble] is a great thing, trendy shoes, shoes with swing

Swinging nordwest, that's the hit, we are making shoe fashion, join in

[12 Bars of Incredibly Groovy Guitar Solo]

[Talking] Everybody listen once again, these shoes are top fashion stars, top and remarkable, a stunner, racy!

Schuh nordwest / swinging nordwest
That's a fashion, that is, yes, our style
Swing it on for being happy, you never have enough of it

Splendid, swinging, splendid, swinging

All my shoes are protesting now...
because I'm buying new ones today, shoes from nordwest

Swinging nordwest, that's the hit, we are making shoe fashion, join in!
YEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEESSS! [Party explosion]

(This CD can be purchased at MovieGrooves or Amazon. Recommended!)