Trio (band)
| Company type | Musical group |
|---|---|
| Industry | Music |
| Founded | 1979 |
| Headquarters | Großenkneten , Germany |
| Products | Music albums and singles |
| Website | http://www.stephan-remmler.de |
Trio was a German musical group established in Großenkneten in 1979, widely recognized for their 1982 international hit "Da Da Da", which gained popularity across 30 nations.
History
The band Trio consisted of Stephan Remmler (born 1946), who handled lead vocals and keyboards; Gert "Kralle" Krawinkel (1947–2014), guitarist and backing vocalist; and Peter Behrens (1947–2016), drummer and backing vocalist.
Initially called Zam, the group adopted the name Trio from 1980 until their disbandment in 1986. Their first album, TRIO (1981), produced by Klaus Voormann, included their hallmark song "Da Da Da (I Don't Love You, You Don't Love Me, Aha Aha Aha)". Their subsequent release, Bye Bye (1983), appeared with different covers; in North America, it was issued as TRIO and Error without any cover art.
In the early 1980s, Trio enjoyed widespread acclaim in Germany, the United Kingdom, Canada, and the United States. The German-language version of "Da Da Da" climbed to #2 on Germany’s charts in April 1982; it similarly reached #2 on the UK Singles Chart by July 1982 and attained #3 in Canada by December that year. Other significant songs include "Broken Hearts for You and Me", "Boom Boom", "Hearts Are Trump", and "Anna – Letmein Letmeout," many presented with distinctive German lyrics. Before splitting up in 1986, the band secured three more top ten hits within Germany. Afterward, each member embarked on solo ventures, with Remmler achieving moderate recognition.
Trio ventured into filmmaking with Drei gegen Drei ("Three Against Three"), a movie centered around doppelgängers and cons. The film did not perform well commercially; its soundtrack album Whats the Password excluded performances by drummer Behrens due to internal financial disagreements that ultimately led to his exit and the band's breakup.
In 1997, following a Volkswagen commercial featuring their hit track, the CD reissue of TRIO and Error was renamed Da Da Da in the United States. This enhanced edition contained two bonus tracks.
Krawinkel died in 2014, followed by Behrens in 2016, leaving Remmler as the only surviving member.
"Da Da Da" in popular culture
"Da Da Da" has been covered extensively worldwide in multiple languages. Notable versions include a Spanish rendition by DJ Nacho Dogan that reached No. 2 on Spain’s charts in 1982; a Mexican cover by Molotov featured on their 2004 album Con Todo Respeto; an interpretation by alternative rock band Elastica on their 1999 release The Menace; and a version by Filipino performer Yoyoy Villame from 1982. Pett Productions incorporated the song into sketches for Pete Wade during the second season of Tittybangbang. An Italian adaptation titled Mundial Da Da Da was released in 1982 to commemorate Italy’s FIFA World Cup victory.
Besides its association with Volkswagen's advertisement, several prominent brands have utilized "Da Da Da". Pepsi aired commercials for the 2006 FIFA World Cup featuring football stars such as Thierry Henry, Raúl, Roberto Carlos, Fernando Torres, Frank Lampard, Ronaldinho, and David Beckham performing inside an Oktoberfest tent. Christina Aguilera sang the tune in Pepsi campaigns, including duets with artists like Rain and Elissa. In 1987, Ariston employed the song for ads showcasing animated household appliances and utensils dancing as humanoid figures. Some advertisements altered the lyrics: for instance, Teletext replaced "da da da" with "blah blah blah," while Sakata Rice Crackers substituted it with their brand name. Other companies using the track include Lois Jeans, Vicks Cough Drops, and Speeds shoe retailers.
Following Volkswagen’s commercial success, the ABC created a parody promo for Spin City. While the original ad depicted two men discarding a foul-smelling couch, ABC’s version starred characters portrayed by Michael J. Fox, Michael Boatman, and Richard Kind, with Kind's character being ejected due to disruptive behavior.
The song also featured in films such as Paolo Sorrentino’s Italian political biography Il Divo, the comedy Bio-Dome starring Pauly Shore and Stephen Baldwin, as well as the thriller Thick as Thieves, which included performances by Alec Baldwin and Rebecca De Mornay.
Musical style
Although Trio was associated with the Neue Deutsche Welle (NDW) movement, they preferred to describe their sound as "Neue Deutsche Fröhlichkeit" ("New German Cheerfulness").
Their musical philosophy focused on reducing compositions to their bare essentials, frequently relying on straightforward three-chord progressions. The majority of their songs consisted solely of drums, guitar, vocals, and occasionally one or two supplementary instruments. The bass guitar was seldom incorporated until their later productions. During live shows, Remmler was known for playing simple pre-programmed beats on a compact Casio VL-1 keyboard while Behrens performed one-handed drumming.
Personnel
- Stephan Remmler – lead vocals, keyboards
- Kralle Krawinkel – guitar, backing vocals
- Peter Behrens – drums, backing vocals
The band’s recordings were produced by Klaus Voormann, who also played bass on select tracks.
Studio
| Year | Title | Details | Peak chart positions | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AUT | GER | SWE | SWI | |||
| 1981 | Trio |
|
16 | 3 | 40 | — |
| 1983 | Bye Bye |
|
20 | 9 | — | 15 |
| 1985 | Whats the Password |
|
— | — | — | — |
| "—" indicates albums that did not enter the charts or were not issued in those regions | ||||||
Despite Trio and Error not charting in North America, the single "Herz ist Trumpf" managed to reach the top 50 on both US Dance and Pop charts.
Live
- 1982: TRIO Live im Frühjahr '82 ("Live in Spring '82")
Compilations
- 1986: 5 Jahre zuviel (5 Years Too Many)
- 1997: Da Da Da (exclusive to the US market)
- 2000: Triologie (greatest hits collection)
- 2003: Trio Deluxe Edition
Singles
| Year | Single | Peak chart positions | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AUS | AUT | BE | FIN | GER | NL | NZ | SWI | UK | US Dance | ||
| 1981 | "Halt mich fest ich werd verrückt" ("Stop Me Before I Go Crazy") (released only in Germany) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 1982 | "Da Da Da ich lieb dich nicht du liebst mich nicht aha aha aha" ("Da Da Da I Don't Love You You Don't Love Me Aha Aha Aha") | 4 | 1 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 11 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 33 |
| "Anna – Lassmichrein Lassmichraus" ("Anna – Letmein Letmeout") | — | 16 | — | 7 | 3 | — | — | — | 133 | — | |
| 1983 | "Bum Bum" ("Boom Boom") | — | 13 | — | 22 | 7 | — | — | 9 | — | — |
| "Herz ist Trumpf" ("Hearts Are Trump") | — | 3 | — | — | 12 | 36 | — | 9 | — | — | |
| "Turaluraluralu – Ich mach BuBu was machst du" ("Tooralooralooraloo – Is It Old & Is It New [Literally 'I make BuBu, what do you make?']") | — | 8 | 31 | {
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|- |- 1984 |- align="left"| "Tutti Frutti" |- |- — |- — |- — |- — |- 75 |- — |- 19 |- — |- — |- — |- |- rowspan="2"|1985 |- align="left"| "Drei gegen drei" |- — |- — |- — |- — |- — |- — |- — |- — |- — |- — |- align="left"| "Ready for You" |- — |- — |- — |- — |- — |- — |- — |- — |- — |- — |- 1986 |- align="left"| "My Sweet Angel" |- — |- — |- — |- — |- — |- — |- — |- — |- — |- — |- 1997 |- align="left"| "Da Da Da I Don't Love You You Don't Love Me Aha Aha Aha" (promo-single released exclusively in the US) |- — |- — |- — |- — |- — |- — |- — |- — |- — |- — |- colspan="11" style="font-size:8pt"| "—" indicates singles that did not chart or were not released in the specified countries. |}
External links
- http://www.stephan-remmler.de Official Stephan Remmler/Trio fan website