In 't small café aan de haven

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In 't kleine café aan de haven (German: "Im kleine Café am Hafen"), later also Het kleine café aan de haven , is a hit by Vader Abraham from 1975. It was written by Pierre Kartner alias Vader Abraham himself . The song has been covered many times. The number of cover versions is estimated to be at least 180. In German-speaking countries, the version by Peter Alexander from 1976 under the title Die kleine Kneipe (in Austria: Das kleine Beisl ) is best known. The German version was written by Michael Kunze .

content

The song describes a café or a pub ( Viennese Beisl ) as a meeting point and a place for social equilibrium: In the German text it says: “Nobody asks you what you have or are”.

history

Kartner had the idea for the song in mind for about a year before he decided to record it. The song was written in the pub 't Schippershuis in the North Holland town of Hoorn . In January 1976 the single became a hit in the Netherlands and reached number 16 in the top 40 there. The song also appeared on the album Als je wilt weten wie ik ben . He gave Vader Abraham the international breakthrough. Peter Alexander heard the song and had it translated. His version, The Little Pub , became one of his greatest hits. The song was the most successful single of 1976 in Germany. It reached number two in the German charts, number one in Switzerland , but only number twelve in Austria . His Austrian version, Das kleine Beisl, was more successful in Alexander's homeland . It reached number two and stayed in the charts for 40 weeks.

reception

Die Zeit described Peter Alexander's version as a "hymn of praise for petty-bourgeois cosiness". Die Welt named "the so trivial, but also honest" little pub that eats its way into the ear canalsas an example of Alexander's more melancholy pieces.

Cover versions (selection)

In addition to Alexander's version, one of the first other cover versions was that of Eddie Marnay in French, Le vieux café de la rue d'Amérique , interpreted in 1977 by Mireille Mathieu . Another French version was released by Joe Dassin under the title Le café des trois colombes on the album Le jardin du Luxembourg (1976). Its text came from Claude Lemesle and Pierre Delanoë. It was successful in France , Canada , New Zealand and Australia .

Other cover versions (selection):

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ www.secondhandsongs.com: In 't kleine café aan de haven , accessed June 5, 2011
  2. ↑ a b c www.vaterabraham.de: Biography , accessed June 5, 2011
  3. ↑ www.zeit.de: Obituary Peter Alexander , accessed June 5, 2011
  4. ↑ www.welt.de: Manuel Brug: Peter Alexander dies, the last show emperor , accessed June 5, 2011
  5. ↑ www.secondhandsongs.com: Le vieux café de la rue d'Amérique , accessed June 5, 2011
  6. ↑ www.secondhandsongs.com: Le café des trois colombes , accessed June 5, 2011