"Eisbär" (German for polar bear) is a 1980 "cult" song[2] composed by the Swiss Neue Deutsche Welle band Grauzone.[3] It first appeared on the 1980 compilation album Swiss Wave - The Album.[4] The shorter single version was later collected on the Grauzone album Die Sunrise Tapes (1998).[5]
Grauzone recorded in 1982 an English-language version (Polar Bear) of the song, which was first released in 2010 on the double CD Grauzone 1980-1982 Remastered.[6]
The song is post-punk performed with guitar, drums and synthesizers.[7]
Contents[]
Track listing[edit][]
- 7" single (1981)
- A "Eisbär" (4:17)
- B "Ich lieb sie" (3:18)
- 12" single (1981)
- A "Eisbär" (4:17)
- B1 "Ich lieb sie" (3:18)
- B2 "Film 2" (3:35)
Chart performance[edit][]
| Chart (1980) | Peak
position |
|---|---|
| Austrian Singles Chart[8] | 10 |
| German Singles Chart | 12 |
Covers[edit][]
- In 1990, Polar Pop (feat. Mc Grzimek) released a house version of the song.[9]
- In 1993, Prisonshake released a cover version on the B-side of their "Two Sisters" single.[10]
- In 1996, Scholle (ohne Schwester C.) produced a dance version on the compilation NDD - New German Dancefloor Stufe 3.[11]
- In 1997, The Belgian hard house discjockey Frédéric de Backer released a cover of the song under the pseudonym GrooveZone.[12] It was released in 24 countries and sold over 300,000 copies.
- In 2001, The Austrian Neue Deutsche Härte band Stahlhammer covered this song, it appears on the album Eisenherz (2006).[13]
- In 2003, Knorkator feat. Holger Klein interpreted the song.[14]
- In 2004, The German Neue Deutsche Härte band Oomph! released their version of the song as a B-side on the single "Augen Auf!", and on a limited edition version of Wahrheit oder Pflicht.[15]
- In 2006, The French band Nouvelle Vague recorded a version of the song for their album Bande à Part[16]
- The Dresden Dolls has covered the song in live concerts.[17]