what is Modern Talking?

Modern Talking was a German pop music duo consisting of arranger, songwriter and producer Dieter Bohlen[5] and singer Thomas Anders. They have been referred to as Germany's most successful pop duo,[6] and have had a number of hit singles, reaching the top five in many countries. Their most popular singles are "You're My Heart, You're My Soul", "You Can Win If You Want", "Cheri, Cheri Lady", "Brother Louie", "Atlantis Is Calling (S.O.S. for Love)" and "Geronimo's Cadillac".
Modern Talking worked together from 1983 to 1987, then the band disbanded. In 1998, they reunited and made a successful comeback, recording and releasing music from 1998 to 2003. The duo released singles (many of which involved American rapper Eric Singleton) which again entered the top ten in Germany and abroad, one of which was the re-recorded version of "You're My Heart, You're My Soul '98". After the duo's second and final break-up in 2003, their global sales had reached 120 million singles and albums combined.

First formed in West Berlin in early 1983, they unexpectedly became popular in the beginning of 1985 with "You're My Heart, You're My Soul", with which they occupied top ten positions in 35 countries including their homeland where the single perched at the top for six consecutive weeks,[3][8][9] the single eventually went on to sell eight million copies worldwide.[5] The track was then followed by another number-one hit, "You Can Win If You Want", which was released in the middle of 1985 from the debut album The 1st Album. The album was certified platinum in Germany for selling over 500,000 units.[5][10]

Soon after their second hit, Modern Talking released the single "Cheri, Cheri Lady" which also quickly climbed to the top of the charts in West Germany, Switzerland, Austria and Norway, meanwhile entering the top ten in Sweden and the Netherlands.[11][12] The single, being the only track released from their second album Let's Talk About Love, managed to push the album to a platinum status in West Germany for sales of over 500,000.[5][10] The success continued with another two number one singles, "Brother Louie" and "Atlantis Is Calling (S.O.S. for Love)", both from the third album, Ready for Romance. The duo also charted high with their sixth single "Geronimo's Cadillac" from the fourth album In the Middle of Nowhere, and "Jet Airliner" from their fifth album Romantic Warriors.

Due to their lackluster received sixth album, Bohlen announced the end of the project during an interview, while Anders was in Los Angeles.[13] This sparked further animosities between the two, who had had a tumultuous and quarreling relationship even when they were together. According to Bohlen, the main reason for breaking up the group was Anders' then-wife Nora, who refused to have her husband interviewed by female reporters, and constantly demanded huge changes made to shows, videos or recordings,[14] a fact that Anders later admitted in his biography.[13] After a final phone call during which both men heavily insulted each other, they refused to speak with each other for over 10 years.[13][14]

During this era, Modern Talking were successful in Europe, Asia, South America, the Middle East and in Iran. In the United Kingdom, they entered the top five only once, with the song "Brother Louie".[15] In 1985, RCA signed Modern Talking for a US deal and released their first album in the US, but they remained almost unknown in North America, never appearing on the US charts.[16] They released two albums each year between 1985 and 1987, while also promoting their singles on television all over Europe, eventually selling sixty-five million records within three years.[17]

Notably, Modern Talking were one of the first Western bloc bands allowed to sell their records in the Soviet Union. After four decades of Cold War censorship and import restrictions, Mikhail Gorbachev's Glasnost reforms in 1986 opened the Soviet sphere to Western bands, including Modern Talking at the height of their popularity. As a result, they still maintain a large fanbase in Eastern Europe.[18]

Between 1987 and 1997
Immediately after the duo split in mid-1987, Bohlen formed his own project called Blue System and enjoyed several high chart positions, with tracks like "Sorry Little Sarah", "My Bed Is Too Big", "Under My Skin", "Love Suite", "Laila" and "Déjà vu". Meanwhile, Anders went solo, touring under the name of Modern Talking on several continents until the beginning of 1989, when he started to record some of his new pop-like material in LA and London, and also in his native country.[19] Anders recorded five solo albums in English, Different, Whispers, Down on Sunset, When Will I See You Again and Souled, and one of his albums was also recorded in Spanish Barcos de Cristal.[20] He was more successful in foreign countries than his own country, yet he also reached several hits in Germany. Despite all the quarrels and disagreements that Bohlen and Anders got into with each other in the past, they began staying in touch again after Anders moved back to Koblenz, Germany in 1994.[20]

1998–2003: Reunion
In the beginning of 1998, the duo reunited and had their first performance together in March on the German TV show Wetten, dass..?. They released a remixed version of their 1984 single "You're My Heart, You're My Soul", which features Eric Singleton on the rap vocals. Their first comeback album Back for Good, which included four new tracks, as well as all of the previous hits remixed with modern techniques, stayed at number one in Germany for five consecutive weeks and managed to top the charts in fifteen countries,[17] eventually selling three million copies in Europe alone.[21] The duo won the award for Best Selling German Band at the World Music Awards that year. The follow-up album Alone also went straight to number one in Germany and was very successful elsewhere; the album managed to sell over one million units in Europe alone.[21]

Bohlen and Anders followed the 1980s Modern Talking pattern as they chose to release two singles from each album, as in the past. A series of singles and four more albums followed such as Year of the Dragon, America, Victory and Universe. After reaching the point where they had already collected over 400 gold and platinum awards worldwide,[17] Bohlen and Anders decided to disband again in 2003 just before the release of another best-of compilation.[22] The second break-up seemed to have been triggered mainly from the negative portrayal of Anders by Bohlen written in his autobiography published on 4 October 2003.[22] In the course of all the disputes which eventually drove the duo to its break-up, Bohlen was involved in Deutschland sucht den Superstar (DSDS), the German edition of the UK's Pop Idol. The compilation album was released in 2003 entitled The Final Album which contained all of the duo's singles. Thomas Anders started another solo career immediately after the end of Modern Talking, while Bohlen had by now begun devoting most of his time to new talents, especially those he discovered on DSDS.