I thought I would write a few lines about Swiss pop music – yes, it actually does exist. The person I am writing about is really a Swiss institution, although today 60 years old he is still popular – although probably more amongst the over 40 year olds than the younger generation.
I have been living in Switzerland for the last 40 years and have brought up 4 teenagers in this time, so you get to know what is happening in the pop music world, even in Switzerland. Polo Hofer was there at the beginning. Today he is almost 60 years old and his music career is almost as long. He was born in Interlaken where he went to school, did his apprenticeship as a typesetter and eventually formed his own band. Amongst his favourites in the music world were Ray Charles as well as Sonny Terry and John Lee Hooker to name a few.
His first band was Rumpelstiltz with whom he sung the hit “Kiosk”. Afterwards he formed the band Schmetterding which was afterwards renamed Polo Hofer and the Schmatter band where his most well-known and most loved hit “Alperose” was made. Nearly all of his songs were written by himself and needless to say all the songs are sung in the Swiss German dialect and his fame has not really gone very far over the German speaking country borders.
He has often toured around Switzerland visiting the various towns and giving a concert with his band. He has been a couple of times in our local market town of Solothurn and I went twice with my son. The idea was that I would keep an eye on my son that he was safe amongst the rockers, but to tell the truth mum wanted to go as well. I enjoyed every song he sang. We have all the records at home so I was able to sing along.
Last year he was seriously ill and it was generally thought that he would not be amongst us very much longer, however he recovered and the video was made after his illness. Needless to say his life amongst the rockers was not always led in a serious way, but it was all probably just a sign of the times. I found a couple of clips on YouTube but they do not do him credit as they were made at concerts, and the sound is not so good. Nearly all of his songs were No. 1 hits and he sung about the everyday things in a Swiss life. Embedding the films has been disabled so I can only give the link.
I managed to find a clip of Alperose, not being sung by himself, but one of the newer singers in Switzerland who really has a long way to go to meet Polo but it sort of shows what Swiss pop music is. The film was made in the Swiss version of Music Star where amateurs try their chance to become famous. That is why there is an interview with the singer afterwards. This singer came third in the competition – 2 women beat him. If anyone is interested in foreign tongues, the language he is speaking is Swiss German, the German dialect of Switzerland – this particular one being from around the area of Bern.
And here is the song text
Blüemlisalp i re Summernacht
Nachdäm i ha a Bärgtuur gmacht
Da ha se troffe vor der Hütte us
Si het Wasser gholt für ne Bluemestruss
Uf em Bänkli vor em lääre Stall
Seit si zu mir: "Es isch kei Zuefall
gloube mir sy nume einisch hie"
Als wär's e Film vergissen i's nie
Alperose chöme mir i Sinn
Alperose sy das gsy denn
Alperose müesse das gsy sy
Wo näben üs im Höi gläge sy
Sy zäme zoge am glyche Ort
Wo der Herbscht isch cho, da isch si wider furt
Furt isch furt, u gly het's gschneit
Liebi chunnt u Liebi geit
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