I’m In Love With A German Film Star was created by The Passions and was
their highest charting song in 1981, hitting number 25 on the U.K. pop chart list.
Throughout the song the rhythm section is kept consistent with a choppy crunch
guitar that goes with the thumping repetitive bass and drum section, keeping the
song in constant motion. Along with that, they use a volume control pedal and delay
effect on the guitar making it sound synth-like and giving into the ethereal and
dreamy feel.
I would classify this song as 80s post-punk. The song starts with a guitar
striking heavy chords with a pedal delay effect, then the drums kick in alongside the
repetitive bass I mentioned earlier followed by a memorable slightly arpeggiated
high pitch guitar line. Interestingly enough the vocals don’t come in until 1:00. This
version of the song has very intriguing and almost legato-like vocals that have
heavy delay and reverb on them. I can tell just by listening to the way she is
projecting the vocals that she was going for a sensual over sexual feel. The emotions
she’s putting out in her words and pronunciations are very seducing and airy. The
arrangement is verse one and verse two repeated twice back to back and then they
end with a refrain/outro. The overall time is 4 minutes and 1 second.
This song was later redone by Sam Taylor-Wood and produced by the Pet Shop Boys. This adaptation of the song was released in 2008 and reached number 1 on the UK Dance Singles Charts. It is considerably different from the original, from the vocals and instruments down to the arrangement and song structure. The biggest difference I first noticed was the symphonic production and mix. They added a soft pad under the orchestral sound topped with a staccato piano line instead of the guitar like the original. Nonetheless, they have an even crunchier distorted guitar than the original. They also include a whirring/bending synth line that goes in accordance with what sounds like a digital reproduction of an old-fashioned Fender Rhodes electric piano. All of these elements give this version more dynamics and memorable sounds.
The vocals come in at the 40-second mark with the overall song being 3 minutes and 44 seconds. This song is filled with texture and the vocals are just the cherry on top. Unlike the original, these vocals are trying to come across as more sexual with the delicacy in her voice and the moaning and sighs in the background. Not only did she sing delicate but she also had an enchanting effect that made her vocals sound tempting. Occasionally she had backup vocals that whisper what she was singing adding to the overall appeal.
Differentiating from the original a bit more, she sang very strick staccato notes, and there wasn’t as much, if any, delay on them making them much more understandable. This version goes from verse one and verse two right to the refrain and then goes back to the verses again and continuous the refrain with instrumental breaks in between.
These songs are equally amazing and have their own specialties. Check out both and discover your favorite!
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