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Münchener Freiheit (known sometimes simply as Freiheit) is a German pop band that, as of 2005, had released 15 albums, six of which have gone gold and sold over 5 million copies in Europe. They are named after a square in the city of Munich in Germany, the name translating to "Munich liberty".
They are best known in the English-speaking world for their single "Keeping The Dream Alive". This song became a Top 15 hit in the United Kingdom when released, making Münchener Freiheit a one-hit wonder there. In the United States the song failed to chart there when originally released, gaining favour with the American public only after it was featured in the soundtrack for the movie Say Anything. The single has received additional exposure in the United States thanks to the singing talent contest American Idol on the Fox television network. The song has been used in recent seasons as a backdrop to video montages featuring Idol contestants.
The band, composed of Stefan Zauner (vocals, keyboards), Aron Strobel (guitar and vocals), Rennie Hatzke (drums), Michael Kunzi (bass and vocals), and Alex Grünwald (keyboard), formed in the early 1980s. Their debut album Umsteiger, released in 1982, was a rough-around-the-edges form of New Wave showing an aggressive side to Zauner's otherwise smooth vocals. This was followed a year later by Licht, which took them in a more synth pop direction. The band took off in Germany with the release of their next album Herzschlag einer Stadt in 1984, a very commercial new wave record which spawned a Top 30 hit, Oh Baby.
The band's first big hit album came in 1986 with Von Anfang an, meaning From the Beginning. Living up to its title, the album contained a selection of new singles, a previously unreleased live version of "Zeig mir die Nacht" (from Umsteiger), two remixes and the occasional track from their previous two albums. Its success was due largely to its two original hit singles, Ohne Dich (schlaf' ich heut' nacht nicht ein) and Tausendmal Du.
Following the success of Von Anfang an and its follow-up, Traumziel, the band aimed for international success and began recording tracks from both albums in English. The result was Romancing in the Dark, containing English version of six tracks from Traumziel plus their three biggest German hits. Unusual for a band from mainland Europe, the majority of the English lyrics were written by the band themselves with some assistance from outside lyricists — the band would later rely on English lyrics written by professional lyricists Tim Touchton and Curtis Briggs. The album was released throughout Europe, spawning big hits in Sweden, Norway and Holland.
In 1988, Münchener Freiheit released Fantasie in Germany and its English counterpart, Fantasy. Unlike Romancing in the Dark, Fantasy contained all tracks from its German counterpart. The album went un-noticed throughout the US but was moderately successful in Europe. Freiheit never again released an English album in the US. However, in their homeland, Fantasie (DE#4) was a massive hit spending 8 weeks in the Top 10 and spawning two Top 15 singles: "So lang' man Träume noch leben kann" and "Bis wir uns wiederseh'n".
Their follow-up, Purpurmond, was the last album to be re-recorded in English under the title Love is No Science. Nine of its eleven tracks were re-recorded in English, along with a second re-recording of "Tausendmal Du", this time entitled "All I Can Do".
Although 1991 was a quiet year for the band, Zauner and Strobel were still active, releasing the album Living in the Sun under the name of Deuces Wild. The album was recorded in English with most of the lyrics written by Tim Touchton, who had worked with the band since Fantasy.
Despite the moderate reception of Purpurmond, the band returned to the Top 10 in 1992 with Liebe auf den ersten Blick, earning a Top 15 hit with the title track. The band also represented their country in the 1993 Eurovision Song Contest, finishing in 18th place with their song, "Viel zu weit". A single was released with the track performed in 4 languages, although it only performed modestly in the German charts. The band returned a year later with the album Energie (1994), which gave them another top 30 album, although their next two albums, Entführ' mich (1996) and Schatten (1998; with a sleeve design by Klaus Voormann), failed to chart at all.
Leaving Sony Music for the EastWest label, the band moved towards conventional dance pop on their next album, Freiheit die ich meine (2000). The album saw the band re-enter the German Top 50 following their two album absence. The band changed labels again to Koch International, releasing the albums Wachgeküsst (2002) and Geile Zeit (2004). Although these albums used a similar radio-friendly formula to Freiheit die ich meine, both albums peaked in the lower regions of the German Top 100.
Münchener Freiheit continue to record and tour, celebrating their 25th anniversary with the Double CD retrospective Alle Jahre, Alle Hits (2005) and a new single "Du bist das leben".
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