Most English-speaking people never heard of Karel Gott. I, of course, did. That's because when I'd go to big cities and hit the record stores, I paid attention to the bargain racks where obscure albums, foreign language items and other non-sellers could be had.
Got Gott? Czech him out. Sad he Czeched out.
OK, the obvious puns are done.
Mr. Gott (July 14, 1939 – October 1, 2019) was arguably (go ahead) the most popular and successful singer in Czechoslovakia, and since he could sing in other languages, he was welcome throughout most of Europe, particularly Germany, where he sold over 20 million records. In the 70's, when politics were twisted around, he put out "Soviet Union," an album that sold over 4 million copies in Russia.Through the 80's he racked up honors and awards, and was coaxed out of retirement in the 90's to continue entertaining around the world. There were enough fans in America for him to play Carnegie Hall for a night (September 29, 2000). A diagnosis of cancer set him back in 2015.
Gott began his career around 1962, and an early hit for him was a cover of "Moon River." He often recorded cover versions, and that's why our paths crossed. At least, via record shops. One of my pet hobbies was, and is, collecting cover versions in foreign languages. Most people don't really follow lyrics anyway (what does "Wooly Bully" mean, or "Me and Julio" or a good chunk of Dylan or Mylene Farmer?) What sells is the melody and how much emotion the singer can convey.
It's a special twist when the familiar words are missing, like here with "Pretty Woman," and you encounter something incomprehensible instead. It can also be slightly amusing when, to reference Steve Martin and Dan Ayrkroyd as those "wild and crazy guys," somebody from Europe tries to compete with the "cool" of an American or British hit version. Gott was so comfortable with this, that he even dared to cover Tom Jones, mostly in English, as you see via this TV medley:
Yes, he pays tribute to "Delilah," "Help Yourself," and even the country classic "Green Green Grass of Home" written by the late great Curly Putman.
When I'd come across an oddball album from a Karel Gott, Sylvia Vartan or Wencke Myhre, I'd check the record label to see if a familiar composer's name was somewhere under a foreign language song title. Ahh...covering Leiber and Stoller? Orbison? The Beatles? Gotta hear it. Music IS the universal language, huh? If only Gott had covered the Orbison song, "You Got It" or The Beatles "Got To Get You Into My Life" or the "Bye Bye Birdie" show tune "Got a Lot of Living to Do." But if you got the time, you can find some almost-as-amusing gems in his catalog. Be warned, the man made several albums a year so the total is nearly 100. Hope you Gott the time....
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