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Live Is Life

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This article is about the Opus song. For the Noah and the Whale song, see Life Is Life (song). For the 2021 film, see Live Is Life (film).

"Live Is Life" is a 1984 song by Austrian pop rock band Opus. It was released as the first single from their first live album, Live Is Life (1984), and was also included on the US version of their fourth studio album, Up and Down (1984). The song was a European number-one hit in the summer of 1985, and also reached number one in Canada and the top 40 in the US in 1986. It has been covered by many artists. The title is sometimes mistaken as "Life Is Life":[2] German phonology has final-obstruent devoicing, so that the word "live" sounds like "life".

"Live Is Life"
Single by Opus
from the album Live Is Life/
Up and Down (U.S. version)
B-side
  • "Again and Again"
  • "Up and Down"
Released1984[1]
GenrePop rock, AOR
Length4:14
Label
  • Polydor
  • OK
Songwriter(s)
  • Ewald Pfleger
  • Kurt Rene Plisnier
  • Gunter Grasmuck
  • Niki Gruber
  • Herwig Rüdisser
Producer(s)Peter Müller
Opus singles chronology
"Flying High"
(1982) 		"Live Is Life"
(1984) 		"Flyin' High (Live Version)"
(1985)
Gimme Love
(1992)
The Power of Live Is Life
(1994)
Live Is Life 08
(2008)
Alternative covers
Austrian release

Background and chart performance

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After having released several singles, "Live Is Life" achieved huge success in 1985, topping the charts of many countries, including Austria (eight weeks), West Germany, France (seven weeks) and Sweden (four weeks).

The song was created during a concert in Oberwart, on 2 September 1984, while the group celebrated its eleventh anniversary. It was recorded in a live version with the audience singing along in the verses. In the lyrics, the song expresses "the enthusiastic attachment of the group to the stage".[3] The song was performed during the 1985 charity campaign, "Austria für Afrika".

It will be re-recorded as the theme song of the 2024 European Women's Handball Championship in Austria, Hungary and Switzerland to mark the fortieth anniversary of the original song.

Maradona's warm up

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On 19 April 1989, during the warming up in Munich before the UEFA Cup semi-final return between FC Bayern Munich and S.S.C. Napoli, Diego Maradona performed an impromptu keepie uppie exhibition synchronized to the rhythm of "Live Is Life", as the song happened to be playing over the stadium's loudspeakers during warm-ups.

Some confusion persists by those who dispute that it took place in Munich. Among others, Jürgen Klinsmann claimed that it happened during the final in Stuttgart:

There were 70,000 people in the stadium and Maradona went on the field. We’re on the other side of the field, warming up like Germans: seriously, focused. There's music playing, the song "Live is Life", and to the rhythm of the song Maradona started juggling the ball. So we stopped our warm-up. What's this guy doing? He's juggling off his shoulders. And we couldn't warm up anymore because we had to watch this guy.[4]

Belgian sports anchor Frank Raes, who edited the video and distributed it via YouTube, has asserted that this warm up took place just before the semifinal in Munich. By 2013, Raes' video clip had garnered almost two million views on YouTube.[4] The 25th anniversary of Maradona's warming up was noted internationally, with newspapers commenting on his skills and on the transformative effect he had on Napoli and southern Italy.[5][6]

Personnel

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  • Herwig Rüdisser – lead vocals
  • Ewald Pfleger – guitar, vocals
  • Niki Gruber – bass, vocals
  • Kurt-René Plisnier – keyboard, vocals
  • Günter Grasmuck – drums
  • Günter Timischl – percussion, vocals

Track listings

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Charts and sales

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Certifications

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Region Certification Certified units/sales
Canada (Music Canada)[35] 2× Platinum 200,000^
France (SNEP)[36] Gold 500,000*
Germany (BVMI)[37] Gold 500,000^
Italy (FIMI)[38] Gold 35,000‡
Spain (PROMUSICAE)[39] Gold 25,000^
United Kingdom (BPI)[40] Silver 250,000^

* Sales figures based on certification alone.
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Hermes House Band version

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"Live Is Life (Here We Go)"
 
Single by Hermes House Band featuring DJ Ötzi
from the album Today Is the Day
B-side"Remix"
Released2002
GenreEuropop
Length3:30
Label
Songwriter(s)
  • Ewald Pfleger
  • Kurt Rene Plisnier
  • Gunter Grasmuck
  • Niki Gruber
  • Herwig Rüdisser
Producer(s)
  • Klaus Biedermann
  • Jim Binapfl
  • Jake Buck
  • Mark Duran
  • John Lehmkuhl
  • Claus Marcus
  • Christian Seitz
Hermes House Band singles chronology
"Que sera sera"
(2001) 		"Live Is Life (Here We Go)"
(2002) 		"Those Were the Days"
(2003)

The Hermes House Band and DJ Ötzi released a version of the song in 2002. The single had its highest peak position in France, where it reached number two for five weeks.[41] The song was used as a soundtrack for the German youth film Das Jahr der ersten Küsse.[42] As of August 2014, the song was the 23rd best-selling single of the 21st century in France, with 537,000 units sold.[43]

Track listings

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  • CD single
  1. "Live Is Life (Here We Go)" (Here We Go/video mix) – 3:30
  2. "Live Is Life (Here We Go)" (jump mix) – 3:33
  • CD maxi
  1. "Live Is Life (Here We Go)" (Here We Go/video mix) – 3:30
  2. "Live Is Life (Here We Go)" (jump mix) – 3:33
  3. "Football's Coming Home" (three lions) (radio) by Hermes House Band – 3:48
  4. "Everytime You Touch Me" (fireplace mix) by Hermes House Band – 3:21
  5. "Hey Mama" by Hermes House Band – 3:10
  6. Enhanced Multimediatrack : "Live Is Life" – 3:30

Charts and sales

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Other cover versions

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The Slovenian art collective Laibach recorded two retitled versions of the song for their 1987 album Opus Dei, one in English which was used as the album's title track, and the other in German under the name "Leben heisst Leben", with guitar solo included. Both were arranged in a distinctly darker and militaristic style typical of the group's music. The song, along with their cover of Queen's "One Vision" on the same LP, gained the band mainstream airplay on outlets including MTV and The Chart Show.[60]

The song was covered by Stargo, whose version reached number 10 in France in 1985.[61] Sofia Carson's "Love Is the Name" features an interpolation of "Live Is Life".[62]

The song was also adapted by Liverpool F.C. fans as a football chant about their then manager Jürgen Klopp early in his tenure at the club.[63]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b "Opus – Live Is Life" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Retrieved 7 January 2014.
  2. ^ Bromley, Tom (2006). We Could Have Been the Wombles: The Weird and Wonderful World of One-Hit Wonders. Penguin. p. 223. ISBN 978-0-14-101711-2.
  3. ^ Habib, Elia (2002). Muz hit. tubes (in French). Alinéa Bis. p. 47. ISBN 2-9518832-0-X.
  4. ^ a b Woitalla, Mike (25 September 2013). "Klinsmann recalls Maradona's 'Live is Life' warm-up". Soccer America. Retrieved 20 June 2014.
  5. ^ Luckhurst, Samuel (19 April 2014). "Diego Maradona's Live Is Life Warm-Up: 25 Years Ago Today". The Huffington Post. Retrieved 20 June 2014.
  6. ^ "Video: Diego Maradona – even warming up he was a bit special". The Daily Telegraph. 15 December 2010. Archived from the original on 19 December 2010. Retrieved 20 June 2014.
  7. ^ "Opus – Live Is Life" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved 7 January 2014.
  8. ^ Lwin, Nanda (2000). Top 40 Hits: The Essential Chart Guide. Mississauga, Ont.: Music Data Canada.
  9. ^ "Top RPM Singles: Issue 0614." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 7 January 2014.
  10. ^ Pennanen, Timo (2021). "Opus". Sisältää hitin - 2. laitos Levyt ja esittäjät Suomen musiikkilistoilla 1.1.1960–30.6.2021 (PDF) (in Finnish). Helsinki: Kustannusosakeyhtiö Otava. p. 190. Retrieved 3 July 2022.
  11. ^ "Opus – Live Is Life" (in French). Les classement single. Retrieved 7 January 2014.
  12. ^ a b "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Live Is Life". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved 7 May 2015.
  13. ^ "Nederlandse Top 40 – week 17, 1985" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved 7 January 2014.
  14. ^ "Opus – Live Is Life" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved 7 January 2014.
  15. ^ "Opus – Live Is Life". VG-lista. Retrieved 7 January 2014.
  16. ^ "South African Rock Lists Website SA Charts 1969 – 1989 Acts (O)". Rock.co.za. Retrieved 31 May 2013.
  17. ^ Salaverri, Fernando (September 2005). Sólo éxitos: año a año, 1959–2002 (1st ed.). Spain: Fundación Autor-SGAE. ISBN 84-8048-639-2.
  18. ^ "Opus – Live Is Life". Singles Top 100. Retrieved 7 January 2014.
  19. ^ "Opus – Live Is Life". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved 7 January 2014.
  20. ^ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 7 January 2014.
  21. ^ "Hot 100 Singles". Billboard. Vol. 98, no. 13. 4 March 1986. p. 70. ISSN 0006-2510.
  22. ^ "CASH BOX Top 100 Singles – Week ending MARCH 29, 1986". Cash Box. Archived from the original on 2 October 2012.
  23. ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Opus – Live Is Life" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved 13 March 2019.
  24. ^ "austriancharts.at – Opus – The Power Of Live Is Life". Austriancharts.at. Hung Medien. Retrieved 5 July 2013.
  25. ^ "Opus feat. Jerry – Live Is Life 08" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Retrieved 7 January 2014.
  26. ^ "Opus feat. Jerry – Live Is Life 08" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved 7 January 2014.
  27. ^ "OLiS – oficjalna lista airplay" (Select week 12.10.2024–18.10.2024.) (in Polish). OLiS. Retrieved 21 October 2024.
  28. ^ "Jahreshitparade 1985". Austriancharts.at (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved 17 June 2008.
  29. ^ "RPM's Top 100 Singles of 1985". RPM. Vol. 43, no. 16. 28 December 1985. Retrieved 27 March 2020 – via Library and Archives Canada.
  30. ^ "Top 100-Jaaroverzicht van 1985" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved 21 September 2010.
  31. ^ "Jaaroverzichten – Single 1985" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Hung Medien. Retrieved 7 January 2014.
  32. ^ "Schweizer Jahreshitparade 1985". Hitparade.ch (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved 17 June 2008.
  33. ^ "Jahrescharts – 1985". Officialcharts.de (in German). GfK Entertainment. Archived from the original on 14 July 2014. Retrieved 7 January 2014.
  34. ^ "Top 100 Singles of 1986". RPM. Vol. 45, no. 11. 27 December 1986. Retrieved 27 March 2020 – via Library and Archives Canada.
  35. ^ "Canadian single certifications – Opus – Live Is Life". Music Canada.
  36. ^ "European Gold & Platinum Awards 1986" (PDF). Music & Media. 27 December 1986. p. 33. Retrieved 9 June 2023.
  37. ^ "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (Opus; 'Live Is Life')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie.
  38. ^ "Italian single certifications – Opus – Live Is Life" (in Italian). Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana. Retrieved 9 June 2023.
  39. ^ Salaverri, Fernando (September 2005). Sólo éxitos: año a año, 1959–2002 (1st ed.). Spain: Fundación Autor-SGAE. ISBN 84-8048-639-2.
  40. ^ "British single certifications – Opus – Live Is Life". British Phonographic Industry.
  41. ^ a b "Hermes House Band & DJ Ötzi – Live Is Life (Here We Go)" (in French). Les classement single. Retrieved 2 May 2022.
  42. ^ "lescharts.com – Soundtrack – Das Jahr der ersten Küsse". Lescharts.com. Hung Medien. Retrieved 17 June 2008.
  43. ^ "Top 100 des singles les plus vendus du millénaire en France, épisode 8 (30-21)". Charts in France (in French). PureCharts. 30 August 2014. Retrieved 17 March 2015.
  44. ^ "Hermes House Band & DJ Ötzi – Live Is Life (Here We Go)". ARIA Top 50 Singles. Retrieved 2 May 2022.
  45. ^ "Hermes House Band & DJ Ötzi – Live Is Life (Here We Go)" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Retrieved 2 May 2022.
  46. ^ "Hermes House Band & DJ Ötzi – Live Is Life (Here We Go)" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved 2 May 2022.
  47. ^ "Hermes House Band & DJ Ötzi – Live Is Life (Here We Go)" (in French). Ultratop 50. Retrieved 2 May 2022.
  48. ^ "Hermes House Band & DJ Ötzi – Live Is Life (Here We Go)". Tracklisten. Retrieved 2 May 2022.
  49. ^ "Hits of the World". Billboard. Vol. 115, no. 28. 12 July 2003. p. 45. ISSN 0006-2510.
  50. ^ "– {{{song}}}" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved 2 May 2022.
  51. ^ "Hermes House Band & DJ Ötzi – Live Is Life (Here We Go)" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved 2 May 2022.
  52. ^ "Arhiva romanian top 100 – Editia 36, saptamina 10.09-16.09, 2002" (in Romanian). Romanian Top 100. Archived from the original on 27 December 2004.
  53. ^ "Hermes House Band & DJ Ötzi – Live Is Life (Here We Go)". Singles Top 100. Retrieved 2 May 2022.
  54. ^ "Hermes House Band & DJ Ötzi – Live Is Life (Here We Go)". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved 2 May 2022.
  55. ^ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 5 July 2013.
  56. ^ "Rapports annuels 2003" (in French). Ultratop. Hung Medien. Retrieved 17 June 2008.
  57. ^ "Classement Singles – année 2003". Snepmusique.com (in French). Archived from the original on 7 January 2014.
  58. ^ "Ultratop − Goud en Platina – singles 2003". Ultratop. Hung Medien.
  59. ^ "French single certifications – Hermes House Band – Life Is Life" (in French). Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique.
  60. ^ "Laibach Reissues 'Opus Dei'". mute.com. 10 May 2024. Retrieved 25 May 2024.
  61. ^ "lescharts.com – Stargo – Live Is Life". Lescharts.com (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved 5 April 2010.
  62. ^ Cantor, Brian (29 March 2016). "Sofia Carson's Debut Single "Love Is the Name" Makes Radio Premiere on 4/7". Headline Planet. Retrieved 12 April 2016.
  63. ^ Philbin, Paul (31 January 2016). "Liverpool fans have come up with a song for Jurgen Klopp and it's brilliant". liverpoolecho.co.uk. Retrieved 25 May 2024.
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