View source for Lili Marleen

{{short description|German song by Norbert Schultz (text by Hans Leip)}}
{{About|the song|the 1950 British film|Lilli Marlene (film)|the 1981 German film by Rainer Werner Fassbinder|Lili Marleen (film)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2022}}
[[File:Wasserturm Langeoog.jpg|thumb|A "Lili Marleen" and [[Lale Andersen]] memorial in [[Langeoog]], Germany]]

"'''Lili Marleen'''" (also spelled "'''Lili Marlen''''", "'''Lilli Marlene'''", "'''Lily Marlene'''", "'''Lili Marlène'''" among others; {{IPA|de|ˈlɪliː maʁˈleːn(ə)}}) is a German [[love song]] that became popular during World War II throughout [[Europe]] and the [[Mediterranean]] among both [[Axis powers|Axis]] and [[Allies of World War II|Allied]] troops. Written in 1915 as a poem, the song was published in 1937 and was first recorded by [[Lale Andersen]] in 1939 as "Das Mädchen unter der Laterne" ("The Girl under the Lantern"). The song is also well known in a version performed by [[Marlene Dietrich]].

In 2005, [[Bear Family Records]] released a 7-CD set ''Lili Marleen an allen Fronten'' ("Lili Marleen on all Fronts"), including nearly 200 versions of "Lili Marleen" with a 180-page booklet.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Schultze |first1=Norbert |last2=Andersen |first2=Lale |last3=Popp |first3=Marga |title=Lili Marleen an allem Fronten: ein Lied geht um die Welt das Lied, seine Zeite, seine Interpreten, seine Botschaften |date=2005 |publisher=Bear family |location=Hambergen (Allemagne) |isbn=3-89916-154-8}}</ref>

==Creation==
[[File:The True Story of Lili Marlene (1944).webm|thumb|thumbtime=0:05|upright=1.0|''[[c:File:The True Story of Lili Marlene (1944).webm|The True Story of Lili Marlene]]'' (1944), a British propaganda film by [[Humphrey Jennings]]. Despite its title the film contains multiple [[misinformation|inaccuracies]].]]
[[File:Postkartenmotiv Paris1942 Lilli-Marleen B001.png|thumb|Propaganda postcard of the German [[Wehrmacht]]'s postal service in Paris, 1942, with Lili Marleen motif]]
The words were written in 1915 as a poem of three verses by [[Hans Leip]] (1893–1983), a school teacher from [[Hamburg]] who had been conscripted into the [[German Army (German Empire)|Imperial German Army]].{{sfn|Leibovitz|Miller|2009|p=16}} Leip reportedly combined the nickname of his friend's girlfriend, Lili, with the name of another friend, Marleen, who was a nurse.<ref>Johann Holzem: ''Lili Marleen und Belgrad 1941. Der lange Weg zum Ruhm'', 3. Auflage, 1997, S.9 ff.</ref><ref>Ernst Probst, ''Superfrauen 10 – Musik und Tanz,'' 2008, S. 28.</ref> The poem was later published in 1937 as "Das Lied eines jungen Soldaten auf der Wacht" ("The Song of a Young Soldier on Watch"), with two further verses added.

It was set to music by [[Norbert Schultze]] in 1938 and recorded by [[Lale Andersen]] for the first time in 1939. In early 1942, she recorded the song in English, the lyrics translated by [[Norman Baillie-Stewart]], a former British army officer working for German propaganda.<ref>Christian Peters / Stiftung Haus der Geschichte der Bundesrepublik Deutschland: ''Lili Marleen, Ein Schlager macht Geschichte,'' Bonn 2001.</ref>

Songwriter [[Tommie Connor]] also wrote English lyrics with the title "Lily of the Lamplight" in 1944.{{sfn|Leibovitz|Miller|2009|p=119}} Another English translation was done by [[Theodore Stephanides]] during World War II and published in his memoir ''Climax in Crete'' in 1946.<ref>Theodore Stephanides, ''Climax in Crete'', London: Faber and Faber, 1946, pp. 47–48.</ref>

==Exposure and reception==
{{Multiple image
 | align     = right
 | direction = vertical
 | width     = 220
 | image1 = Lilli Marlene 1939.jpg
 | caption1  = Electrola EC 6993/ORA 4198-2. First recording of Lili Marlen.
 | image3 =
 | caption3  =  First recording of Lili Marlen, dated 2 August 1939, by Electrola Studio, Berlin. Label of one of the different variants that appeared during the war. The oldest label shows that the original song title was first called "Song of a Young Sentry".
}}
After the [[Operation Retribution (1941)|occupation of Belgrade in 1941]], [[Radio Belgrade]] became the German forces' radio station under the name of ''Soldatensender Belgrad'' (Soldiers' Radio Belgrade), with transmissions heard throughout Europe and the Mediterranean.

While on leave in [[Vienna]], a lieutenant working at the station was asked to collect a pile of second-hand records from the Reich radio station.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.istrianet.org/istria/music/history-folklore/lili-marleen.htm |title=Istria on the Internet - Music - Nostalgia |publisher=Istrianet.org |access-date=21 March 2014}}</ref> Among them was "Lili Marleen" sung by Lale Andersen, which up till then had sold around 700 copies. [[Karl-Heinz Reintgen]], the German officer in charge of the station, began playing the song on the air.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Leibovitz|first1=Liel|last2=Miller|first2=Matthew|title=Lili Marlene: the soldiers' song of World War II|date=2009|publisher=W.W. Norton & Co.|location=New York|isbn=9780393065848|page=201|edition=1st|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=OlpCTA6oqeQC&q=Karl-Heinz%20Reintgen&pg=PA201}}</ref> For lack of other recordings, Radio Belgrade played the song frequently.

The song was published in [[Union of South Africa|South Africa]], in a wartime leaflet, with an anonymous English translation, as "Lili Marleen: The Theme Song of the Eighth Army and the [[6th Armoured Division (South Africa)|6th Armoured Division]]".<ref>"Printed: G.P.W. – Directorate of Map Printing, U.D.F., Union of South Africa".</ref>

Lale Andersen was awarded a gold disc for over one million sales ([[His Master's Voice (British record label)|His Master's Voice]] - EG 6993).<ref name="golddisc">{{cite web |url=http://www.laleandersen.com |title=Lale Andersen homepage : Gold disc 1939 |publisher=Laleandersen.com |access-date=21 March 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140517174601/http://laleandersen.com/ |archive-date=17 May 2014}}</ref> It is thought she was awarded her copy after hostilities ended. HMV's copy was discarded during renovations to their Oxford Street store in the 1960s, but the disc was recovered and is now in a private collection.{{cn|date=September 2024}}

Many Allied soldiers made a point of listening to the song at the end of the day. For example, in his memoir ''[[Eastern Approaches]]'', [[Sir Fitzroy Maclean, 1st Baronet|Fitzroy Maclean]] describes the song's effect in early 1942 during the [[Western Desert Campaign]]: "Husky, sensuous, nostalgic, sugar-sweet, her voice seemed to reach out to you, as she lingered over the catchy tune, the sickly sentimental words. Belgrade... The continent of Europe seemed a long way away. I wondered when I would see it again and what it would be like by the time we got there."{{sfn|Maclean|1949|loc=Part 2, ch 3 "Outward Bound"}}

The next year, parachuted into the [[World War II in Yugoslavia|Yugoslav guerrilla war]] and living rough with [[Josip Broz Tito]] and his [[Yugoslav Partisans]], Maclean wrote: "Sometimes at night, before going to sleep, we would turn on our receiving set and listen to Radio Belgrade. For months now, the flower of the Afrika Korps had been languishing behind the barbed wire of Allied prison camps.  But still, punctually at ten o'clock, came Lale Andersen singing their special song, with the same unvarying, heart-rending sweetness that we knew so well from the desert. [...] Belgrade was still remote. But, now [...] it had become our ultimate goal, which Lili Marlene and her nostalgic little tune seemed somehow to symbolise."{{sfn|Maclean|1949|loc=Part III, ch 3 Orientation}}

In late 1944, the [[Belgrade Offensive|liberation of Belgrade]] seemed not far away. "Then, at ten o'clock, loud and clear, Radio Belgrade; Lili Marlene, sweet, insidious, melancholy. 'Not much longer now,' we would say, as we switched it off."{{sfn|Maclean|1949|loc=Ch 12 Ratweek}} As the [[Red Army]] was advancing on [[Belgrade]], he reflected again on the song. "At [[Valjevo]], as at so many other places [...] we would tune our wireless sets in the evening to Radio Belgrade, and night after night, always at the same time, would come, throbbing lingeringly over the ether, the cheap, sugary and almost painfully nostalgic melody, the sex-laden, intimate, heart-rending accents of Lili Marlene. 'Not gone yet,' we would say to each other. 'I wonder if we'll find her when we get there.' Then one evening at the accustomed time there was silence. 'Gone away,' we said."<ref>{{cite book |at=Part 3, ch 13 "Grand Finale" |title=[[Eastern Approaches]] |author-link=Sir Fitzroy Maclean, 1st Baronet |first=Fitzroy |last=Maclean |date=1949}}</ref>

Allied soldiers in Italy later adapted the tune to their own lyrics, creating the "[[D-Day Dodgers]]" song. A cartoon by [[Bill Mauldin]] in the American army newspaper ''[[Stars and Stripes (newspaper)|Stars and Stripes]]'' shows two soldiers in a foxhole, one playing a harmonica, while the other comments, "The krauts ain't following ya too good on 'Lili Marlene' tonight, Joe. Think somethin' happened to their tenor?"{{cn|date=December 2024}}

==Marlene Dietrich version==
{{Infobox song
| name       = Lili Marlene
| cover      = "Lili_Marlene"-"Symphonie"_(7")_-_Marlene_Dietrich.jpg
| alt        =
| type       = single
| artist     = [[Marlene Dietrich]]
| album      =
| B-side     = Symphonie
| released   = 7 September 1945
| recorded   = 1944
| studio     =
| venue      =
| genre      = {{flat list|
*[[Jazz]]
*[[Pop music|Pop]]}}
| length     = 4:45
| label      = {{flat list|
*[[Decca Records|Decca]] <small>(US)</small>
*[[Brunswick Records|Brunswick]] <small>(UK)</small>
*[[MCA Records|MCA]] <small>(re-issue)</small>}}
| writer     = {{hlist |[[Norbert Schultze]] |[[Hans Leip]] |English lyrics: Mack David}}<ref>{{cite web |title=Lili Marlene - Songview |url=https://www.ascap.com/repertory#/ace/search/workID/420040431 |website=ascap.com |access-date=10 November 2023}}</ref>
| producer   = 
| prev_title = [[Falling in Love Again (Can't Help It)|Falling in Love Again]]
| prev_year  = 1939
| next_title = Illusions
| next_year  = 1948
}}

In 1944, the [[Morale Operations Branch]] of the U.S. [[Office of Strategic Services]] (OSS) initiated the Muzak Project,<ref name="cia">{{cite web |url=https://www.cia.gov/news-information/featured-story-archive/2008-featured-story-archive/marlene-dietrich.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090114013606/https://www.cia.gov/news-information/featured-story-archive/2008-featured-story-archive/marlene-dietrich.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=14 January 2009 |title=A Look Back ... Marlene Dietrich: Singing for a Cause |author=CIA.gov |date=23 October 2008 |access-date=20 March 2010}}</ref> musical propaganda broadcasts designed to demoralize enemy soldiers. [[Marlene Dietrich]], the only performer who was told her recordings would be for OSS use, recorded several songs in German for the project, including "Lili Marleen".<ref>McIntosh, Elizabeth P. (1998). ''Sisterhood of spies: the women of the OSS'', p. 58. Dell., London. {{ISBN|0-440-23466-2}}.</ref> Dietrich performed it, as well as many other songs, live in Europe for [[Allies of World War II|Allied]] troops, often on rickety, makeshift stages.

"Lili Marleen" became the theme song on the German language OSS MO radio station ''Soldatensender''.<ref name="cia"/> After its warm reception by the troops in Europe, the song was re-recorded and released, with the spelling "Lili Marlene" after her name, ''Marlene'', with [[Charles Magnante]] on the accordion, as the "orchestra director", with the disk' B-side, as "Symphonie", sung in French. It was released by [[Decca Records]] in 1945.<ref name="original"/> The original OSS recording of "Lili Marleen" remained thus unissued.

In 1961, Dietrich starred in the film ''[[Judgment at Nuremberg]]'', a dramatization of the [[Nuremberg trials|war trials]]. In one scene she walks down a rubbled street, ravaged by Allied attacks, with [[Spencer Tracy]]'s character. As they approach a bar they hear men inside singing "Lili Marleen" in German. Dietrich begins to sing along with the song, translating a few lyrics for Tracy, referring to the German lyrics as "much sadder" than the English.<ref>{{cite web| url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3gOExL4Tujs| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151205150512/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3gOExL4Tujs| archive-date=5 December 2015 | url-status=dead| title=a scene from "Judgment at Nuremberg" with Marlene Dietrich and Spencer Tracy| publisher=[[YouTube]]| access-date=20 June 2014}}</ref>
 
While she was touring the world in live [[One-person show|one-woman]] cabaret shows from 1953 to 1975, the song was part of Dietrich's usual line-up, usually following "[[Falling in Love Again (Can't Help It)|Falling in Love Again]]". She always introduced her [[signature song]] with some variation of this quote, from a 1960s concert, somewhere in Europe:

{{blockquote|Now, here is a song that is very close to my heart. I sang it during the war. I sang it for three long years, all through Africa, Sicily, Italy, to Alaska, Greenland, Iceland, to England, through France, through Belgium ... [long pause] ... to Germany, and to Czechoslovakia. The soldiers loved it, '' 'Lili Marlene<nowiki>'</nowiki>''.<ref>{{cite web| url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qR-nGIJAaw4| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140220083946/http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qR-nGIJAaw4| archive-date=2014-02-20 | url-status=dead| title=Marlene Dietrich Lili Marleen(ENGLISH)| publisher=[[YouTube]]| access-date=2017-07-13}}</ref>}}

Dietrich sang "Lili Marlene" in her television special ''[[An Evening with Marlene Dietrich]]'', which aired on the [[BBC]] in the UK and on [[CBS]] in the US in 1973, and was featured on four of her [[Marlene Dietrich discography|six original albums]]. She also recorded and performed it in both the original German version and the English adaptation. Both versions have appeared on many compilation albums worldwide, several of them titled after the song. After 5 shows in Japan, between 15 and 25 December 1974, two singles of the song were released by both EMI and MCA Records in 1975. The MCA Records release (D-1284) peaked #93 in the [[Oricon]] charts and spend three weeks there, and sold a total of 8,000 copies, this version has "Falling in Love Again" as a B-side.<ref name=jap>{{cite book|title=Oricon Album Chart Book: Complete Edition 1970-2005|publisher=Oricon Entertainment|location=Roppongi, Tokyo|year=2006|isbn=4-87131-077-9}}</ref> The EMI release (EMR-10761) peaked #42 in the charts and spend 11 weeks in it, selling a total of 56,000 in the country, this version has "Die Antwort Weiss Ganz Allein Der Wind" (Blowin' In The Wind) as a B-side.<ref name=jap/>

===Track listings===

====English version====
=====10" single=====
Original issuing of the song by [[Decca Records]] in the US<ref name="original">{{cite web| url=http://www.discogs.com/Marlene-Dietrich-Lili-Marlene-Symphonie/release/3610076| title="Lili Marlene" original 10" release| publisher=[[Discogs]]| access-date=20 June 2014}}</ref> and [[Brunswick Records]] in the UK<ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.popsike.com/RARE-CLASSIC-MARLENE-DIETRICH-78-LILI-MARLENE-SYMPHONIE-BRUNSWICK-03609-EV/121059772845.html| title="Lili Marlene" Brunswick first issue| publisher=popsike.com| access-date=20 June 2014}}</ref> was on 10-inch. Decca re-issued the single on 7-inch during the 1950s and early 1970s.<ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.discogs.com/Marlene-Dietrich-Lili-Marlene-Symphonie/release/1434849| title="Lili Marlene" Decca Re-issue| publisher=[[Discogs]]| access-date=20 June 2014}}</ref> This is also the version of the single that was reissued by [[MCA Records|MCA]] in 1978<ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.discogs.com/Marlene-Dietrich-Lili-Marlene/release/5618754| title="Lili Marlene" MCA 78 Re-issue| year=1978| publisher=[[Discogs]]| access-date=20 June 2014}}</ref> and 1980<ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.discogs.com/Marlene-Dietrich-Lili-Marlene-Symphonie/release/3731880| title="Lili Marlene" MCA 80 Re-issue| publisher=[[Discogs]]| access-date=20 June 2014}}</ref> on 7-inch.

{{Track listing
| headline = Side A
| title1  = Lili Marlene
| writer1 = {{hlist | [[Norbert Schultze]] | [[Hans Leip]] | [[Mack David]]}}
| length1 = 3:24
}}
{{Track listing
| headline = Side B
| title1  = Symphonie
| note1   = sung in French
| writer1 = {{hlist | Alex Alstone | André Gaston Isaac Tabet | Roger Bernstein}}
| length1 = 2:55
}}

=====7" Brunswick re-issue=====
Most likely re-issued in the 1970s, it was originally released in the Netherlands on 7-inch by Brunswick Records.<ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.discogs.com/Marlene-Dietrich-Lili-Marlene-Falling-In-Love-Again/release/1394065| title="Lili Marlene" Brunswick re-issue| year=1968| publisher=[[Discogs]]| access-date=20 June 2014}}</ref> This version of the single was re-issued again in the UK in 1989, and in 1992 it was issued in Germany, both by MCA,<ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.volumeet.com/album/Marlene_Dietrich-Lili_Marlene_Falling_In_Love_Again/5156fca5c83528b55e000b99| title="Lili Marlene" MCA Records re-issues of Brunswick re-issue| publisher=[[volumeet.com]]| access-date=20 June 2014}}</ref> the 1989 re-issue also having been released by Old Gold Records.<ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.discogs.com/viewimages?release=3662932| title="Lili Marlene" Old Gold Records re-issues of Brunswick re-issue| publisher=[[discogs]]| access-date=20 June 2014}}</ref>

{{Track listing
| headline = Side A
| title1  = Lili Marlene
| writer1 = {{hlist | [[Norbert Schultze]] | [[Hans Leip]] | [[Mack David]]}}
| length1 = 3:24
}}
{{Track listing
| headline = Side B
| title1  = [[Falling in Love Again (Can't Help It)|Falling in Love Again]]
| writer1 = {{hlist | [[Friedrich Hollaender]] | [[Sammy Lerner]] }}
| length1 = 3:03
}}

====German version====
=====7" EP Philips issue=====
Released in 1959 by [[Philips Records]] in association with [[Columbia Records]] on 7-inch in the Netherlands,<ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.discogs.com/Marlene-Dietrich-Lili-Marlene/release/4417800| title="Lili Marlene" Philips issue| publisher=[[Discogs]]| access-date=24 June 2014}}</ref> it was intended as an abridged extended play version of an internationally released compilation album of the same name, consisting of songs sung in German by Dietrich.<ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.discogs.com/Marlene-Dietrich-Lili-Marlene/release/2174635| title="Lili Marlene" LP (US)| publisher=[[Discogs]]| access-date=24 June 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.discogs.com/Marlene-Dietrich-Lili-Marlene/release/1190553| title="Lili Marlene" LP (EU)| publisher=[[Discogs]]| access-date=24 June 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.discogs.com/Marlene-Dietrich-Lili-Marlene/release/1447572| title="Lili Marlene" LP (UK)| publisher=[[Discogs]]| access-date=24 June 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.discogs.com/Marlene-Dietrich-Lili-Marlene/release/4380084| title="Lili Marlene" LP (SA)| publisher=[[Discogs]]| access-date=24 June 2014}}</ref>

{{Track listing
| headline = Side A
| total_length = 4:58

| title1  = Lili Marlene
| note1   = sung in German
| writer1 = {{hlist | [[Norbert Schultze]] | [[Hans Leip]]}}
| length1 = 2:56

| title2  = [[Du, du liegst mir im Herzen|Du, Du Liegst Mir Im Herzen]]
| writer2 = Traditional
| length2 = 2:02
}}
{{Track listing
| headline = Side B
| total_length = 4:16

| title1  = [[Muss I Denn]]
| writer1 = {{hlist |[[Fred Wise (songwriter)|Fred Wise]]|[[Ben Weisman]]|[[Kay Twomey]]|[[Bert Kaempfert]]}}
| length1 = 2:13

| title2  = Du Hast Die Seele Mein
| writer2 = Unknown<ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.allmusic.com/song/du-hast-die-seele-mein-you-have-taken-my-soul-mt0015395803| title=Du Hast Die Seele Mein| publisher=[[AllMusic]]| access-date=24 June 2014}}</ref>
| length2 = 2:03
}}

=====7" Columbia International issue=====
Released in 1961 by [[CBS Records International|CBS Records]] on 7-inch in the Netherlands.<ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.discogs.com/Marlene-Dietrich-Lili-Marlene/release/1913432| title="Lili Marlene" Columbia issue| year=1963| publisher=[[Discogs]]| access-date=20 June 2014}}</ref>

{{Track listing
| headline = Side A
| title1  = Lili Marlene
| note1   = sung in German
| writer1 = {{hlist | [[Norbert Schultze]] | [[Hans Leip]]}}
| length1 = 2:56
}}
{{Track listing
| headline = Side B
| title1  = [[Du, du liegst mir im Herzen|Du, Du Liegst Mir Im Herzen]]
| writer1 = Traditional
| length1 = 2:02
}}

=====7" EMI Italiana issue=====
Released in 1962 by [[EMI Italiana]] on 7-inch in Italy.<ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.discogs.com/viewimages?release=1394068| title="Lili Marlen" EMI issue| publisher=[[Discogs]]| access-date=24 June 2014}}</ref>

{{Track listing
| headline = Side A
| title1  = Lili Marlen<!-- NOTE: NO TYPO -->
| note1   = sung in German
| writer1 = {{hlist | [[Norbert Schultze|Schultze]] | [[Hans Leip|Leip]] | Apollo}}
| length1 = 2:56
}}
{{Track listing
| headline = Side B
| title1  = Ich Bin Die Fesche Lola 
| writer1 = {{hlist | Hollander|Liebmann|Wiener|Boheme}}
| length1 = 1:33
}}

===Personnel===
''List of personnel for the original 1945 single.''<ref name="original"/>

*[[Marlene Dietrich]] - vocalist
*[[Charles Magnante]] - orchestra director, accordion
*Charles Magnate Orchestral

==Connie Francis version==
{{Infobox song
| name       = Lili Marleen
| cover      =
| alt        =
| type       = single
| artist     = [[Connie Francis]]
| album      =
| B-side     = Mond von Mexico
| released   = 1962
| recorded   = {{unbulleted list| A-side: 3 June 1961| B-side: 5 October 1961 |(both at Austrophon Studio, [[Vienna]])}}
| studio     =
| venue      =
| genre      = [[Schlager music]]
| length     = 1:55
| label      = [[MGM Records]] {{small|(61 053)}}
| writer     = {{hlist |[[Norbert Schultze]] |[[Hans Leip]]}}
| producer   = Gerhard Mendelsohn
| chronology = Connie Francis<br />German
| prev_title = [[Eine Insel für zwei]]
| prev_year  = 1962
| next_title = [[Tu' mir nicht weh]]
| next_year  = 1962
}}
American [[entertainer]] [[Connie Francis]] recorded "Lili Marlene" on 3 June 1961. She recorded the single's B-side, "Mond von Mexico", on 5 October 1961. Both songs were recorded in [[Vienna]], Austria, at the Austrophon Studio. The single was released in 1962, marking her seventh single in [[German language|German]]. Francis also recorded the song in [[Italian language|Italian]] and [[French language|French]]. Her version of "Lili Marleen" peaked at number 9 on the German music charts.<ref>Richard Weize: ''Connie Francis'', companion book to 8-LP-Boxed Boxed Set ''Connie Francis in Deutschland'', Bear Family Records BFX 15 305, Hambergen/Vollersode (Germany) 1988</ref>

===Track listing===
====7"====
''Credits adapted from the liner notes of original release.''<ref>{{Cite web | url=http://www.discogs.com/Connie-Francis-Lili-Marleen/release/3231341 | title=Connie Francis - Lili Marleen| website=[[Discogs]]| year=1962}}</ref>
{{Track listing
| headline = Side A
| title1  = Lili Marlene
| writer1 = {{hlist | [[Norbert Schultze]] | [[Hans Leip]]}}
| length1 = 1:55
}}
{{Track listing
| headline = Side B
| title1  = Mond von Mexico
| writer1 = {{hlist | Fini Busch | Werner Scharfenberger}}
| length1 = 2:41
}}

===Personnel===
*Fini Busch – composer (B)
*[[Connie Francis]] – vocalist
*[[Hans Leip]] – composer (A)
*Gerhard Mendelsohn – producer
*Werner Scharfenberger – composer (B)
*[[Norbert Schultze]] – composer (A)

===Chart performance===
{| class="wikitable"
|-
!align="left"|Chart (1962)
!align="left"|Peak<br />position
|-
|align="left"|[[GfK Entertainment Charts|Germany]]<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.offiziellecharts.de/titel-details-9281 |title=Offizielle Deutsche Charts |publisher=offiziellecharts.de |language=de |access-date=29 December 2017}}</ref>
|align="center"|9
|}

==Amanda Lear version==
{{Infobox song
| name       = Lili Marleen
| cover      =
| alt        =
| type       = single
| artist     = [[Amanda Lear]]
| album      = [[Never Trust a Pretty Face]]
| B-side     = "Pretty Boys", "Dreamer (South Pacific)"
| released   = 1978
| recorded   = 1978
| studio     =
| venue      =
| genre      = [[Euro disco]]
| length     = 4:45
| label      = [[Ariola Records]]
| writer     = {{hlist |[[Norbert Schultze]]|[[Hans Leip]]|[[Tommie Connor]]}}
| producer   = [[Anthony Monn]]
| prev_title = [[Gold (Amanda Lear song)|Gold]]
| prev_year  = 1978
| next_title = [[The Sphinx (song)|The Sphinx]]
| next_year  = 1978
}}
French singer [[Amanda Lear]] recorded a [[Eurodisco]] cover of the song in 1978 and released it as the B-side of the single "[[Gold (Amanda Lear song)|Gold]]"<ref>{{cite web |url=http://amandalear_singoli.tripod.com/021_gold_78.htm |title=GOLD 1978 France |publisher=amandalear_singoli.tripod.com}}</ref> as well as a standalone single. The German-English language version later appeared on her third studio LP ''[[Never Trust a Pretty Face]]''. French editions of the album included a German-French version of the track.

Lear performed "Lili Marleen" in the 1978 Italian film ''[[Zio Adolfo in arte Führer]]''.

The singer later re-recorded the song for her albums ''[[Cadavrexquis]]'' (1993) and ''[[Heart (Amanda Lear album)|Heart]]'' (2001), the latter version with updated lyrics, written by [[Norbert Schultze]] shortly before his passing.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.innastrona.pl/lifestyle_ludzie_amanda.phtml |title=Amanda Lear is back! |date=2003 |work=innastrona.pl |access-date=29 August 2014 |language=pl |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040117195524/http://www.innastrona.pl/lifestyle_ludzie_amanda.phtml |archive-date=17 January 2004}}</ref>

===Track listing===
{{unordered list
|'''7-inch single (1978)'''<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.discogs.com/Amanda-Lear-Lili-Marleen-Pretty-Boys/master/1010746 |title=Amanda Lear - Lili Marleen / Pretty Boys at Discogs |year=1978 |publisher=discogs.com |access-date=30 December 2017}}</ref>{{ordered list|type=upper-alpha
| "Lili Marleen" – 4:45
| "Pretty Boys" – 2:55}}

|'''7-inch Argentine single (1979)'''<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.discogs.com/Amanda-Lear-Lili-Marlene-So%C3%B1ador-Sur-Pacifico/release/8533179 |title=Amanda Lear - Lili Marlene / Soñador (Sur Pacifico) (Vinyl) at Discogs |year=1979 |publisher=discogs.com |access-date=30 December 2017}}</ref>{{ordered list|type=upper-alpha
| "Lili Marlene" – 4:45
| "Soñador (Sur Pacifico)" ("Dreamer (South Pacific)") – 5:15
}}}}

===Chart performance===
{| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center;"
|+Weekly chart performance for "Lili Marleen"
! scope="col" | Chart (1979)
! scope="col" | Peak<br />position
|-
! scope=row | Italy (''[[Musica e dischi]]'')<ref>{{cite book|last=Racca|first=Guido|title=M&D Borsa Singoli 1960–2019|language=it|date=2019|publisher=Independently Published |isbn=9781093264906}}</ref>
| 11
|-
! scope=row | France ([[Institut français d'opinion publique|IFOP]])<ref>{{cite web |url=http://infodisc.fr/Tubes_Artistes_L.php |title=InfoDisc : Les Tubes de chaque Artiste commençant par L |publisher=infodisc.fr |language=fr |access-date=30 December 2017}}</ref>
| 34
|}

==Other versions==
The Italian version, translated by lyricist [[Nino Rastelli]] and recorded in 1942 by [[Lina Termini]], was probably the first to be released; the earliest English language recording of the song was probably [[Anne Shelton (singer)|Anne Shelton]]'s, but other [[cover version]]s followed. A version called "The [[D-Day Dodgers]]" with words by Harry Pynn was sung by the allied troops in Italy once the Normandy invasion had begun in 1944. A recording was made by [[Perry Como]] on 27 June 1944 and issued by [[RCA Victor]] on 78 rpm (catalog number 20-1592-A) with the flip side "First Class Private Mary Brown". This recording was later re-issued as catalog number 20-2824-A with flip side "I Love You Truly". The song reached chart position #13 on the United States charts. The song was recorded during the [[1942–43 musicians' strike|musicians' strike]] and consequently has a backing chorus instead of an orchestral backup. A version with French words by Henri Lemarchand was recorded by [[Suzy Solidor]] in 1941.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.discogs.com/artist/Henri+Lemarchand?anv=H.+Lemarchand |title=Henri Lemarchand Discography at Discogs |publisher=Discogs.com |access-date=21 March 2014}}</ref>
Lilly Hodácová recorded the first version in Czech, shortly before the end of the war. Other artists who recorded the song included [[Hildegarde]] (on [[Decca Records|Decca]]),<ref>{{Pop Chronicles 40s|2|B |url=https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc1633232/m1/#track/2 }}</ref> [[Bing Crosby]] (recorded 30 December 1947),<ref>{{cite web|title=A Bing Crosby Discography|url=http://www.bingmagazine.co.uk/bingmagazine/crosby1bDecca.html|website=BING magazine|publisher=International Club Crosby|access-date=13 September 2017}}</ref> [[Martha Tilton]] (on [[Coral Records|Coral]]), and [[Vaughn Monroe]] (on [[V-Disc]]). Al Martino revived the song for [[Capitol Records]] in 1968. Another version was recorded in the 1960s by [[Hank Locklin]], [[Connie Francis]] and [[Vera Lynn]]. A German version of the song also covered by [[Lolita (Austrian singer)|Edith 'Lolita' Zuser]]. An instrumental version was also covered by [[Billy Vaughn]]. [[Hank Snow]] also recorded a version in 1963 on his album "I've Been Everywhere". Another [[French people|French]] singer, [[Patricia Kaas]] used "Lili Marlene" as an [[Introduction (music)|intro]] for her song "D'Allemagne" and sang the entire song during concerts in the 1990s. In the early 1970s, [[Harry Hibbs (musician)|Harry Hibbs]] recorded a version of the song for his TV show. [[Matia Bazar]] ([[Italy]]) recorded an uptempo beat song called "Lili Marleen" on her 1982 album ''Berlino, Parigi, Londra''. The song is a "spoken words" early 1980s dance track. [[Spain|Spanish]] group [[Olé Olé (band)|Olé Olé]], led by [[Marta Sánchez]], released an electro-pop version of the song in 1985.<ref>Archived at [https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211211/UYAdivio0Fo Ghostarchive]{{cbignore}} and the [https://web.archive.org/web/20111116065641/http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UYAdivio0Fo Wayback Machine]{{cbignore}}: {{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UYAdivio0Fo |title=Ole Ole - Lili Marlen 1986 |publisher=YouTube |date=15 August 2008 |access-date=21 March 2014}}{{cbignore}}</ref> It became one of the best-selling singles in [[Spain]] of the 1980s, and paved way for the singer to have a successful career. The song was eventually included in the also best-selling album ''Bailando sin salir de casa'' in 1986. German blackmetal band [[Eisregen]] recorded a version of "Lili Marlene" on their album ''Hexenhaus''. The German [[Gothic metal]]/[[Industrial metal]] band [[Atrocity (band)|Atrocity]] released the song in both languages (English & German) on ''[[Gemini (Atrocity album)|Gemini]]'': on the blue edition was the German version, and on the red edition was the English version.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.metal-archives.com/release.php?id=7750 |title=Atrocity - Gemini - Encyclopaedia Metallum |publisher=The Metal Archives |access-date=21 March 2014}}</ref> [[Kid Creole and the Coconuts]] included an uptempo, disco-influenced version of "Lili Marlene", with German lyrics sung by Coconut Adriana Kaegi, on their 1980 debut LP release ''[[Off the Coast of Me]]''. [[Carly Simon]] recorded the song as the third track on her 1997 Arista CD ''Film Noir''. It has also been translated into Hawaiian by [[Kiope Raymond]], and recorded by Raymond and [[Pearl Rose]] on Rose's 2000 album ''Homecoming''. Most recently it was recorded by [[Neil Hannon]] of the Irish pop group [[The Divine Comedy (band)|The Divine Comedy]] as a B-side to the 2006 single "A Lady of a Certain Age". A slow-tempo [[instrumental]] version can be found on the compilation LP, ''Vienna: City of Dreams'', by the Austrian zither master [[Anton Karas]]. "Lili Marlene" has been adopted as the regimental slow march by the [[Special Air Service]], [[Australian Special Air Service|Special Air Service Regiment]] and [[Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry]], and its melody is the basis of the official march of [[Kodam III/Siliwangi]] in the [[Indonesian Army]].

During WWII Soviet counterpropaganda officer (and future dissident) [[Lev Kopelev]] wrote a parody of the original song for demoralization of enemy soldiers. The original text (in German) of this parody is lost, but famous Russian poet [[Joseph Brodsky]] wrote a poem in Russian, based on this parody.<ref>{{Cite web | url=http://a-pesni.org/drugije/lilimarlen-ru.htm |title = Русские тексты "Лили Марлен" (Иосиф Бродский, Наталия Краубнер, Сергей Шатров)}}</ref> The poem is quite different from the original German song, though many Russians think the Brodsky version is an exact translation.

==Other interpretations==
*It has been sung and marched as 'passacaille' and slow march by the [[Military of Chile]] in its adaptation to the Spanish Language.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OmYxCkEkPM8&t=33s | title=Llegada de cadetes a Escuela Militar - Parada Militar 2013 HD | website=[[YouTube]] }}</ref>
*It is also adapted to Indonesian as "March of Siliwangi Division" of the Indonesian Army. It was first sung by the [[Kodam III/Siliwangi|Siliwangi Division]] while marching from West Java to Yogyakarta as a result of the Renville Agreement with the Dutch Government in February 1948. The song has 2 languages in 1 song, Indonesian and Sundanese (language used by the people of West Java). [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=voe1FOi89dU See following song.]
*[[Humphrey Jennings]] directed the 29-minute-long film ''[[The True Story of Lili Marlene]]'' in 1944 about the song.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0139670/ |title=The True Story of Lilli Marlene (1944) |publisher=IMDb.com |access-date=21 March 2014}}</ref>
*The song features prominently in ''[[Lili Marlene (film)|Lili Marlene]]'' (1950), starring [[Lisa Daniely]]. The film tells a fictionalised version of the story of the woman (played by Daniely) who purportedly inspired the song.
*The song is sung in a bar in Germany in the 1961 film ''[[Judgment at Nuremberg]]''.  In a scene featuring [[Marlene Dietrich]] (who recorded the song several times), and [[Spencer Tracy]], Dietrich's character explains to Tracy's that the German words are much sadder than the English translations.
*The song's popularity among both Allied and Axis troops in the Western Desert front during World War Two was described in the British television program ''[[The World at War (TV series)|The World at War]]'', a documentary series broadcast in 1973–74 and narrated by [[Laurence Olivier]], in Episode 8, "The Desert: North Africa 1940–1943".
*[[Rainer Werner Fassbinder]] directed the 1980 film ''[[Lili Marleen (film)|Lili Marleen]]'', the story of Lale Andersen and her version of the song.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0082661/ |title=Lili Marleen (1981) |date=14 January 1981 |publisher=IMDb.com |access-date=21 March 2014}}</ref>
*In 1981 [[Matia Bazar]] inserted a cover of Lili Marleen, in the original German language, on their album ''Berlino, Parigi, Londra'' (Side A - track 1).{{citation needed|date=October 2022}}
*The song is featured prominently in a scene of a 1983 [[Cinema of Yugoslavia|Yugoslavian film]] ''[[Balkan Express (film)|Balkan Express]]'' set during World War II. In the scene, a bar singer (portrayed by popular [[Serbian folk music|folk]] singer [[Toma Zdravković]]) refuses to sing the song to some German soldiers who then escort him out of the bar. Later in the scene, he returns to the stage and is depicted singing the song with blood on his face, implying he had been persuaded into singing by beating.{{citation needed|date=October 2022}}
*Estonian [[punk rock]] band [[Vennaskond]] released an [[Estonian language|Estonian]] version of the song on their album ''Usk. Lootus. Armastus.'' in 1993.<ref>{{cite web |title=Vennaskond |publisher=Atmosphere Music |location=Belgium |url=http://www.atmosphere.be/releases/vennaskond |access-date=8 December 2009}}</ref> Another Estonian group, Swing Swindlers, recorded a melancholy swinging version in 2007 (both in German and Estonian) and featured the song in their film ''Berlin 1945: Musik Unter Bomben'' with vocals by [[Mart Sander]], Kelli Uustani, [[Nele-Liis Vaiksoo]], and Pirjo Levandi.<ref>Archived at [https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211211/k0WjLbYWD8c Ghostarchive]{{cbignore}} and the [https://web.archive.org/web/20140719021132/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k0WjLbYWD8c Wayback Machine]{{cbignore}}: {{cite web |title=Lili Marleen - The Swing Swindlers |publisher=YouTube |date=25 June 2012 |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k0WjLbYWD8c/ |access-date=21 March 2014}}{{cbignore}}</ref>
*The 2009 film ''[[Bad Day to Go Fishing]]'', directed by [[Alvaro Brechner]], showed an uncontrollable titan ([[Jouko Ahola]]) who could only be appeased by the melody of "Lili Marlene".<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1388402/ |title=Bad Day to Go Fishing (2009) |date=21 August 2009 |publisher=IMDb.com |access-date=21 March 2014}}</ref>
*Dutch [[Folk music|folk]] band [[Omnia (band)|Omnia]] recorded a version of the song on their 2011 album ''Musick and Poëtree''.<ref>{{cite web|title=Musick and Poëtree|url=https://open.spotify.com/album/5ktitPWvW851iNz32h1Byv}}</ref>
*The song appears in the prelude scene of the 2023 film ''[[Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny]]'', where it is sung by a group of German soldiers having supper.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.soundtrack.net/movie/indiana-jones-and-the-dial-of-destiny/ |title=Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny (song credit list)|publisher=Soundtrack.Net |access-date=9 December 2023}}</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Further reading==
* Andersen, Lale (1981). ''Leben mit einem Lied''. Munich {{ISBN|3-423-01003-7}}
* Leibovitz, Liel and Miller, Matthew (2008). ''Lili Marlene: The Soldiers' Song of World War II''. New York: Norton. {{ISBN|978-0-393-06584-8}}
* Peters, Christian, Lili Marleen. Ein Schlager macht Geschichte, Aust.-Kat. Haus der Geschichte der Bundesrepublik Deutschland, Bonn 2001
* Protte, Katja, "Mythos 'Lili Marleen': Ein Lied im Zeitalter der Weltkriege", in: ''Militärgeschichtliche Zeitschrift'', Jg. 63 (2004), Heft 2, S. 355–400
* Rose, Rosa Sala (2008/2010). ''Lili Marleen: Canción de amor y muerte/Geschichte eines Liedes von der Liebe und vom Tod''. {{ISBN|978-3-423-24801-3}}. English version (ebook): ''Lili Marlene: The Biography of a Song''. {{ISBN|978-8-415-76761-9}}.
* Schultze, Norbert (1995). ''Mit dir, Lili Marleen''. {{ISBN|3-254-00206-7}}.
* Wilson, Patrick Maitland (2002). ''Where the Nazis Came''. {{ISBN|1-904244-23-8}}.

==External links==
{{Commons category|Lili Marlene}}
* [http://ingeb.org/garb/lmarleen.html The Official Lili Marleen Page]
* [https://archive.org/details/78_15449-Lili-Marleen Lili Marleen by Lale Anderson on Internet Archive]
* [https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/music/3561946/The-story-behind-the-song-Lili-Marlene.html ''The Story Behind the Song: Lili Marleen''], published in ''The Telegraph'', 11 October 2008.

{{Marlene Dietrich}}
{{Connie Francis}}
{{Amanda Lear}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:1938 songs]]
[[Category:1945 singles]]
[[Category:1962 singles]]
[[Category:1978 singles]]
[[Category:Marlene Dietrich songs]]
[[Category:Amanda Lear songs]]
[[Category:Connie Francis songs]]
[[Category:German songs]]
[[Category:German military marches]]
[[Category:Songs about the military]]
[[Category:Songs about fictional female characters]]
[[Category:Songs about soldiers]]
[[Category:Songs of World War II]]
[[Category:Songs written by Tommie Connor]]