"Komet" (; ) is a song by German singer

Udo Lindenberg Udo Lindenberg (born 17 May 1946) is a German singer, composer, and painter. Career Lindenberg started his musical career as a drummer. In 1969, he founded his first band Free Orbit, and also appeared as a studio and guest musician (with Micha ...

and rapper Apache 207. It was released on 19 January 2023 by

Warner Warner can refer to: People * Warner (writer) * Warner (given name) * Warner (surname) Fictional characters * Yakko, Wakko, and Dot Warner, stars of the animated television series ''Animaniacs'' * Aaron Warner, a character in '' Shatter M ...

as the lead single from the latter's upcoming second studio album ''Gartenstadt''. After debuting at number two in Germany, the song went on to reach number one in its second week, holding the top spot for 21 non-consecutive weeks. In doing so, the song became the longest-running number-one song of all time in Germany, even tying the record of longest running number-one songs predating the current chart publishing. Additionally, Lindenberg achieved his first number-one song in his over-50-year career, while Apache earned his eleventh number-one on the chart. It also topped the Austrian charts in April 2023.

Background

The collaboration came about after Lindenberg visited an Apache 207 concert. According to him, the rapper left a lasting impression, calling Apache a "stand-out" among other "Gangsta-rap" artists. Likewise, the latter attended a concert of Lindenberg in Mannheim that year. Both decided to team up and work on music. Shortly after its release, the duo was able to name a star of

Perseus In Greek mythology, Perseus (, ; Greek language, Greek: Περσεύς, Romanization of Greek, translit. Perseús) is the legendary founder of the Perseid dynasty. He was, alongside Cadmus and Bellerophon, the greatest Greek hero and slayer of ...

after the song. In wake of its instant success, Lindenberg claimed to be surprised by the gigantic numbers the song consistently pulled. While he expected the song to be a hit, he had not expected the "dimension" it would eventually take on.

Composition

"Komet" starts out with Lindenberg's trademark ad-libs during the intro and devolves into a "fiery" chorus sung by Apache, who is later joined by Lindenberg. Lyrically, the

Pop rock Pop rock (also typeset as pop/rock) is a fusion genre and form of rock music characterized by a strong commercial appeal, with more emphasis on professional songwriting and recording craft, and less emphasis on attitude than standard rock musi ...

song is a "tribute to life", accompanied by "nostalgic" 1980s

Synth A synthesizer (also synthesiser or synth) is an electronic musical instrument that generates audio signals. Synthesizers typically create sounds by generating waveforms through methods including subtractive synthesis, additive synthesis a ...

-sounds.

Commercial performance

For the chart dated 27 January 2023, the song debuted at number two on the German Singles Charts behind "

Flowers Flowers, also known as blooms and blossoms, are the reproductive structures of flowering plants ( angiosperms). Typically, they are structured in four circular levels, called whorls, around the end of a stalk. These whorls include: calyx, m ...

" by

Miley Cyrus Miley Ray Cyrus ( , born Destiny Hope Cyrus, November 23, 1992) is an American singer, songwriter, actress and director. Regarded as a contemporary pop icon, Cyrus has been recognized for her evolving artistry and image reinventions. She is ...

. The song reached number one in its second week, having so far topped the chart for 21 weeks in total. In doing so, "Komet" became the longest-running number-one song of all time, surpassing the previous record held by "

Rivers of Babylon "Rivers of Babylon" is a Rastafari movement, Rastafari song written and recorded by Brent Dowe and Trevor McNaughton of the Jamaican reggae group the Melodians in 1970. The lyrics are adapted from the texts of Psalms Psalm 19, 19 and Psalm 137, ...

" (1978) by

Boney M. Boney M. is a German reggae, funk and disco music group founded in 1974. It achieved popularity during the disco era in the second half of the 1970s. The band was created by German record producer Frank Farian, who was the group's primary song ...

and "

Despacito "Despacito" (; ) is a song by Puerto Rican singer Luis Fonsi, originally written in 2015. In 2016, Luis sent the song to Puerto Rican rapper and singer Daddy Yankee to give it an "urban injection", and released it as the lead single from Fons ...

" (2017) by

Luis Fonsi Luis Alfonso Rodríguez López-Cepero (born April 15, 1978), known by his stage name Luis Fonsi (), is a Puerto Rican singer. He is known for his soulful and dance oriented songs, most notably 2017's "Despacito". Fonsi received his first Latin ...

and

Daddy Yankee Ramón Luis Ayala Rodríguez (; born February 3, 1976), known professionally as Daddy Yankee (), is a Puerto Rican rapper, singer, songwriter, and actor who rose to worldwide prominence in 2004 with the song "Gasolina". Dubbed the "Honorific ...

. Additionally, the song accumulated 120 million streams across all platforms in its first three months.

Music video

The accompanying music video was released on 20 January 2023. It starts with a bar fight initiated by Apache after he spotted a man drugging drinks. He is then seen being put on trial with Lindenberg acting as a lawyer. Other charges include dangerous interference with road traffic, assault, property damage and theft; all of which can be seen as flashbacks during the video. Scenes of the trial were filmed at

Hanseatisches Oberlandesgericht The (Hanseatic Higher Regional Court, abbreviated HansOLG or OLG Hamburg, officially without a suffix "Hamburg") is the Higher Regional Court (OLG) of the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg, Germany, and thus part of the Hamburg ordinary ju ...

. Apache is eventually sentenced to house arrest at the Hotel Atlantic in Hamburg, where both he and Lindenberg are seen smoking cigars.

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

References

{{reflist 2023 singles 2023 songs Songs in German Number-one singles in Austria Number-one singles in Germany Warner Music Group singles Udo Lindenberg songs