"Seemann (Deine Heimat ist das Meer)" (English translation "Sailor (Your Home is the Sea)") is a song originally written in German by Werner Scharfenberger ( de) and lyricist Fini Busch ( de). A 1959 German-language recording by

Lolita ''Lolita'' is a 1955 novel written by Russian-American novelist Vladimir Nabokov. The protagonist and narrator is a French literature professor who moves to New England and writes under the pseudonym Humbert Humbert. He details his obsession ...

became an international hit in 1960–61. The song was

covered Cover or covers may refer to: Packaging * Another name for a lid * Cover (philately), generic term for envelope or package * Album cover, the front of the packaging * Book cover or magazine cover ** Book design ** Back cover copy, part of ...

in a number of languages, most notably by

Petula Clark Sally "Petula" Clark (born 15 November 1932) is a British singer, actress, and songwriter. She started her professional career as a child actor, child performer and has had the longest career of any British entertainer, spanning more than 85 y ...

who had her first #1 UK hit with the English-language rendering "

Sailor A sailor, seaman, mariner, or seafarer is a person who works aboard a watercraft as part of its crew, and may work in any one of a number of different fields that are related to the operation and maintenance of a ship. While the term ''sailor'' ...

". Clark was also afforded international success with both "Sailor" and the French-language rendering " Marin". A rival version by Anne Shelton was a Top Ten UK hit, concluding her chart career. Other singers for whom "Sailor (Your Home is the Sea)" brought success as rendered in various languages include: Scandinavian singers Thory Bernhards and

Towa Carson Birgit Rose-Marie Anlert (née Carlsson, born 31 March 1936), known professionally as Towa Carson, is a Swedish schlager singer. She debuted in 1954 and had the most success in the 1950s and 1960s, with hits such as ''"De tre klockorna"'' (S ...

"Sjöman" (Swedish) and Jan Høiland "Sjömann" (Norwegian);

Caterina Valente Caterina Germaine Maria Valente (14 January 1931 – 9 September 2024) was an Italian-French multilingual singer, guitarist, and dancer. She spoke six languages and sang in 13. While she was best known as a performer in Europe, Valente spent pa ...

, who had a Flemish hit with "Zeeman (Je verlangen is de zee)"( Dutch;) a 1981 hit in the Netherlands for Ciska Peters ( nl); and Virginia Lee ( af) whose "Seeman" (Afrikaans) was a successful local cover in South Africa. A schlager-style number, "Sailor" with its original German lyric, addresses a seafaring love object with an acceptance of his

wanderlust Wanderlust is a strong desire to wander or travel and explore the world. The term has its roots in German Romanticism. Etymology The first documented use of the term in English occurred in 1902 as a reflection of what was then seen as a chara ...

: the English-language version inverts this sentiment turning the song into a plea for the sailor to return. The song is sometimes sung by male vocalists from the point of view of the sailor with the lyrics adjusted accordingly.

Original German-language version

Lolita version

Prior to "Seemann (Deine Heimat ist das Meer)",

Viennese Viennese may refer to: * Vienna, the capital of Austria * Viennese people, List of people from Vienna * Viennese German, the German dialect spoken in Vienna * Viennese classicism * Viennese coffee house, an eating establishment and part of Viennese ...

singer

had based her career on schlager numbers with

Latin Latin ( or ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally spoken by the Latins (Italic tribe), Latins in Latium (now known as Lazio), the lower Tiber area aroun ...

Polynesia Polynesia ( , ) is a subregion of Oceania, made up of more than 1,000 islands scattered over the central and southern Pacific Ocean. The indigenous people who inhabit the islands of Polynesia are called Polynesians. They have many things in ...

n themes. Making her recording debut in 1957, Lolita had had four Top 20 hits on the German charts notably with "Der Weiße Mond Von Maratonga" (number 2, 1957). This was her career best charting as in 1958–59 Lolita's seventh through eleventh single releases all peaked outside the Top 20. "Seemann..." was recorded by Lolita in a 15 December 1959 session at the Austrophon-Schallplatten-Studio located in the

Konzerthaus, Vienna The Konzerthaus is a concert hall located in Vienna, Austria, which opened in 1913. It is situated in the third district just at the edge of the first district in Vienna. Since it was founded it has always tried to emphasise both traditional and ...

, overseen by Gerhard Mendelson ( de) The song's composers Werner Scharfenberger—who was the regular conductor on Lolita's recordings—and Fini Busch had written "Der weiße Mond von Maratonga" and other songs previously recorded by Lolita: however it was another track from the 15 December session which was intended to be Lolita's next

A-side The A-side and B-side are the two sides of vinyl records and cassettes, and the terms have often been printed on the labels of two-sided music recordings. The A-side of a single usually features a recording that its artist, producer, or ...

release: a cover of the Italian single "Quando la luna" by Corrado Lojacono entitled "La Luna", "Seemann..." having been expediently written to serve as a

B-side The A-side and B-side are the two sides of phonograph record, vinyl records and Compact cassette, cassettes, and the terms have often been printed on the labels of two-sided music recordings. The A-side of a Single (music), single usually ...

. Lyricist Fini Busch recalled that she and Scharfenberger "were commissioned to write a song completely 'on the fly'" to serve as B-side for the completed track "La Luna"; "the producer said 'I couldn't care less. Write anything you want to back it'." However it was "Seemann..." which entered Germany's Top 20 in March 1960: peaking at number two that June. It remained in the Top 20 for ten months and was the fourth biggest hit in Germany for the year 1960. ("La Luna" would have a belated turn as an A-side reaching number thirty on the German charts in December 1960.) After

Decca Records Decca Records is a British record label established in 1929 by Edward Lewis (Decca), Edward Lewis after his acquisition of a gramophone manufacturer, The Decca Gramophone Company. It set up an American subsidiary under the Decca name, which bec ...

, who had first refusal on US release for Polydor recordings, passed on "Seemann..." the track was optioned by

Kapp Records Kapp Records was an independent record label started in 1954 by David Kapp, brother of Jack Kapp (who set up American Decca Records in 1934). David Kapp founded his own label after stints with Decca and RCA Victor. Kapp licensed its records to L ...

, a US independent label headed by Decca president

Jack Kapp Jack Kapp (born Jacob Kaplitzky; June 15, 1901 – March 25, 1949) was a record company executive with Brunswick Records who founded the American Decca Records in 1934, along with British Decca founder Edward Lewis, and later American Decca hea ...

's brother David Kapp. "Banjo-Boy" a German number one hit sung in German by Jan and Kjeld ( de) had recently afforded Kapp Records a regional US hit with a number fifty-eight peak on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 in ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...

'' magazine, and the label evidently saw potential for similar success with "Seemann..." by Lolita. To increase the appeal of "Seemann..." for the US market, a section spoken in English by

Maureen René Maureen is a female name, the female form of the male name Maurice. In Gaelic, it is Máirín, a pet form of ''Máire'' (the Irish cognate of Mary), which is derived from the Hebrew Miriam. Some notable bearers of the name are: People * Maureen ...

( de) was overdubbed on to the track at Polydor Studio Hamburg (

Rahlstedt Rahlstedt () is a quarter (''Stadtteil'') in the Wandsbek borough (''Bezirk'') of the Free and Hanseatic city of Hamburg in northern Germany. In 2023, the population was 95,743. History The quarter was first mentioned in 1248 with the name of "''R ...

). For writing the new English recitation the name of Alan Holt—a pseudonym for label head David Kapp—was listed with Werner Scharfenberger and Fini Busch in the songwriting credits for the modified version of "Seemann..., which was re-titled "Sailor (Your Home is On the Sea)" and issued in the US in September 1961. After breaking in San Francisco and Chicago "Sailor" made its ''Billboard'' Hot 100 debut at number seventy-six on the chart dated 24 October 1960 to rise to a Hot 100 peak of number five in December 1960, becoming the first German-language song to rise to the US Top Ten, a feat repeated only in 1984 by the number two hit "

99 Luftballons "99 Luftballons" (, "99 balloons") is a song by the West German band Nena from their 1983 self-titled album. An English-language version titled "99 Red Balloons" (), with lyrics by Kevin McAlea, was also released by Nena on the album '' 99 Lu ...

" by

Nena Gabriele Susanne Kerner (born 24 March 1960), better known by her stage name Nena, is a German singer who rose to international fame in 1983 as the lead vocalist of the band Nena (band), Nena with the Neue Deutsche Welle song "99 Luftballons". I ...

and in 1986 by the number one hit "

Rock Me Amadeus "Rock Me Amadeus" is a song recorded by Austrian musician Falco (musician), Falco for his third studio album, ''Falco 3'' (1985). The single was made available for physical sale in 1985 in German-speaking Europe, through A&M Records, A&M. "Roc ...

" by

Falco (musician) Johann "Hans" Hölzel (; 19 February 1957 – 6 February 1998), better known by his stage name Falco (from Falko Weißpflog), was an Austrian singer and musician. He had several international hits, including "Der Kommissar (song), Der Kommiss ...

. In the wake of Lolita's success, her album ''Unvergessene Melodien'' was issued in America by Kapp under the title ''Sailor, Sailor and Lolita's Greatest Hits'', and a second single, "Cowboy Jimmy Joe (Die Sterne der Prarie)," was also released, though it only reached number 94. The strong US response to "Sailor..." has been attributed to the then-current immense US media interest in Germany due to the political situation in

Berlin Berlin ( ; ) is the Capital of Germany, capital and largest city of Germany, by both area and List of cities in Germany by population, population. With 3.7 million inhabitants, it has the List of cities in the European Union by population withi ...

and also

Elvis Presley Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977) was an American singer and actor. Referred to as the "King of Rock and Roll", he is regarded as Cultural impact of Elvis Presley, one of the most significant cultural figures of the ...

's serving in the US Army's Third Armored Division along the East-West German border. At the same time "Sailor" rode the U.S. charts, the German melodies "

Wonderland by Night "Wonderland by Night" (German title ''"Wunderland bei Nacht"'') is a popular song by Bert Kaempfert that was a ''Billboard'' number one hit for three weeks, starting January 9, 1961. Written by Klaus Günter Neumann with English lyrics by Lincol ...

" and "

Calcutta Kolkata, also known as Calcutta (List of renamed places in India#West Bengal, its official name until 2001), is the capital and largest city of the Indian States and union territories of India, state of West Bengal. It lies on the eastern ba ...

" were becoming number one hits in instrumental versions by

Bert Kaempfert Bert Kaempfert (born ; 16 October 1923 – 21 June 1980) was a German orchestra leader, multi-instrumentalist, music producer, arranger, and composer. He made easy listening and jazz-oriented records and wrote the music for a number of well-kno ...

and

Lawrence Welk Lawrence Welk (March 11, 1903 – May 17, 1992) was an American accordionist, bandleader, and television impresario, who hosted ''The Lawrence Welk Show'' from 1951 to 1982. The program was known for its light and family-friendly style, and the ...

respectively, with "Wonderland..." also reaching the Top 20 in an English-language vocal version by

Anita Bryant Anita Jane Bryant (March 25, 1940 – December 16, 2024) was an American singer and anti-gay rights activist. She had three top 20 hits in the United States in the early 1960s. She was the 1958 Miss Oklahoma beauty pageant winner, and a brand ...

. Later in 1961,

Joe Dowell Joe Dowell (January 23, 1940 – February 4, 2016) was an American pop singer. Career He was born in Bloomington, Indiana, and moved to Bloomington, Illinois, as a child. He first performed at a ninth-grade talent show and later attended the Uni ...

had a number one hit with his cover of Presley's take on the German folk song "Muss I Denn" titled "

Wooden Heart "Wooden Heart" is a pop song recorded by Elvis Presley. The composition is based on a German folk song " Muss i denn" (''lit.'' Must I then) and it was featured in the 1960 Elvis Presley film '' G.I. Blues''. The song was a hit single for Pres ...

", sung partially in German. A spate of other German-language 45s by other artists such as

Willy Millowitsch Willy Millowitsch (, ; 8 January 1909 – 20 September 1999) was a German stage and TV actor and the director of the ''Volkstheater Millowitsch'' in Cologne. Early life Millowitsch was born in Cologne, Rhine Province. His parents were Peter a ...

, Heidi Bruehl, and Marlene Stolz, were also issued in the United States, although none of these were successful. "Sailor..." also afforded Lolita a hit in Australia (number six), Japan (Top Ten), and the Netherlands (number seven). In New Zealand it reached number eight despite the number one ranking achieved there by the

's English-language rendering "

". "Seemann..." was also a hit in Flemish Belgium reaching number twelve co-ranked with Petula Clark's English rendition "Sailor". Lolita's "Seemann..." had its most intense chart impact in Norway where it was number one for nine weeks in the spring of 1961 with sales of 50,000 units recognized in October 1961 with the awarding of a Gold Disc. In Sweden "Seemann..." reached number five co-ranked with the local cover version "Sjöman" by

: however Lolita's "Seemann..." was number one for a total of eleven weeks (3 February-21 April 1961) according to the Swedish music paper ''Show Business''. On 17 January 1961 Lolita was awarded a gold record for sales of one million units for "Seemann (Deine Heimat Ist Das Meer)" in Germany: the eventual estimate for global sales of her single ""Seemann (Deine Heimat Ist Das Meer)"/ "Sailor (Your Home is the Sea)" was two million units. Lolita can be heard singing "Seemann..." on the soundtrack of the film '' Schick Deine Frau nicht nach Italien'' ( de) which premiered 22 September 1960. Lolita re-recorded "Seemann... for her 1973 album ''Seemannslieder'' while a later re-recording reportedly from the late 1980s was remixed as a dance track in 2006 and issued as ''Seemann 2006''.

Dickie Goodman Richard Dorian Goodman (April 19, 1934 – November 6, 1989), was an American musician and record producer. He is best known for inventing and using the technique of the " break-in", an early precursor to sampling, that used brief clips of popul ...

's 1961 novelty single, "The Touchables," included a sample from "Seemann..." as the Touchables' oath, which they sang repeatedly.

Remakes in German

In 1984, "99 Luftballons" by the group Nena reached number two on the Billboard Hot 100, ousting Lolita's "Seemann..." as the highest charting US hit sung in German. Coincidentally in 2008 the former vocalist of that group who pursued a solo career as

recorded "Seemann..." as "Seemann, lass das Träumen" for a multi-artist album of nautical-themed songs entitled ''Captains Club - Bis Ans Ende der Welt''. "Seemann..." has also been remade by Manuela as "Seemann, deine Heimat ist das Meer" for her 1964 self-titled album, by the Günter Kallmann ( de) Chor as "Seemann" for their 1965 album ''Serenade am Meer''; by

Freddy Quinn Freddy Quinn (born Franz Eugen Helmut Manfred Nidl; 27 September 1931) is an Austrian singer and actor whose popularity in the German-speaking world soared in the late 1950s and 1960s. As Hans Albers had done two generations before him, Quinn ...

as "Seemann deine Heimat ist das Meer" for his 1969 album ''Freddy auf hoher See''; by United Balls ( de) as "Seemann (deine Heimat ist das Meer)" for their 1982 album ''Lieder fremder Völker''; by Klaus & Klaus ( de) as "Seemann (Deine Heimat ist das Meer) on a 2007 EP; by Géraldine Olivier as "Seemann, deine Heimat ist das Meer" for her 2009 album ''Maritime Welthits der 50er und 60er''; by

Oesch’s die Dritten Oesch's die Dritten is a yodel volksmusik family group from the Bernese Oberland, Switzerland. It consists of its lead vocalist and yodeler Melanie Oesch (born 14 December 1987), her mother Annemarie (born 8 February 1963), her father Hansueli ( ...

as "Seemann-Medley" (

medley Medley or Medleys may refer to: Sports *Medley swimming, races requiring multiple swimming styles * Medley relay races at track meets Music *Medley (music), multiple pieces strung together People *Medley (surname), list of people with this nam ...

of "Seemann deine Heimat ist das Meer" and "

Aloha ʻOe "" ("Farewell to Thee") is a Hawaiian folk song written by Queen "Lydia" Liliʻuokalani, who was then Princess of the Hawaiian Kingdom. It is her most famous song and is a common cultural symbol for Hawaii. Background The story of the ori ...

") their 2007 ''Jodel-Time'' album; and by

Andrea Berg Andrea Ferber ( Zellen; born 28 January 1966),Ferber famil ...

whose

dance-pop Dance-pop is a Music genre, genre of electronic dance music that originated in the late 1970s to early 1980s. It is generally uptempo music intended for nightclubs with the intention of being danceable but also suitable for contemporary hit ra ...

remake - entitled "Seemann, deine Heimat ist das Meer" - was included on the deluxe version (known as the "Tour Edition") of her 2011 album ''Schwerelos''. Bobby Helms remade "Seeman..." under the title "Sailor (Your Home is on the Sea). His version, recorded 29 October 1965 in Nashville, was issued in January 1966 both as the

of his single "Those Snowy Blowy Glowy Days of Winter" and on Helms' album ''I'm the Man''. The Swedish

dansband (; "dance band"), or in Norwegian and Danish, is a Swedish language, Swedish term for a band that plays (; "dance band music"). ' is often danced to in partner dance, pairs. Jitterbug and foxtrot music are often included in this category. T ...

Vikingarna used the German title "Seemann" for the

instrumental An instrumental or instrumental song is music without any vocals, although it might include some inarticulate vocals, such as shouted backup vocals in a big band setting. Through Semantic change, semantic widening, a broader sense of the word s ...

version of the song featured on their 1977 album ''Kramgoa Låtar 5''.

''Zeeman'': Dutch version

In the autumn of 1960 "Zeeman (Je verlangen is de zee)" by

reached number ten on the charts for the Flemish Region of Belgium: the track made its album debut on the 1962 Valente compilation ''Caterina On Tour''. In 1981 Ciska Peters ( nl) remade the song as "Zeeman, je verlangen is de zee"; it reached number nineteen on the Netherlands hit parade. In August 2009 Janneke de Roo ( nl) performed "Zeeman" as a musical guest at Delfsail ( nl) with response positive enough to warrant her recording the song with producer Kees Tel ( nl). Released on 15 September 2015, this version, which set the song to a

beat, was promoted with a

video Video is an Electronics, electronic medium for the recording, copying, playback, broadcasting, and display of moving picture, moving image, visual Media (communication), media. Video was first developed for mechanical television systems, whi ...

—showing de Roo singing on a sandbar and aboard a

clipper A clipper was a type of mid-19th-century merchant sailing vessel, designed for speed. The term was also retrospectively applied to the Baltimore clipper, which originated in the late 18th century. Clippers were generally narrow for their len ...

moored at the

Delfzijl Delfzijl (; ) is a city and former municipality (which now belongs to the municipality of Eemsdelta) with a population of 25,651 in the province of Groningen in the northeast of the Netherlands. Delfzijl was a sluice between the Delf and the Em ...

quay—which regularly aired on the Dutch music channels Sterren.nl and

TV Oranje TV Oranje ( English: TV Orange) is a Dutch music television channel aimed at the Dutch market which launched on 5 October 2005. The programming consists mainly of music videos and music programs in the Dutch language. The main music genres are Ned ...

facilitating a two-week tenure for the track on the

Single Top 100 The Dutch Single Top 100 or Single Top 100 is a Dutch chart, based on official physical single sales, legal downloads and since July 2013 streaming and composed by Dutch Charts. It is one of the three official charts, the other two being the Du ...

, ranking at number ninety-four in September 2009 and at number ninety-eight on 3 October 2009. "Zeeman" was featured on de Roo's 2010 album release ''Onvergetelijk''. "Zeeman" has also been recorded by the Fouryo's (as "Zeeman je verlangen is de zee") ( nl), by Annie Palmen (as "Sailor", released April 1961), by

Lisa Del Bo Lisa del Bo (born Reinhilde Goossens on 9 June 1961 in Mopertingen, Belgium) is a Belgian singer who is popular in her own country and also in Germany. Lisa del Bo is a Flemish singer who often sings in the Dutch language but has been known to ...

for her 1999 album ''Best of the Sixties'', and by Marjan Berger ( nl) for her 2014 album ''Jij bent een wonder''.

Scandinavian versions

Denmark (Danish) "Sømand, mon du drømmer?" was recorded in 1960 by

Katy Bødtger Katy Bødtger (28 December 1932 – 1 May 2017) was a Danish singer. Eurovision Song Contest 1960 In 1960, Bødtger won the Dansk Melodi Grand Prix with the song " Det var en yndig tid" (It was a lovely time). Later on that year Bødtger sang ...

with

Ole Mortensen Ole Henrik Mortensen (born 29 January 1958) is a Danish first-class cricketer, probably the best his country has produced. A fast-medium right-arm bowler, he took 434 wickets at an average of 23.88, in a first-class career with Derbyshire that ...

( da) conducting the orchestra. Norway (Norwegian) "Sjømann" was recorded in 1960 by Jan Høiland and also by

Franz Løberg Franz may refer to: People * Franz (given name) * Franz (surname) Places * Franz (crater), a lunar crater * Franz, Ontario, a railway junction and unorganized town in Canada * Franz Lake, in the state of Washington, United States – see Fran ...

( no): Høiland's version rose as high as number two on the Norwegian charts for the first and second week of February 1961 being kept from the number one spot by the original "Seemann...". "Sjømann" was later recorded by the

Kjell Karlsen Kjell Oddvar Karlsen (29 July 1931 – 5 May 2020) was a Norwegian band leader, composer, arranger, jazz pianist and organist, and a Nestor of Norwegian music and show business, with a career spanning more than 60 years. He was the father of the ...

Orkester for their 1973 album ''Spanske Øyne'': the vocalist on the track being We-Be Karlsen ( no); by Hans Petter Hansen ( no) on his 1974 album ''Jeg kommer snart igjen''; and by

Ronald Holmberg Ronald "Ronnie" Edward Holmberg (born January 27, 1938) is a former American tennis player who competed during the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s. He was ranked world No. 7 in 1959 and was ranked in the U.S. Top 10 for nine years. He is currently one of ...

( no) on his 2000 album ''Ronald 7''. Sweden (Swedish) "Sjöman" was first recorded by Thory Bernhards ( sv) in a 12 October 1960 session. Her version entered the best selling lists in Januari 1961 and peaked at number seven. The Swedish lyrics being the work of Åke Gerhard whose composition "Ann-Caroline", first sung by Bernhards, had coincidentally developed into "Lay Down Your Arms" the career record of Anne Shelton who had a Top Ten UK hit with "Sailor". Bernhards' rendition of "Sjöman" was utilized in the soundtrack of the German film '' Schick Deine Frau nicht nach Italien'' ( de) in its Swedish release replacing Lolita's German-language original "Seemann (Deine Heimat ist das Meer)" (see Section 1.1 for details). The hit recording of "Sjöman" was that by

which first charted in Sweden in tandem with "Seemann..." by Lolita with a number five peak with a subsequent charting as a double A-sided hit with "Sista Dansen" (i.e. "

Save the Last Dance for Me "Save the Last Dance for Me" is a song written by Doc Pomus and Mort Shuman, first recorded in 1960 by American musical group the Drifters with Ben E. King on lead vocals. It has since been covered by several artists, including the DeFranco ...

") reaching number nine in June 1961.''Billboard'' vol 73 #22 (5 June 1961) p.10 With three best selling versions of that song, "Seeman/Sjöman" became the most popular song in Sweden 1961 collecting 12.662 points,followed by Danish Eurovision entry "Angelique" by Dario Campeotto (7.622 points) according to the record magazin Show Business. "Sjöman" was also recorded in 1960 by

Inger Jacobsen Inger Johanne Jacobsen (13 October 1923 – 21 July 1996) was a Norwegian singer and actress, known internationally for her participation in the 1962 Eurovision Song Contest. Career Jacobsen made her first recordings during World War II and b ...

''Sailor'': English-language version

''see

''.

''Marin'': French-language version

''see Marin''.

Versions in other languages

The Afrikaans rendering entitled "Seeman" was recorded by Virginia Lee ( af) and was ranked as the number eight hit for the year 1960 on the South African hit parade. This version was subsequently recorded by Gé Korsten for his 1967 album ''Seeman'', and also in 1969 by Cornelia. "Seemann (Deine Heimat ist das Meer)" has been the source of two distinct Czech renderings: "Svítí maják" recorded by Yvetta Simonová ( cs) in 1967, and "Vím jen, že se vzdálím" recorded by

Ladislav Vodička Ladislav Vodička (10 January 1931 in Prague – 7 March 1999) was a Czech country music singer and songwriter. He performed together with the '':cs:Country Beat Jiřího Brabce, Country Beat Jiřího Brabce'' band and later with his own band ...

for his 1996 album ''Starej Voda po 20-ti letech''. The Estonian rendering "Meremees, kus on su kodu?" has been recorded by Vello Orumets ( et) and also by Toivo Nikopensius ( et). Faroese singer Fríðbjørg Jensen ( fo) has recorded the song as "Kom og set teg her". The Finnish rendering "Merimies, kotimaasi on meri" was first recorded by Ritva Mustonen ( fi) in 1960 and recorded in 1961 by

Laila Kinnunen Laura “Laila” Annikki Kinnunen (8 November 1939 – 26 October 2000) was a Finnish singer. She was one of the most popular Finnish singers of the 1950s and 1960s, and represented Finland at the 1961 Eurovision Song Contest, the first time Fi ...

. "Merimies..." has since been remade by

Eino Grön Eino Grön, born January 31, 1939, is a Finnish American singer known for his performance of a wide range of popular music styles, including Tango, jazz, and spiritual music. Grön was born at the island of Reposaari in Pori but has lived the ...

for his 1983 album ''Merellä ja Kotisatamassa'', by Lea Laven for her 1988 album ''Bluebird'', and by the Charlies ( fi) for their 1999 album ''Kauneimmat Hetket''. In 1963 Patrick Jaque a Belgian singer, resident in Spain, recorded a Spanish-language version of "Seeman..." titled "Marinero". Another Spanish-language version titled "Hombre de los Mares" was recorded by Los Paraguayos for their 2014 album ''Fiesta Romantica'' recorded for the

Munich Munich is the capital and most populous city of Bavaria, Germany. As of 30 November 2024, its population was 1,604,384, making it the third-largest city in Germany after Berlin and Hamburg. Munich is the largest city in Germany that is no ...

-based Telamo ( de) label. The Portuguese version "Marinheiro" was recorded in 1962 by Brazilian singer Fernando José. "Seemann..." has also been rendered in Croatian: "Mornar" by Anica Zubović ( hr) (1968), and also in Italian: "Sailor (La tua casa e' il mare)" by Lucia Altieri ( it) (1962).

References

{{Authority control 1959 songs 1960 singles Number-one singles in Norway Bobby Helms songs Caterina Valente songs Schlager songs Songs written by Werner Scharfenberger Songs written by Fini Busch Songs about sailors Songs about oceans and seas