Katja Ebstein
Our pick of the pops
Although she had to wait until early 1970 before she enjoyed her first hit, German singer Katja Ebstein’s involvement in the hippy and student scenes of the late 1960s meant she was often perceived as a voice of the 1968 generation.
She was born Karin Witkiewicz on 9 March 1945 near what was then the German town of Breslau and is now Wroclaw in Poland. She and her mother fled the approaching Red Army and ended up in Berlin.
After swapping Karin for Katja, the young singer became a familiar face on the local music scene. She performed backing vocals for local group Insterburg and Co and for orchestra conductor James Last.
In 1966 she landed a recording contract with the Ariola label, where she released her first single, Irgendwann.
That year she also took part in the Knokke Cup in Belgium, appearing alongside singers such as Britain’s Truly Smith and Belgium’s Ariane.
Wo ist das Schiff, backed with Ob du das weißt, a cover of the Donovan’s Colours, was picked as the follow up. But after two singles and without a hit to her name, she was dropped by the label.
However, she wasn’t deterred, and with the
addition of a surname, which she adapted
from the name of the street where she lived,
Ebsteinstraße, she joined the Liberty label in
1969 for the single Warum ist die Welt so
schön. Interestingly, the B-side, Die letzten
Sterne, was a version of Good morning
starshine from the musical Hair, and gave an
indication of the direction the singer’s career
would later take.
An album followed, which included, amongst
other things, sitar-tastic updates of the
Beatles’ A hard day’s night, Marion’s Er ist
wieder da and Petula Clark’s Don't give up.
The LP didn’t prove the breakthrough she
had been hoping for, but no matter. Just
months later she shot to fame with Wunder gibt es immer wieder. Although the song was Germany’s entry for the 1970 Eurovision song contest, it was far removed from the lighter Lieder of previous years and is now considered a classic. The song finished third, behind Ireland’s Dana and the UK’s Mary Hopkin, but outclasses both. It is, arguably, one of the best German 1960s records of the 1970s.
Wunder gibt es immer wieder
1970
Er ist wieder da
1969
Wie ein Kind
1969
Katja Ebstein on YouTube
Ob du das weißt
1966
A hard day's night
1969
No more love for me
1970
Buy online now
Follow the links to hear other singers’ versions of Katja Ebstein songs
Er ist wieder da
Liliane Saint-Pierre: Il est revenu
Ina Martell: Er ist wieder da
Marion: Er ist wieder da
She recorded versions of the song in English (No more love for me, with lyrics by Britgirl singer Sylvan), French (Un miracle peut arriver) and Spanish (Siempre hay algun milagro), as well as in Japanese.
She consolidated her success at home in the autumn of 1970 with Und wenn ein neuer Tag erwacht and scored a host of hits in subsequent years, mostly penned by her husband, Christian Bruhn.
She represented Germany again at the 1971 and 1980 Eurovision song contests, and remained a big name in music and theatre in the 1970s and ‘80s.
Cover cuts
Theater, Theater: Best of Katja Ebstein
Katja Ebstein online
With thanks to Jens Keller for additional sound files.
