“Tightly in a plane – it doesn’t matter, because my head only makes La”: a passage from a currently successful drinking song by singer Julian Sommer. Will 2022 be the summer of Ballermann hits?

In the video, twenty-something Julian Sommer hops in a good mood in front of the beach bar “Balneario 06” on Playa de Palma.

As is well known, the corruption of the word “Balneario” as “Ballermann” gave the Mallorca party district between the large bar “Bierkönig” and the disco “Mega-Park” its name. In the song “Dicht im Flieger”, which has a chance of becoming Germany’s summer hit in 2022, Julian Sommer proudly sings drinking slogans such as “Sangria, vodka, wine, we’ll pop everything in”. You only want one thing: to be drunk.

Summer appears in the “Bierkönig”.

Car dealership sales manager and pop singer Sommer comes from the village of Hausten in Rhineland-Palatinate. He is currently commuting between the Vordereifel and Mallorca, where he has a room in a shared apartment, so that he can appear in the “Bierkönig” on Sunday evenings.

“Walking through the streets with four per thousand – and just singing the same songs day after day,” says the song, which climbed to seventh place in the official German charts at the beginning of July. In April it started at 91st place, and at the end of May it was 40th. It has been in the top ten since mid-June – and the trend is rising. Would you like more lines of text? «Finally back and already one in the tea. And the next morning the pear hurts.”

So that’s what the summer of 2022 sounds like, when many, albeit often via chaotically organized airports, fly back into the sun and – like before Corona – want to treat themselves to a vacation on the beach.

Julian Sommer is of course pleased about his success, but also amazed. “That’s just, I think, because there hasn’t been much going on in terms of parties for two years now,” says the 24-year-old of the German Press Agency. Because of Corona, there were only a few party songs. “That’s why you have a bit of catching up to do now.”

What makes a summer hit?

First of all, the long holidays began in the most populous federal state of North Rhine-Westphalia, from which it seems that a particularly large number travel to Mallorca. At least on the Platja de Palma, one likes to see bawling groups of men from North Rhine-Westphalia buying counterfeit branded goods from retailers, from sunglasses to wristwatches – a fact that Sommer’s summer song also picks up on: “Rey Beri is at the start, Rolex is on his arm – and a Greetings go out to Senegal.”

Singer and songwriter Nico Santos also recognizes this year’s tendency towards German party songs. “At the moment I’m noticing that people are on the Ballermann a lot, which is also reflected in chart hits like “Layla”,” Santos recently told the German Press Agency. “Layla” by DJ Robin und Schürze has been number one in the charts for two weeks.

“Summer songs feel like they’re always changing and differ from country to country,” says Santos, who grew up on Mallorca. “Many people think of Spanish reggae sounds like “Despacito”, and DJ productions are also always very successful.”

The big summer hit “Despacito” by Luis Fonsi feat. It’s been five years since Daddy Yankee. The year after, a remix of the catchy tune “Bella Ciao” ​​was voted a summer hit in Germany, as was the Latin pop love song “Señorita” by Shawn Mendes and Camila Cabello three years ago. In 2020, a Tik-Tok hit called “Savage Love” developed by US singer Jason Derulo was the summer song par excellence. A year ago it was “Bad Habits” by British superstar Ed Sheeran.

The Sheeran song was quite atypical, as it’s usually part of the tradition of the official summer hit that the song comes from previously relatively unknown artists. Think of “Macarena” by Los del Rio (1996), “Samba de Janeiro” by Bellini (1997), “The Ketchup Song” by Las Ketchup (2002), “Dragostea din tei” by O-Zone (2004) , «Wake Me Up» by Avicii (2013) or «Ain’t Nobody (Loves Me Better)» by Felix Jaehn feat. Jasmine Thompson (2015).

So far, no typical Ballermann hit has ever made it into the official summer hit of the chart compilers at GfK Entertainment. German-language songs have also been rare so far – only in 2007 was “Hamma!” by Culcha Candela and 2003’s “Off to the South” by Buddy vs. DJ The Wave.

2022 could now be the year of the Ballermannhit breakthrough. First of all, however, all federal states have to go on vacation and the holiday destinations have to be conquered. Maybe then another dance hit trend will be brought to Germany from somewhere. Candidates would be remixes like “Belly Dancer” by Imanbek