Alphaville (band)
German synth-pop band known for 1980s hits.
Alphaville, a German synth-pop act, came together in Münster in 1982. Singer Marian Gold, alongside musicians Bernhard Lloyd and Frank Mertens, started the group. They became well-known in the eighties with hits like "Forever Young" and "Big in Japan." Gold is the sole original member still with the band.
Quick Facts
- Also known as
- Forever Young
- Origin
- Münster, West Germany
- Genre
- Synth-pop
- Years active
- 1982–present
- Label
- Atlantic
- Metropolis
- Polydor
- Warner Bros.
- Current members
- Marian Gold
- David Goodes
- Patrick Metzger
- Carsten Brocker
- Alexandra Merl
Facts from the source article.
History
Lead singer Marian Gold and Bernhard Lloyd met in West Berlin in 1981, influenced by UK indie acts such as Tubeway Army, Gary Numan and Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark. Gold had written "Big in Japan" in 1979 after hearing the music of Holly Johnson's band Big in Japan. The trio, including Frank Mertens, initially named the band 'Forever Young' before changing it to 'Alphaville' after the 1965 science fiction film. They wrote and recorded "Forever Young" as a demo, and their first concert took place on 31 December 1982 in Enger, Westphalia. In 1984, the newly renamed Alphaville released their debut single, "Big in Japan". Gold later noted that none of them could really play an instrument and that they relied on synthesizers and drum machines, using inexpensive equipment in a basement studio. They sent demos to record companies and received three offers. In autumn 1984, their debut album Forever Young was released, produced by Colin Pearson, Wolfgang Loos and Andreas Budde. "Big in Japan" topped charts in West Germany, Greece, Switzerland, Sweden, Turkey, Venezuela, and the US Billboard Dance Chart, and reached the Top Five in several other countries. It became the group's only Top 20 single in the UK, peaking at No. 8. The next two singles, "Sounds Like a Melody" and "Forever Young", were European Top 5 successes. Amid reports that Laura Branigan was featuring the song on her album Hold Me, "Forever Young" was re-released in the US, and again in 1988 to promote Alphaville: The Singles Collection, peaking at No. 65 on the Billboard Hot 100.
Projects
Marian Gold put out two solo records, So Long Celeste in 1992 and United in 1996, each blending original songs with cover versions. Meanwhile, bandmate Bernhard Lloyd teamed up with singer Max Holler for a side project called Atlantic Popes, which produced a thirteen-track CD. In 2002, Alphaville took part in the Night of the Proms, playing “Big in Japan” and “Forever Young”; Gold also joined other artists onstage for a collective rendition of “Let It Be.” Nearly two decades later, on 25 and 26 May 2018, the band and Gold performed two nights at Hollywood’s Whisky a Go Go, with both shows streamed live. The album Forever Young received a remastered edition on 15 March 2019 to mark its thirty-fifth anniversary. Following that, on 7 May 2021, the records Afternoons in Utopia and The Breathtaking Blue were also remastered. To promote the forthcoming symphonic album Eternally Yours in 2022, Gold and his daughter Lily Becker launched a podcast that dives into Alphaville’s songs and the new release.
Political activism
In 2026, Alphaville's management pushed back against the Austrian far-right FPÖ party's radio station, "Austria First," for playing the band's songs, threatening legal action if feasible. They also publicly rejected the use of their music by Germany's AfD party, though they could not legally halt it. That April, the band opposed U.S. President Donald Trump's use of "Forever Young" in an AI-generated video he posted on Truth Social. Singer Marian Gold voiced the band's objections on Instagram.
Legacy
Alphaville's song "Forever Young" was featured in the movie Listen to Me (1989) and in a high school prom-related scene in the 2004 film Napoleon Dynamite. It also appeared in the Canadian movie 1987 (2014) and a 2014 episode of Regular Show, "Skip's Story". In 2006, Australian guitar band Youth Group took their remake of "Forever Young" to No. 1 in the Official Australian Chart. "Young Forever" is the fourth single by American hip hop rapper Jay-Z from his album The Blueprint 3, a mild rework of Alphaville's 1984 song that retains the original melody and lyrics in the chorus while Jay-Z raps in the verses. In 2024, "Forever Young" gained popularity on TikTok, reaching No. 1 on the TikTok Billboard Top 50 chart in October 2024, 40 years after the song's release.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which record labels has Alphaville (band) released music on?
Alphaville has released music on Atlantic, Metropolis, Polydor and Warner Bros.
Who are the current members of Alphaville (band)?
The current members of Alphaville are listed as Marian Gold, David Goodes, Patrick Metzger, Carsten Brocker and Alexandra Merl.
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