Friday, January 28, 2005

The little crocodile that ate Germany


With thanks to TREPPWITZ (and others) for all the info

The hottest thing in German music right now is a little ditty sung by a 6-year-old girl about a crocodile.

Joy Gruttman's "Schnappi, Das Kleine Krokodil" (Snappy, the Little Crocodile) is the No. 1 song on the German charts. Her family posted the song on a Web site as a joke. But a radio station in Cologne, Germany, got hold of it and made it a hit.

Gruttman is the youngest recording artist ever to make it into the German Top 10, let alone No. 1. Her hilarious composition is beating out Kylie Minogue and Linkin Park, and is even appearing as remixes in dance clubs. English translation below / Play the music video (click the words "Das Schnappi-Video")

UPDATE: Here is a little more information as well as a servicable translation

1. The little girl was 6 when she recorded the song, not 4.

2. She didn't write it, her aunt (who is a professional children's song writer) wrote the words and composed the tune.

And now, here is the translation:

I am Schnappi, the little crocodile,
I live in Egypt, right next to the Nile,
first I lived in an egg,
but then shnapped my way free

chorus
Schni-schna-schnappi schnappi-schnappi-schnapp
.....

I am Schnappi the little crocodile
have sharp teeth and mighty many of them
I shnap what's there to shnap
I shnap and am good at it

chorus
Schni-schna-schnappi schnappi-schnappi-schnapp
.....


I am Schnappi the little crocodile
I love to shnap, that's my favourite play
I sneak up to mum
and show her how well I shnap

chorus
Schni-schna-schnappi schnappi-schnappi-schnapp
.....

I am Schnappi the little crocodile
I'm never tired of shnapping
I shnap daddy's leg
and then just fall asleep

chorus
Schni-schna-schnappi schnappi-schnappi-schnapp

Further update
Fact is, this song has made it through the internet before it was discovered by the big media. The aunt of this girl [she is actually 9 and recorded the song when she was 6] actually writes childrens songs for one of Germany's best childrens tv show [Sendung mit der Maus], educationalwise. I don't say that this excuses a zillion Germans for making a childrens song not only #1 in the single charts for over a month now but also the hottes cell phone ring tone ever.
.....

No comments: