Helene Fischer’s song “Atemlos durch die Nacht” (2013) is certainly the German-language song that achieved the greatest presence in the 2010s. As far as its reception is concerned, it has been associated with a consensual effect that almost encompasses all genres.

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I remember that as a DJ, even in bars that were tenuously considered “indie-friendly”, I used to get asked to play Atemlos durch die Nacht. Regardless of whether you like the song, there’s no denying that it’s become firmly rooted in the collective consciousness. The fact that Atemlos could facilitate this popularity, enduring beyond its time, essentially contradicts the fact that it inherently celebrates the happiness of the moment.

What happens in the song? A vibrant nightlife epiphany is staged against the backdrop of compressed big-disco sounds, during the course of which the closeness of two lovers progresses to become an expression of greatest possible euphoria. With this background, it’s interesting that this closeness is not visualized at a one-to-one level in the video. There is no figure who would obviously be the recipient of the feelings of happiness expressed by Helene Fischer. This void is framed by choreographed dance scenes that seem to convey more of a group feel than togetherness as a couple.

Instead of getting lost in the crowd, Helene Fischer always remains in the center of the picture composition – the dancers move around her like satellites. This self-centeredness (which tends towards narcissistic traits) can be interpreted as a direct effect of the selfie and social media boom that began in the 2010s. In this context, dancing has little in common with ecstatic loss of control, and the music has an inherent habitus of distance and super-coolness that exposes the performance character of the euphoria alluded to in the song.

Even the mention of “great cinema” in the lyrics serves to confirm the artificiality by which the track is fundamentally defined. The problem here is that, despite the reference to “great cinema”, the song pretends to be steeped in life and authenticity instead of displaying its mediality. Yet it is questionable whether great feelings can be represented in any other way than in the form of media (such as cinema). If it’s true that life runs past the mind’s eye at the moment of death like a film, then instant access to something like the “soul” doesn’t seem to exist. Instead, we see a film, a fiction that does not depict life, but is “larger than life”. And although Atemlos is a real blockbuster in this respect, you still might want to switch channels or try a different cinema.

05/2024