“stern TV on Sunday”
Producer Ikke Hipgold: “We are surprised by the debate about the song ‘Layla'”
The Ballermann hit “Layla” is considered sexist by critics and should therefore not be played at the kiliani folk festival in Würzburg. Pop stars are appalled.
“stern TV am Sonntag” is also about the ban on the party hit “Layla”. Producer Ikke Hipgold is a guest and defends the song against the sexism debate and gives examples from recent music history that, in his opinion, went much further. He gets support, but also headwind in the studio.
The party hit “Layla” is number 1 in the German charts – and is now number 1 in the excitement topics in Germany. The text is perceived by many as sexist and should therefore no longer be played at folk festivals such as in Würzburg or Düsseldorf. In the current issue of “stern TV am Sonntag”, “Layla” producer Ikke Hipgold and other guests in the studio discuss whether this is justified or exaggerated.
A small clip shows in advance how the makers DJ Robin and Schürze are working on the Dutch version: “‘k Heb en bordeel. En me liefje die heet Layla. Zij is mooier, jonger, geiler”, reads the “Dutch version “They now want to take off internationally with the song and use the debate for themselves and their marketing. “The discussion has now been initiated and in the end the majority will decide,” they say.
Regula Stämpfli is a Swiss political scientist and is referred to as a feminist in the subtitle. In the debate, Stämpfli spoke of a “click machine” and accused the makers of “specifically producing a scandal”: It was a “calculated scandal” and an “ingenious advertising gimmick”.
“Layla” producer Ikke Hipgold: There have been “significantly more direct texts” in recent years
Ikke Hipgold defends himself and says: “It wasn’t our idea behind it, absolutely zero, but it’s the way it is now. We personally don’t offend anyone with it.” And after all, 39 percent of listeners are women. “We are amazed at the entire debate because we think it comes at a completely surreal time. In the last few decades we have had much more direct texts with body parts and alcohol and everything around it.” Udo Jürgens sang 40 years ago “17 years, blond hair.” You could have asked the question: Is that morally justifiable?” asks Ikke Hipgold. “We like to have this debate and I think we all go too relatively reflected with the topic around. For him, the song is above all a “little miracle”: “It’s never happened in a party hit. We were always the laughed at niche”. In the meantime, mothers whose children are called Layla would also write to him.
“We’re not idiots either. Schürze and DJ Robin are responsible for this text and they are young, decent guys with two great friends and family. I have children myself and we think outside the box. But I’ll explain tell them one thing that makes Ballermann and our music culture special: It’s the women who celebrate the music. We’ve been doing exactly these lyrics for 20, 30 years and when the women who go to Ballermann, if they think it sucks , then we would be alone.”
Stämpfli replies: “The majority is not always right.” Women are the radically adjusted gender: “If something is hip, women go along with it.” It shows how charged the debate has become.
Cabaret artist Serdar Somuncu also intervenes and cites more crass examples from recent music history, such as the song “Big Tits” by Rammstein. He asks: “Where does it start, where does it end? We can really talk about sexism, but I don’t think it will do the women who are victims of sexism anything if we ban hits.” He’s more upset about why it had to be the typical Turkish name Layla. He also attacks Stämpfli: “What you are doing is totally counterproductive.”
“stern TV am Sonntag”: Alena Gerber finds “Layla” text “over it” – but does not feel bothered
“I’m just getting up, that’s enough,” Stämpfli exclaims and is outraged. The moderator tries to appease and asks the other woman in the group for her opinion: entrepreneur and model Alena Gerber. She thinks the song is stupid and says: “Well, the lyrics are pretty over the top.” The moderator wants to know whether she feels bothered: No, she says. And shows understanding for the revelers: “After two years of the pandemic, people are happy to be able to celebrate again, everyone here in the studio rocked along too. The song serves its purpose. Prohibitions only make the whole thing more exciting for a young generation.” With her statement she hits the point, why the song was listened to even more recently than it already was.
The viewers should vote parallel to the show: “Shouldn’t ‘Layla’ be played anymore?” is the question and at the end of the show it will be resolved. 96.55 percent of the viewers voted “No”, the double negative in this case means: Yes. The majority is for the song to continue playing. And that was reflected in the debate.