Gert “Kralle” Krawinkel
Guitarist and songwriter with the German band Trio who had a worldwide hit in 1982 with ‘Da Da Da’
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.However irritating it may have sounded to some ears, in 1982 Trio’s “Da Da Da” became a huge hit, selling 13 million copies round the world. Kralle Krawinkel was Trio’s guitarist and wrote the music for the song, with his colleague Stephan Remmler writing the lyrics.
The track – full name “Da Da Da I don’t love you you don’t love me” – was a product of the Neue Deutsche Welle, or German New Wave, though Trio preferred the name Neue Deutsche Fröhlichkeit –“New German Cheerfulness” – to describe their music. They eschewed ornamentation and polish and used simple structures.
Krawinkel’s career began in the mid-1960s when he played guitar in The Vampyr; he then teamed up with singer Remmler in a Rolling Stones-influenced band, MacBeats, later Just Us. He played with several other bands before leaving the music business to teach.
In 1979 he got back together with Remmler, and they were joined by drummer Peter Behrens to form Trio. The band broke up in 1985, and in 1993 Krawinkel worked on a solo album, Kralle. He had written the lyrics entirely in English, but allowed another friend, Rio Reiser, to translate them into German. He also sang a duet with Nena of “99 Red Ballooons” fame on the single “N Zentimeter Liebe”.
In 1998 Krawinkel got into the Guinness Book of Records for the longest horse ride, from Seville to Hamburg. He later ran a studio in his adopted home near Seville. He is survived by his wife, the television producer Monika Kölling, who he met in 1985 during the shooting of the Trio feature film Drei gegen Drei (Three Against Three).
Gert “Kralle” Krawinkel, musician: born Wilhelmshaven, West Germany 21 April 1947; married Monika Kölling (one son); died 16 February 2014.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments