A song that was not allowed to air on ZDF is now ranking high on the Official German Single Charts. "No Fear" by Danger Dan (43) debuted at number seven, making it one of the strongest new entries of the week.
Only one performed better: Pashanim placed "Augenblick" at number six. The charts are compiled by GfK Entertainment on behalf of the Federal Music Industry Association.
From Canceled Performance to Top 10
Just days earlier, the same song had sparked a serious debate. For the 100th episode of the satirical show "Die Anstalt", which dealt with radicalization and the resilience of democracy, a joint performance by Danger Dan and pianist Igor Levit (39) was scheduled. Shortly before the recording, ZDF removed the number from the program. The justification: the lyrics could be interpreted as a call to violence.
The backlash came promptly. Journalist unions spoke out, the show's team publicly opposed their own broadcaster and called the decision cowardly. Danger Dan and Levit themselves chose clear words on Instagram: "But that we have now reached a point where ZDF management authoritatively intervenes in programs, bans anti-fascist songs and refuses to provide justification, that shakes us and that's not called democracy, that's an authoritarian act."
In the end, the piece was performed anyway, just elsewhere. On Tuesday evening, the two took the stage at Berlin's Columbia Theater, the evening was titled "Die keine Angstalt" and ran simultaneously as a livestream on their YouTube channels. The anniversary episode of "Die Anstalt" aired the same evening at 10:15 PM on television.
Shakira and Burna Boy Remain on Top
Meanwhile, nothing has changed at the top of the single charts. The World Cup hit "Dai Dai" by Shakira and Burna Boy continues to lead ahead of "Killy Manjaro" by Summer Cem and Billa Joe as well as "Gut Genug" by Kitschkrieg, Blumengarten and Shirin David. Also new are Capital Bra and Samra, whose "Sonne über Berlin" debuts at number 14, and Eddin, who places "Meine Welt" at position 21.
In the album charts, Gracie Abrams celebrates a premiere. "Daughter From Hell" takes the lead, marking the US singer's first jump to number one. Her predecessor "The Secret Of Us" debuted at number four in 2024 and has now been on the chart for more than 100 weeks. Dardan and Azet present "Eurosport 2", the follow-up to their number one album "Eurosport", and hold position two. Previous week's winners The Rolling Stones slip to number three with "Foreign Tongues".
According to GfK Entertainment, the Official German Charts cover approximately 90 percent of all music sales. They are based on sales and usage data from about 2,600 retailers and branches, from brick-and-mortar stores to streaming platforms.
