6. July 2025
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Dirk Busch – Spuren (Lieder über das Leben)

Florian Buechtingby Florian Buechting

Dirk Busch - Spuren (Lieder über das Leben)

Dirk Busch - Spuren (Lieder über das Leben)
3.9

Rating

 3.9/5

Flyctory.com Pros

  • Beautiful lyrics and songwriting
  • Wide range of songs about life
  • Very clear messages, good to listen to

Flyctory.com Cons

  • Some topics are slightly repetitively used

Dirk Busch’s 1980’s song Du bist keine Mona List would be a perfect candidate for my new Songs of my Life category here on Flyctory.com. It has just been one of the key soundtracks of my youth. Honestly, when I was checking the 6th November 2020 album releases, I was rather surprised that he is still producing music. I just felt that I just have to share my thoughts about his latest album with you. It is called Spuren (Lieder über das Leben) (“Traces – Songs about Life”)

 

Dirk Busch – About The Artist

Dirk Busch was born in 1951 in Brundbüttelkoog in Northern Germany. His initial steps in music were in Dixieland bands, first in his home area, later during his University education around Cologne and Dusseldorf. During his first hits, he still worked in parallel as a professor for Sociology at Bremen University and had a couple of publications in that area. In the mid-1980’s already, he had started his career as singer and writer. His first single Sie beißt und kratzt (“She bites and scratches”) already had some success. Even though his German songs were the most successful ones, he published songs in six languages. Spuren (Lieder über das Leben) is already is 38th album. He was quite successful in airplay. His most successful songs are Du bist keine Mona Lisa (1989, #54 in Germany) and Liebst Du auch den rauhen Wind, which has been in the German Top 100 for 13 weeks.

 

Dirk Busch – Spuren (Lieder über das Leben) – Track by Track

The 18 song album lasts 71 minutes.

1. Die Zeit

With Die Zeit (“The Time”), the album starts very thoughtful and deep, even with a touch of melancholy. The song is also about that time is progressing steadily. The song is also encouraging: Sag zum Leben einfach ja – “Say ‘yes’ to your life”.

2. Nur ein kurzer Traum

Nur ein kurzer Traum (“Just a short dream”) is a piano ballad, which beautifully connects to Die Zeit. Again, it is an encouraging and motivating message that you should make best use of your short period of life.

3. Wirst du Spuren hinterlassen

You could see Wirst Du Spuren hinterlassen (“Will you leave marks”) as some sort of title track of the album. Very intense tracks, just love to listen to Dirk Busch in here.

Wirst Du Spuren hinterlassen
Wenn Du irgendwann mal gehst
Wird man sich an Dich erinnern?
Wird man wissen, wofür Du stehst?
Waren Menschen durch Dich glücklich?
Hast Du wirklich je geliebt?
Sagst Du ja auf all die Fragen,
dann hast Du nicht umsonst gelebt.

(“Will you have left some marks
When you are leaving at one day?
Will people remember you?
Will they know, what you were aiming for?
Have people been happy due to you?
Have you ever really loved?
If you say “yes” to all these questions,
you haven’t lived without a reason”)

4. Lange Reise

In this song, Dirk Busch compares living with a long travel with a long voyage you simply do not know the route of beforehand. The song is a bit more rocking than the songs before. Great listen.

5. Unermesslich

The song is a lovely musical profession of love, in which Busch states that he feels unermesslich reich (“immensely rich”) due to the love of his partner. One of the most beautiful songs of the album, indeed.

6. Halt sie fest deine Träume

The next song, which is very rhythmic and even has a touch of reggae feeling, is about having dreams. It is encouraging about daring to dream – Halt sie fest deine Träume (“Hold them tight, your dreams”). Nice one.

7. Du musst deinen Weg alleine gehen

“You need to go your way on your way” – while Halt sie fest deine Träume was already a song for Busch’s daughter, here is another one. Superb songwriting.

8. Sommer in der Normandie

Sommer in der Normandie is one of the key track of the album to. It is a reflection about a holiday in France, which happened long ago, but is still so wonderful in the memories.

9. Die Zeit heilt die Wunden

Die Zeit heilt die Wunden – “Time heals the wounds” is a song about a breakup, about missing a beloved person. I am just so much fascinated by the way Busch is telling stories… Just love it!

10. Wenn Du mich liebst

Compared to most other songs on the album, this track rather feels opulently instrumented – there are even some backing choir voices. The song itself is another declaration of love and a look back to good and bad moments.

11. Dieses Leben

This song is another core track of the album. It looks at different moments and perspectives on your life – sometimes it feels like eternity and in other moments, it feels just too short to do all the things you are aiming to do. Another lovely example for deep, beautiful lyrics. Love it.

12. Wenn Du denkst, dass da alles ist

The album is subtitled as “songs about life” – and this song is feeling like a short three minute guideline about living, about how to deal with sad and lonely moments as well as with good ones.

13. Keine Stunde tut mir leid

This 4:42 minute song is the longest one of the whole album. Again, it is a looking back over Busch’s relationship – and his final statement is Keine Stunde, diese Jahre, tut mir leid, die ich mit Dir zusammen bin – (roughly:) “I am not sorry about any hour, all the years we are together”. A beautiful and intense German love rock song.

14. So war dein Traum von der Welt

One of the slowest and most intimate songs of the album. I have to admit that I have a bit of a harder time to follow Busch here. But I love the beautiful melody.

15. Das Leben folgt nicht immer deinem Plan

There are good and bad times in life – Das Leben folgt nicht immer deinem Plan (“Life is not always according to your plan”) is about deviations from your expectations – but finally, the song the song is not all seeing that as a bad thing, but a chance to adjust. One of the most beautiful melodies of the album.

16. Leben mit dir

This album features so many retrospectives and prospectives – this is another love song, a praise of living together mastering difficult situations. A beautiful saxophone solo in the bridge is one of the core parts of this lovely ballad.

17. Mein Kind

The second last track of the album describes about how your kids grow up and you still support them, even though they left. Looking back in memories, but also looking forward with positive feelings. Lovely one.

18. Komm lass uns leben

The very final song of this album is quite a surprise – as the track is a live recording. “Come on, let us live”, what a positive and spiritful way to close up this album.

 

Dirk Busch – Spuren (Lieder über das Leben) – Spotify

Here is the Spotify widget to Spuren:

 

Dirk Busch – Spuren (Lieder über das Leben) – My View

Like Heinz-Rudolf Kunze and other traditional German artists, Dirk Busch is too easily misunderstood and pushed to the Schlager genre just because (most of) his music has German lyrics. If you give this album a chance (and speak a bit of German to get the lyrics), Spuren (Lieder über das Leben) is a really well done, deep German soft musical production. Glad that I ran into Dirk Busch’s music again after so many years.

 

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