C C Catch
Caro Muller
pop-vocalist, the star of 80s.
THE STORY OF CAROLINE MULLER:
Born on July 31st, 1963, in Oss (Holland), the young Caroline "Caro" Catherina Muller alias "C.C.Catch" wanted for so long to become a music star. Having such a burning ambition to sing, Caroline Muller abandoned her dressmaking courses for joining the musical festivals and appearing more often on the music stage.
Her mother, Corry, was living with
Caro in Holland. Because her father was a German, Caro's mother decided to find a way to bring the Mullers all together.
At the age of sixteen (1979)
Caro together with her family moved to Germany. There, she started taking classes of dressmaking and designing but never quitting from her music desires —
Caro learns to play guitar and takes dancing lessons. A year later (1980), by joining a local feminine quartet ("Optimal") from Osnabrukel, they sign a studio contract and, therefore, 2 singles will be
released ("Eg war magnetish" is one of them) in Germany.
Immediately after that
big chances begin to appear one by one in Caro's life. Many managers and producers will to take care of her musical style by offering Caroline Muller reasonable studios to perform her music and, also, often appearences on the TV shows. One of the producers that contacted
Caro was
Caro Dean. He even promised her a full contract. That seemed to be a great idea but...unfortunately, Mr.Dean turned out to be a liar who never felt like working for Caro. Instead he tried to get as much money as possible out of her songs. After four years, during one of the group's shows and a "search for talent" contest in Hamburg, Optimal was noticed by the German composer and also a member of the famous pop-duo Modern Talking: Mr.
Dieter Bohlen. What was so attractive to him was the brilliant vocals of the member of Optimal, Caroline Catherina Muller. In the same year (1985), on the same evening,
Dieter offered her a true contract and he became her own producer.
From now on her artistic reputation began a new era; an era of a music which will represent
Caro as an invincible singer as wide as all over Europe and Asia (Scandinavia, Germany, Spain, Belgium, Italy, Romania, Poland, USSR, Israel, Iran ... etc ... and less in South America): the DISCO music. C.C.
CATCH or the disco queen will be heard and respected for many years in the hearts of those who understand what music sounds like, what dance looks like, and what love feels like.
More likely, the explanation of her artistic name is the following: the two C's reveal her first and middle name (Caroline Catherina), and "catch" is just a formal word from which is understood to obtain a lot of musical catch. "Catch" is nevertheless an invisible aim to C.C.Catch's success..."is just fantasy but it sounds nice".
Therefore, in the summer of 1985, "I can lose my heart tonight" is
released as C.C.Catch's first single. Neither in the cover nor at the backcover of the
single appeared her name, and nobody knew who actually was the girl behind that great voice... Nevertheless, the
single "I can lose my heart tonight" became a
big hit in Europe as it reached TOP 10 in all the music charts.
At the beginning of 1986, "'Cause you are young" was
released as her second single. This
time the cover shows the picture of a beautiful girl, and the
big curiosity is suddenly solved: behind a great voice and a fantastic production there was an iconoclast girl. Her name is...C.C.Catch. This
single was also a huge success, and in the spring of 1986 her first
album sees the daylight:
CATCH THE CATCH. The
album had only 8 songs while 7 of them were, actually, all maxi versions. It was a very successful
album all over the world (in Spain was gold and in Germany platinum) and all of the songs were danced in the
big European discoteques. The front cover of
CATCH THE
CATCH shows the portrait of a gorgeous black cat — C.C.Catch's favourite pet. (Also, Mortjee is Caro's sweet cat that she takes so much care of. For her, Mortjee is like her own child).
By 1986 at Hansa Records will be
released 2 singles: "Strangers by night" which proves to be more successful than the first two, and, in November, "Heartbreak Hotel" which will also be included in her second album. During this unforgettable period in C.C.Catch's career the loyal fans of Modern Talking as same as any other radio listeners became somehow skeptical of the C.C.
Catch sound. Therefore, C.C.
Catch will be accused of sounding too similar with Modern Talking. Although being hit from behind, in the middle of her famous reputation and unprotected by anyone from Hansa Label Records or where-so-ever, in front of these crtics
Caro explaines to everybody in a very mannerable way: "
Dieter Bohlen is my producer and Modern Talking's producer as well. He also writes the songs for both of us so his influence is obvious in my songs...but I hope that with
time, I have my own defined style".
So....WELCOME TO MY HEARTBREAK HOTEL will be
released during the Christmas
time of 1986. This
time C.C.Catch's second
album will be sold in much more copies than was known with
CATCH THE CATCH. The new results of C.C.Catch's success really begins to speak in its full musical language: WELCOME TO HEARTBREAK HOTEL has a better production and it contains 10 songs.
The need for a new C.C.
Catch single is fully completed: "Heaven and hell" — the best C.C.
Catch song ever
released by a German Record Company. This song will stay more than 3 weeks in top 10 all together with the past
single "Heartbreak Hotel". Once with the release of "Heaven and Hell" it is also produced the videoclip for "Heartbreak Hotel"...a very terrific video containing images of scary panteras and spiders lurking in the dark. On the other hand, people were becoming more passionate of her personal life as a whole: C.C.
Catch looks beautiful and she is not married yet. Therefore, it was expecting the third
single from WELCOME TO HEARTBREAK HOTEL
album,. The third
single was supposed to be: "Tears won't wash away my heartache". Unfortunatelly, for some unknown reasons it wasn't
released at all.
In the summer of 1987, a new song from C.C.
Catch is played in all the European radio stations: "Are you man enough ?"...A new song for her third
album, un
released at that
time, and also...a
big success. About its title,
Caro sustaines that the song talks about "those boys who only show off in front of girls but which are nothing after all". Immediately after that, a video version of "Are you man enough ?" will be released. This will also show her last appearence of a C.C.
Catch with long hair. Mentioning about this aspect it is revealed the fact that...
Caro has a short haircut while releasing her third studio album. Otherwise, a changed
Caro and a new
single, "Soul survivor", will impress again the music audience and thousands of C.C.
Catch fans will name her idol as remarkable as the "DISCO QUEEN". Certainly, "Soul survivor" has to go straight to number one position in most of the European clubs and discoteques. During this
time, Thomas Anders leaves Modern talking, and some rumours begin hoaxing the press that C.C.
Catch would take Thomas' place in Modern Talking. Finally...after some silence,
Dieter Bohlen forms a new band intitulated Blue System and Modern Talking, the best sleazy hi-energy band; a group loved by every teenager or club dancer who ever listent to the Eurobeats of the 80's, is gone...
Taking advantage of her success with "Soul survivor", a third
album, "Like a hurricane", it is released. The
album contains 9 songs from which 3 of them are maxi versions ("Good guys only win in movies", "Soul survivor" and "Midnight gambler").
This
album brings her more success and it is
time for
Caro to be seen LIVE as well. An European tour will start in the spring of 1988, and C.C.
Catch will perform in Germany, Holland, Spain, Belgium, Luxembourg, Denmark, Sweden, Italy, and generally in Eastern Europe.
In May (1988), "House of mystic lights" it is released. A videoclip will be shot in Las Vegas and the song will include a rap sung by the famous artist Captain Hollywood. The
single will become a hit and a dance version on the compilation: DIAMONDS. Noticing the 2 bonus tracks from this album: "Don't shoot my Sheriff tonight" and "Do you love as you look ?", DIAMONDS is definitely sold as a best seller.
Being too much concerned of the fact that her music was very similar to Blue System and Modern Talking ones, C.C.
Catch thought her critics are right and asks
Dieter Bohlen if she could also write some of the songs for the next album. Dieter's answer is very short and sober: NO. He will claim to remain her still and only producer who will continue to take care of all the C.C.
Catch lyrics. The chances for writing songs for
Caro are none to what was understood as EVERYTHING MUST BE UNDER DIETER'S CONTROL.
For a moment, C.C.
Catch wants to break all the relations with
Dieter but her good personality and the help of the international director of BMG, Mr.Ariola, allow a fifth
album to be still released.
Therefore, at the end of 1988, the
single "Backseat of your Cadillac" is released.
In her last performances while recording the videoclip "Backseat of your Cadillac", C.C.
Catch seems to reveal her happines being awared that
BIG FUN will be her the last
album with
Dieter Bohlen.
The ultimate hit
single is "Nothing but a heartache" which will remain the last C.C.
Catch single who will still reach the top 10 from Germany and Holland.
All in all,
Dieter and
Caro worked together until the end of 1989. Twelve singles and six albums were recorded from then.
In 1989, C.C.
Catch intends to change her style reasoning Dieter's lyrics being too simply written. This
time, the C.C.
Catch sound differs a lot from what was previously known as "sleazy hi-nrg". In the summer of 1989, while C.C.
Catch is still in London, a new compilation will be
released in Germany and other countries from Europe: SUPER 20. The only
single that will come out is the classic "Summer kisses". Although it is a great song, it doesn't become a
big success. However,
big rumours begin to extend and C.C.Catch's fans seem to realise something was going wrong...it was either her or Dieter.
When C.C.
Catch was in London recording "
Big time": the first song without Dieter's production, by that
time, she was afraid of being unable to use her artistic name, C.C.
Catch, as it was registered by Dieter. Finally, after
big fights between
Caro and
Dieter in courts, an economical agreement will allow C.C.
Catch to be able to use her name again.
Once with the end of
Dieter Bohlen's sound, a new life will start in a New York's Eve, in Spain, when she will be introduced to SIMON NAPIER BELL (ex-manager of WHAM!, GEORGE MICHAEL). While moving for a while in London, Caroline Muller visits Simon and asks him if he might be interested in her ?! And...he is. Thereafter, Simon &
Caro begin to prepare a new
album with other producers such as: AVENUE, ANDY TAYLOR (ex-Duran Duran), JO DWORNIAK, DAVE CLAYTON, who worked with Trannsvision Vamp, etc...C.C.
Catch leaves Hansa & BMG while becoming a member of Polygram (Metronome).
The first
single comes out as "
Big time". The sound is much different to what C.C.
Catch have done before. Instead, a videoclip will be made where she will reveal again her artistic beauty...at this
time in a new experienced way:
Caro with dark curly hair.
"I feel very happy. It is the first
time I've been in the production of an
album from the beginning till the end. Nobody has taken any decision without asking an opinion and I've co-written 7 of the songs. I think it is going to be a good and
big time for me". So, the first
single without any of Mr.Bohlen's contributions, "
Big time", is
released at the end of 1989, and in the same
time BMG "happens" to release her
single "Baby I need your love" and the compilation CLASSICS including only
Dieter Bohlen's old hits. This will be one of the causes why "
Big time" will not be a success at that time. Also, when the second
single, "Midnight hour", is
released, BMG publishes "Good guys only win in movies" and in Spain "The decade 7" remix". This is what we can call a "boicot" from BMG and
Dieter Bohlen versus C.C.Catch's new
album and singles.
As far as anyone can see the war between BMG Record Label and C.C.Catch's new recordings is becoming a solid fact.
Talking about HEAR WHAT I SAY, the first
album without
Dieter Bohlen — such as the title was meant to explain to him: Caroline Muller wants to HEAR WHAT SHE SAYS rather than only paying attention to
Dieter Bohlen's words, C.C.
Catch sings in a lot of different ways and her voice is, actually, pretty difficult to be recognized in songs like "I'm gonna miss you" & "Backgirl". The truth is C.C.
Catch has more quality than the previous albums while the songs are different than the previous ones.
After this
album C.C.
Catch hasn't
released any more things. However she seems to come back to the music scene in 1998. She is cought in the act singing together with the rap singer Krayzee in most of the central Europe such coutries as Germany and Spain.
Right after the come back of Modern talking in 1998, C.C.
Catch is back only for singing. Caro's relation to
Dieter is still same as before. They don't work together but they are still friends. In 1998, BMG releases a new C.C.
Catch collection called BEST OF '98 and a MEGAMIX containing C.C.Catch's best
Dieter Bholen produced hits. But still nothing new for the old fans other than updating the old
Dieter Bholen's compositions to a more qualitative sound.
Caro's success was and will always be there...with or without
Dieter Bholen's support. She will still be same
Caro and fans will always buy her cds and tapes either in Germany, Spain, Russia, Hong Kong, Africa or...as far as in North and South America.
At this moment (1999),
Caro has material written for an eventual new
album ready to be
released whenever the
time is right. Her experience of being in the music business over 15 years makes all C.C.
Catch fans to keep Caro's rear songs and videos still alive.
Source:
http://www.geocities.com/SunsetStrip/Alley/4741/cccatch.html