There’s a new magical word at the Eurovision Song Contest: “Abrakadabra!” This time, it signals what Germany truly desires.
As the lights of ESC 2024 dim, the spotlight soon catches two men in strikingly colourful suits. The title card reveals them as “Bodo Wartke and Marti Fischer – Barbara’s Rhubarb Bar – representing Germany”.
Before the new commentator—who has big shoes to fill, replacing Peter Urban—can even attempt the tongue-twisting title, the opening lyrics already echo through the venue:
“Once in a quaint little town, there lived a girl named Barbara.”
This scene could very well unfold, if a significant number of Germans get their way, having been captivated by Bodo Wartke and Marti Fischer’s tongue-twister rap.
Let’s start from the beginning.
Bodo Wartke, a German musical cabaret artist with 25 years in the industry, wanted to reach a new audience. Disinterested in daily vlogs and similar content, he decided to dive into the world of TikTok with tongue-twister raps. These include not only Barbara and her rhubarb cake but also “The Thick Roof Tiler”. Both exploded in popularity, causing quite the stir on TikTok.
The impact was monumental. Soon, every influencer in Germany seemed to be jumping on the Barbara fan train, creating their own videos. Take, for instance, Sally from “Sally’s World”, a well-known baking influencer:
Bodo shares this fame with Marti Fischer, who has been posting videos on YouTube since 2007 and has devoted himself to music since 2017. He is the co-author of the famous rhubarb hit.
Here’s the really interesting part: Bodo Wartke and Marti Fischer’s song didn’t just go viral in German-speaking areas. The rap was celebrated internationally, to the extent that, according to a TikTok user, it was even played in bookstores in New York.
Moreover, the dance that accompanies the song—which naturally also originated on TikTok—was created by a user from Australia! Thus, Bodo and Marti are not just a hit in Germany—they are winning hearts globally.