Netflix documentary “Babo – The Arrest Warrant Story” brings Reinhard Mey chart success with “In My Garden” after 55 years.
More than five decades after the release of his song “In my Garden,” German singer-songwriter Reinhard Mey is making a big comeback. The trigger is the Netflix documentary “Babo – The Arrest Warrant Story”, which sheds light on the life and career of the rapper arrest warrant. In one scene of the film, the rapper hears Mey’s piece and sings along with it – a moment that touched many viewers and brought the piece new attention and chart placement.
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“Thank you, Aykut” – Reinhard Mey thanks the arrest warrant
The 82-year-old musician responded to the sudden success with a personal message to arrest warrant. On his website he wrote: “Thank you, Aykut, for your affection and everything that is currently blooming in our garden.” With this, Mey not only alludes to the chart success of the song “In my Garden,” but also acknowledges the unexpected connection between two generations of German music. Arrest Warrant, real name Aykut Anhan, included the song in the official soundtrack for the documentary – for personal reasons, as he reveals in the documentary.
Highest single chart success of his career
According to GfK Entertainment, “In My Garden” reached number 15 in the German single charts – the highest ranking for a single in Mey’s decades-long career. The singer had previously reached the top of the German album charts with some of his albums, but his singles failed to achieve any major chart placements. “Annabelle, oh Annabelle” (1972) and “Mann aus Alemannia” (1974) were the only songs to date that brought him minor chart successes.
When songwriter meets rap
The combination of Reinhard Mey’s poetic songcraft and arrest warrant’s modern rap symbolizes the diversity of the German musical landscape. While Mey is considered one of the most important songwriters of the 1970s with over 30 albums, arrest warrant has been one of the most important voices in German hip hop for over a decade. The mutual respect between both artists makes it clear that musical boundaries can blur across styles and generations.