Shlager
Shlager (German
Schlager) is a style of
popular music that is prevalent in northern
Europe, in particular
Germany and
Scandinavia, but also to a lesser extent in
France,
Belgium and the
Netherlands. It is characterised by sweet, overly sentimental
ballads, usually sung by a female vocalist, usually with a simple and memorable melody. The style is frequently represented at the
Eurovision Song Contest, and has been popular since the
1950s. While at one time music of this style was also fairly popular in the
UK and
USA, it now sounds very old fashioned and is now rarely heard in those countries.