Oh, Vienna: And Other Stories

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In a July 2008 New York Times article, Joel cited this as one of his two favorite songs, along with “Summer, Highland Falls”. Official Singles Chart Top 75". Official Charts Company. 8–14 February 1981 . Retrieved 8 February 2016. The most telling element is that ‘Vienna’ references ‘the warmth of your hand.’ Although there is an unrequited love aspect to ‘The Third Man,’ there is no interaction between characters that would really qualify as ‘warmth.’ This line seems very out-of-place for a reference to ‘The Third Man.’

In the evenings, there’s a wealth of food and drink options to explore in the district, from Das Eduard’s pita burgers on its outdoor terrace, to indie bar ein affee and wine haven Reinwein. Vegetarians can enjoy the secluded delights of restaurant and art gallery Hollerei, a short walk from Meidling Hauptstrasse station.

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The song is heard on Professor Grisenko's Walkman in the Doctor Who episode 'Cold War', set in 1983.

The song is played in the season finale of 13 Reasons Why, over Hannah Baker's final message to Clay Jensen. It is also featured during the intro of the final episode of The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story, as Andrew Cunanan (played by Darren Criss) shoots and murders Gianni Versace (played by Édgar Ramírez). a b Copsey, Rob (5 March 2021). "The Official Top 50 best-selling songs of 1981". Official Charts Company. Midge Ure himself has provided the answer as to what the song is about (as per MrLongrove's posts). We now know what the song is about, but there is a lingering question. Were some of the atmospherics in the song influenced by 'The Third Man'? After all, Midge himself admitted he'd never been to the city when they'd written the song in 1979.

A conclusion could easily be drawn between the atmosphere of the song and the atmosphere of the movie. However, I believe this connection to be simple co-incidence, a connection that appears to exist yet is in fact something unrelated. (I think the connection between the 'Wizard of Oz' with the sound off and the Pink Floyd Album 'Dark Side of the Moon' is an excellent example of this sort of co-incidence. The emotions on the album match that on the screen, but was not deliberate).

The gravestone in the video and on the single cover is part of the grave of Carl Schweighofer, and is found on the Zentralfriedhof in Vienna. Schweighofer was a famous Austrian piano manufacturer.

However, it had to make do with peaking at number two for several weeks, famously being kept off the top spot by novelty song 'Shaddap You Face' by Joe Dolce. At the time, it was said that the song was inspired by the 1948 film The Third Man, which is based around the Austrian capital of Vienna.The song is regarded as a staple of the synth-pop genre that was popularised in the early 1980s. The song was also performed at the 1985 Live Aid concert in Wembley Stadium. It remains Ultravox's signature song, being their most commercially successful release and is often performed live by Ure in solo performances. Stefano Lazzarini from RomaMost probably my favourite song. Heard it for the first time in a dark Dorset night and I was suddenly caught in the crepuscule of Vienna of the emperors and their ephemeral glory, masterfully depicted in an aura of haunting melancholy: in a word, decadence. Years gone by, but that feeling is still there everytime I listen to it. Robertson’s enthusiasm for his subject carries across in the breadth of accounts and the fine detail throughout. An impressive work of research, the book is a comprehensive history that in its best moments, manages to find fresh nuance in an already storied city' The gravestone that is shown in the video and on the single cover is part of the grave of the Austrian piano manufacturer Carl Schweighofer, and is located in the Zentralfriedhof in Vienna.

Garcia, Alex S. "Ultravox - Vienna (version 1: concept)". Music Video Database . Retrieved 26 July 2009.Angus Robertson with his intimate knowledge of the city has brilliantly chronicled Vienna's history through the centuries and illustrated it with innumerable vignettes from contemporary observers. He has succeeded in painting a thoroughly enjoyable portrait of a great international capital' Offiziellecharts.de – Ultravox – Vienna" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved 28 September 2021. Barnes, Anthony (31 December 2012). "Ultravox hit 'Vienna' named nation's favourite number two single". The Independent. Archived from the original on 17 August 2022. History has been shaped by scores of figures influenced by their time in Vienna, including: Empress Maria Theresa, Count Metternich, Bertha von Suttner, Theodore Herzl, Gustav Mahler, Adolf Hitler, Josef Stalin, John F. Kennedy and many others. In a city of great composers and thinkers it is here that both the most positive and destructive ideas of recent history have developed. Vienna" is a song by British new wave band Ultravox from their 1980 fourth studio album of the same name. It was released as the album's third single on 9 January 1981 by Chrysalis Records [2] and features Midge Ure singing the lead vocal.