"Cheri, Cheri Lady" is a song by German pop duo Modern Talking from their second studio album, Let's Talk About Love (1985). It was released as the album's only single on 2 September 1985 and reached number one on the German Singles Chart, becoming the duo's third consecutive number-one single in West Germany, following "You're My Heart, You're My Soul" and "You Can Win If You Want". The single spent four weeks at the top and a total of 24 weeks on the German chart, and eventually went gold, selling over 250,000 units. "Cheri, Cheri Lady" has also been certified silver in France, denoting sales in excess of 250,000 units.
Lyrics It is a love song: in the lyrics, a man, alone for too long, invites a woman to give him her heart.
Music video The music video was filmed at villa Lenbach at Prinz-Karl-Straße 46 in Starnberg-Söcking. It was designed by Gabriel von Seidl. It is presumed that it used to be one of the houses of Nora Balling and Thomas Anders, or it was owned by Nora's uncle. Nora who was Thomas Anders' wife at the time.
Dieter did not seem to mind the idea. According to Thomas himself, he could not do anything on his own during the filming, as Nora had hidden in the back of a Ferrari while he drove in front of the camera and was giving him instructions on how to act via walkie-talkie.
Track listings 7-inch single "Cheri, Cheri Lady" – 3:45 "Cheri, Cheri Lady" (Instrumental) – 3:37
12-inch maxi-single "Cheri, Cheri Lady" (Special Dance Version) – 4:52 "Cheri, Cheri Lady" (Instrumental) – 3:37
Charts
Weekly charts + Weekly chart performance for "Cheri, Cheri Lady" Chart (1985–1986) Peakposition Denmark (IFPI) 3 Europe (European Hot 100 Singles) 8 Finland (Suomen virallinen lista) 1 Greece (IFPI) 1 Italy (Musica e dischi) Select "Singoli" in the "Tipo" field, type "Cheri cheri lady" in the "Titolo" field and press "cerca". 15 South Africa (Springbok Radio) 13 Spain (AFYVE) 1
Year-end charts + Year-end chart performance for "Cheri, Cheri Lady" Chart (1985) Position Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders) 23 Netherlands (Dutch Top 40) 85 Netherlands (Single Top 100) 86 Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade) 21 West Germany (Official German Charts) 18
Certifications
"Cheri, Cheri Lady '98"
"Cheri, Cheri Lady '98" is the fourth single from Modern Talking's seventh studio album, Back for Good, and also the extended single after the duo's reunion featuring Eric Singleton. "Cheri, Cheri Lady '98" is the re-packaged version of the original 1985 version of "Cheri, Cheri Lady".
Track listing "Cheri, Cheri Lady '98" – 3:04 "Cheri, Cheri Lady '98" (Extended Version) – 4:26
Capital Bra version
German rapper Capital Bra released a German-language version of the song with added rap verses in March 2019. The cover was released following Dieter Bohlen's comments in German media that he did not like modern rappers for flaunting their wealth, saying, "everybody raps about his Maybach but at the end of the day they ride their bicycle home to their two-room flat" and that in 35 years nobody will remember Capital Bra's songs. Although Capital Bra initially criticised Bohlen's comments, the two later appeared in a video together on Instagram announcing the release of the cover. The YouTube video for the song was viewed over 500,000 times on its day of release. The song went on to become Capital Bra's twelfth number-one song in Germany, making him tie the record for having the most number-one singles along with The Beatles.
Charts Weekly charts + Weekly chart performance for "Cheri Lady" Chart (2019) Peakposition
Year-end charts + Year-end chart performance for "Cheri Lady" Chart (2019) Position Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40) 24 Germany (Official German Charts) 21 Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade) 47
Certifications
Maléna version
Armenian singer Maléna released a cover version of the song featuring Armenian producer Tokionine on 23 October 2022. Malena said of the song on her Instagram, "I recorded a cover of a classic European hit from the 1980s because I thought the song would evoke nostalgia in many people". In February 2023, the song went viral on TikTok in Indonesia and Vietnam, reaching the top of the Top 50 Viral on Spotify and iTunes in Vietnam. On 26 February, the song reached the general Top 50 songs in Vietnam on Spotify. The song debuted at number 72 on the Billboard Vietnam Hot 100 list published on 2 March 2023, eventually peaking at number 26 on the list a week later.
Charts + Chart performance for "Cheri Cheri Lady" Chart (2023) Peakposition Vietnam (Vietnam Hot 100) 26
Usage in media "Cheri, Cheri Lady" is featured in the 2017 Indian film Arjun Reddy.
The melody of "Cheri, Cheri Lady" is also used in Teen Titans Go! Season 1, Episode 23: Burgers Vs Burritos.
In 2025, Anders performed a version of the song at the Die Beatrice Egli Show together with the Swiss singer. However, in this performance, the two original verses were replaced by German language ones, but the chorus remained the same, in English. In the first verse, Anders recalled the 1980s as an era defined by excess and color, evoking imagery of flamboyance, spectacle, and commercial success. Egli responded by positioning herself as someone who knows this period only through stories (as she was born in 1988, one year after the first breakup of Modern Talking), expressing both curiosity and admiration for a time she did not personally experience, which she characterized as wild and unrestrained. The verse concluded with Anders saying the world sang the song. The second verse shifted focus from nostalgia to endurance. Egli portrayed Anders as immortal in a metaphorical sense, emphasizing how his work has survived the passage of time. Anders replied with humility, describing longevity in music as a gift. Egli then closed the second verse.
Since 2023, "Cheri, Cheri Lady" has frequently been used in video clips on social media sites, particularly Instagram and YouTube where it has over 976 million views as of September 2026.
See also Lists of number-one singles (Austria) List of number-one hits of 1985 (Germany) List of number-one songs in Norway List of number-one singles of 1986 (Spain) List of number-one singles of the 1980s (Switzerland)
References
External links