Lolita version

Prior to "Seemann (Deine Heimat ist das Meer)", Viennese singer Lolita had based her career on schlager numbers with Latin or Polynesian themes. Making her recording debut in 1957, Lolita had had four Top 20 hits on the German charts notably with "Der Weiße Mond Von Maratonga" (number 2, 1957). This was her career best charting as in 1958–59 Lolita's seventh through eleventh single releases all peaked outside the Top 20.

"Seemann..." was recorded by Lolita in a 15 December 1959 session at the Austrophon-Schallplatten-Studio located in the Konzerthaus, Vienna, overseen by Gerhard Mendelson (de) The song's composers Werner Scharfenberger—who was the regular conductor on Lolita's recordings—and Fini Busch had written "Der weiße Mond von Maratonga" and other songs previously recorded by Lolita: however it was another track from the 15 December session which was intended to be Lolita's next A-side release: a cover of the Italian single "Quando la luna" by Corrado Lojacono entitled "La Luna", "Seemann..." having been expediently written to serve as a B-side. Lyricist Fini Busch recalled that she and Scharfenberger "were commissioned to write a song completely 'on the fly'" to serve as B-side for the completed track "La Luna"; "the producer said 'I couldn't care less. Write anything you want to back it'."^[1] However it was "Seemann..." which entered Germany's Top 20 in March 1960: peaking at number two that June. It remained in the Top 20 for ten months and was the fourth biggest hit in Germany for the year 1960. ("La Luna" would have a belated turn as an A-side reaching number thirty on the German charts in December 1960.) ^[2]

After Decca Records, who had first refusal on US release for Polydor recordings, passed on "Seemann..." the track was optioned by Kapp Records,^[3] a US independent label headed by Decca president Jack Kapp's brother David Kapp.^[4] "Banjo-Boy" a German number one hit sung in German by Jan and Kjeld (de) had recently afforded Kapp Records a regional US hit with a number fifty-eight peak on the Billboard Hot 100 in Billboard magazine, and the label evidently saw potential for similar success with "Seemann..." by Lolita. To increase the appeal of "Seemann..." for the US market, a section spoken in English by Maureen René (de) was overdubbed on to the track at Polydor Studio Hamburg (Rahlstedt). For writing the new English recitation the name of Alan Holt—a pseudonym for label head David Kapp—was listed with Werner Scharfenberger and Fini Busch in the songwriting credits for the modified version of "Seemann..., which was re-titled "Sailor (Your Home is On the Sea)" and issued in the US in September 1961.

After breaking in San Francisco and Chicago "Sailor" made its Billboard Hot 100 debut at number seventy-six on the chart dated 24 October 1960 to rise to a Hot 100 peak of number five in December 1960,^[5] becoming the first German-language song to rise to the US Top Ten, a feat repeated only in 1984 by the number two hit "99 Luftballons" by Nena and in 1986 by the number one hit "Rock Me Amadeus" by Falco (musician). In the wake of Lolita's success, her album Unvergessene Melodien was issued in America by Kapp under the title Sailor, Sailor and Lolita's Greatest Hits, and a second single, "Cowboy Jimmy Joe (Die Sterne der Prarie)," was also released, though it failed to enter the Hot 100.

The strong US response to "Sailor..." has been attributed to the then-current immense US media interest in Germany due to the political situation in Berlin and also Elvis Presley's serving in the US Army's Third Armored Division along the East-West German border.^[6] At the same time "Sailor" rode the U.S. charts, the German melodies "Wonderland by Night" and "Calcutta" were becoming number one hits in instrumental versions by Bert Kaempfert and Lawrence Welk respectively, with "Wonderland..." also reaching the Top 20 in an English-language vocal version by Anita Bryant. Later in 1961, Joe Dowell had a number one hit with his cover of Presley's take on the German folk song "Muss I Denn" titled "Wooden Heart", sung partially in German. A spate of other German-language 45s by other artists such as Willy Millowitsch, Heidi Bruehl, and Marlene Stolz, were also issued in the United States, although none of these were successful.^[7]

"Sailor..." also afforded Lolita a hit in Australia (number six), Japan (Top Ten), and the Netherlands (number seven). In New Zealand it reached number eight despite the number one ranking achieved there by the Petula Clark's English-language rendering "Sailor". "Seemann..." was also a hit in Flemish Belgium reaching number twelve co-ranked with Petula Clark's English rendition "Sailor". Lolita's "Seemann..." had its most intense chart impact in Norway where it was number one for nine weeks in the spring of 1961 with sales of 50,000 units recognized in October 1961 with the awarding of a Gold Disc.^[8] In Sweden "Seemann..." reached number five co-ranked with the local cover version "Sjöman" by Towa Carson: however Lolita's "Seemann..." was number one for a total of eleven weeks (3 February-21 April 1961) according to the Swedish music paper Show Business.

On 17 January 1961 Lolita was awarded a gold record for sales of one million units for "Seemann (Deine Heimat Ist Das Meer)" in Germany: the eventual estimate for global sales of her single ""Seemann (Deine Heimat Ist Das Meer)"/ "Sailor (Your Home is the Sea)" was two million units.

Lolita can be heard singing "Seemann..." on the soundtrack of the film Schick Deine Frau nicht nach Italien (de) which premiered 22 September 1960.

Lolita re-recorded "Seemann... for her 1973 album Seemannslieder while a later re-recording reportedly from the late 1980s was remixed as a dance track in 2006 and issued as Seemann 2006.

Dickie Goodman's 1961 novelty single, "The Touchables," included a sample from "Seemann..." as the Touchables' oath, which they sang repeatedly.^[9]

Remakes in German

In 1984, "99 Luftballons" by the group Nena reached number two on the Billboard Hot 100, ousting Lolita's "Seemann..." as the highest charting US hit sung in German. Coincidentally in 2008 the former vocalist of that group who pursued a solo career as Nena recorded "Seemann..." as "Seemann, lass das Träumen" for a multi-artist album of nautical-themed songs entitled Captains Club - Bis Ans Ende der Welt.

"Seemann..." has also been remade by Manuela as "Seemann, deine Heimat ist das Meer" for her 1964 self-titled album, by the Günter Kallmann (de) Chor as "Seemann" for their 1965 album Serenade am Meer; by Freddy Quinn as "Seemann deine Heimat ist das Meer" for his 1969 album Freddy auf hoher See; by United Balls (de) as "Seemann (deine Heimat ist das Meer)" for their 1982 album Lieder fremder Völker; by Klaus & Klaus (de) as "Seemann (Deine Heimat ist das Meer) on a 2007 EP; by Géraldine Olivier as "Seemann, deine Heimat ist das Meer" for her 2009 album Maritime Welthits der 50er und 60er; by Oesch’s die Dritten as "Seemann-Medley" (medley of "Seemann deine Heimat ist das Meer" and "Aloha ʻOe") their 2007 Jodel-Time album; and by Andrea Berg whose dance-pop remake - entitled "Seemann, deine Heimat ist das Meer" - was included on the deluxe version (known as the "Tour Edition") of her 2011 album Schwerelos.

Bobby Helms remade "Seeman..." under the title "Sailor (Your Home is on the Sea). His version, recorded 29 October 1965 in Nashville, was issued in January 1966 both as the B-side of his single "Those Snowy Blowy Glowy Days of Winter" and on Helms' album I'm the Man.

The Swedish dansband Vikingarna used the German title "Seemann" for the instrumental version of the song featured on their 1977 album Kramgoa Låtar 5.