Echter Multikulturalismus
Decades ago when I was learning German, I developed a liking for the music of Heino Kramm, a singer known for his deep voice and the dark glasses he invariably wore, who specialized in rocked-up versions of traditional German folk and patriotic songs. Despite his somewhat stiff and conservative image, his clear enunciation and the fairly simple vocabulary used in his songs made him a natural for a learner trying to get familiar with the language.
Another singer whom I came to like was Nina Hagen, the notoriously bizarre and iconoclastic opera-trained punk rocker originally from East Germany, whose vocal range seemed greater than what it should be physically possible for a human being to produce. Themes found in her songs included drugs, ghosts, lesbianism, nightmares, flying saucers, abortion, death, and God.
It would be hard to imagine two more dissimilar performers, so I was surprised to find this video of them singing a duet (in Anglo-Saxon terms, this would be a bit like Lawrence Welk doing a duet with Johnny Rotten) and apparently getting along fine. At least for some people, being cultural opposites doesn't have to mean culture wars.
I should note that Nina Hagen (whom I've seen perform live) is much more subdued here than usual; a more typical example of her act can be seen in Unbeschreiblich weiblich (Indescribably Female), a song in praise of abortion -- yes, really!
The chorus translates:
Why should I fulfill my duty?
For whom? For them? For you? For me?
I have no desire to fulfill my duty!
Not for you, not for me, I have no duty!
The rest is in the same general spirit. There is also Auf'm Bahnhof Zoo (At the Zoo Station):
It strikes me that popular music these days has become rather tame compared to back then. At least we've still got Rammstein.
Another singer whom I came to like was Nina Hagen, the notoriously bizarre and iconoclastic opera-trained punk rocker originally from East Germany, whose vocal range seemed greater than what it should be physically possible for a human being to produce. Themes found in her songs included drugs, ghosts, lesbianism, nightmares, flying saucers, abortion, death, and God.
It would be hard to imagine two more dissimilar performers, so I was surprised to find this video of them singing a duet (in Anglo-Saxon terms, this would be a bit like Lawrence Welk doing a duet with Johnny Rotten) and apparently getting along fine. At least for some people, being cultural opposites doesn't have to mean culture wars.
I should note that Nina Hagen (whom I've seen perform live) is much more subdued here than usual; a more typical example of her act can be seen in Unbeschreiblich weiblich (Indescribably Female), a song in praise of abortion -- yes, really!
The chorus translates:
Why should I fulfill my duty?
For whom? For them? For you? For me?
I have no desire to fulfill my duty!
Not for you, not for me, I have no duty!
The rest is in the same general spirit. There is also Auf'm Bahnhof Zoo (At the Zoo Station):
It strikes me that popular music these days has become rather tame compared to back then. At least we've still got Rammstein.
posted by Infidel753 at 1:09 AM
5 Comments:
Wow she pretty cool - I have heard of her but I cannot tell you where or when. She was probably on a compilation album I listened back in my punk years.
Did you see the duet of David Bowie and Bing Crosby singing "The Little Drummer Boy"? Similar vibe, Bowie in suit and tie. Well done, but min blowing collaboration.
Lady M: She's an interesting character. Later in life she turned Christian and her material got more conventional, but a lot of her earlier work is still available on YouTube here and there.
Bob: Never heard of that -- I'll see if I can find it.
While not my kind of music, I really liked the videos.
Thanks for giving them a watch! Obviously tastes in music vary, but I hoped people would find them of interest as something different.
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