Stewart
Active Member
Rammstein; Germany's bestselling band
The rise of German band Rammstein is certainly an anomaly given the anglocentric nature of the music industry. That the band should decide to sing in their mother tongue, you would think, would prevent them from making it big outside their nation but, to their credit, they have avoided the restrained success of other German acts such as Tocotronic and, er, Herbert Grönemeyer and have achieved considerable success with their own brand of danceable metal.
Their popularity, I believe, is down to two things: pounding anthemic rock (to the power of ten) mixed with epic pyrotechnical displays during concerts that see guitars, microphone stands, and the vocalist, Till Lindemann, going up in flames. The band formed in 1993, named themselves after an airfield where an American plane crashed*, and, twelve years, later have released five albums, each of which shows a measured progression from an early mix of industrial rock and electronica to flirting with Eastern sounds and mariachi bands.
Notice, however, that I didn’t make mention of their lyrics as being related to their success. The songs, however, are one of the better parts of Rammstein’s act and it is unfortunate that many don’t take the time to understand what the band are singing about and, instead, shake their heads vigorously to the music singing absent-mindedly along with Till’s deep Teutonic vocals. The lyrics take many forms: wordplay, literary references, and a degree of humour. The latter, especially, seems to have gone over the heads of the average Rammstein fan.
Their first album, Herzeleid (Heartache), was released in 1995 and caused controversy. The cover featured the naked torsos of the band’s six members and some drew comparisons that the band were trying to market themselves as an example of the master race which, of course, the band refuted. A new cover was eventually released. The other controversial thing about the album was the thematical content; the songs covered rape, necrophilia, bestiality, stalking, and more, although they were never gratuitous, the necrophilia track, for example, being a reflection on past lovers. The final track, entitled Ramstein, was a tribute to the aforementioned air disaster.
In 1997 Rammstein released Sehnsucht (Longing), an album of sexual deviancy that brought them wider appeal. Song titles, once translated, read like the Marquis de Sade’s to-do list: Bestrage mich (Punish me), Bück dich (Bend Over), and Spiel mit mir (Play With Me). Being Rammstein, of course, the vulgarity in the songs was left implied rather than stated with the use of metaphor. Musically, the guitar tour de force came more to the fore, with the keyboard punctuating the songs at the right moments rather than playing a prominent part in the music. The band’s songs, with this album, became even more anthemic and this certainly played a part in their growing success as it seen, by some, as their breakthrough album. Sehnsucht, on special editions, also contained their first song in English, a cover of Depeche Mode’s Stripped. The song Engel (Angel) was their first to use a female vocalist in Bobo from the preposterously titled Bobo in White Wooden Houses.
After four years in which the band almost split, the third studio album, Mutter (Mother), was released. Featuring improved production and cleaner guitars the critics didn’t seem to see the point going with the “if you have one Rammstein album why would you need another one?” argument but, in my opinion, it was another step in the progression of the band. Sure, the deep voice was the same, the anthemic guitars, etc. but this time they were accompanied by a string orchestra; and gone were the dark, sexual themes, and in came a strange lyrical direction: German nursery rhymes were blended with military themes to create an interesting social commentary. The title track explored the birth of a child without recognised biological parents in a nod to genetic engineering, Sonne (Sun) alluded to the dropping of bombs and their aftermath, and Ich Will (I Want) commented upon the media’s continual hunt for a good story and the way in which the criminal can sometimes be lauded. One track, Links 2, 3, 4 (Left 2, 3, 4) was a response to all those who had branded the band as fascists and featured the lines “Sie woollen mein Herz am rechten Fleck / doch she ich dann nach unten weg / da schlägt es links” (They want my heart on the right spot / but then I look below / it beats on the left) as a way of saying that their politics was not right-wing. The irony, of course, is that the Links, 2, 3, 4 refrain is militaristic which only creates the image of soldiers marching into Poland whilst singing Rammstein songs.
The rise of German band Rammstein is certainly an anomaly given the anglocentric nature of the music industry. That the band should decide to sing in their mother tongue, you would think, would prevent them from making it big outside their nation but, to their credit, they have avoided the restrained success of other German acts such as Tocotronic and, er, Herbert Grönemeyer and have achieved considerable success with their own brand of danceable metal.
Their popularity, I believe, is down to two things: pounding anthemic rock (to the power of ten) mixed with epic pyrotechnical displays during concerts that see guitars, microphone stands, and the vocalist, Till Lindemann, going up in flames. The band formed in 1993, named themselves after an airfield where an American plane crashed*, and, twelve years, later have released five albums, each of which shows a measured progression from an early mix of industrial rock and electronica to flirting with Eastern sounds and mariachi bands.
Notice, however, that I didn’t make mention of their lyrics as being related to their success. The songs, however, are one of the better parts of Rammstein’s act and it is unfortunate that many don’t take the time to understand what the band are singing about and, instead, shake their heads vigorously to the music singing absent-mindedly along with Till’s deep Teutonic vocals. The lyrics take many forms: wordplay, literary references, and a degree of humour. The latter, especially, seems to have gone over the heads of the average Rammstein fan.
Their first album, Herzeleid (Heartache), was released in 1995 and caused controversy. The cover featured the naked torsos of the band’s six members and some drew comparisons that the band were trying to market themselves as an example of the master race which, of course, the band refuted. A new cover was eventually released. The other controversial thing about the album was the thematical content; the songs covered rape, necrophilia, bestiality, stalking, and more, although they were never gratuitous, the necrophilia track, for example, being a reflection on past lovers. The final track, entitled Ramstein, was a tribute to the aforementioned air disaster.
In 1997 Rammstein released Sehnsucht (Longing), an album of sexual deviancy that brought them wider appeal. Song titles, once translated, read like the Marquis de Sade’s to-do list: Bestrage mich (Punish me), Bück dich (Bend Over), and Spiel mit mir (Play With Me). Being Rammstein, of course, the vulgarity in the songs was left implied rather than stated with the use of metaphor. Musically, the guitar tour de force came more to the fore, with the keyboard punctuating the songs at the right moments rather than playing a prominent part in the music. The band’s songs, with this album, became even more anthemic and this certainly played a part in their growing success as it seen, by some, as their breakthrough album. Sehnsucht, on special editions, also contained their first song in English, a cover of Depeche Mode’s Stripped. The song Engel (Angel) was their first to use a female vocalist in Bobo from the preposterously titled Bobo in White Wooden Houses.
After four years in which the band almost split, the third studio album, Mutter (Mother), was released. Featuring improved production and cleaner guitars the critics didn’t seem to see the point going with the “if you have one Rammstein album why would you need another one?” argument but, in my opinion, it was another step in the progression of the band. Sure, the deep voice was the same, the anthemic guitars, etc. but this time they were accompanied by a string orchestra; and gone were the dark, sexual themes, and in came a strange lyrical direction: German nursery rhymes were blended with military themes to create an interesting social commentary. The title track explored the birth of a child without recognised biological parents in a nod to genetic engineering, Sonne (Sun) alluded to the dropping of bombs and their aftermath, and Ich Will (I Want) commented upon the media’s continual hunt for a good story and the way in which the criminal can sometimes be lauded. One track, Links 2, 3, 4 (Left 2, 3, 4) was a response to all those who had branded the band as fascists and featured the lines “Sie woollen mein Herz am rechten Fleck / doch she ich dann nach unten weg / da schlägt es links” (They want my heart on the right spot / but then I look below / it beats on the left) as a way of saying that their politics was not right-wing. The irony, of course, is that the Links, 2, 3, 4 refrain is militaristic which only creates the image of soldiers marching into Poland whilst singing Rammstein songs.
