What does Till Lindemann sing on the new RAMMSTEIN album? What is the meaning of Rammstein’s songs?
Rammstein did their best this time. Possibly the band’s last album – and definitely the best of them. The music is very good, but the lyrics are just as good. Let’s take a look at each of them to understand what they are about.
1. The meaning of the song “DEUTSCHLAND” (“Germany”)
The main song of the album. The clip on it has caused stormy criticism from political organizations. The group was accused of using the historical tragedies of Germany for marketing purposes. There were also accusations of political incorrectness.
This is the reaction the band wanted. For Rammstein this song is very important. It contains the main thing from the rich emotional experience of the group, accumulated in relation to the history of their country.
The meaning of the song is simple. It can be briefly expressed in the lines “Germany, my heart is on fire / Wants to love you and hate you”). Till Lindemann sings about true patriotism, which includes an understanding not only of achievements, but also of the terrible mistakes of the Motherland.
The clip is more complicated and deserves a separate analysis. 9 minutes of video included a lot of shots with difficult moments in the history of Germany and references to the band’s previous works. But one detail needs to be noted in particular. The dark-skinned woman, the central figure of the video, is the embodiment of Germany. In the finale, she dies after giving birth to several puppies. Many associated this image with the migration problem, seeing in this the degeneration of the nation. But the fact is that the puppies belong to the German breed, that is, the flesh of the German flesh. Needless to say, Rammstein left a wide field for interpretation.
2. The meaning of the song “RADIO” (“Radio”)
Like the first single from Deutschland, Radio’s lyrics are quite simple. In both cases, through the clip, the group moves to another semantic level.
The text deals with the time of isolation and censorship in the GDR. The radio signal from Germany and other countries was a source of information and freedom not controlled by the state.
But why is Rammstein bringing this up now? What the song is really about is clear from the video clip. The video is black and white, but at the end it turns into color, and we see that the EU flags in the frame are not blue, but red. This is an allusion to the flag of the USSR and to the fact that democratic countries, as well as authoritarian ones, use the media as a vehicle for propaganda. This idea runs counter to the text – the lyrical hero is shown that he was mistaken, idealizing the imaginary “freedom” and “truth”.
Of course, this idea is far from the only one in the video: it shows the danger of radical feminism, there is a mockery of consumerism (the battle for the right to buy a radio with the names of members of the Rammstein group, etc.).
3. The meaning of the song “ZEIG DICH” (“Open”)
The message of the song is unequivocal – the denunciation of hypocritical churchmen. “Open up!” – the song says, calling on dishonest clergymen to confess their sins, and not to pretend that they “forgive” others. Words are spoken several times in altered ecclesiastical Latin, alluding to the fact that the Church, for its own benefit, distorts the essence of Christian teaching.
4. The meaning of the song “AUSLANDER” (“Foreigner”)
If you don’t see the music video, you might think it’s a provocative song about sex tourism. In simple terms in various languages, it is about a man who travels the world in search of quick pleasures. But it was obvious to the fans of the group after the release of the single that the song has a social connotation, which will be revealed in the video. This video is the group’s reaction to the migration crisis of 2015 in Europe.
Then a flood of migrants from Africa and the Middle East poured into Europe. They received opportunities and privileges that some Germans consider unnecessary. This is a hot topic, given that many refugees do not even try to integrate into the life of the country.
In the video, this is turned on its head. Members of the group who sought satisfaction of needs find themselves as colonizers in an African tribe. That is, the Germans find themselves in the position of migrants seeking better conditions in another country. And they feel pretty good.
It can be said that Rammstein, without expressing a definite opinion, ridicule the whole situation as a whole.
5. The meaning of the song “SEX” (“Sex”)
Surprisingly, this is just a song about sexual desire.
6. The meaning of the song “PUPPE” (“Doll”)
A song about a child’s psychological trauma that led to serious consequences. In the story, the older sister of the child works as a prostitute at home. So that her brother (apparently already with deviations: “obediently I take the medicine”) does not interfere, she gives him a doll and locks him in another room. Another client kills her, which her brother sees through the keyhole.
After what he sees, he becomes a monster, tears off the doll’s head and bites her neck.
7. The meaning of the song “WAS ICH LIEBE” (“What I love”)
The song is about fatalism and fear of life, presented as a sober and rational view of the world. “Everything I love will die.”
8. The meaning of the song “DIAMANT” (“Diamond”)
A ballad about a beautiful but empty woman. A man wants to see in her something other than a body, but he understands that she is not capable of love. Perhaps the song has an additional meaning: “Diamond” is material values.
9. The meaning of the song “WEIT WEG” (“Far”)
A story about a voyeur – a man spying on a woman in a neighboring house. The name “Far” says what exactly this song is about – although the object of desire is very close, it is far from a real relationship.
10. The meaning of the song “TATTOO” (“Tatu”)
The meaning of this song is that a person is looking for different ways of self-realization, self-expression. Tattoo is one of the surrogate methods. “I’ll fill your name, but if we part, I’ll find another with the same name.”
11. The meaning of the song “HALLOMANN” (“Friendly person”)
Behind the pleasant title in the last song of the album lies a sinister meaning: the main character is a pedophile. He takes the girl to the beach, rapes her, and apparently kills her. Hardly anyone thinks that this is an inappropriate ending for a Rammstein album.
As you can see, this album is good not only for the music, but also for the lyrics.
