The band emerged in 1968 out of the scene of hippies and squatters in Munich, Germany, but their strong interest in music led them to go their own way. They took their name from the old Egyptian name Amon, being an Egyptian sun god, and Düül, a character from Turkish fiction. Their personnel changed constantly, but maybe the most permanent members were Renate Knaup (vocals), Chris Karrer (guitar, violin), John Weinzierl (guitar), Peter Leopold (drums), Falk Rogner (organ, synthesizer). After several successful albums with a style that reached from long improvisation to more structured rock songs they split. Later they tried several resurrections but none of them brought back the old days of glory.
Amon Düül was initially an anarchist commune, but it split into two factions, Amon Düül (sometimes called Amon Düül I for disambiguation) and Amon Düül II. ADI was more politically inclined, but ADII preferred making music. Their anarchist tendencies are clearly seen in their music, especially on the albums Yeti, Tanz Der Lemminge, and Wolf City.
The band can be seen as having two distinct periods in their glory days, the improvisational period and the compositional period. The improvisational period consisted of albums such as Phallus Dei and Yeti, and, to a lesser extent, Tanz Der Lemminge. These albums all featured long, improvisational tracks (Phallus Dei was entirely improvised, and disc two of Yeti was as well, but Tanz Der Lemminge only featured one improvisation). Their compositional period starts with Carnival in Babylon and is highlighted by Wolf City. In this period, the band moved to more structured composed pieces. Many fans saw this as a poor move, but some believed that Amon Duul II proved that they were just as good at composing as they were at improvising.
Amon Düül II's drummer Peter Leopold died on 8 November 2006.
Bass player Lothar Meid died on 3 November 2015.
A Morning Excuse
Amon Düül II Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I thought it was you and I was so fucking proud
Many a friend walks past your hand, I think that's alright
And I don't care anymore about holding you tight
Another girl is going through my mind
[....] only just that I'll be blind
Since I know her I know (?what's beauty?)
Though you pretend you would understand it's easy for me
My head [....] and I got to go, I got to be free
I know that I would meet you [....]
Even you realise that we still stand right were we started
Another girl is going through my mind
[....] only just I'll be blind
Since I know her I know (?what's beauty?)
To keep her happy seems my duty
I'm scared I could do something wrong
So I just write [….] song
The lyrics of Amon Düül II's song "A Morning Excuse" seem to be about a man who is trying to express feelings of uncertainty and detachment to a woman he had been previously involved with, implying that he has fallen in love with someone else. The opening line "Listen to me there's something I can't say loud" suggests the singer is struggling with a sense of discomfort that he cannot vocalize. He then goes on to express his doubts and mixed feelings, stating that he thought she was the one he wanted, but now he is not sure, and he no longer cares about the once-important act of holding her tight. He is struggling with thoughts of another woman, for whom he feels a sense of obligation to keep her happy; this suggests that he is feeling guilty about his emerging feelings for someone else.
The lyrics contain a sense of sadness and resignation - the singer is having difficulty expressing himself, and he is afraid he may do something wrong. The ending line "So I just write…song" implies that his way of dealing with these difficult emotions is to express himself through his music.
Overall, the song is evocative of the difficulties one may face when being honest in a romantic relationship, especially when it comes to expressing conflicted feelings and the potential consequences of doing so.
Line by Line Meaning
Listen to me there's something I can't say loud
I have something to confess but I can't bring myself to articulate it clearly
I thought it was you and I was so fucking proud
I believed I had found something special in you, and was proud to be associated with you
Many a friend walks past your hand, I think that's alright
I've seen other people with you, but I don't feel jealous or threatened by them
And I don't care anymore about holding you tight
I've lost my desire to possess or control you in any way
Another girl is going through my mind
I can't stop thinking about another woman
[....] only just that I'll be blind
She's so captivating that I can hardly think of anything else
Since I know her I know (?what's beauty?)
She's shown me a new standard of beauty that I didn't know existed before
To keep her happy seems my duty
I feel responsible for her happiness and well-being
Though you pretend you would understand it's easy for me
Even though you claim to understand, I don't think you really do
My head [....] and I got to go, I got to be free
My thoughts are jumbled and overwhelming, and I need to escape to clear my mind
I know that I would meet you [....]
I feel certain that we will cross paths again in the future
Even you realise that we still stand right were we started
I think you understand that our relationship hasn't really progressed or changed
I'm scared I could do something wrong
I'm afraid I might make a mistake or hurt someone
So I just write [….] song
Instead of acting impulsively, I'll express my feelings through music as a way to process them
Contributed by Lauren J. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Fernando Palomar
In a normal world, this would be one of the most famous, enjoyed and revered songs of rock history.
Zane Goodeker
Phallus Dei is I think more well known but yeah way way bigger.
Terry Barham
Man was I ahead of my time when I was fifteen. Still have the vinyl. Now I'm just a old fart but this still moves me. They should have been up there with Pink Floyd
SeagreenSerenade
i'm lucky to own an og vinyl copy too... essential :)
Graeme Forsyth
me too
Terry Barham
Graeme Forsyth ~~~~~~~~~~~~{ :-)
amfanmagician
Still have mine, bought when it came out. Love Hijack, too, bought about 3 or 4 of that one.
Mike Hill
I love ❤️ their albums
cyplandscape
Just going thru my vinyl collection. Took this out to listen, original copy is mint!
keltyk
this was the album where they turned more definitely towards being commercial. It's possibly the last one where they retained some of the classic period magic of their earlier albums. And yet, there is an audience who more value their commercial leaning work that came after this. Personally I parted ways with them when I heard Made in Germany, even though that has priceless moments. MiG has a lot of cringe stuff though