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.
Alice
Amon Düül II Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And I dig your smile again
And I wish I could this day make you stay
Make you lay until the break of day
Let's laugh our troubles away
Turn on your sweet lovin' tonight
And the stars shine bright
Don't you waste no time
For the chance to realise this dream
And all I am asking you is stay
Don't you leave too soon
Just let the moon shine on us
And let us catch the magic bus to paradise
Till the morning sun will arise
Too soon again, like it's always been
The curtain falls too soon and always too soon
'Cause time, time is a thief
And love, sweet love is brief
So brief
The song "Alice" by Amon Düül II portrays the feeling of living for the moment and wanting to revel in the beauty of love before it inevitably fades away. The lyrics show the singer expressing how he wishes he could make their lover stay until the break of day, laughing their troubles away, and catching the magic bus to paradise. The use of the word "again" suggests that this is a recurring feeling, that they have been through this before but that it continues to hold immense significance.
The lyrics also highlight the importance of time, how it is fleeting, and how life's opportunities are often missed due to not living in the moment. The song ends on a somber note, with the line, "The curtain falls too soon and always too soon, 'cause time, time is a thief, and love, sweet love, is brief. So brief." This line effectively sums up the song's overarching theme, that love is temporary and time is a thief of moments that we should cherish.
Line by Line Meaning
Oh, again you are here
I am pleasantly surprised to find that you have returned
And I dig your smile again
I find your smile appealing and attractive once more
And I wish I could this day make you stay
I desire for you to remain with me for the duration of this day
Make you lay until the break of day
I want to spend the entire night with you, until the morning comes
Let's laugh our troubles away
We should forget our problems and enjoy each other's company
Turn on your sweet lovin' tonight
Let's engage in romantic activities this evening
And the stars shine bright
The stars in the sky are particularly luminous
Don't you waste no time
I urge you to act quickly and not delay
'Cause we might be late again
If we don't move quickly, we may miss our opportunity
For the chance to realise this dream
We have the opportunity to make a long-held desire come true
And all I am asking you is stay
My only request of you is to remain with me for a while
Don't you leave too soon
Please do not depart prematurely
Just let the moon shine on us
Let's bask in the moonlit night together
And let us catch the magic bus to paradise
Let's embark on a romantic journey together
Till the morning sun will arise
We should stay together until daybreak
Too soon again, like it's always been
Our time together is always fleeting, just as it has been in the past
The curtain falls too soon and always too soon
Our time together always seems to end too soon
'Cause time, time is a thief
Time has a tendency to rob us of our precious moments
And love, sweet love is brief
Our love, as wonderful as it is, is also fleeting and brief
So brief
So short-lived
Contributed by Christian T. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Vangelis Petridis
danke!
jason wingfrey
oh thats fine