Amon Düül II (or Amon Düül 2) is a German rock band. The group is generally… Read Full Bio ↴Amon Düül II (or Amon Düül 2) is a German rock band. The group is generally considered to be one of the founders of the Krautrock scene and a seminal influence on its development.

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.

Burning Sister
Amon Düül II Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Down on the football place
I saw my sister burning
They tied her on a railroad track
And made her blue eyes burning
Her dog was sitting by her feet
The whole night he was howling
In dirty pants the judge came down
Slavering his golden gown

Yes, she was the one
Who turned the rain into black
The television vulture
They brought my sister to trial
Cutting her face from her smile

On the holy waterfront
The people stand there waiting

To see her blonde hair lighted
To see her blood drip on the floor

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Amon Düül II's song "Burning Sister" describe a gruesome scene in which the singer witnesses his sister being burned at a football stadium, tied to a railroad track. Her blue eyes are burning and her dog howls by her feet. The judge arrives in dirty pants, wearing a golden gown, slavering with anticipation. The lyrics suggest that the singer's sister had the power to turn rain into black and was therefore targeted by the television vultures who brought her to trial. The final image is of the people on the holy waterfront awaiting her execution, eager to see her blonde hair lighted and her blood drip onto the floor.

The song is often interpreted as a critique of the media and the justice system. The television vulture is a symbol of the media's exploitation of tragedy and suffering for the sake of entertainment, while the judge's appearance in dirty pants highlights his corrupt and unethical behavior. The holy waterfront, too, is a symbol of the hypocrisy of society and religion, as the people eagerly await a violent public execution. The song can be seen as a commentary on the cruelty and injustice of human society, as well as a warning against the dangers of allowing power to corrupt those in authority.

Line by Line Meaning

Down on the football place
At the football field

I saw my sister burning
I witnessed my sister being burned alive

They tied her on a railroad track
She was restrained on the rails of a train track

And made her blue eyes burning
Her eyes were ablaze with the fire

Her dog was sitting by her feet
Her dog was beside her

The whole night he was howling
The dog cried all night long

In dirty pants the judge came down
The judge arrived, wearing dirty pants

Slavering his golden gown
His gold robe dripped with saliva

Yes, she was the one
Indeed, she was the person

Who turned the rain into black
She caused the rain to turn black

The television vulture
The news program