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.
Deutsch Nepal
Amon Düül II Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Sprach: «Es ist ein schönes Kind
Es wird mein Mann,
Wie ich ihn liebe,
Gouverneur vielleicht, in Deutsch Nepal!»
Ich bin geboren
Im Land der Krieger, äh - Krieger,
Bemühe mich
Doch die Siege - äh -
Lassen auf sich warten, äh - warten!
Vielleicht irrte sich der General - General - General!
The lyrics to Amon Düül II's "Deutsch Nepal" invite deep analysis as they seem to convey multiple layers of meaning. The song begins with the perspective of a newborn child whose fate has been predetermined by a general who predicts that the child will grow up to be a governor in Deutsch Nepal. The child then grows up to be a warrior, struggling to achieve victory and become a hero. However, the line "Vielleicht irrte sich der General" (perhaps the general was mistaken) hints at a realization that the expectations placed upon him by society may not be what he truly desires.
It's possible to interpret the song as a commentary on the pressure placed upon individuals from a young age to conform to societal norms and expectations, and how that can lead to a sense of disillusionment and a realization that those expectations may not be fulfilling. Additionally, the reference to "Deutsch Nepal" could be seen as a metaphor for a utopia that is ultimately unachievable.
Line by Line Meaning
Ein General stand an meiner Wiege,
A general stood by my crib,
Sprach: «Es ist ein schönes Kind
He said: 'It's a beautiful child'
Es wird mein Mann,
It will be my man,
Wie ich ihn liebe,
Whom I love so much,
Gouverneur vielleicht, in Deutsch Nepal!»
Perhaps a governor, in German Nepal!'
Ich bin geboren
I was born
Im Land der Krieger, äh - Krieger,
In the land of warriors, uh - warriors,
Bemühe mich
I try
Ein Held zu sein.
To be a hero.
Doch die Siege - äh -
But the victories - uh -
Lassen auf sich warten, äh - warten!
Are slow to come, uh - wait!
Vielleicht irrte sich der General - General - General!
Perhaps the general was mistaken - general - general!
Contributed by Aria I. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Bride of FatMaccam
monster album. utterly underrated.
Carina Lima
Música espetacular! 👋✨👋✨
Regina Appel
Bin jetzt 66 Jahre alt und habe diesen Song das letzte Mal vor ca. 36 Jahren gehört und ihn immer gesucht. Jetzt endlich auf die Idee gekommen, nach Songtexten zu suchen und fündig geworden.
Donna Rawlins French
Fantastic album - by turns completely demented AND gorgeously melodic and beautiful. No spliffs required for the "full effect" - it's a wonderful musical adventure, so take a ticket and enjoy the ride! "The Wind At The End Of The Street" is wonderful, and "Sleepwalker's Timeless Bridge" will have you wishing it was a double album...enjoy!
John Lamb
Bought this album around 1982 when I was 14 years old. Great album
John LaStrada
RIP Lothar Meid -- writer (with sax player Olaf Kubler), bassist & vocalist on this...this superb supernatural music.
I sincerely believe Frank Zappa on his 1984 LP "Them or Us," more than 10 years later tried to answer it with his "Ya Hozna," track. If not, it was one enormous coincidence.
Steve Eckersley
didn't know Lothar Meid had passed ! Very talented!
Moet C.
I heared this song decades ago ... and i never forgot it.
Strange and Timeless.
TheTimananda
Toll !!!
glad that most of the band is still alive.
I played this for German friends visiting me in NYC in 1973.
blew their minds !! in tiny Freiburg ?? completely unknown.
Danke Schöne, AD 2
Jade Shannon
Loved this when I was 14 and I am 64 now greetings from Australia