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.
Hawknose Harlequin
Amon Düül II Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
A place they call Blind Square
In the middle
Of prophesied land
Surrounded by
A wall of mirrors
Two hundred feet high
And transparent
To reach there
On a camel
I saved from a cook's sneer
Seventy days
Seventy nights
I finally arrived
At the corners of Blind Square
A collection of clouds
At the reception
The egg-eyed doorman
Was serving a blink
Two ravens on his shoulders
As he whispered to my ear:
Don't run so fast
If you want to see anything
I passed
The wizard's wonky blizzards
When a phone box came
Sailing though the air
And a zebra
Walked in to Blind Square
Reciting loudly
The whole alphabet
Hope you can see me
Here in my barrel
The governor
Of the Blind Square District
He came rolling along
In slow-motion pictures
Handing me a form-sheet
And Shakespeare's pen
I fell asleep
In the waterfall museum
And I heard the songs
Of the seven Sirens
I saw the children
They forgot their names
Playing all day long
On the wings of a crane
And the colour-blind legends
They were melting
In the heat of the sun, the heat of the sun
When Hawknose Harlequin came
He told me something
About the children's gun
Smiling, smiling in his wheelchair
On the stairs of Blind Square
On the stairs of Blind Square
Later, man
Later
The lyrics of Amon Düül II's song "Hawknose Harlequin" depict the journey of the singer towards a mythical place called Blind Square, located in the middle of a prophesied land, and surrounded by a wall of mirrors that is two hundred feet high and transparent. The singer seeks to reach Blind Square and finally, after seventy days and nights of travel on a camel, arrives at the corners of Blind Square. There, the singer encounters a collection of clouds at the reception, and the egg-eyed doorman, who is serving a blink and has two ravens on his shoulders, whispers to the singer's ear, advising him not to run so fast if he wants to see anything.
The singer passes the wizard's wonky blizzards when a phone box comes sailing through the air and a zebra walks into Blind Square, reciting the whole alphabet loudly. The governor of the Blind Square District comes rolling along in slow-motion pictures and hands the singer a form-sheet and Shakespeare's pen. The singer falls asleep in the waterfall museum and hears the songs of the seven Sirens. They see the children playing on the wings of a crane and the color-blind legends melting in the heat of the sun. Hawknose Harlequin later arrives at the stairs of Blind Square, smiling in his wheelchair, and tells the singer something about the children's gun.
The song's lyrics are ambiguous and open to interpretation. The meaning of Blind Square is not entirely clear, and it could represent a metaphor for an elusive dream or an ideal. The journey of the singer towards Blind Square symbolizes the quest for discovery, knowledge, and enlightenment, and the encounters he has along the way are metaphorical representations of different aspects of human experience. The song's themes include the pursuit of truth, the desire for freedom and self-expression, and the search for meaning and purpose in life.
Line by Line Meaning
I heard about
I was informed of a place named Blind Square by someone or something
A place they call Blind Square
This place I was told about is known as Blind Square
In the middle
Blind Square is located in a central area
Of prophesied land
This central area is believed to hold some sort of prophecy or future prediction
Surrounded by
Blind Square is enclosed by
A wall of mirrors
A barrier of reflective surfaces, such as glass or metal
Two hundred feet high
The height of this mirror wall is two hundred feet
And transparent
Despite being a wall, this barrier is see-through
I tried very hard
I made a great effort
To reach there
To get to Blind Square
On a camel
I rode a humpbacked desert animal known as a camel
I saved from a cook's sneer
I saved the camel from being ridiculed by a cook
Seventy days
It took me 70 whole days
Seventy nights
I spent 70 different nights on this journey
I finally arrived
I eventually made it
At the corners of Blind Square
I arrived at the edges or boundaries of the square-shaped area
A collection of clouds
There was a group or cluster of visible masses of water vapor floating in the sky
At the reception
At the entry point or place where people are welcomed
The egg-eyed doorman
The person whose job is to look after the entry point has eyes that resemble eggs
Was serving a blink
The doorman was offering a very brief period of time, like what happens when someone blinks their eyes
Two ravens on his shoulders
Two large black birds from the crow family perched on the man's shoulders
As he whispered to my ear:
The doorman spoke in a very quiet voice to my ear
Don't run so fast
The doorman advised me not to move too quickly or be in too much of a hurry
If you want to see anything
He suggested that in order to see things properly, I should slow down
I passed
I moved beyond
The wizard's wonky blizzards
I walked through a confusing and strange area, with odd disturbances similar to a snowstorm
When a phone box came
Suddenly, a little building usually made for public telephones appeared
Sailing though the air
The phone box was moving through the air without any visible support
And a zebra
A black and white striped horse known as a zebra, appeared
Walked in to Blind Square
The zebra walked into Blind Square area
Reciting loudly
The zebra was speaking loudly
The whole alphabet
The zebra spoke every letter in alphabetical order
Hope you can see me
The zebra expressed a hope that I could see or observe him
Here in my barrel
The animal was currently standing in some sort of metal barrel-like container
The governor
The main ruler or leader of the Blind Square District
Of the Blind Square District
This governor was the leader of the area of land called Blind Square
He came rolling along
The governor was approaching me in a slow but steady manner
In slow-motion pictures
The governor's approach resembled the style of a slow-motion video
Handing me a form-sheet
The governor gave me a piece of paper with lines and boxes on it
And Shakespeare's pen
The governor also gave me a writing tool that belonged to the writer William Shakespeare
I fell asleep
I became very tired and dozed off
In the waterfall museum
I was sleeping in a room where there was an exhibit about falling water
And I heard the songs
During this rest, I heard musical compositions
Of the seven Sirens
The music was performed by a group of mythological creatures, known as Sirens
I saw the children
When I woke up, I observed a group of young people
They forgot their names
These children didn't remember what they were called
Playing all day long
They were engaged in some sort of entertainment activity for the whole day
On the wings of a crane
The children played atop the wings of a large bird known as a crane
And the colour-blind legends
I also witnessed the fading of stories and legends, which were losing their vividness
They were melting
These stories appeared to be dissolving, as if they were made of ice melting in intense heat
In the heat of the sun, the heat of the sun
This change in the legends' vibrancy was happening because of the bright light and warmth from the sun
When Hawknose Harlequin came
At some point Hawknose Harlequin arrived
He told me something
Hawknose Harlequin shared some information with me
About the children's gun
The information shared concerned a weapon owned by the children
Smiling, smiling in his wheelchair
Hawknose Harlequin was grinning from ear to ear, and he was sitting on a chair that had wheels
On the stairs of Blind Square
This conversation occurred while we were situated on the steps or stairway in the Blind Square area
On the stairs of Blind Square
We continued to talk on this stairway located in Blind Square
Later, man
This is a vague expression of leaving or parting ways
Contributed by Landon W. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
David Metcalfe
on She Came Through the Chimney
Maybe it's "indigo sea" and not Indian sea on Sleepwalkers Timeless Bridge?