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.

Top of the Mud
Amon Düül II Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

I'd like to see us into
Somewhere where we've never been to
So let's not get waylaid
Not even in a dream
Dream

Might not be much fun
Without any fans

But who is to blame
If we don't sound the same
Same

As music's not enough
And pop is not forever
Forget where we came from
And move over much nearer
Nearer

I know when we hit stage
We hit nothing but rock
None left for the asking
No rocking the boat
Boat

I know when we hit stage
We hit nothing but rock

None left for the asking
No rocking the boat

Overall Meaning

The song "Top of the Mud" by Amon Düül II is a call to adventure and breaking free from the mundane. The lyrics express a desire to explore new territory and not being held back by expectations or limitations. The singer wants to take risks and not let his dreams be hindered, even when he is in the middle of a dream. He acknowledges that it may not be easy without a supportive audience but he refuses to compromise his artistic vision just to please the crowd. He encourages the listeners to forget where they came from and embrace a new and exciting future, even if it means moving away from familiar sounds or styles.

The lyrics also suggest that when they perform on stage, they are like a force of nature, shaking up the audience with their rock music. They do not hold back and give everything they have. They do not want to play it safe and rock the boat, they want to go all out and make an impact. The repetition of the phrase "none left for the asking" emphasizes the idea that they have given their all and there is nothing left to give.

Line by Line Meaning

I'd like to see us into
I desire for us to experience something new and exciting

Somewhere where we've never been to
A place we have never been to before, full of new experiences and opportunities

So let's not get waylaid
Let's stay focused and not get distracted

Not even in a dream
Not even in our wildest dreams should we stray from our goal

Might not be much fun
It may not be enjoyable

Without any fans
If we don't have an audience

But who is to blame
No one can be blamed for this

If we don't sound the same
If we don't conform to people's expectations

As music's not enough
Music alone is not adequate

And pop is not forever
Pop music is not timeless

Forget where we came from
We must move on from our past