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.
Trap
Amon Düül II Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And they told me that [....]
The [....] from my silver spoon
Was slowly driving me insane
I have to feel you
Close to my heart
And I still love you
So I thought it's about time
To realize that we drift apart
'Cause I regret your (?aimless?) life
I work on you to try another start
A face in the sky
Falling down like a shooting star
[....] it makes me [....]
A face in the sky
Smiling (?shy?) and whispering [....]
Maybe you'll be back again
I have to feel you
Close to my heart
And I still love you
So please forget your credit card
So I turned around on my wheels
Less confused [....] (?lasting doubts?)
And that's the trap (?with my thoughts?)
'Cause I sure know what it's all about
The lyrics to Amon Düül II's "Trap" seem to be about a person's struggle with materialism and how they relate to their personal relationships. The singer begins with an affirmation that they thought everything was fine and dandy until something happened that isn't made clear in the lyrics. The allusion to the singer having a "silver spoon" in their mouth hints at a privileged upbringing and a sense of entitlement that has caused them to become mentally unwell. They try to find comfort in the idea of being in love with someone, someone who will be close to them and who they can trust not to leave them, but it seems that even this relationship is impacted by the singer's obsession with material possessions. They tell the person they love that they should "forget your credit card", a clear suggestion that the singer had been using their partner's money to finance their over-indulgence in luxury items.
The singer struggles with their own realization that their life is not headed in the right direction. They believe that their partner's life is aimless and they want to change that, begin anew. There is a feeling of desperation in the lyrics as if they are trying to convince themselves more than the listener that they know how to fix things. The mention of a "face in the sky" falling like a shooting star implies that some kind of epiphany or revelation has occurred. The phrase "smiling shy and whispering" could be seen as an optimistic vision for the future, but the lyrics remain vague about what that vision might be, which lends a sense of ambiguity to the entire song. The closing line of the song is perhaps the most ominous as the singer admits to being trapped by their own thoughts, suggesting that they may indeed be too far gone to see the way forward clearly.
Line by Line Meaning
Well I thought that's alright
I believed everything was fine
And they told me that [...]
Someone advised me that [...]
The [...] from my silver spoon
The privileged life I lead as a result of my wealth
Was slowly driving me insane
Was causing me to lose my mind gradually
I have to feel you
I need to have you
Close to my heart
Near me at all times
And I still love you
I still have feelings for you
So please forget your credit card
So please stop relying on your money and possessions
So I thought it's about time
Therefore, I decided that it's appropriate
To realize that we drift apart
To acknowledge that we are growing apart
'Cause I regret your (?aimless?) life
'Cause I resent how you are living without purpose
I work on you to try another start
I'm trying to influence you to start anew
A face in the sky
An image in the clouds
Falling down like a shooting star
Descending rapidly like a celestial object
[....] it makes me [....]
It produces a certain feeling in me
A face in the sky
An image in the clouds
Smiling (?shy?) and whispering [....]
With a shy, secretive expression and saying something under their breath
Maybe you'll be back again
Perhaps we'll be reunited someday
So I turned around on my wheels
So I rotated my vehicle
Less confused [....] (?lasting doubts?)
With fewer doubts and uncertainties
And that's the trap (?with my thoughts?)
And that's the predicament resulting from my contemplations
'Cause I sure know what it's all about
Because I'm confident that I understand the situation completely
Contributed by James R. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
keltyk
This tune, and the album seem to have improved with the years. They were off in a pop direction, but still had a lot of their pioneering, experimental sound. The album makes it into the classic works, despite the pop qualities
Brian Nelson
Thanks Amon Duul II, I remember I'm ok and not on an alternate Earth...
MeloLand
Fantastic!
Bill M
Rock on !
PaulLonden
Vive La Trance...........
Guillermo Godiva
cool!
wim brouwers
super ....
Maxx Black
Germany's pink Floyd ?
Zane Goodeker
Not really no,there were just a ton of bands like this. I wouldn't call Rush a Canadian Pink Floyd either that's sort of a weird way of looking at it. I think that Pink Floyd were one of the first couple doing it though but by far not alone.