According to Empire, "Digital Hardcore initially meant the final questioning of everything, of the whole. The next step was a shorter one. The absolute negation, even to answer one's own existence with a "No". If "No" is true, then suicide can be as much as an event as pressing the buttons on your remote control." (MEAN Magazine, July 1999)
The group was founded as an attack on the increasingly neo-Nazi influenced German techno scene and consisted of three Berliners - Alec Empire, Hanin Elias and MC Carl Crack. ATR's early releases (which included songs like "Hetzjagd Auf Nazis!" / "Hunt Down the Nazis!") were surrounded by controversy in Germany due to the prevailing "no politics on the dance floor" attitude.
After signing to Phonogram, a major European label, in 1993 the band received an unusually large financial advance which they duplicitously used to set up their own record label: Digital Hardcore Recordings or DHR. ATR never delivered a commercially viable demo to Phonogram.
In 1997 ATR was joined by Nic Endo, a Japanese-American noise/soundscape artist during the Beck tour.
In 1999 ATR released 60 Second Wipe Out, an album that phased out all use of sampling and brought on board New York City rappers the Arsonists. According to Magnet Magazine, "Empire's guitar-playing values speed-thrash malevolence, and when paired with Endo's painful skronkage, the album is decidedly denser than its predecessor."
The group decided to effectively disband in 2000 and to not consider the band's future until 2003. Carl Crack died a few months later of a drug overdose. His death caused Empire some anguish and made any reformation less likely. Since the collapse of ATR the surviving members have all pursued separate and successful careers. Nic Endo and Empire have collaborated since but relations between Elias and Empire appear to remain strained despite their mutual business interests. This is because, as she states in interviews, Hanin Elias decided to set up her own record label, where she did not feel oppressed by the mostly male artists. Her record label is named Fatal Recordings.
In March 2002, ATR's album Future of War (1997) was banned in Germany. According to Alec Empire, Future of War was noteworthy because of its "left-rooted critique of the 'modern' high-tech-war, as we had seen it all some years previously during the Gulf War."
In July 3rd 2006, ATR released greatest hits compilation called Atari Teenage Riot (1992-2000).
ATR reformed in 2010 with CX Kidtronik joining the line-up for live dates and a single Activate! scheduled for release in May.
Heatwave
Atari Teenage Riot Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Try my identity you want to kill yourself -
you gonna see!
I captured you in your TV - Your beauty is your worst enemy!
Don't even try to be! Avoid the shit and give the key
Never listen to what you say! Never gonna die for Germany!
I look in the mirror and what do I see?
It will all end in anarchy!
I feel the wankers speeding up the truth
And the pussies eating up the fools
Stop telling me the bullshit of conspiracy
You seem as naive as democracy...
I'm like a heatwave
I'm like a heatwave they say...
Let's go! Let's go!
Let's go! Let's go!
Let's go! Let's go!
Let's go! Let's go!
Let's go! Let's go! (x4)
Atari Teenage Riot! Atari Teenage Riot!
Atari Teenage Riot! Atari Teenage Riot!
Atari Teenage Riot! Atari Teenage Riot!
Atari Teenage Riot!
May I ask you? Where are the results?
Where are the results?
Where you gonna go? Where you gonna go?
Where you gonna go? What you gonna do about it?
As I left the supermarket two policeman grapped me and they said:
You're the cunt that we were waiting for!
They didn't need a reason they never do...
The state uses violence to keep everything in their order!
We don't use violence to find a role in this society!
We use violence to beat this society!
Boredom causes a stillstand - No movement
See what you get outta this...
Tell me the truth! Tell me the truth!
Heatwave! Heatwave! I'm like a heatwave they say!
Heatwave!
The lyrics to Atari Teenage Riot's "Heatwave" express a deep dissatisfaction with societal expectations, government control, and media manipulation. The first verse challenges the idea of conforming to societal norms by warning against trying to replicate someone else's identity. The line "your beauty is your worst enemy" suggests that societal pressure to conform to aesthetic standards can be harmful. The lyrics also seem to criticize the media for perpetuating these unrealistic beauty standards, as evidenced by the line "I captured you in your TV."
The chorus of the song, "I'm like a heatwave burning through your heart," suggests an individualistic and rebellious attitude. The singer sees themselves as a force that cannot be contained or controlled. They reject the system that tries to keep them in check and predictably end up in "anarchy." The line "never gonna die for Germany" could be interpreted as a rebuke of patriotism and nationalism.
The second verse further emphasizes the idea of the government using violence to maintain power. The singer recounts being accosted by police for no reason, suggesting a disregard for individual freedoms and rights. The lyrics suggest a desire for revolution, as the singer proclaims that "we use violence to beat this society." The song ends with a repetition of the chorus, with the addition of the lines "Tell me the truth! Tell me the truth!" urging listeners to seek the truth beyond government and media propaganda.
Line by Line Meaning
Try my identity you want to kill yourself - you gonna see!
If you try to be like me, you will fail and destroy yourself.
I captured you in your TV - Your beauty is your worst enemy!
You are trapped in your own image, and it is harmful to you.
Don't even try to be! Avoid the shit and give the key
Do not try to conform to society, instead focus on what is important for you.
Never listen to what you say! Never gonna die for Germany!
Do not believe everything you hear or say, and do not die for your country blindly.
I'm like a heatwave burning through your heart!
I am a force that inspires action and change in you.
I look in the mirror and what do I see? It will all end in anarchy!
When I look at myself, I see a future of chaos and disorder.
I feel the wankers speeding up the truth
I see people with their own agendas trying to manipulate the truth for their benefit.
And the pussies eating up the fools
People who are complacent or weak are being taken advantage of.
Stop telling me the bullshit of conspiracy
Do not try to convince me with false information or conspiracy theories.
You seem as naive as democracy...
Your views on democracy are naive and misguided.
Let's go! Let's go!
Let's go! Let's go!
Let's go! Let's go!
Let's go! Let's go! (x4)
Atari Teenage Riot! Atari Teenage Riot!
Atari Teenage Riot! Atari Teenage Riot!
Atari Teenage Riot! Atari Teenage Riot!
Atari Teenage Riot!
This is a call to action, to join the movement represented by Atari Teenage Riot.
May I ask you? Where are the results?
I want to know what tangible results have come out of your actions.
Where you gonna go? Where you gonna go?
Where do you plan to go from here, what is your next step?
Where you gonna go? What you gonna do about it?
What is your plan for the future, how do you plan to take action?
As I left the supermarket two policeman grapped me and they said:
You're the cunt that we were waiting for!
They didn't need a reason they never do...
The police are aggressive and oppressive, and often target people without reason.
The state uses violence to keep everything in their order!
We don't use violence to find a role in this society!
We use violence to beat this society!
The government uses violence to maintain control, while we use violence to fight against this system.
Boredom causes a stillstand - No movement
See what you get outta this...
Tell me the truth! Tell me the truth!
Heatwave! Heatwave! I'm like a heatwave they say!
Lack of action and boredom leads to stagnation, and we need to be truthful about this. The heatwave is a symbol of our power and influence.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd., Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Christian Bergeron, David Brown, Francis Fugere, Graham Edwards, Julien Martre, Lauren Christy, Maurizio Bassi, Naimy Hackett, Nicolas Denis, Philippe Lachance, Scott Spock
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@user-xi4hn9qc1h
I still have this album. Atari Teenage Riot !!
@WillianAlbuquerque
Essa é a musica que eu mais gosto. #BRASIL
@moisesarmentaosuna4532
HUEHUEHUEHUE
@user-hg5sp3xb5m
めちゃくちゃかっこいい
@maxeypad
I'm like a heatwave burning through your heart
I look in the mirror and what do I see?
It will all end in anarchy!
@3rwaninou
Like an HEATWAVE !!!
@NicoPsychobilly
Bad Brains