The Deutsch Amerikanische Freundschaft (DAF) is an influential industrial /… Read Full Bio ↴The Deutsch Amerikanische Freundschaft (DAF) is an influential industrial / Neue Deutsche Welle band from Düsseldorf, formed in 1978 in Wuppertal, Germany featuring drummer/synth player Robert Görl, vocalist Gabi Delgado-Lopez/Gabi Delgado, guitarist Wolfgang Spelmans, Kurt Dahlke "Pyrolator", Michael Kemner, bassist and bassist/keyboardist/saxophonist Chrislo Haas. The band's name is a term that had originally been used in West Germany, without irony, in the early years of the Cold War, at the height of German popular enthusiasm for all things American, and as humoristic counterpart to the "deutsch-sowjetische Freundschaft" (german-soviet-friendship) parole used in the German Democratic Republic. (GDR, or DDR in german)

DAF's most famous song is the grimly sarcastic "Der Mussolini" from the album "Alles Ist Gut", a pulsing dance song featuring the lyrics "Dance the Mussolini, move your behind, clap your hands, and now the Adolf Hitler, and now the Jesus Christ, and now the communism ...". The song caused a scandal amongst the more humourless elements of German liberal society.

In interviews they claimed to not target anything or anyone specific while creating lyrics to be taken as a parody of words and phrases floating around in the public media. "Sato-Sato" and "Der Mussolini" are both examples of songs written around Delgado-Lopez's fascination with the sound of a particular word.

The album "Alles Ist Gut" (All Is Well) received the German "Schallplattenpreis" award by the "Deutsche Phono-Akademie", an association of the German recording industry.
Following that they released two more similar albums called "Gold und Liebe" and "Für Immer", all produced by legendary Conny Plank.

After experimenting with more mainstream attempts of their particular style of contemporary dance music on the 1986 album "1st Step to Heaven" but with limited success DAF split up (1986).

A few months before the 2003 invasion of Iraq DAF released "Der Sheriff (anti-amerikanisches lied)" (An Anti-American Song) criticizing perceived American imperialism.

In the hiatus of DAF 1985-2002 both Robert and Gabi had their own careers. DAF was more or less resurrected by Gabi alone when he toured in 1994-5 as DAF OPD (On Public Demand) touring with classic and remixed DAF material. Following the success of that partial comeback he started Daf.Dos with Wotan Wilke. They released two more techno oriented albums and toured much until Gabi and Robert reunited for the album "Fünfzehn Neue DAF lieder" in 2003.

Notable is also Robert Görls contribution to Eurythmics first album In the Garden where he unmistakably plays the drums on the tracks Belinda and Caveman Head.

Gabi Delgado continued releasing music under his own name, creating the following albums: 1 (2013), X (2014), and 2 (2015).

Gabi Delgado died in March 2020, thus ending his career, but forever immortal in the music and style he created, which would inspire and spawn whole music genres in decades to come.

Mein Herz macht Bum
Deutsch Amerikanische Freundschaft Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Oh, ich bin so glücklich
Und mir ist so schwindlig
Wie im Ketten - karussell
Wie die große Achterbahn

Oh, ich bin so glücklich
Und mir ist so schwindlig
Mein Herz macht Bumm

Bumm
Bumm, Bumm
Bumm, Bumm
Bumm, Bumm

Oh, ich bin so glücklich
Und mir ist so schwindlig
Die ganze Welt
Die ganze Welt

Oh, ich bin so glücklich
Und mir ist so schwindlig
Schöne blaue Augen
So schöne blaue Augen
Schöne blaue Augen

Mein Herz macht Bumm
Bumm, Bumm
Bumm, Bumm
Bumm, Bumm
Bumm, Bumm
Schöne blaue Augen

Die ganze Welt

Mein Herz macht Bumm
Bumm, Bumm
Bumm, Bumm
Bumm, Bumm

Oh, ich bin so glücklich
Und mir ist so schwindlig
Wie im Ketten - karussell
Wie die große Achterbahn

Mein Herz macht Bumm
Bumm, Bumm
Bumm, Bumm
Bumm, Bumm
Bumm, Bumm

So schöne blaue Augen

Oh, ich bin so glücklich
Und mir ist so schwindlig
Schöne blaue Augen
Schöne blaue Augen
Die ganze Welt ist himmelblau
Wenn ich in deine Augen schau'

Mein Herz geht
Bumm
Bumm
Bumm
Bumm

Oh, ich bin so glücklich
Und mir ist so schwindlig
So schöne blaue Augen
Mein Herz macht
Bumm
Bumm
Bumm
Bumm

So schöne blaue Augen
So schöne blaue Augen

Overall Meaning

The song "Mein Herz macht Bum" by Deutsch Amerikanische Freundschaft (DAF) is a vibrant celebration of happiness and excitement, conveyed through the repetition of the lyrics "Oh, ich bin so glücklich und mir ist so schwindlig" (Oh, I am so happy and dizzy). The singer compares their state of mind to a chain carousel or a roller coaster, with their heart making a repeated "Bumm" sound, mimicking the beat of their intense emotions. The singer also emphasizes the beauty of blue eyes, which seem to contribute to their elated state.

The simplistic and repetitive nature of the lyrics emphasizes the song's focus on the feeling of happiness as a physical and sensory experience rather than a complex emotional state. The song's upbeat and rhythmic instrumental composition further reinforces this emotion.

Line by Line Meaning

Oh, ich bin so glücklich
I am extremely happy

Und mir ist so schwindlig
I am feeling dizzy

Wie im Ketten - karussell
Like being on a merry-go-round

Wie die große Achterbahn
Like being on a rollercoaster ride

Mein Herz macht Bumm Bumm Bumm Bumm Bumm Bumm
My heart is pounding strongly

Die ganze Welt
The whole world

Schöne blaue Augen
Beautiful blue eyes

Die ganze Welt ist himmelblau
The world appears to be sky blue

Wenn ich in deine Augen schau'
When I look into your eyes

Mein Herz geht
My heart beats

So schöne blaue Augen
Such beautiful blue eyes