Die Ärzte were formed in 1982 by Jan Vetter (alias Farin Urlaub), Dirk Felsenheimer (alias Bela B.) and bassist Hans Runge (alias Sahnie). Bela and Farin had previously played together in the punk band Soilent Grün; after that band broke up they decided to form a band playing fun songs, in contrast to the mostly political bands of the punk scene at that time. While deriving from that punk scene, their early music was heavily influenced by pop and rock and roll, especially The Beatles, whom Farin heard a lot as a child due to his mother playing their records.
In the first two years they mostly played in clubs of their hometown of Berlin. Their first release was a contribution to the sampler "20 schäumende Stimmungshits" (roughly, "20 exuberant mood hits"), which contained a strong alcohol theme. In 1983 they won a rock contest in Berlin; with the prize money they recorded their debut EP "Uns gehts Prima" ("We're doing great"). Finally Columbia Records signed them, and they released their first LP "Debil" in 1984 and the second one ("Im Schatten der Ärzte") a year later.
After the second record they parted ways with Sahnie due to internal problems. On the third record he was replaced by producer Miccey Meuser; later Hagen Liebig, better known as The Incredible Hagen, played bass for them during live performances until their breakup.
In 1987 the German Federal Centre for Media Harmful to Young Persons put the songs Geschwisterliebe ("Sibling Love", a song about incest, from Die Ärzte), Claudia hat 'nen Schäferhund ("Claudia has a German Shepherd", about zoophilia, from "Debil") and Schlaflied ("Lullaby", about a monster coming and eating you after falling asleep, also from "Debil") on the German List of Media Harmful to Young People. This prohibited the band from performing the songs live and, more importantly, promoting the two albums, and shops from openly displaying the records in their shelves. After several trials against shops that still openly sold the records a lot of shops removed Die Ärzte completely from their stock. The result was a drop in record sales and big financial problems for the band. In response they released the compilation "Ab 18" ("Adults Only") with all their songs on the index and some other old and new tasteless songs, and the greatest hits album "Ist das alles?"("Is this everything?" but also can be translated as "Is this the end?"). The album and the new singles were fairly successful, partly because of growing media interest due to the previous censorship.
The following album "Das ist nicht die ganze Wahrheit" ("That is not the whole truth") was even more successful, climbing into the top 10 in the German album charts. They decided to go out on a high note in 1988, breaking up after doing one last tour and recording a live double album that became their first number one in the album charts.
Neither Farin's new band King Køng nor Bela's Depp Jones were really successful, so in 1993 they decided to do a reunion. As bass player they invited Rodrigo Gonzales, who was guitarist in Depp Jones and a friend of Bela. Their comeback single was Schrei nach Liebe ("Cry for Love"), their first ever political song, that they published as a statement against what was perceived as growing racism and right wing extremist violence in Germany at that time.
The album was more diverse than ever, with ballads, punk, rock and traditional German sounds. Both album and single became big hits in Germany, Austria and Switzerland. The follow-up "Planet Punk" was also very successful.
In 1996 they wanted to make an EP just about hair, but they wrote too many songs for an EP and made the Album "Le Frisur" ("The Hairdo") instead. It was slightly less successful than its predecessors. Apart from their own tours they also supported Kiss in that year, a dream come true for Bela and Rod.
1998 was perhaps the most successful year of their career, the single "Männer sind Schweine" ("Men are Pigs") being their first Number 1 single in Germany, Austria and Switzerland, and the album 13 also being Number 1 in Germany and Switzerland. After a lot of promotion and touring in that year they decided to take a break, deciding also to never play again "Männer sind Schweine" at a concert due to the too great success this song had. They did not like the upcoming unwanted and rather unoriginal remakes by other bands as e.g. "Frauen sind Schweine" ("Women are pigs") and also did not like to see their song played at mass tourist beach parties at places like Mallorca/Spain.
In 2000 they came back with another very successful album, "Runter mit den Spendierhosen, Unsichtbarer!", and two top 10 singles. As the third single from the album they released the 30-second-song "Yoko Ono", which, according to the Guinness Book of Records, is the shortest single ever released - another example of their sense of humour. On their tour in 2001 they sold the limited Album "5, 6, 7, 8 Bullenstaat" consisting of short punk songs that were written and recorded while recording the full length album published a year before, and some cover songs published in 1994 on a tour only EP.
After that they again took a break: Bela did some acting, Farin recorded his first solo album (Endlich Urlaub!). In late 2002 they did an MTV Unplugged in a school auditorium together with the school band. After that they made a new double album Geräusch that was released in 2003. On the next tour a Live DVD was recorded and published one year later.
On 2 November 2007, Die Ärzte released their latest album, Jazz ist anders ("Jazz is nothing like this", literally "Jazz is different").
In August 2011 the band announced that they are working on a new album which is set to be released in 2012 with a tour called "Das Ende ist noch nicht vorbei" ("The end is not over yet") following in the summer 2012.
The official homepage for Die Ärzte is www.bademeister.com
Anti
Die Ärzte Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Kommunismus oder Religion?
Rassismus oder Rezession?
Überfluss oder Hungerlohn?
Genickschuss oder Prostitution?
Sarkasmus oder Aggression?
Priapismus oder Kastration?
Hedonist oder Hurensohn?
Wenn das meine Wahl ist
Bin ich gegen alles
Kapitalismus oder Diktatur?
Kannibalismus oder Entziehungskur?
Nihilismus oder Scheißfrisur?
Sendschluss oder Selbstzensur
Alptraum oder Dystopie?
Ich muss weg hier, aber ich weiß nicht wie
Ich werf' die Münze nicht noch einmal
Denn sie zeigt immer wieder nur Kopf oder Zahl
Und wenn das meine Wahl ist
(Gegen alles, gegen alles)
Ich bin gegen alles
Freigegeben zur Adoption
Sehnsucht nach der Endstation
Stunden zählen vor dem Telefon
Warten auf den Klingelton
Wie lange wird es dauern bis zur Exekution?
Wie lange wird es dauern bis zur Exekution?
Brennst du noch oder explodierst du schon?
Brennst du noch oder explodierst du schon?
Brennst du noch oder explodierst du schon?
Brennst du noch oder explodierst du schon?
Brennst du noch oder explodierst du schon?
Brennst du noch oder e
Brennst du noch oder explodierst du schon?
Brennst du noch oder explodierst du schon?
Brennst du noch oder explodierst du schon?
Brennst du noch oder explodierst du schon?
Wenn das meine Wahl ist
Bin ich gegen alles
(Gegen alles, gegen alles, gegen alles)
Die Ärzte's song "Anti" is a fast-paced punk rock anthem that questions the binary nature of political and societal ideologies. The song lists various options, ranging from fascism or amputation, capitalism or dictatorship, to hedonism or being a son of a whore. Despite the fact that the options are polarized and extreme, the singer rejects both options and proclaims to be against everything.
The lyrics can be interpreted as a critique of the systemic power dynamics that create the illusion of choice, where the choices presented are limited and not necessarily beneficial for the people. The singer of the song rejects this notion by refusing to be defined by a single ideology or choice. The song reminds us that we have the ability to reject the status quo and choose our own path, regardless of the options presented to us.
Overall, "Anti" is a rallying cry for individuals to reject the binary nature of choices and ideologies and to pursue their own unique path in life.
Line by Line Meaning
Faschismus oder Amputation?
Choose between extreme authoritarianism or the surgical removal of a body part
Kommunismus oder Religion?
Choose between a system of government where property is publicly owned and a particular set of beliefs regarding the relation between humanity and deity or deities
Rassismus oder Rezession?
Choose between prejudice, discrimination, or antagonism directed against a particular race or people on the one hand or a period of temporary economic decline during which trade and industrial activity are reduced on the other hand
Überfluss oder Hungerlohn?
Choose between an excess of something or a wage that is barely enough to cover basic needs
Genickschuss oder Prostitution?
Choose between being shot in the back of the neck or engaging in the act of selling or performing sexual acts for money
Sarkasmus oder Aggression?
Choose between using bitter, caustic, and often ironic language to mock or convey contempt or engaging in hostile or violent behavior toward others
Priapismus oder Kastration?
Choose between a persistent and usually painful erection of the penis, especially in the absence of sexual excitement or desire or the surgical removal of the testicles
Hedonist oder Hurensohn?
Choose between a person who lives for pleasure or a person who is considered to be contemptible or morally objectionable
Wenn das meine Wahl ist
If this is the only choice I'm given
Bin ich gegen alles
I'm against everything
Kapitalismus oder Diktatur?
Choose between an economic and political system in which a country's trade and industry are controlled by private owners for profit, rather than by the state or a system of government where one person has absolute control without any formal constraints
Kannibalismus oder Entziehungskur?
Choose between the act of eating the flesh or internal organs of a human being or a program or process of withdrawing from an addictive substance
Nihilismus oder Scheißfrisur?
Choose between the rejection of all religious and moral principles, in the belief that life is meaningless or an unattractive hairstyle
Sendschluss oder Selbstzensur
Choose between the end of a broadcast or period of communication and the act of censoring or regulating oneself
Alptraum oder Dystopie?
Choose between a frightening or unpleasant dream and a state or society characterized by poverty, oppression, or a bleak and oppressive future
Ich muss weg hier, aber ich weiß nicht wie
I need to leave here, but I don't know how
Ich werf' die Münze nicht noch einmal
I won't toss the coin again
Denn sie zeigt immer wieder nur Kopf oder Zahl
Because it always shows heads or tails
Freigegeben zur Adoption
Released for adoption
Sehnsucht nach der Endstation
Longing for the final stop
Stunden zählen vor dem Telefon
Counting hours in front of the phone
Warten auf den Klingelton
Waiting for the ringtone
Wie lange wird es dauern bis zur Exekution?
How long until the execution?
Brennst du noch oder explodierst du schon?
Are you still burning or have you already exploded?
Wenn das meine Wahl ist
If this is my only choice
Bin ich gegen alles
I'm against everything
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: Farin Urlaub
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind