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
Ein Mann
Die Ärzte Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Sind wir denn hier im Streichelzoo?
Im Rohrverlegen bin ich King
Und überhaupt und sowieso
Ich bin ein Mann,
Meine Socken wasch' ich irgendwann
Mache mir die Erde Untertan
Charismatisch, kultiviert,
Und an der Hüfte tätowiert
Ich zeig's dir, wenn du vor mir kniest
Da flippst du aus, wenn du das siehst
Ich bin ein Mann
Ich geb' dir eine Überdosis Fun
An mir hängt jede Menge unten dran
Guck' es dir an, ich bin ein Mann
So subtil wie ein Panzer, so einfühlsam wie die Autobahn
Ich bin ein Mann, noch gefährlicher als Jackie Chan
Also bitte, fass' mich vorsichtig an, du bist in meinem Bann
Ich habe dich in der Hand, denn ich bin so interessant
Obwohl ich nichts dafür kann
Ich hab mehr Glück als Verstand
Ich bin ein Mann
The lyrics to Die Ärzte's song Ein Mann are a humorous take on what it means to be a man. The opening lines, "Streicheln ist nicht so mein Ding, sind wir denn hier im Streichelzoo?" suggest that the singer is not interested in gentle, affectionate touch and questions why one would even ask for it. Instead, he asserts his dominance in his profession as a roofer, stating "Im Rohrverlegen bin ich King." The overall message is that he is a man's man, capable of physically demanding work and uninterested in frivolous, sentimental gestures.
However, the second half of the song takes a more absurd turn as the singer presents himself as a larger-than-life figure with exaggerated masculine traits. He describes himself as "charismatic, kultiviert" (cultured), and "an der Hüfte tätowiert" (tattooed at the hip). He brags about his sexual prowess, saying that "an mir hängt jede Menge unten dran" (I've got a lot going on down there). The most ridiculous line may be "So subtil wie ein Panzer, so einfühlsam wie die Autobahn" (as subtle as a tank, as empathetic as a highway).
The lyrics can be interpreted as a satirical commentary on traditional gender roles and stereotypes. The singer represents a hyperbolic version of what society expects from men, highlighting the absurdity of these expectations. The heavy use of irony and humor creates a playful tone, but ultimately reveals the limitations and pressures that come with adhering to strict gender norms.
Line by Line Meaning
Streicheln ist nicht so mein Ding
I am not interested in petting or being petted
Sind wir denn hier im Streichelzoo?
Is this a place where we pet and cuddle each other like animals in a petting zoo?
Im Rohrverlegen bin ich King
When it comes to laying pipes, I am the expert
Und überhaupt und sowieso
In general, no matter what
Ich bin ein Mann,
I am a man,
Meine Socken wasch' ich irgendwann
I will wash my socks whenever I feel like it
Mache mir die Erde Untertan
I will conquer and control the Earth
Weil ich es kann, ich bin ein Mann
Because I have the ability and power to do so, because I am a man
Charismatisch, kultiviert,
Charming and cultured,
Und an der Hüfte tätowiert
And tattooed on my hip
Ich zeig's dir, wenn du vor mir kniest
I will show off my body art when you kneel before me
Da flippst du aus, wenn du das siehst
You will be amazed and mesmerized by what you see
Ich bin ein Mann
I am a man,
Ich geb' dir eine Überdosis Fun
I will give you more fun than you can handle
An mir hängt jede Menge unten dran
I have a lot of things hanging down from my body
Guck' es dir an, ich bin ein Mann
Just look at me, I am a man
So subtil wie ein Panzer, so einfühlsam wie die Autobahn
I am as subtle as a tank, and as sensitive as a highway
Ich bin ein Mann, noch gefährlicher als Jackie Chan
I am a man, even more dangerous than Jackie Chan
Also bitte, fass' mich vorsichtig an, du bist in meinem Bann
So please touch me carefully, because you are under my spell
Ich habe dich in der Hand, denn ich bin so interessant
I have you in my hand, because I am so fascinating
Obwohl ich nichts dafür kann
Even though I didn't do anything to deserve it
Ich hab mehr Glück als Verstand
I have more luck than intelligence
Ich bin ein Mann
I am a man
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: Farin Urlaub
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind