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
Kopfhaut
Die Ärzte Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Als ich neulich durch den Canyon ritt
Da folgten mir Indianer, und sie waren zu dritt
Ich gab meinem Hengst die Sporen
Doch sie kriegten mich, und ich war verloren
Zwei hatten Pfeil und Bogen, einer ein Beil, und ich wusste:
Die waren auf meine Kopfhaut geil
Du kannst gehen, aber deine Kopfhaut bleibt hier
Wir kamen in ihr Dorf, und da sagten sie zu mir, sie sagten
Du kannst gehen, aber deine Kopfhaut bleibt hier
(Juchu)
Kein Wunder, dass ich dies indiskutabel fand
Und ich sagte, meine Herren, dies ist ein freies Land
Sie können das gern mit meinem Anwalt ausmachen
Da fingen die Rothäute an zu lachen
Sie erklärten, meine Meinung wäre ihnen scheißegal
Und sie banden mich an den Marterpfahl
Du kannst gehen, aber deine Kopfhaut bleibt hier
Du kannst gehen, aber deine Kopfhaut bleibt hier
Sie gaben mir noch ein Ultimatum bis um vier, sie sagten
Du kannst gehen, aber deine Kopfhaut bleibt hier
Dann ließen sie mich dort ganz alleine gehen
Diese Fluchtmöglichkeit ließ ich mir nicht entgehen
Ich zerbiss meine Fesseln und ich rannte los
Ich wusste, meine Chancen waren nicht gerade groß
Ein Indianer warf sich auf mich, so dass ich fiel
Es ging zu wie bei einem Rugbyspiel
Du kannst gehen, aber deine Kopfhaut bleibt hier
Du kannst gehen, aber deine Kopfhaut bleibt hier
Er kämpfte wie ein Tiger in seiner Gier
Er sagte, du kannst gehen, aber deine Kopfhaut bleibt hier
Doch alles, was ich tat, war absolut vergebens
Und ich denke mir, das ist nun mal der Lauf des Lebens
Mal geht es dir schlecht, dann geht's dir wieder gut
Ich jedenfalls trag' jetzt immer einen Hut
Du kannst gehen, aber deine Kopfhaut bleibt hier
Du kannst gehen, aber deine Kopfhaut bleibt hier
Du kannst gehen, du kannst gehen
Er sagte, du kannst gehen, aber deine Kopfhaut bleibt hier
The lyrics to Die Ärzte's "Kopfhaut" offer a satirical and humorous take on the Western genre of cowboy and Indian stories. In the song, the singer describes how he was targeted by Indian warriors who were after his scalp. Despite his attempts to reason with them, the natives ultimately tie him to a torture stake and give him an ultimatum to leave his scalp behind. The singer manages to escape but reflects on the absurdity and randomness of life, now wearing a hat to protect his prized possession.
The song's lyrics can be interpreted in a few different ways. On one hand, they may be seen as a critique of colonialism and imperialism, which often relied on the acquisition of resources and land by force. The notion of European settlers taking over indigenous territories and forcing the natives to relinquish their ways of life, language, and culture is central to this interpretation. On the other hand, the lyrics may also be simply read as a commentary on the absurdity of violence and war, particularly in contexts where there seems to be no clear rationale for the conflict.
Interestingly, "Kopfhaut" is one of Die Ärzte's more musically straightforward and relatively uncomplicated songs. The band is known for their eclectic style, which often includes elements of punk, metal, and rock. "Kopfhaut," however, is a more straightforward rock song, relying primarily on distorted guitars, steady drums, and a simple, catchy melody. Despite its simplicity, the song has become a favorite among Die Ärzte fans, particularly for its tongue-in-cheek, irreverent humor.
Line by Line Meaning
(Juchu)
An exclamation of excitement, indicating the start of a story
Als ich neulich durch den Canyon ritt
When I was riding through the canyon the other day
Da folgten mir Indianer, und sie waren zu dritt
Three Native Americans were following me
Ich gab meinem Hengst die Sporen
I urged my horse to go faster
Doch sie kriegten mich, und ich war verloren
But they caught me, and I was doomed
Zwei hatten Pfeil und Bogen, einer ein Beil, und ich wusste:
Two had bows and arrows, and one had a hatchet, and I knew
Die waren auf meine Kopfhaut geil
They were after my scalp
Sie sagten, du kannst gehen, aber deine Kopfhaut bleibt hier
They said, you can go, but your scalp stays here
Wir kamen in ihr Dorf, und da sagten sie zu mir, sie sagten
We arrived in their village, and they said to me, they said
Kein Wunder, dass ich dies indiskutabel fand
No wonder I found this unacceptable
Und ich sagte, meine Herren, dies ist ein freies Land
And I said, gentlemen, this is a free country
Sie können das gern mit meinem Anwalt ausmachen
You can sort this out with my lawyer
Da fingen die Rothäute an zu lachen
That's when the Native Americans started laughing
Sie erklärten, meine Meinung wäre ihnen scheißegal
They explained that they didn't give a shit about my opinion
Und sie banden mich an den Marterpfahl
And they tied me to the torture stake
Sie gaben mir noch ein Ultimatum bis um vier, sie sagten
They gave me until four o'clock, they said
Dann ließen sie mich dort ganz alleine gehen
Then they left me there all alone
Diese Fluchtmöglichkeit ließ ich mir nicht entgehen
I didn't miss the chance to escape
Ich zerbiss meine Fesseln und ich rannte los
I bit through my restraints and ran away
Ich wusste, meine Chancen waren nicht gerade groß
I knew my chances were not exactly great
Ein Indianer warf sich auf mich, so dass ich fiel
A Native American tackled me, causing me to fall
Es ging zu wie bei einem Rugbyspiel
It was like a rugby match
Er kämpfte wie ein Tiger in seiner Gier
He fought like a tiger in his greed
Doch alles, was ich tat, war absolut vergebens
But everything I did was completely in vain
Und ich denke mir, das ist nun mal der Lauf des Lebens
And I think to myself, that's just the way life goes
Mal geht es dir schlecht, dann geht's dir wieder gut
Sometimes you have bad luck, then things get better again
Ich jedenfalls trag' jetzt immer einen Hut
In any case, I now always wear a hat
Du kannst gehen, du kannst gehen
You can go, you can go
Er sagte, du kannst gehen, aber deine Kopfhaut bleibt hier
He said, you can go, but your scalp stays here
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Dirk Felsenheimer, Hans Runge, Jan Vetter
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Peter Pepper
Die Tröte und die Klingel...Ich kann nicht mehr. Entertainment nicht nur durch gute Musik!
iseeu666
My second favorite band on this planet.
Maddie Bradshaw
Einfach mega 😊
Herbert NachNachnamename
Krass wie der Banjo zockt!!!!!
Piece0of0cake
So"stumpfsinnig" der song auch is... der bajo part is echt sau anspruchsvoll...
und auch auf rod's Bass den richtigen ton rauszukriegen is nich so einfach :D
Peter Pepper
+Matze Dann noch dabei singen...Absoluter Wahnsinn wenn du mich fragst. :D
Piece0of0cake
Definitiv :) leicht zu unterschätzen die Leistung
fugazi
Jan ist musikalisch deutlich begabter als er vorgibt zu sein.
NozomiAmaya
das war mal wieder typisch DÄ, würd ich sagen..=).....der "besenstiel-bass" hat was^^...das ist doch mal der beweis gewesen, dass rod alles spielen kann, und es klingt trotzdem gut!^^
Cookies Creme
Geil!