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
Lovepower
Die Ärzte Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Kriege weiche Knie wie nie
Du bist super!
Du bist so süß, ich muss dich sehen
Ich will immer mit dir gehen
Wo ist denn ein Spiegel?
Du siehst gut aus
Du bist genial
Dein Angesicht wie Sonnenlicht
Ich bin verliebt
Ich bin niemals allein
Ich bin verliebt
Denn du bist mein Sonnenschein
Ich bin verliebt
Liebe kann so etwas Schönes sein
Ich sehe klar und eins ist wahr
Nur du bist wunderbar
Ich will mit dir leben!
Ich weiß genau und seh dich an
Es gibt keinen anderen Mann in deinem Leben
Du siehst gut aus
Du bist perfekt
Du bist genial!
Dein Augenschlag ein Feiertag
Ich bin verliebt
In mich selbst verliebt
Ich bin verliebt
In mein Spiegelbild
Ich bin verliebt
Keiner liebt mich so, wie ich mich lieb
Ich bin verliebt
Keiner liebt mich so wie ich
interpretation:
The song "Lovepower" by Die Ärzte depicts the feeling of being deeply in love with oneself by using playful and ironic lyrics. In the beginning, the singer sees someone they are attracted to and immediately loses their composure, describing how their knees go weak while admiring the object of their affection. This quickly transitions to the singer addressing the person directly, proclaiming their beauty and perfection, even going as far as to say that their face is like sunlight.
However, as the song progresses, the focus shifts from the person the singer is addressing to themselves. They talk about how they see themselves in a positive light, declaring that they are in love with their own reflection and that no one loves them as much as they love themselves. In doing so, the song subverts the traditional notion of loving someone else as the cornerstone of romantic love, and empowers a self-affirming type of love that emphasizes the importance of oneself.
Overall, the lyrics of "Lovepower" demonstrate the idea that love starts from within and that self-love is just as vital as love for others. It encourages listeners to embrace their own beauty and to love themselves just as they are.
Line by Line Meaning
Du gehst die Straße lang und ich
While you are walking down the street, I become weak in the knees like never before.
Kriege weiche Knie wie nie
I feel a strong attraction towards you that is causing physical weakness in me.
Du bist super!
You are amazing and I cannot help but acknowledge it.
Du bist so süß, ich muss dich sehen
Your sweet nature is so irresistible to me that I must see you.
Ich will immer mit dir gehen
I want to be with you always, wherever you may go.
Wo ist denn ein Spiegel?
I am looking for a mirror to see if I look as great as you do.
Du siehst gut aus
You have a charming appearance and I cannot deny it.
Du bist perfekt
You are flawless and an embodiment of perfection.
Du bist genial
Your intellect and capabilities are beyond words, and I am in awe of you.
Dein Angesicht wie Sonnenlicht
Your face radiates a glow similar to that of sunlight, and it's breathtaking.
Ich bin verliebt
I am in love with you.
Ich bin niemals allein
As long as I have you, I will never be alone.
Denn du bist mein Sonnenschein
Your presence brings light and happiness into my life, much like sunshine.
Liebe kann so etwas Schönes sein
Love has the potential to be one of the most beautiful experiences in life.
Ich sehe klar und eins ist wahr
I have a clear vision and one truth is evident.
Nur du bist wunderbar
You alone are wonderful and unique in the most delightful way.
Ich will mit dir leben!
I want to spend my life with you and cherish every moment.
Ich weiß genau und seh dich an
I am fully convinced and can see in your eyes that there is no other man in your life.
Es gibt keinen anderen Mann in deinem Leben
I can sense that you are committed to me and have no other man in your life.
Dein Augenschlag ein Feiertag
The way you look at me is so enchanting, it feels like a celebration.
In mich selbst verliebt
I am in love with myself and my reflection in the mirror.
In mein Spiegelbild
I am enamored with my own reflection, and it brings me joy.
Keiner liebt mich so, wie ich mich lieb
No one can love me the way I love myself.
Keiner liebt mich so wie ich
There is no one who loves me as much as I love myself.
Contributed by Adam P. Suggest a correction in the comments below.