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
Wie ein Kind
Die Ärzte Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Den ganzen Tag arbeitest du von früh bis spät
Nur damit du mal 'nen eignen Mercedes hast,
Und ein eigenes großes Haus, mit großem Garten
Nur du gehst dabei vor die Hunde,
Nur du gehst dabei zugrunde
Und dann denk' ich, ich wär so gern nochmal ein Kind,
Ich wär so gern nochmal ein Kind
Früher warst du der, der du wirklich warst,
Mit deinen Fragen, deinen Popeln, deiner Liebe, deiner Angst
Heute heißt es, sowas macht man nicht,
Dazu bist du viel zu alt, du bist jetzt erwachsen
Nur du gehst dabei vor die Hunde,
Nur du gehst dabei zugrunde
Steh' ich vor dem Spiegel, schau ich in Alltagssorgen rein,
Und dann denk' ich, ich wär so gern nochmal ein Kind,
Ich wär so gern nochmal ein Kind
The lyrics to Die Ärzte's song "Wie ein Kind" address the idea of adulthood, working hard to achieve material success, and the loss of innocence that comes with growing up. The first lines describe the constant pursuit of money, reflected in the long working hours, all for the purpose of owning a fancy car and a big house with a grand garden. However, the cost of this pursuit is losing oneself - the individual melts away, with nothing left except the burnt-out husk of an adult, exhausted and destroyed.
The chorus then presents a stark contrast to this reality. Looking at oneself in the mirror, the singer longs to be a child once again, free from the mundane worries and stressors of adult life. They reflect on how they used to be their true selves, curious and filled with love and fear, unafraid to ask questions and do “childish” things. But now, societal expectations dictate that childish behavior is unacceptable, and the singer yearns to go back to a time when it was encouraged.
Overall, the song is a critique of the adult world and a statement of longing for the simplicity and freedom of childhood. It encourages listeners to consider the price that is paid when we sacrifice our true selves for the pursuit of material success, and the importance of holding onto the spirit of youth.
Line by Line Meaning
Den ganzen Tag rennst du der Kohle hinterher
You spend your entire day chasing money
Den ganzen Tag arbeitest du von früh bis spät
You work from early morning till late at night
Nur damit du mal 'nen eignen Mercedes hast,
Just so you can have your own Mercedes
Und ein eigenes großes Haus, mit großem Garten
And a big house with a large garden
Nur du gehst dabei vor die Hunde,
But in the end, it's only you who suffers
Nur du gehst dabei zugrunde
Only you will perish in this pursuit
Steh' ich vor dem Spiegel, schau ich in Alltagssorgen rein,
When I stand in front of the mirror, I see my everyday worries reflected
Und dann denk' ich, ich wär so gern nochmal ein Kind,
And then I realize how much I wish I could be a child again
Früher warst du der, der du wirklich warst,
You used to be yourself, just as you were
Mit deinen Fragen, deinen Popeln, deiner Liebe, deiner Angst
With your questions, your nose-picking, your love, and your fear
Heute heißt es, sowas macht man nicht,
But now they say that you shouldn't do things like that anymore
Dazu bist du viel zu alt, du bist jetzt erwachsen
You're too old for that, now that you're an adult
Ich wär so gern nochmal ein Kind
I really wish I could be a child again
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: HANS RUNGE, MICHAEL WAHLER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@MichaelHaberta_OmegaRules
Heute habe ich echtes Kulturhopping betrieben, erst war ich bei den Moslems auf einem Familienfest also mmh wie da Frauen und Männer aufgeteilt werden sehr komisch für mich... Dann Osterfeuer seid ich selbst kein Alkohol mehr trinke erste mal gesehen und erkannt wie viele Leute Bier in der Hand haben, alle egal ob Mann oder Frau :D
(Ausnahmen bestätigen dingelings und so)
Wie wird man aufgenommen wenn man allein kommt und keiner kennt ein? Gar nicht! Nur die Verkäufer/innen an den Ständen die sind alle Freundlich ;) Verständlich oder?
Nun jedoch das was mir am extremst aufgefallen ist!
KINDER, Kinder kommen auf einen zu egal welcher Religion sie angehören oder man selber, die haben keine Vorurteile und sie kommen erst recht wenn sie merken das man alleine irgendwo hingekommen ist!
ICH WILL WIEDER KIND SEIN!!!!!
Darf man als Erwachsener Kinder als Freunde haben? Bestimmt nicht, dann ist man bestimmt so ein Pedobär für die anderen Erwachsenen oder sowas xD An alle Erwachsenen werdet endlich mal wach und nehmt euch ein Beispiel an euren KINDERN!!!
Ps.: Essen war bei beiden Gut ;)
@tiptaptobi
Ich war nie ein Ärzte Fan, aber dieses Album und speziell dieses Lied sind mir aus meiner Kindheit in Erinnerung geblieben.
@jessypetra
ich liebe seit 25 jahren die ärzte und dies ist mein absoluter lieblingssong, denn so verrückt wie wir alle mal waren, irgendwann kommen wir alle in diese situation, wunderschön traurig und trotzdem rebellisch, danke ärzte
@ahabduennschitz7670
Und geklaut. Schön von Sahnie abgezogen
@ollebudsen5054
Der Song wird von Jahr zu Jahr besser. 😢
@rudistyler
Das Lied ist genial, einer meiner Lieblingssongs von den Ärzten.
@cmeuwly
Absolut genial, ich liebes es!
@dannychane
Ich weiß nicht ob ich bei dem Song lachen oder weinen soll :'D Warum ich heulen würde, der Text ist einfach so wahr! Warum ich lache... wegen Textstellen wie dein "Popeln" und dann dieses "La la la la la", was wirklich von so ein von Kinder gesungenen Rolf Zuckowski Song oder ein Diddle Maus Soundtrack sein könnet xD
@AngelundJo
Eines der Besten aus den 80s der Ärzte und das Beste von Sahnie. Die Aussage kann ich unterschreiben. Peace!
@leowulf8116
Wowi
Das erste Mal ist sicher 25 Jahre her aber ich komme immer wieder gerne zurück zu diesem Lied was mir schon als Junge gezeigt hat was im Leben wichtig ist...Liebe und popeln❤
@BorisBallin
die UrÄrzte haben auch schon als soilent grün gerockt und jede Auswahl von ihnen wurde auf jeden Fall einer Art Prüfung unterzogen...ich find in diesem Lied kommt der Grund, warum die beiden Runge auserkoren haben, am besten rüber. Mögen die heutigen drei noch sehr lange mit sehr vielen Songs und noch mehr Spaß unser Leben bereichern. Für die Spaßgesellschaft....