The band formed out of the ashes of punk band, ZK, founded 1978. The members of Die Toten Hosen (literally "The Dead Trousers" in English; "tote Hose" is a German expression meaning "lifeless", "boring", or "nothing going on") are Campino (Andreas Frege), Kuddel (Andreas von Holst), Vom (Stephen George Ritchie), Andi (Andreas Meurer) and Breiti (Michael Breitkopf). Vom replaced Wölli as the drummer in 1999 (Wölli's untimely departure from the band was due to injuries caused by a car accident), who himself had replaced Trini in 1985 and is still an honorary member of the band; Trini became the band's manager.
The band has existed for over 20 years, and their songs' focus gradually shifted from funny and nonsensical to serious; the songs from their first LP were mostly about having fun, but by the end of the 1980s they were focusing more on political and social issues such as racism.
Part of the folklore surounding the band is the story that in their early days they played for free on private birthday parties or similar events. However only under the conditions that the host provided for unlimited beer supply and paid for all damages caused by the band.
The debut single "Wir sind bereit" ("We are ready") was released in 1982, and was followed by their first album, "Opel-Gang", the next year. In 1988, Die Toten Hosen released the LP "Ein kleines bisschen Horrorschau". It refers to the movie A Clockwork Orange based on the book by Anthony Burgess. In 1993, Frank Castorf produced a German theater version of the book, in which Die Toten Hosen performed as actors and musicians.
Their 1000th concert was on 28th June 1997, in the Düsseldorfer Rheinstadium, and was attended by more than 60,000 fans. A Dutch girl died in the crowd; after various talks with security and police, the band decided to play soft songs until the end, in order not to panic the crowd. Later the band produced the song "Alles ist Eins" in memoriam for the Dutch girl.
Die Toten Hosen have collaborated with numerous other musicians (like Bad Religion, AC/DC, U2, Rolling Stones); they are also one of the few German punk bands popular outside of Germany (esp. in South America, Australia, eastern Europe) other notable bands being Die Ärzte and Rammstein.
As longtime fans of the their local soccer team Fortuna Düsseldorf they have been sponsoring the club from 2001 to 2003.
After their Unplugged concert in the end of 2005 they've taken a time-out. But they disclaimed rumors, that this is the end of the band.
In 2008 they released the Album "In aller Stille.
In 2012, Die Toten Hosen released their album Ballast der Republik. A special edition includes a bonus CD with cover versions of songs that influenced the band. On 26 April 2016, it was announced that former drummer Wolfgang Rohde had died of cancer.
Happy Xmas
Die Toten Hosen Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And what have you done
Another year over
A new one just begun
And so this is Christmas
I hope you have fun
The near and the dear ones
The old and the young
A very merry Christmas
And a happy new year
Let's hope it's a good one
Without any fear
And so this is Christmas
For weak and for strong
The rich and the poor ones
The road is so long
And so happy Christmas
For black and for white
For the yellow and red ones
Let's stop all the fights
A very merry Christmas
And a happy new year
Lets hope it's a good one
Without any fear
So this is Christmas - war is over, if you want it
And what have you done
Another year over - war is over, if you want it
A new one just begun
And so happy Christmas - war is over, if you want it
I hope you have fun
The near and the dear ones - war is over, if you want it
The old and the young
A very merry Christmas
And a happy new year
Let's hope it's a good one
Without any fear
War is over - if you want it
War is over now
Die Toten Hosen's song "Happy Xmas" is a cover of John Lennon's famous Christmas song, "Happy Xmas (War is Over)." The song is a commentary on the Vietnam War and the possibility of peace. The lyrics address the idea that Christmas is a time for reflection on what has been done in the past year, and a time to look forward to a new year with hope and without fear. The song urges people to put an end to war and fight for peace, and it does so by calling on all people, regardless of race, age, or social status, to work together for a common goal.
The first verse of the song addresses the fact that another year has passed and a new one has just begun. It calls on listeners to think about what they have done in the past year and to have fun celebrating Christmas with both loved ones and strangers. The chorus then wishes everyone a merry Christmas and a happy new year, and encourages them to hope for a good year without any fear. The second verse addresses the fact that the road to peace is long and that both rich and poor, weak and strong, everyone needs to work together towards ending war. The chorus repeats the message that everyone should have a happy Christmas and hope for a good year without any fear. The final verse reminds listeners that war is over if they want it to be and that they need to take action for peace to become a reality.
Line by Line Meaning
So this is Christmas
The singer acknowledges that it is Christmas season
And what have you done
The singer asks the listener what they have achieved in the past year
Another year over
The singer acknowledges that a year has passed by
A new one just begun
The artist acknowledges the start of a new year
And so this is Christmas
The artist repeats that it is indeed the Christmas season
I hope you have fun
The singer wishes for the listener to enjoy the holiday season
The near and the dear ones
The singer refers to the listener's close family and friends
The old and the young
The artist refers to people of all ages
A very merry Christmas
The artist wishes the listener a joyful Christmas experience
And a happy new year
The artist wishes the listener a happy upcoming year
Let's hope it's a good one
The singer expresses the hope that the coming year will be positive
Without any fear
The artist hopes that the listener will not have to face any negative or fearful situations
For weak and for strong
The singer refers to people of all different abilities and strengths
The rich and the poor ones
The singer acknowledges people of different financial backgrounds
The road is so long
The singer conveys that life is a long journey for everyone
For black and for white
The artist refers to people of different races and skin colors
For the yellow and red ones
The artist refers to people of Asian and Native American descent respectively
Let's stop all the fights
The singer calls for an end to all conflicts and disputes
War is over - if you want it
The singer states that war can end if people have the desire and willpower to end it
War is over now
The artist says that war can be stopped at any moment
Contributed by Isabella P. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@2stroke524
so erträglich fand ich weihnachtslieder noch nie !
@thomaso.1918
Ich bin fast 60 Jahre alt, aber immer wieder geil.😊
@pablomasi1
Mein Wiegenlied, jedes Mal, wenn Weihnachten kommt, Grüße. Aus Argentinien.
@pablomasi1
2020
Mein Wiegenlied, jedes Mal, wenn Weihnachten kommt, Grüße. Aus Argentinien.
@user-tx4so6gn2m
Jedes Jahr zur Wheinachtszeit grabe ich dies geniale Hosen CD aus und erinner mich an das legendere Hosen Weihnachtskonzert in der Phillipshalle scheiss ein auf den ISS Dom
@EragonPfalz
..die einzigen Weihnachtslieder für mich 2015...
..passt einfach...
@michaelaschmidt6034
immer noch so geil wie vor vielen Jahren
@BSG310
einfach nur geil *______* das gamze album <3.dth 4ever!
@panda11126
seit ich 4 bin jedes jahr zu Weihnachten 😂😊
@dierentnerbravo9282
Geil!