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.
Walkampf
Die Toten Hosen Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Nach einer Horrornacht.
So was Blödes hab ich noch nie geträumt,
Ich habe richtig Panik gehabt.
Denn es war so: Ich stand am Strand und vor mir lag ein Wal.
Er lebte noch, ich war allein, es war so eine Qual.
Ich bin nicht der Stärkste, das Tier war tonnenschwer,
Und die Wellen haben gerufen
Schieb' den Wal zurück ins Meer!
Also hab ich es noch mal versucht, noch mal mit ganzer Kraft.
Die Möwen schrien über mir: Wieder nicht geschafft.
Da fuhr ein Greenpeace-Schiff vorbei, ich dachte,
Gott sei Dank!
Ich hab gebrüllt und wie wild gewunken
Und dann sah ich, wie es versank.
Schieb' den Wal zurück ins Meer!
Mir kamen schon die Tränen, weil ich so hilflos war.
Der Wal lag unverändert da, es ging mir tierisch nah.
Ich hab ihn sogar angefleht
Mach dich bitte nicht so schwer.
Und die Sonne schrie
Nun mach schon
Schieb den Wal zurück ins Meer!
Am nächsten Morgen hatte ich Muskelkater, ich schleppte mich ins Bad.
Ich drehte schnell die Dusche auf, wie gut mir das jetzt tat.
Da hörte ich meine Freundin, sie schrie von irgendwo her
Was tust du unter der Dusche?
Schieb den Wal zurück ins Meer!
The lyrics to Die Toten Hosen's song "Walkampf" describe a nightmare the singer had where he attempted to push a beached whale back into the ocean. The dream was so vivid, the singer woke up drenched in sweat, filled with panic. In the dream, the singer struggled to push the whale, as it was incredibly heavy, and the waves crashed against him, making it even more difficult. Just when the singer thought he was going to fail, a Greenpeace ship passed by, and the singer thought he was saved. However, the ship sank before it could help, leaving the singer alone with the whale. The lyrics end with the singer expressing his helplessness over the situation, feeling as though he failed to save the whale.
The song's lyrics are symbolic of the frustration and helplessness that people often feel when they try to make a positive impact on the world, but their efforts are not enough or are thwarted by unexpected obstacles. The whale represents a larger issue, such as climate change or environmental destruction, while the singer represents the individual trying to make a difference. Despite the Greenpeace ship passing by, it was not able to help in the end, which could symbolize how some people, even with good intentions, may not be able to make a significant difference in a larger problem.
Line by Line Meaning
Ich bin schweißgebadet aufgewacht
I woke up drenched in sweat
Nach einer Horrornacht.
After a nightmare.
So was Blödes hab ich noch nie geträumt,
I have never dreamt anything so stupid,
Ich habe richtig Panik gehabt.
I was really panicked.
Denn es war so: Ich stand am Strand und vor mir lag ein Wal.
This was because I was standing on the beach and in front of me was a whale.
Er lebte noch, ich war allein, es war so eine Qual.
The whale was still alive, I was alone and it was such a torment.
Ich bin nicht der Stärkste, das Tier war tonnenschwer,
I am not the strongest, the animal weighed tons.
Und die Wellen haben gerufen
And the waves were calling out to me
Schieb den Wal zurück ins Meer!
Push the whale back into the sea!
Schieb' den Wal zurück ins Meer!
Push the whale back into the sea!
Also hab ich es noch mal versucht, nochmal mit ganzer Kraft.
So I tried it again, with all my strength.
Die Möwen schrien über mir: Wieder nicht geschafft.
The seagulls screamed above me: still didn't make it.
Da fuhr ein Greenpeace-Schiff vorbei, ich dachte,
Then a Greenpeace ship passed by, and I thought
Gott sei Dank!
Thank God!
Ich hab gebrüllt und wie wild gewunken
I screamed and waved like crazy
Und dann sah ich, wie es versank.
And then I saw it sink.
Mir kamen schon die Tränen, weil ich so hilflos war.
Tears came to my eyes because I felt so helpless.
Der Wal lag unverändert da, es ging mir tierisch nah.
The whale lay there unchanged, it hit me deeply.
Ich hab ihn sogar angefleht
I even begged him
Mach dich bitte nicht so schwer.
Please don't be so heavy.
Und die Sonne schrie
And the sun screamed
Nun mach schon
Come on now,
Schieb den Wal zurück ins Meer!
Push the whale back into the sea!
Am nächsten Morgen hatte ich Muskelkater, ich schleppte mich ins Bad.
The next morning, I had muscle pain, and I dragged myself to the bathroom.
Ich drehte schnell die Dusche auf, wie gut mir das jetzt tat.
I quickly turned on the shower, and it felt good.
Da hörte ich meine Freundin, sie schrie von irgendwoher
Then I heard my girlfriend, she screamed from somewhere
Was tust du unter der Dusche?
What are you doing in the shower?
Schieb den Wal zurück ins Meer!
Push the whale back into the sea!
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: ANDREAS FREGE, FUNNY VAN DANNEN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Ben
Habe es früher so oft gehört mit meiner Schwester, da kommt richtig Nostalgie hoch wie wir zusammen das gesungen haben. 😆
Alessandro Ruggieri
The german teacher showed us this video during lessons when I was in high school, such a cool song! And the video is very cool as well. Greetings from Italy.
Alessandro Sciannimanico
Non so di che città tu sia ma allora c'è proprio una lobby di prof di tedesco che decide di far sentire sta canzone
TheRealJK
Das lied ist und bleibt einfach verdammt geil😂😂😂😂😂
Creepy Clown
Meine Freundin mag nicht wenn ich das Lied abspiele wenn sie aus der Badewanne kommt. Warum?
Snowball the cat
versuchst du sie dann wieder rein zu schieben?
Sgt Sebo Hysteria
Verstehe ich auch nicht
Gammel Kartoffel
@شممشا غفعنتظ konventierter Muslim [DE] na dann nicht
Hans Peter
Hat ohrwurmpotenzial,einfach geil das lied😂
Karl Pönitzsch
Hans Peter aber extrem