However, Neubauten soon outgrew the confines of even the broad scope of industrial music. In their 25-plus years, they have produced a dozen studio albums, live records, a remix album and EP, scored theatre pieces, and more.
Lead vocalist Blixa Bargeld is perhaps the best-known member of the group, both for his work with Neubauten and as guitarist for Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds. His fellow founding members Alexander Hacke and N.U. Unruh have likewise been active in various musical roles outside the group over the years.
Bassist Mark Chung was a member of the group from 1981 to 1994. He founded the publishing house Freibank Music Publishing to handle business affairs for Neubauten and other groups, and has continued in this role (concurrently serving as a senior vice-president of Sony Music International for nine years). Percussionist FM Einheit, was a member from 1981 to 1995, and has also been active as a solo artist and member of groups such as Gry.
Since 1997 the group has also included guitarist Jochen Arbeit and percussionist Rudi Moser.
Neubauten's most recent work has been available exclusively to subscribers to their online home, www.neubauten.org. Neubauten completed the third incarnation of their online project in November 2007 and were touring Europe in 2008 in support of their latest album Alles Wieder Offen.
Currently Einstürzende Neubauten is celebrating their 30th anniversary with a tour through Europe and the United States. In October/November 2010 the band is releasing Strategies Against Architecture IV, the fourth album in the archival compilation series by Neubauten which collates the band’s output from 2002-2010.
Musentango
Einstürzende Neubauten Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Nicht unbedingt, aber vielleicht
Wenn ich tanze will ich trinken
Nicht unbedingt, aber vielleicht
Wenn ich trinke muss ich singen
Nicht unbedingt, aber vielleicht
Und wenn ich singe dann küsst sie mich
Vielleicht
Erst tanzte ich mit mnemosyne
Die, glaub' ich, eine echte muse war
Dazwischen trank ich mischgetränke
Die hiessen, glaub' ich, amnesia
Irgendwann fing ich an zu singen
Und ich sang bis die putzkolonne kam
Küsst mich die muse will ich tanzen
Nicht unbedingt, aber vielleicht
Wenn ich tanze will ich trinken
Nicht unbedingt, aber vielleicht
Wenn ich trinke muss ich singen
Nicht unbedingt, aber vielleicht
Und wenn ich singe dann küsst sie mich
Vielleicht
The song "Musentango" by Einstürzende Neubauten is about the complex relationship between the artist and their muse. The lyrics are written from the point of view of the artist who desires the inspiration and encouragement of the muse, but also acknowledges the destructive tendencies that come with the creative process. The artist expresses a desire to dance and let loose when they are kissed by the muse, but only if they choose to do so. The artist also notes that when they sing, the muse returns to kiss them again.
The idea of the muse has been around in literature and art for centuries. In Greek mythology, the muses were goddesses who inspired artists and musicians. They were often portrayed as beautiful women who could inspire great works of art. In this song, the muse is both an inspiration and a source of chaos. The artist desires the muse's kiss for inspiration, but also recognizes that their behavior can be destructive.
One interpretation of the lyrics is that the song is about addiction. The artist desires the muse's kiss, which could be interpreted as a metaphor for alcohol or drugs. The artist acknowledges that this behavior is not always healthy, but they feel drawn to it nonetheless. The lyrics suggest that the artist is aware of the consequences of their actions, but they are willing to take the risk in order to create.
Line by Line Meaning
Küsst mich die muse will ich tanzen
If the muse kisses me, I might feel like dancing.
Nicht unbedingt, aber vielleicht
Not necessarily, but maybe.
Wenn ich tanze will ich trinken
If I dance, I might feel like drinking.
Nicht unbedingt, aber vielleicht
Not necessarily, but maybe.
Wenn ich trinke muss ich singen
If I drink, I might feel like singing.
Nicht unbedingt, aber vielleicht
Not necessarily, but maybe.
Und wenn ich singe dann küsst sie mich
And if I sing, the muse might kiss me.
Vielleicht
Maybe.
Erst tanzte ich mit mnemosyne
At first I danced with Mnemosyne.
Die, glaub' ich, eine echte muse war
I believe she was a real muse.
Dazwischen trank ich mischgetränke
In between, I drank mixed drinks.
Die hiessen, glaub' ich, amnesia
I think they were called amnesia.
Irgendwann fing ich an zu singen
Eventually I started singing.
Und ich sang bis die putzkolonne kam
And I kept singing until the cleaning crew arrived.
Lyrics © Freibank Musikverlags und vermarktungs GmbH, THE ROYALTY NETWORK INC.
Written by: ALEXANDER HACKE, ANDREW CHUDY, BLIXA BARGELD
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind