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.
Seele brennt
Einstürzende Neubauten Lyrics
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Der Gegensex
Jeder Tag kostet mich Wunden
Dabei bin ich schon jetzt
Zerschunden und völlig blutverschmiert
Du fängst im Taxi an zu heulen
Bloß weil ich sage
In zwei Jahren tot bin
Alle Idole müssen sterben (Lachen)
Meine Seele brennt
Ich versteck mich, sitz in meinem Loch
Und warte auf die Träume, die mich retten (Kommen nicht)
Liebe ist ein Scheiterhaufen
Auf dem ich langsam aber sicher
Von innen her zum Rand verbrenne
Ich hab gekostet
Bin zu weit gegangen
Werd den Geschmack nicht los
Vielleicht ist nur entzündet
Vielleicht ist nur entzündet, was da brennt
An Stelle meiner Seele
An der Stelle meiner Seele
Meine Seele brennt
The lyrics to Einstürzende Neubauten's song "Seele brennt" (translated to "Soul Burns") are intensely emotional and introspective, delving into the themes of self-destruction and addiction. The opening lines, "I am the revolutionary love / The opposite sex / Every day costs me wounds / Though already / I am scarred and completely covered in blood," sets the tone for the rest of the song, portraying a wounded and raw version of the singer.
The mention of the singer being in a taxi and crying sets up a moment of vulnerability, as they share their vulnerability in discussing their own possible death. The idiosyncratic response of laughter from the people around them exhibits a certain level of societal ostracism, which only adds to the singer's feelings of isolation.
The refrain of "My soul burns / I hide, sit in my hole / And wait for the dreams to save me (But they don't come) / Love is a pyre / On which I slowly but surely / Burn from the inside out to the edge" echoes the nihilistic themes of the song, describing a sense of desperation and hopelessness while searching for redemption.
Overall, the lyrics of "Seele brennt" paint a hauntingly vivid portrait of a person teetering on the edge of self-destruction, trying to cling to something in the face of their own mortality.
Line by Line Meaning
Ich bin die umstürzlerische Liebe
I am the love that changes things, that rebels against norms
Der Gegensex
I am the opposite, the antithesis of what is comfortable and familiar
Jeder Tag kostet mich Wunden
Every day I am hurt, bruised and battered, by a world that doesn't accept me
Dabei bin ich schon jetzt
Although the world hurts me, I am still here, alive
Zerschunden und völlig blutverschmiert
I am wounded and covered in blood, a symbol of the violence and pain I endure
Du fängst im Taxi an zu heulen
You start crying in the taxi, overwhelmed by my words
Bloß weil ich sage
Simply because I say
Dass ich bei dem Konsum
That I know that the things I do
In zwei Jahren tot bin
Will kill me, destroy me completely within two years
Alle Idole müssen sterben (Lachen)
All idols, all things we worship and admire, must die, and that is something to laugh at
Meine Seele brennt
My soul is on fire, consumed by the intensity of my feelings
Ich versteck mich, sitz in meinem Loch
I hide, I isolate myself in my own despair
Und warte auf die Träume, die mich retten (Kommen nicht)
I wait for dreams that will save me, but they never come
Liebe ist ein Scheiterhaufen
Love is a bonfire, a thing that consumes and destroys everything around it
Auf dem ich langsam aber sicher
On which I slowly but surely
Von innen her zum Rand verbrenne
Burn from the inside out, until there is nothing left
Ich hab gekostet
I tried, I experimented
Bin zu weit gegangen
But I went too far, I pushed the limits of my existence
Werd den Geschmack nicht los
I can't forget the taste of what I've done
Vielleicht ist nur entzündet
Maybe it's just inflamed, just a reaction to what I've been through
Vielleicht ist nur entzündet, was da brennt
Maybe it's just a small flame, something that can still be put out
An Stelle meiner Seele
In place of my soul
An der Stelle meiner Seele
In the very core of my being
Meine Seele brennt
My soul is on fire, consumed by the intensity of my feelings
Lyrics © THE ROYALTY NETWORK INC.
Written by: A. CHUDY, A. HACKE, B. BARGELD, F.M. STRAUSS, M. CHUNG, BLIXA BARGELD
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind