His name Farin Urlaub is a pun on the German expression "Fahr in Urlaub!", which means "Go on vacation!", to refer to his love of traveling. He is also a pescetarian, a teetotaler, a non-smoker and a pacifist. He speaks seven languages: German, English, French, Portuguese, Spanish, Italian and Japanese, and a supporter of Greenpeace and Amnesty International (amongst others). For the last few years he has been living in a village near Hamburg, where he has his own recording studio.
In 1980 he joined Bela B.'s band Soilent Grün as guitarist. When the band broke up in 1982, Urlaub, Bela B. and Hans Runge (better known as Sahnie) formed Die Ärzte, one of the most successful German pop punk rock bands of the 1980s. In 1988, at the height of their popularity, Die Ärzte disbanded.
Urlaub then formed King Køng, which remained unsuccessful, even for an indie band. Die Ärzte reunited in 1993 and have had continued success ever since. Urlaub still writes most songs for Die Ärzte which has the consequence that not all of them can be used for the band.
Therefore, in 2001, Urlaub started his solo career with the album Endlich Urlaub! ("Vacation at last!", which can also be read as pun on his name, as in "Urlaub at last!"). Am Ende der Sonne ("At the end of the Sun") was released in 2005, followed by the release of the live album Livealbum of Death in 2006. This live album was released under the name of Farin Urlaub's live band Farin Urlaub Racing Team. However, Urlaub announced that subsequent studio releases will also be made under the name Farin Urlaub Racing Team.
And so their latest studio album Die Wahrheit übers Lügen ("The truth about lying") was released in 2008, followed by a live album/video Lass es wie einen Unfall aussehen ("Make it look like an accident") in 2010. The video material was intended to become a live DVD, but was then released as a free download on the artist's website www.farin-urlaub.de, due to difficulties during the live sound recording (which led to the name).
Wunderbar
Farin Urlaub Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Wenn Sit-Ups und Liegestützen bei dir rein garnichts nützen
Wenn Waagen, Stühle und Matratzen
Einfach unter dir zerplatzen
Dann mach dich nicht verrückt:
Du bist nicht zu dick, nein, die anderen sind zu dünn
Du bist nicht zu dick, sondern die anderen sind zu dünn
Aber du bist nicht zu dick-
Du bist wunderschön!
Wenn selbst bei Fahrradkontrollen alle deinen Ausweis sehen wollen
Wenn du vom Bürgersteig springst und in einer Pfütze fast ertrinkst
Wenn dich beim Spazierengehn
Sogar Chihuahuas übersehn
Dann lass dir nichts erzähln:
Du bist nicht zu klein, nein, die anderen sind zu groß
Du bist nicht zu klein, sondern die anderen sind zu groß
Sie sind verlorene Riesen, so einsam wie bizarr
Aber du bist nicht zu klein-
Du bist wunderbar!
Wenn dich jede Schnecke erschreckt
Weil sie sich so schrecklich schnell bewegt
Wenn du keine Blumen mehr pflückst
Weil sie eingehn, während du dich bückst
Bist du immer in Ekstase
Weil die Jahreszeiten rasen
Sie werdens nie verstehn:
Du bist nicht zu langsam, nein, die anderen sind zu schnell
Du bist nicht zu langsam, sondern die anderen sind zu schnell
Als menschliche Atome hetzen sie sinnlos umher
Aber du bist nicht zu langsam ...
The song "Wunderbar" by Farin Urlaub is a heartwarming anthem to self-love and acceptance. The lyrics talk about situations where someone might feel down about themselves, such as not fitting into their clothes or feeling too small, slow, or weak. But instead of blaming themselves, the song encourages them to see the world differently and recognize their own beauty and worth.
In the first verse, the singer addresses weight issues, which can be a sensitive topic for many people. However, he turns it around and says that it's not the person's fault for being too big, but rather that society puts too much pressure on being thin. He encourages the listener to embrace their body and not get caught up in impossible standards of beauty. The same message is repeated in the second verse, this time about height, and the third verse, about speed.
Throughout the song, Farin Urlaub uses hyperboles and funny anecdotes to lighten the mood, such as the line about Chihuahuas overlooking the person because they're so small. It's a reminder that we shouldn't take ourselves too seriously and that our quirks and imperfections make us unique and special.
Overall, "Wunderbar" is a feel-good song that promotes self-love and challenges social norms. It encourages listeners to be kinder to themselves and to see themselves in a positive light. It's a reminder that we are all worthy of love and respect, no matter what society tells us.
Line by Line Meaning
Wenn du keine Freunde mehr hast, weil dein Arsch in keine Hose passt
If you have lost your friends because your buttocks don't fit into any pants
Wenn Sit-Ups und Liegestützen bei dir rein garnichts nützen
If exercise like Sit-Ups and pushups are of no use to you
Wenn Waagen, Stühle und Matratzen
Einfach unter dir zerplatzen
If scales, chairs and mattresses simply break under your weight
Dann mach dich nicht verrückt:
Then don't go crazy:
Du bist nicht zu dick, nein, die anderen sind zu dünn
Du bist nicht zu dick, sondern die anderen sind zu dünn
Als halbtote Skelette müssen sie durchs Leben gehn
Aber du bist nicht zu dick-
Du bist wunderschön!
You are not too fat, no, the others are too thin
You are not too fat, but the others are too thin
As half-dead skeletons, they must go through life
But you are not too fat-
You are beautiful!
Wenn selbst bei Fahrradkontrollen alle deinen Ausweis sehen wollen
If even during bicycle checks, everyone wants to see your ID
Wenn du vom Bürgersteig springst und in einer Pfütze fast ertrinkst
If you jump off the sidewalk and almost drown in a puddle
Wenn dich beim Spazierengehn
Sogar Chihuahuas übersehn
If even Chihuahuas overlook you while you're walking
Dann lass dir nichts erzähln:
Then don't let anyone tell you anything:
Du bist nicht zu klein, nein, die anderen sind zu groß
Du bist nicht zu klein, sondern die anderen sind zu groß
Sie sind verlorene Riesen, so einsam wie bizarr
Aber du bist nicht zu klein-
Du bist wunderbar!
You are not too small, no, the others are too big
You are not too small, but the others are too big
They are lost giants, as lonely as bizarre
But you are not too small-
You are wonderful!
Wenn dich jede Schnecke erschreckt
Weil sie sich so schrecklich schnell bewegt
If every snail scares you because it moves so terribly fast
Wenn du keine Blumen mehr pflückst
Weil sie eingehn, während du dich bückst
Bist du immer in Ekstase
Weil die Jahreszeiten rasen
Sie werdens nie verstehn:
If you stop picking flowers because they wither while you bend down
You are always in ecstasy
Because the seasons are racing
They will never understand it:
Du bist nicht zu langsam, nein, die anderen sind zu schnell
Du bist nicht zu langsam, sondern die anderen sind zu schnell
Als menschliche Atome hetzen sie sinnlos umher
Aber du bist nicht zu langsam ...
You are not too slow, no, the others are too fast
You are not too slow, but the others are too fast
As human atoms, they rush around senselessly
But you are not too slow...
Contributed by Lucas H. Suggest a correction in the comments below.