Born the daughter of Dvora und Abraham Schneider (the name is German and means tailor), she studied piano before starting to perform as a singer in venues in New England and New York.
Between 1978 and 1984 she achieved some success as a rock singer in Germany; her song Rock'n' Roll Gypsy even reached the top 10 record charts. 1980 she toured as an opener with the German rock legend Udo Lindenberg. She played one of the leads and the love interest of Eddie Wilson in the 1983 film Eddie and the Cruisers, which has since gained a huge cult following, especially in unusual places for an American film such as Nepal, Russia and especially Germany, where Schneider had name recognition.[1]
In 1987 she began her acting career at the Theater des Westens in Berlin playing the Sally Bowles in the musical Cabaret. From 1995 to 1998 she performed as Norma Desmond in Sunset Boulevard by Andrew Lloyd Webber. Since 1998 she mainly performs chansons and songs with lyrics pieces by Kurt Weill. She worked with Eberhard Schoener on the recording of the Short Opera (1996) and on the goodbye-song for the TV series Derrick. From 1999 to 2001 she performed as Eva Perón in the musical Evita at the Bad Hersfelder Festspiele.
In 2007 Schneider released the CD Just Like A Woman [1]
Rock'n'Roll Gypsy
Helen Schneider Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
How much did you pay for your bad Moto Guzzi?
And how much did you spend on your black leather jacket?
Is it you or your parents in this income tax bracket?
Now tickets to concerts and drinking at clubs
Sometimes for music that you haven't even heard of
And how much did you pay for your rock 'n' roll T-shirt
That proves you were there, that you heard of them first?
How do you afford your rock 'n' roll lifestyle?
How do you afford your rock 'n' roll lifestyle?
Oh tell me
Oh yeah alright, alright, oh yeah, alright, oh
How much did you pay for the chunk of his guitar
The one he ruthlessly smashed at the end of the show?
And how much will he pay for a brand new guitar
One which he'll ruthlessly smash at the end of another show?
And how long will the workers keep building him new ones?
As long as their soda cans are red, white and blue ones
And how long will the workers keep building him new ones?
As long
(As their soda cans are red, white and blue ones)
Oh yeah, oh
Oh yeah, oh yeah, oh yeah, alright
Oh no aging black leather and hospital bills
Tattoo removal and dozens of pills
Your liver pays dearly now for youthful magic moments
But rock on completely with some brand new components
Now how do you afford your rock 'n' roll lifestyle?
How do you afford your rock 'n' roll lifestyle?
How do you afford your rock 'n' roll lifestyle?
Alright, oh yeah, so good alright
Excess ain't rebellion
(How do you afford your rock 'n' roll lifestyle?)
You're drinking what they're selling
(How do you afford your rock 'n' roll lifestyle?)
Your self destruction doesn't hurt them
(How do you afford your rock 'n' roll lifestyle?)
Your chaos won't convert them
(How do you afford your rock 'n' roll lifestyle?)
They're so happy to rebuild it
(How do you afford your rock 'n' roll lifestyle?)
You'll never really kill it
(How do you afford your rock 'n' roll lifestyle?)
Yeah, excess ain't rebellion
(How do you afford your rock 'n' roll lifestyle?)
You're drinking what they're selling
(How do you afford your rock 'n' roll lifestyle?)
Excess ain't rebellion, you're drinking
(How do you afford your rock 'n' roll lifestyle?)
You're drinking, you're oh yeah drinking what they're selling
(How do you afford your rock 'n' roll lifestyle?)
Oh yeah alright, oh yeah alright
The song "Rock 'N' Roll Gypsy" by Helen Schneider talks about the lifestyle of a person who loves rock and roll too much. The song starts by questioning the person's expensive CD collection, their Moto Guzzi motorcycle, and black leather jacket. The song goes ahead and asks them about concert tickets and the cost of their rock 'n' roll t-shirt that proves they were present during the show. In the second verse, the song talks about the cost of the broken guitar and how much the artist will spend on buying another guitar to break during another show. The song also touches on the consequences of leading a rock 'n' roll lifestyle, such as the cost of hospital bills, tattoo removal, and pills. The song ends with a statement on how excess is not rebellion; instead, it is only drinking what the music industry is "selling."
The song takes a critical look at the rock 'n' roll lifestyle, which is often glorified without acknowledging the consequences. It challenges the idea of "sex, drugs, and rock 'n' roll" and poses some serious questions about the high costs of leading such a life, both financially and physically. The message is that while this lifestyle may seem glamorous, it brings in its wake a lot of baggage, which only adds to the cost.
Line by Line Meaning
Well, your CD collection looks shiny and costly
Judging by your expensive taste in CDs, it seems like you spent a lot of money on your music collection
How much did you pay for your bad Moto Guzzi?
I'm curious to know how much money you spent on your low-quality Moto Guzzi motorcycle
And how much did you spend on your black leather jacket?
I'm interested in finding out how much money you dropped on that stylish black leather jacket
Is it you or your parents in this income tax bracket?
I'm wondering if it's your own hard-earned money or your parents' wealth that put you in such a high income tax bracket
Now tickets to concerts and drinking at clubs
You like to attend concerts and spend money on drinks at clubs
Sometimes for music that you haven't even heard of
You're not always familiar with the music you pay to see live
And how much did you pay for your rock 'n' roll T-shirt
I'm curious to know how much money you spent on that iconic rock 'n' roll T-shirt that proves you were a fan from the beginning
That proves you were there, that you heard of them first?
Does that T-shirt prove that you were an early fan of the band and heard of them before they became popular?
Now how do you afford your rock 'n' roll lifestyle?
I'm wondering how you manage to finance your expensive, music-filled life
Oh tell me, oh yeah alright, alright, oh yeah, alright, oh
Please share this information with me; okay, got it, thanks
How much did you pay for the chunk of his guitar
I'm curious to know how much you spent on that guitar piece that was ruthlessly smashed on stage
The one he ruthlessly smashed at the end of the show?
I'm referring to the piece of guitar that was smashed by the musician at the end of his performance, of course
And how much will he pay for a brand new guitar
I'm wondering how much the musician is willing to pay for his next brand new guitar
One which he'll ruthlessly smash at the end of another show?
I'm anticipating this new guitar will also be ruthlessly smashed at the end of his next performance
And how long will the workers keep building him new ones?
I'm curious to know how long the workers will continue to build him new guitars
As long as their soda cans are red, white and blue ones
The workers will continue to build the musician new guitars for as long as their company continues to produce sodas in patriotic colors
Oh yeah, oh
Yeah, got it
Oh yeah, oh yeah, oh yeah, alright
Okay, cool, I'm following along
Oh no aging black leather and hospital bills
Your black leather jacket is starting to show its age and you're dealing with expensive hospital bills
Tattoo removal and dozens of pills
You're undergoing painful tattoo removal and taking lots of medication
Your liver pays dearly now for youthful magic moments
Your liver is now suffering the consequences of all those wild and carefree moments in your youth
But rock on completely with some brand new components
Despite all this, you're still able to rock on and enjoy music with some new and fresh components
Alright, oh yeah, so good alright
Okay, got it, that's good
Excess ain't rebellion
Having extravagant and indulgent habits doesn't qualify as rebellion against society's norms
(How do you afford your rock 'n' roll lifestyle?)
I'm still curious to know how you're able to fund this rock 'n' roll lifestyle of yours
You're drinking what they're selling
You're succumbing to society's pressures and purchasing what they're selling you (music, concert tickets, merchandise, etc.)
(How do you afford your rock 'n' roll lifestyle?)
Seriously, how are you funding this way of life?
Your self-destruction doesn't hurt them
Your self-destructive behavior doesn't negatively impact the people who are profiting from your lifestyle
Your chaos won't convert them
Your disruptive and rebellious behavior won't change those who are profiting from your lifestyle
They're so happy to rebuild it
The people who profit from your rock 'n' roll lifestyle are content to rebuild it, piece by piece
You'll never really kill it
Your rock 'n' roll lifestyle will never truly disappear
Excess ain't rebellion, you're drinking
Having luxurious and excessive habits doesn't make you a true rebel; you're just going with the flow
You're drinking, you're oh yeah drinking what they're selling
You're consuming what society wants you to buy-- whether it's music, partying, or merchandise
Oh yeah alright, oh yeah alright
Cool, got it, I'm following along
Writer(s): Gary Anderson, Peter Wells, M. Cocks, Dallas Royall, Geordie Leach
Contributed by Christopher T. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@kerstinbruch604
Die 80er eine super Zeit. Diese Musik werde ich mir immer anhören.
@antontierauf8677
Ein Hit für die Ewigkeit, immor noch geil anzuhören.
@guidogurich823
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7DR43ZnX3wU
@ravisingh-br1ym
What stupid Aussies , Helen Schneider was /is the PURE original 100%
@kobie1585
First time I heard Helen Schneider i was 7 yrs old on a German TV show called Musikladen..... It still sounds fresh.... Super👍👍👍
@alexanderruffus931
Ich war fy schon 15!😅❤🎉 damals nie waren die Reden so verlogen wie damals und heutzutage?
@alexanderruffus931
Damals 1981/82 und heutzutage immernoch sehr geiler Sound
Nie waren die Reden so verlogen wie damals und heutzutage 😊😊???
@thorstenschuett2124
Meine Frau liebt diesen Song für ihr ganzes Leben ❤️, das ist ihr 💞 Schlag für immer
@christiaaneaangersbach8709
schade , dass wir 2019 haben, war ne geile zeit 1980
@ingeliebhaber1435
Wie Recht du hast