Herman Brood (Zwolle, November 5, 1946 – Amsterdam, July 11, 2001) was a Du… Read Full Bio ↴Herman Brood (Zwolle, November 5, 1946 – Amsterdam, July 11, 2001) was a Dutch musician, painter and media personality. Brood was the Dutch personification of sex, drugs and rock 'n roll.

After playing piano in Cuby and the Blizzards and several other bands since 1964, Brood started his own group, Herman Brood & His Wild Romance, in 1977. The band had their first hit single, Saturday Night, in 1978. But even more than his music, it was his outspoken statements in the press about sex and drug use that brought Herman Brood into the public arena in the Netherlands. In the early 1980s he was romantically involved with the German artist Nina Hagen, with whom he appeared in the film Cha Cha. Brood relished the media attention and became the most famous hard drug user in the Netherlands. "It is usual that an artist uses drugs, but tells everybody he doesn't", he once said in an interview. "I admit that it scared me that my popularity could make people start using drugs." In the 1990s he took up painting and became as successful as a painter as he was as a musician.

With the band 'Herman Brood & his Wild Romance' he made his best known album 'Shpritsz' (a play on the German word for injection needle), containing anti-drug use songs like 'Dope Sucks', but also 'Saturday Night'. Brood swore off most drugs, reducing his drug use to alcohol and a daily shot of speed.
As a result of an impressive TV-show together with the 'modern saint' Salvation Army's major Alida Bosshardt makes Herman Brood also beloved to people who never appreciated or even heard his music.

When in 2001, he found out that he had only a few months left to live, Herman took matters into his own hands and, depressed by the failure of his drug rehabilitation program, committed suicide on July 11 by jumping from the roof of the Hilton Hotel at the age of 54.

Speedo
Herman Brood Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Well they often call me Speedo
But my real name is Mister Earl
They often call me Speedo
But my real name is Mister Earl
I guess they call me Speedo
'cause I'm chasin' after little girls

Well some call me Mo

Some Joe
Best man is Speedo
He will never take it slow

I said they often call me Speedo
But my real name is Mister Earl

I guess they call me Speedo
Cause I don't believe in waistin' time

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Herman Brood & His Wild Romance's song Speedo are about the nickname of the singer, who prefers to be called Mister Earl, being Speedo due to his habit of pursuing younger girls. The chorus repeats his two names and the tension between them. The song speaks of the intricacies of identity and the power of labels. The singer's nickname overshadows his real name, and it is a symbol of his fixation with youth culture. He does not believe in wasting time, and his impulsivity and recklessness are indicators of this viewpoint. Overall, the song portrays a character who is caught up in a perpetual cycle of chasing after something that ultimately proves to be elusive.

Line by Line Meaning

Well they often call me Speedo
People frequently refer to me as Speedo

But my real name is Mister Earl
However, my actual name is Mister Earl

They often call me Speedo
Again, people frequently call me Speedo

But my real name is Mister Earl
As previously stated, my real name is Mister Earl

I guess they call me Speedo
I believe the reason why people call me Speedo is

'cause I'm chasin' after little girls
because I am pursuing relationships with younger women

Well some call me Mo
Some people refer to me as Mo

Some Joe
Or Joe

Best man is Speedo
However, I am commonly known as Speedo

He will never take it slow
I am always in a rush and never take things slowly

I said they often call me Speedo
Once again, I have stated that people frequently call me Speedo