Laibach are best known for their cover versions of pop songs which have been rerendered in such a way as to reveal formerly hidden or unnoticed messages, often commenting on political totalitarianism or rock stardom’s own forms of dictatorship. This was done most successfully on Opus Dei, especially on their cover of One Vision. Named Geburt Einer Nation after D. W. Griffith’s classic film The Birth of a Nation, Queen’s lyrics are sung in German to a strident military beat. All of a sudden lines like “one flesh, one blood, one true religion” start sounding suspiciously familiar...
However the bulk of Laibach’s output is their own work. Their own early experiments with totalitarian ambiguity led to their being outlawed in then-Communist Yugoslavia; their name was made illegal so the band resorted to using their black-cross emblem on posters instead. To this day their work deals with similar ideas but frequently Laibach reference their own legendary status and tongue-in-cheekily play with the kinds of in-jokes a band accrues in over 25 years of work.
Laibach’s musical style has varied a lot over the years. They began as avant-garde industrial musicians, producing what could best be described as ambient noise but soon discovered the joys of the martial rhythm. Having produced a couple of albums of heavy martial industrial music, they began to expand sonically. Following the collapse of Yugoslavia their difficult but rewarding album Kapital included hip-hop influences among many others and NATO borrowed from techno while keeping the bombastic atmosphere. The next offering Jesus Christ Superstars came after quite a hiatus and it may have shocked a lot of people with its balls-out metal guitar riffs. The 2003 album WAT returns to a more electronic sound; working with techno producer umek has produced a slightly odd album of electro beats.
Volk was released on October 20, 2006, preceded by the single Anglia. The album contains 14 songs composed and produced together with Silence, inspired by national anthems.
2008 Laibach released new album, titled Kunst der Fuge. This album is the laibachian interpretation of Johann Sebastian Bach's work The Art of Fugue (Die Kunst der Fuge). The majority of the material has been created already in 2006 and premierly performed the same year on June the 1st at Bachfest festival in Leipzig.
VOLKSWAGNER is the title of a musical project which was realized in collaboration between Laibach and the RTV Slovenia Symphony Orchestra (2009). Laibach also cooperated with the composer and conductor Izidor Leitinger on this project, and it was decided that together they would compose a work which will in a specific manner interpret some of Wagner's better known musical motifs and combine them into a unified symphonic electronic suite.
From a formal point of view, the collaborating artists have decided to seek in Wagner the rudiments of modernism, which first through Mahler, Bruckner, and Debussy, and subsequently through Schöenberg, Berg, and Webern, developed into the core of the jazz music of the sonic experimentalists, such as Miles Davis and Sun Ra, and to upgrade them with the ambient electronic spectrum that has been developing over the last three decades. In addition, the suite will address the history of the 20th century – modernism crossbred with pop art.
4.4. 2012 a movie titeled Iron Sky was released. Laibach in collaboration with Ben Watkins as a co-writer and producer of the score provided soundtrack for Moon Nazi Invasion in Iron Sky.
Official Laibach website: www.laibach.org
The Long and Winding Road
Laibach Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
That lead to your door
Will never disappear,
I've see that road before.
It's always leads me here
Leads me to your door.
The while and windy night,
Has left a pool of tears,
Crying for the day.
Why leave me standing here,
Let me know the way.
Many time I've been along
And many time I've cried,
Anyway you'll never know
The many ways I've tried.
But still they lead me back,
To the long winding road,
Don't leave me standing here,
Lead me to your door.
But still they lead me back
To the long winding road,
You left me standing here
A long long time ago
Don't keep me waiting you,
Lead me to your door.
The lyrics to Laibach's "The Long And Winding Road" describe a metaphorical journey to a lost love. The singer, who has travelled along the long and winding road many times, finds himself constantly led back to their door. The road, which will "never disappear," represents the singer's unyielding desire to find their way back to this person.
The second verse of the song describes a dark and rainy night that has left the singer in tears. They are crying for the day when they will be reunited with the person they love. The singer pleads with their lost love to show them the way, to lead them back to where they belong.
The third verse reveals the depths of the singer's longing. They have tried many times, in many ways, to find their way back to this person, but their attempts have been unsuccessful. Despite this, the road still leads them back, and they beg their lost love not to keep them waiting any longer.
Line by Line Meaning
The long and winding road,
A difficult and arduous journey towards a certain place or goal.
That lead to your door
This path leads specifically to the destination of the person's door.
Will never disappear,
The path is permanent and will always be there.
I've see that road before.
The person has traveled this path before.
It's always leads me here
No matter what, this path always leads the person right to the intended destination.
Leads me to your door.
The ultimate destination of this difficult path is the person's door.
The while and windy night,
A metaphor for a difficult or challenging period of time.
That a rain washed away,
The challenges of this period of time have been difficult enough to be washed away by rain.
Has left a pool of tears,
This challenging period has resulted in a lot of sadness and crying.
Crying for the day.
The person is hoping for a better tomorrow.
Why leave me standing here,
The person feels abandoned and is begging for guidance.
Let me know the way.
The person is asking for help to find their way.
Many time I've been along
The person has been on this journey many times before.
And many time I've cried,
The journey has been so difficult that the person has cried many times.
Anyway you'll never know
Regardless of how hard they have tried, the other person will never understand.
The many ways I've tried.
The person has tried many different approaches to overcome the difficulties of the journey.
But still they lead me back,
Despite everything, the person keeps returning to this difficult path.
To the long winding road,
The path is still difficult and winding.
Don't leave me standing here,
The person is begging for help.
Lead me to your door.
The ultimate goal is to reach the person's door once again.
You left me standing here
The person feels abandoned by the other person.
A long long time ago
This abandonment happened a long time ago.
Don't keep me waiting you,
The person is begging for help once again.
Lead me to your door.
The ultimate goal is still to reach the person's door.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: John Lennon, Paul McCartney
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind