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
Walk With Me
Laibach Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Doing nothing
But wasting your time
Come walk with me
We'd better change the world
Stop fooling around
Being useless
Come walk with me
We'll change the world and its sound
Together we can always
Walk through the terror
And we'll know
How to leave it behind
Walk with me
Walk with me
Monster of uncertainty
Walk with me
Walk with me
Walk with me
How low can you go?
Prisoners of freedom
In your own land
Come walk with me
It's time to fight back
Walk with me
Walk with me
Monster of uncertainty
Walk with me
Walk with me
Walk with me
Walk with me
Walk with me
Fill the streets with ecstasy
Walk with me
Walk with me
Walk with me
The song “Walk With Me” by Laibach is a call to action, urging people to stop wasting their time and come together to change the world. The opening lines, “Stop hanging around, Doing nothing, But wasting your time,” suggest that the band is frustrated with individuals who are not actively working towards making a difference. The chorus, “Walk with me” is the main refrain, encouraging listeners to join their cause and fight for change. The line “We'll change the world and its sound” indicates that this change is not just about politics, but also about culture and art.
The second verse of the song continues to challenge people’s complacency, accusing them of “fooling around, Being useless, Day in and day out.” The call to action is urgent, “it's time to fight back,” and again the band implores people to walk with them. The bridge, “Together we can always, Walk through the terror, And we'll know how to leave it behind” acknowledges the fear that people may feel when faced with the idea of systemic change, but stresses the power of solidarity.
The repetition of the lines “Walk with me” and “Monster of uncertainty” adds to the urgency and power of the song. The final lines, “Fill the streets with ecstasy, Walk with me” creates an image of collective joy and triumph.
Overall, the song is a powerful, rallying cry for people to stand up and fight for what they believe in. The themes of unity, community action, and solidarity are prominent throughout the lyrics, and the use of repetition and urgent language serves to reinforce the urgency of the message.
Line by Line Meaning
Stop hanging around
Stop being idle and doing nothing productive.
Doing nothing
Referring to the act of being unproductive and not accomplishing anything worthwhile.
But wasting your time
Instead of being productive, one is wasting their valuable time.
Come walk with me
Join me in my journey or on my mission.
We'd better change the world
Together, we need to make a positive difference in the world.
Stop fooling around
Stop being silly or acting without serious intentions.
Being useless
Not having any practical value or purpose.
Day in and day out
Every single day, consistently.
We'll change the world and its sound
Together, we need to make a difference and create significant change throughout the world.
Together we can always
If we work together as a team, we will always be successful.
Walk through the terror
Face and overcome the fear and danger together.
And we'll know
Once we overcome our fear, we will become wiser and understand more.
How to leave it behind
We will learn how to move forward and progress past our fear.
Monster of uncertainty
The fear that exists within people and that inhibits growth and change.
How low can you go?
How much can someone continue to suffer before deciding to take action?
Prisoners of freedom
Individuals who feel trapped and restricted, despite being in a free society.
In your own land
Feeling powerless in one's own homeland due to external or internal factors.
It's time to fight back
It is time to stand up for yourself and take action against the forces of oppression.
Walk with me
Join me on this journey or mission.
Fill the streets with ecstasy
Bring joy and happiness to the streets through our actions and changes.
Contributed by Kaelyn E. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
John Griffin
Genius art rock.
Mea Hula Pelelina
Can anybody tell me: Is this a Laibach original? At first listening, I was convinced this is a Sisters of Mercy cover, but I can't find anything like it.
Zlata⚜️Fuga
🖤
Welcome to the Monkey Ape Zone
This band makes me realize why people like authoritarianism
Adam Lurch
Ich liebe auch ( witz ! Wie spritzzzzzzz ) Laibach ! 😈
- MAX -
you do not understand beauty from it.
Andrea Messia
Gran Lucente Liberatoria Linfa di Vita..
Daniel NN
Sounds like some :wumpscut: stuff.