From 1972 to 1973, Hagen enrolled in the crash-course performance program at The Central Studio for Light Music in East Berlin. Upon graduation, she joined the band Automobil (picture), which released a well-received album in Germany, including her first hit "Du hast den Farbfilm vergessen" in 1974.
After a concert for a West German labour union in 1976 her stepfather, Wolf Biermann, was forbidden to return to the GDR. Because of their protests against it her mother, Eva-Maria Hagen and Nina were thrown out of GDR in 1977, and followed Biermann to his hometown Hamburg.
Nina subsequently met West-Berlin photographer Jim Rakete (who also produced some bands he shot the cover-photos for - like "Nena" some years later). He brought Nina together with the politically left-wing band "Lokomotive Kreuzberg" (later known as "Spliff"): thus the "Nina Hagen Band" was born.
In 1978 The Nina Hagen Band released their self-titled debut album, which included titles like "TV-Glotzer" (a cover of "White Punks on Dope" by The Tubes) and "Auf'm Bahnhof Zoo".
According to reviewer Fritz Rumler, she thrusts herself into the music, aggressively, directly, furiously, roars in the most beautiful operatic alto, then, through shrieks and squeals, precipitates herself into luminous soprano heights... she parodies, satirises, and howls on stage like a dervish.
Nina Hagen's eccentricity led to big disputes in the band and during a subsequent European tour Hagen decided to leave the band, though she was still under contract to produce a second album in 1979. This LP, Unbehagen (in addition to the obvious pun on her name, in German this also means 'discomfort' or 'unease'), was eventually produced with the band recording their tracks in Berlin and Hagen recording the vocals in Los Angeles, California. It included the single "African Reggae"/"Wir leben immer... noch" (a cover of Lene Lovich's "Lucky Number"). The headless Nina Hagen Band soon developed a successful independent musical career as Spliff.
Meanwhile, Hagen's public persona was steadily creating an increasing media uproar and she became infamous for an appearance on an Austrian talk show called Club 2, in which she performed an explicit simulation of masturbation. She also acted with Dutch sex-drugs-and-rock-'n'-roll legend Herman Brood in the movie Cha Cha, along with Lene Lovich and various Dutch bands.
An European tour with a new band in 1980 was cancelled, she had a love affair with a 16 year old punk from Amsterdam called Noddy (www.noddyriot.co.uk) and sang a RHCP rapduet with him at the OneWorldPoetry festival at the MilkyWay and lived with him in New York and in the Bahamas.
In 1982 her first solo album NunSexMonkRock, a dissonant mix of punk, funk and opera, was a minor hit, and led to a world tour with the No Problem Orchestra.
In 1983 came the album Angstlos and a minor European tour. By this time, Hagen's public appearances were becoming even stranger; over the years they frequently included discussions of God, UFOs, her social and political beliefs, animal rights / vivisection and claims of alien sightings. The English version of Angstlos, 'Fearless', generated two major club hits in America , "Zarah" and the disco/punk/opera classic, "New York New York".
1985's 'Nina Hagen In Ekstasy' fared less well, but it did generate club hits with "Universal Radio" and a cover of "Spirit In The Sky", and it also featured her hardcore punk take on Frank Sinatra's "My Way", which had been one of her signature live tunes in previous years. Her contract with CBS over, she released the Punk Wedding EP independently in 1987, a celebration of her marriage to an 18-year old punk. It followed an independent 1986 one-off single with Lene Lovich, the anthemic "Don't Kill The Animals".
In 1989 Hagen released the album Nina Hagen which was backed up by another German tour. Now living in Paris with her daughter Cosma Shiva, in 1991 she toured Europe in support of her new album Street.
In 1992 Hagen became the host of a TV show on RTLplus. The following year she released Revolution Ballroom and two years later the German-language album Freud Euch appeared, recorded in English as Beehappy in 1996. Also in 1996, Hagen collaborated with electronic music composer Christopher Franke on "Alchemy of Love", the theme song for the Tenchi Universe movie Tenchi Muyo! in Love.
In 1998, Hagen became the host of a weekly science fiction show on the British Sci-Fi-Channel, in addition to embarking on another tour of Germany. In 1999, she released the devotional album Om Namah Shivay, which was distributed exclusively online. She also sang "Witness" on KMFDM's Adios.
Nina has a strong interest in various religions, but that is mainly driven by her urge to build a better world and her own colorful freedom within it.
In 2000, her song Schön ist die Welt became the official song of Expo 2000. The album The Return of the Mother was released in February 2001, accompanied by another German tour.
Hagen dubbed the voice of Sally in the German release of Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas and she also did some voice work in Hot Dogs by Michael Schoemann.
Hagen has been featured on many songs by other bands, for instance Oomph!'s song Fieber, a cover of Rammstein's "Seemann" with Apocalyptica and in 2008 appeared readily on psy-trance act S.U.N. Project's X Black Album, most notably on the fully vocal track We're In Space. She also sang the song "Garota de Berlim" with Brazilian singer Supla in her early years.
Her two children are Cosma Shiva and Otis.
URLs:
BEST archive for Nina Hagen pictures and stuff (regrettably just in German), incl. very old GDR pics like a beautiful one at the age of 18 and one shot by the "Stasi" (together with her stepfather Wolf Biermann - wiki)
Abgehaun
Nina Hagen Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
ich muss einfach weg von hier,
ganz weit weg, so weit
wie ich nur kann von dir
irgendwie isses leider wahr,
ich komm mit dir nicht klar
vielleicht irgendwo anders
sind alle viel netter zu mir, und ich will
einfach nur weit weg von hier,
so weit weg wie's geht von dir
bin abgehaun
so weit wie ich nur kann
abgehaun,
ich brauch' doch einen mann,
den ich lieben kann
ich hab' dich heimlich verfolgt,
soweit hab ich mich erniedrigt
kein mensch ist in der naehe am morgen,
man kann sich ja nicht einfach liebe borgen
ich lauf' allein
die strasse runter,
mein leben mit dir war viel viel bunter
doch mein herz faengt zu klopfen an,
wenn deine freunde vorbeifahrn in ihrem auto
und ich will einfach nur weit weg von hier
so weit wie's geht von dir
bin abgehaun
so weit wie ich nur kann
abgehaun
ich brauch' doch einen mann, den ich lieben kann
The lyrics of Nina Hagen's "Abgehaun" depict a person who is unable to stay in the present situation and is craving for a way out. The opening lines "where I am, I cannot be, I simply have to go away from here" portray an intense need for escape. The singer feels suffocated in the current situation and seeks freedom from it. The persona just wants to be far away from the person they seem to have been with - "as far away as I can from you". This may indicate that both are no longer compatible and the singer wants to move on. For the persona, the current romantic involvement has taken its toll, and they no longer feel the same way as before. There is a realization that it is necessary to leave to preserve oneself, and this is reflected in the line "maybe somewhere else, everyone is much nicer to me, and I just want to be far away from here".
As the lyrics continue, it is evident that the persona is tired of pretending and wants to be true to herself by extracting herself out of the current relationship. The line, "just taken off, as far as possible from you" echoes such a feeling. However, the singer is still in need of love, someone they can be with and soulfully cherish, as expressed in the line "I'm gone, I need a man in my life whom I can love." The lyrics then describe the singer secretly following their former lover and feeling shame because of their actions. The talismanic line "you can't just take love as a loan'' indicates that affection and love cannot just be assumed, but must be earned. This realization is brought out more when the persona is alone, walking down the street, and remembers their life with their previous lover.
In conclusion, Nina Hagen's song "Abgehaun" depicts a person's need for freedom from a nonworking past experience. The persona seems to learn the hard way that love cannot be loaned and the need for them to move on to find someone they can love, a sense of belonging that they lack in their present situation.
Interesting Facts About "Abgehaun":
Line by Line Meaning
wo ich bin kann ich nicht sein,
I am not comfortable where I am, and I need to leave.
ich muss einfach weg von hier,
I must leave this place immediately.
ganz weit weg, so weit
I need to go as far away as possible.
wie ich nur kann von dir
I need to get away from you as far as possible.
irgendwie isses leider wahr,
Unfortunately, it is true.
ich komm mit dir nicht klar
I can't handle being with you.
vielleicht irgendwo anders
Perhaps, somewhere else.
sind alle viel netter zu mir, und ich will
People elsewhere are nicer to me, and I want to go.
einfach nur weit weg von hier,
I just want to leave this place immediately.
so weit weg wie's geht von dir
I want to go far, far away from you.
bin abgehaun
I ran away from my problems.
so weit wie ich nur kann
I ran as far as I could.
abgehaun,
I have run away.
ich brauch' doch einen mann,
I need a man.
den ich lieben kann
Someone I can love.
ich hab' dich heimlich verfolgt,
I have stalked you in secret.
soweit hab ich mich erniedrigt
I lowered myself to do so.
kein mensch ist in der naehe am morgen,
No one is around in the morning.
man kann sich ja nicht einfach liebe borgen
You can't borrow love.
ich lauf' allein
I am running away alone.
die strasse runter,
Down the street.
mein leben mit dir war viel viel bunter
My life with you was much more colorful.
doch mein herz faengt zu klopfen an,
My heart starts to beat fast.
wenn deine freunde vorbeifahrn in ihrem auto
When your friends drive by in their car.
und ich will einfach nur weit weg von hier
I want to go far away from here.
bin abgehaun
I ran away from my problems.
so weit wie ich nur kann
I ran as far as I could.
abgehaun
I have run away.
ich brauch' doch einen mann, den ich lieben kann
I need a man whom I can love.
Contributed by Makayla T. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Zuriñe García
Ojala supiera que dice. Viva el punk.
nina blady
Das lied ist so schön