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)
African Reggae
Nina Hagen Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Pass auf, dass du nicht geschnappt wirst!
Sie sind nämlich hinter dir her,
Du alter Kiffer
Dabei geht Ihre Geschellschaft am Alkoholismus zugrunde,
Aber dich jagen sie - DICH!
Haschisch
Edelster türke afganisches Gras
Ein Plätzchen für mein Schätzchen
Cannabis in Holland
Bob Marley auf der Venus
I wanna go to Africa to the black jah rastaman
To the black culture (Heaven I, I and I, what you mean?)
I will do things like my black friends do it
Do delaomgi...holaotrihi....cucou
Greetings from Germany
Haschisch
Feinstes Kaschmir
Edelster türke afganisches Gras
Ein Plätzchen für mein Schätzchen
Cannabis im Schwarzwald
Bob Marley auf der Venus
Was soll ich denn aber in Africa als Frau, als Frau
Wenn der schwarze Mann die schwarze Frau kastriert
AU AU Castraction
Get up, stand up for the black revolution
For the revolution of the revolution
Get up, stand up!
Nina Hagen's song "African Reggae" is a provocative commentary on drug culture and racial tension. The lyrics suggest that while alcohol is socially accepted and consumed, marijuana is vilified and its users persecuted. The song begins with a warning to a marijuana user, implying they could be caught and punished for their "crime." Hagen highlights the hypocrisy of this by pointing out that the same society has a major problem with alcoholism, which is equally as harmful. However, it’s the person consuming cannabis that is being targeted.
The song then shifts to celebrate marijuana culture by listing different types of cannabis from different parts of the world. She mentions the romanticism of smoking cannabis with a loved one in a special place, and even imagines Bob Marley performing on a planet in the universe. The song then transitions to express Hagen’s desire to experience African culture and live like the people there. However, she raises a concern about the practice of castration among black people, which could present challenges for female travelers. Her solution to the conflict is to "get up, stand up for the black revolution,” emphasizing the importance of fighting against racial inequality and promoting justice for all.
Line by Line Meaning
Es riecht so gut
The smell is so pleasant
Pass auf, dass du nicht geschnappt wirst!
Be careful not to get caught!
Sie sind nämlich hinter dir her,
They're after you,
Du alter Kiffer
You old smoker
Dabei geht Ihre Gesellschaft am Alkoholismus zugrunde,
Their society is dying due to alcoholism,
Aber dich jagen sie - DICH!
But they're chasing you - YOU!
Haschisch
Hashish
Feinstes Kaschmir
Finest Kashmir
Edelster türke afganisches Gras
The noblest Turkish Afghan weed
Ein Plätzchen für mein Schätzchen
A little spot for my sweetheart
Cannabis in Holland
Cannabis in Holland
Bob Marley auf der Venus
Bob Marley on Venus
I wanna go to Africa to the black jah rastaman
I want to travel to Africa and meet the black Jah Rastaman
To the black culture (Heaven I, I and I, what you mean?)
To experience black culture (Heaven, the self and the divine, do you understand?)
I will do things like my black friends do it
I will do things the way my black friends do
Do delaomgi...holaotrihi....cucou
Nonsensical sounds
Greetings from Germany
Greetings from Germany
Haschisch
Hashish
Feinstes Kaschmir
Finest Kashmir
Edelster türke afganisches Gras
The noblest Turkish Afghan weed
Ein Plätzchen für mein Schätzchen
A little spot for my sweetheart
Cannabis im Schwarzwald
Cannabis in the Black Forest
Bob Marley auf der Venus
Bob Marley on Venus
Was soll ich denn aber in Africa als Frau, als Frau
But what should I do in Africa as a woman, as a woman
Wenn der schwarze Mann die schwarze Frau kastriert
When the black man castrates the black woman
AU AU Castration
Painful reaction to the idea of castration
Get up, stand up for the black revolution
Rally and fight for the black revolution
For the revolution of the revolution
For the revolution of the revolution
Get up, stand up!
Get up and stand up!
Contributed by Victoria Y. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@sanchopp
Titre mémorable, une œuvre d'art. 40 ans après c'est encore une tuerie.
@azzamzamzam1822
Exactly mon ami
@kara8056
J'ai 22 ans et je me souviens que je m'endormais souvent sur cette musique car mon père l'écoutait souvent le soir. Que de souvenirs et surtout
Quelle dinguerie ce son 👌
@fredmartin9058
Je confirme c'était du pur bonheur Auditif à l'époque 😉
@ducdeblangis3006
Vous n'avez sûrement pas pris option allemand au lycée, parce qu'avec des paroles pareilles, difficile de trouver le sommeil!
@demencia3423
Je l'ai vue en live à cette époque !! quels souvenirs !!! sa voix résonne encore à mes oreilles !!
@gostrum1
After hearing Nina sing this on the radio, a seed was planted in my psyche and in 1992 I traveled through Mali, Burkina Faso, Ivory Coast and Ghana in West Africa.
What a trip.
@MrKeeft1
What years was this...it rings a bell and i love it..i assume not much exposure uk..
@williamkirk7072
@@MrKeeft1
@Plateaudweller
Geoff...I had this with me as I travelled from St Louis, Senegal all the way to Cape Three Points, Ghana along the coast mainly looking for surf....and travelling by mammy wagons or taxis...in 1983. Like you said....what a trip.