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)
Auf'm Rummel
Nina Hagen Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
tranken auf die schnelle mal 'n kuehles bier
eigentlich wollt ich laengst nach hause
da sagte einer, ich bin 'n kavalier
leute, ich gebe 'n korn als
und wir tranken das bier und den korn aus
fuhren noch mal schnell mit der gespensterbahn
da sagte einer: die minelli is hier
hey lasst uns sehn ob es wahr ist
aber nichts hat gestimmt, denn da stand nur
nina hagen, da is nix dabei
eigentilich wollt ich laengst nach hause
da sagte einer: vorne spielt 'ne band
hey lasst und sehn und mal gehn
geh ick nu oder blieb ick nu
irgendwie muss man was tun
geh ick nu oder blieb ick nu
oder wer weess wat
what i can do
die band brachte grad nen jethro tull hit
die spielten so mies, mann, da stimmte kein ton
eigentlich wollt ich laengst nach hause
da sagte einer: ich gebe
bei mir im garten eine fete
und wir fuhren mit der s-bahn nach dahlem
wir sassen dann rum und wir hoerten musik
eigentlich wollt ich laengst nach hauses
da sangte einer: hier is nix los, eij,
hier is absolut nix los
The song "Auf'm Rummel" by Nina Hagen tells the story of a group of people who are at a carnival in Treptow. Despite one person wanting to go home, another offers them a drink, and they all end up drinking beer and schnapps. The group even decides to go on a haunted house ride before realizing that someone rumored to be there, Minelli, was not present. They then hear a bad cover of a Jethro Tull song and are invited to a party at someone's house in Dahlem. However, once they arrive, they find the party to be dull and uneventful. The song concludes with the frustration and uncertainty of what to do next. The lyrics are a commentary on the impulsiveness and disillusionment of youth, as well as the monotony of everyday life.
Line by Line Meaning
wir standen auf'm rummel in treptow
We were at the fair in Treptow
tranken auf die schnelle mal 'n kuehles bier
We quickly drank a cold beer
eigentlich wollt ich laengst nach hause
Actually, I wanted to go home a while ago
da sagte einer, ich bin 'n kavalier
Then someone said, 'I'm a gentleman'
leute, ich gebe 'n korn als
Guys, I'll give you a shot of liquor
und wir tranken das bier und den korn aus
And we finished our beer and liquor
fuhren noch mal schnell mit der gespensterbahn
We quickly rode the haunted house ride
da sagte einer: die minelli is hier
Then someone said, 'Minelli is here'
hey lasst uns sehn ob es wahr ist
Hey, let's see if it's true
aber nichts hat gestimmt, denn da stand nur
But nothing was true, because there was only
nina hagen, da is nix dabei
Nina Hagen, there's nothing special
da sagte einer: vorne spielt 'ne band
Then someone said, 'A band is playing up front'
hey lasst und sehn und mal gehn
Hey, let's go see them
geh ick nu oder blieb ick nu
Should I go or should I stay?
irgendwie muss man was tun
Somehow, we have to do something
oder wer weess wat
Or who knows what
what i can do
What can I do?
die band brachte grad nen jethro tull hit
The band was playing a Jethro Tull hit
die spielten so mies, mann, da stimmte kein ton
They played so poorly, man, nothing was in tune
da sagte einer: ich gebe
Then someone said, 'I'll give you'
bei mir im garten eine fete
A party at my place in the garden
und wir fuhren mit der s-bahn nach dahlem
And we took the S-Bahn to Dahlem
wir sassen dann rum und wir hoerten musik
We sat there and listened to music
da sangte einer: hier is nix los, eij,
Then someone sang, 'There's nothing happening here, hey'
hier is absolut nix los
There's absolutely nothing happening here
Contributed by Lily T. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@frankstefanhorn7988
Kam gerade richtig zur (eigenen) Frühjugend, das Album. Speziell dieser Song? Ein Brüller... 🤣...
@Guardiola075
Merci.
@MsSchwarzerrabe
HALLLÖÖÖÖÖCHHHENNNNN
@MsSchwarzerrabe
gibts da och SECKT in DDDDDDDOOOOOOSSSSSEEEEENNNN ?!!! HI HI
@MsSchwarzerrabe
bei HERRN GALIANO ???????