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)
Dr. Art
Nina Hagen Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Cause I love you
Forever and ever
(Ever and ever)
(Something wrong.. something wrong with YOU!)
There's something wrong with YOU
The first real change
You.. a believer
Revoloution.. revoloution..
(Its me)
Revoloution.. revoloution (Hanz)
Nina Hagen.. Nina Hagen..
(The prophet)
Nina Hagen..
(Hanz.. my name is Hanz..)
Nina Hagen..
I am the prophet!
(Dr. Rat is dead)
(HE IS MY LOVER)
Chosen one, I am the chosen one
(HE IS MY LOVER)
I am the chosen one
I am the chosen one
You make the real Art
I am his chosen one
I am the chosen one
(You are the real art)
I am the chosen one
I am the chosen one
Prophet! I am the prophet!
I am the prophet, prophet, prophet, prophet, prophet
Dr. Rat is dead
Dr. Rat is dead,(HANZ)
Dr. Rat is dead
Dr. Rat is dead,
Dr. Rat is dead
Dr. Rat is dead,(Oh HANZ.. Hanz, you are my lover)
Dr. Rat is dead
Dr. Rat is dead,
(The first real change)
(On and on)
(On and on)
He is my lover!
In the winter, when it was so cold
(Something wrong with you)
In the winter
(The first real change)
When it was so cold
YOU, a revoloution
Revoloution (art)
Revoloution
(I am his prophet)
Revoloution
Revoloution
Revoloution (messenger)
Revoloution
In Amsterdam
In Amsterdam
In Amsterdam
In Amsterdam
(Revoloution, revoloution)
Dr. Rat is dead
Dr. Rat is dead
Dr. Rat is dead
Dr. Rat is dead
(Revoloution, revoloution)
He is a God from us
He is a God from us
He is a God from us
He is a God from us
Dr. Rat is dead
Dr. Rat is dead
Dr. Rat is dead
Dr. Rat is dead
Ferdinand
???? limited.. it's very limited!
Dr.Rat is dead!
Dr. Rat, it's God, he was here
(Nina Hagen, Nina Hagen, Nina Hagen)
See you in heaven again
(Nina Hagen, Nina Hagen, Nina Hagen)
See you in heaven again! see you in heaven again!
God ?? Dr. Rat you know
I am the chosen one
(I am the chosen one)
I am the chosen one
(I am the chosen one)
See you in heaven again,
See you in heaven again (Amsterdam)
See you in heaven again,
See you in heaven again (Amsterdam)
Came to me talking, keep talking to me
In Amsterdam
(Hello!)
In Amsterdam
(Hellooo!)
In the winter, when it was so cold
I want everybody to believe
LSD (Nina Hagen, Nina Hagen)
LSD (Nina Hagen, Nina Hagen)
(Well, in the bible)
LSD (Nina Hagen, Nina Hagen)
(They say,)
LSD (Nina Hagen, Nina Hagen)
(You are speaking in tongues)
(Tongues, tongues, tongues)
Dr. Rat is dead
Dr. Rat is dead
(You are speaking in tongues,)
Dr. Rat is dead
(Tongues, tongues, tongues)
I am the chosen one
(Tongues, tongues)
(I mean the tongues of the Holy Spirit!)
AMEN praise the lord yeyeyeye
There's a revoloution going on.. in Amsterdam
When will YOU believe?
The lyrics of "Dr. Art" by Nina Hagen are quite cryptic and not easy to interpret at first glance. However, the main message seems to be about self-empowerment and individualism. Hagen urges the listener to "get high on yourself" and love themselves because they are a revolution and a believer. The repetition of "I am the chosen one" suggests that the message is about finding strength within oneself rather than relying on external sources. The song also references LSD and speaking in tongues, which could be interpreted as a call for spiritual awakening.
The chorus of the song is full of repetitions of "Dr. Rat is dead" and "Nina Hagen", which could suggest that the song is about the artist's own journey rather than a broader message. The line "He is my lover" suggests that there is a personal relationship between the singer and Dr. Rat.
Overall, the lyrics of "Dr. Art" are open to personal interpretation and the meaning could vary depending on the listener's perspective.
Line by Line Meaning
Get high on yourself baby.. hey hey hey
Love yourself, be confident and feel elevated
Cause I love you
Expressing love for someone
Forever and ever
Love is eternal
(Ever and ever)
Rejection of temporary and short term emotions or relationships
(Something wrong.. something wrong with YOU!)
Highlighting an underlying issue with oneself
There's something wrong with YOU
Directly communicating that there's something wrong with another person
The first real change
A significant and impactful shift
You.. a revolution
Addressing someone as a revolutionary figure
You.. a believer
Holding strong beliefs and being a believer
Revolution.. revolution..
Repeating that a revolution is happening
(Its me)
The singer is referring to themselves
Revolution.. revolution (Hanz)
A call towards revolution with the mention of a name
Nina Hagen.. Nina Hagen.. (The prophet)
Naming a person as the prophet
Nina Hagen.. (Hanz.. my name is Hanz..) Nina Hagen..
Addressing someone by name
I am the prophet!
Self-proclaiming to be the prophet
(Dr. Rat is dead)
Dr. Rat is dead
(HE IS MY LOVER)
Addressing someone as a lover
Chosen one, I am the chosen one
Being selectively chosen or favored
(HE IS MY LOVER)
Calling out someone as a lover
I am the chosen one
Personal belief of being chosen or favored
You make the real Art
Appreciation for someone's artistic contribution
I am his chosen one
Feeling chosen by someone else
(You are the real art)
Complimenting the value of someone else
Prophet! I am the prophet!
Reiterating the status of being a prophet
Dr. Rat is dead
Repeating that Dr. Rat is dead
Ferdinand
Name drop with no clear meaning
???? limited.. it's very limited!
Unintelligible text with unclear meaning
(Nina Hagen, Nina Hagen, Nina Hagen)
Naming the artist multiple times
See you in heaven again
Hopeful goodbye
(Nina Hagen, Nina Hagen, Nina Hagen)
Naming the singer once again
God ?? Dr. Rat you know
Highlighting Dr. Rat as a godly figure
See you in heaven again,
Parting goodbye
Came to me talking, keep talking to me
Welcoming conversation
(Hello!)
Greeting someone
In the winter, when it was so cold
Setting the context
I want everybody to believe
Expressing a desire for ubiquitous belief in something
LSD (Nina Hagen, Nina Hagen)
Mentioning LSD with the singers name multiple times
(Well, in the bible)
Mentioning the bible
(They say,)
Quoting something which has been said
(You are speaking in tongues)
Implying a mystical experience
(Tongues, tongues, tongues)
Repeating the mystical reference
Dr. Rat is dead
Reiterating that Dr. Rat is dead
(Tongues, tongues)
Repeating the reference once again
(I mean the tongues of the Holy Spirit!)
Clarification on the above reference
AMEN praise the lord yeyeyeye
Expressing religious praise and excitement
There's a revolution going on..in Amsterdam
Mentioning a revolution taking place in Amsterdam
When will YOU believe?
Expressing a curiosity for belief
Contributed by Jordyn Y. Suggest a correction in the comments below.