Catharina "Nina" Hagen (born on March 11, 1955) is a singer from former Eas… Read Full Bio ↴Catharina "Nina" Hagen (born on March 11, 1955) is a singer from former East Berlin, German Democratic Republic; now Berlin, Germany. Her musical career began when she left school at age sixteen, and went to Poland in 1971. After that, she returned to Germany and joined the cover band Fritzens Dampferband (Fritz's Steamboat Band), together with Achim Mentzel and others. She added songs by Janis Joplin and Tina Turner to the "allowable" set lists during shows.
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)

Freedom Fighter
Nina Hagen Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

I've been around for a long long time
I even went to India for a while
I found my master and he found me
I avoided the disaster yes now I'm free

[Chorus]
'Cause freedom is the essence of humanity, we are all born here to be free
Everybody has got eyes to see

True freedom is our destiny
Hey, when I signed my newest deal and the boss invited me for a free meal
I told him Hey my music will change the planet
And if he gives me freedom, I'll sell more than Janet
Freedom, Freedom, Freedom, Freedom...

Now, to give you true satisfaction
I'll help you out with my best connection
All you gotta do is ask me for the right direction
'Cause the world will only change if we all take action

Have to top the top of the charts
My life is my mine, we ain't no flop
I do the punk and I do the pop
I do the hip, yes and I do the hop

[Chorus: x2]

Overall Meaning

In Nina Hagen's song "Freedom Fighter," she sings about her search for freedom and the importance of it in humanity. She sings of her travels to India where she found her master and avoided disaster, leading her to her current state of being free. Hagen expresses her belief that every person's destiny is true freedom, and that it is essential to humanity. She also talks about her music and how she believes it can change the world if she is given the freedom needed to create it.

The chorus of the song emphasizes the message of freedom being the essence of humanity and encourages everyone to take action to attain it. Hagen believes that to have true satisfaction, people must ask for the right direction to achieve freedom and that together, we can all make a change for the better. She also talks about topping the charts with her music, expressing that she can blend different genres such as punk, pop, hip hop and more.

Nina Hagen's "Freedom Fighter" is not only a song, but also a call to action. She uses music to express her beliefs on the importance of freedom and how it can influence the world. The song encourages people to take action and strive for true freedom, emphasizing the idea that it is humanity's destiny.

Line by Line Meaning

I've been around for a long long time
I have existed for a significant amount of time.

I even went to India for a while
I traveled to India for a period.

I found my master and he found me
I discovered my mentor, and they discovered me.

I avoided the disaster yes now I'm free
I escaped from harm, and now I am unencumbered.

'Cause freedom is the essence of humanity, we are all born here to be free
Freedom lies at the core of human nature, and we are all entitled to it from birth.

Everybody has got eyes to see
All people have the ability to perceive.

True freedom is our destiny
Our fate is to attain authentic liberty.

Hey, when I signed my newest deal and the boss invited me for a free meal
When I agreed to my latest contract, and the leader offered me a costless banquet,

I told him Hey my music will change the planet
I informed them that my tunes would revolutionize the world.

And if he gives me freedom, I'll sell more than Janet
Moreover, If they provide me with autonomy, I'll sell more than Janet Jackson.

Freedom, Freedom, Freedom, Freedom...
Freedom is both the focus and the chant of this song.

Now, to give you true satisfaction
Presently, to provide you with genuine gratification,

I'll help you out with my best connection
I will support you with my favorable contact.

All you gotta do is ask me for the right direction
You simply need to inquire about the accurate method.

'Cause the world will only change if we all take action
Since the universe will only transform if we collectively act.

Have to top the top of the charts
We must dominate the music charts.

My life is my mine, we ain't no flop
I possess agency over my existence, and we are not a failure.

I do the punk and I do the pop
I play both punk and pop.

I do the hip, yes and I do the hop
Additionally, I perform both hip hop and hop.

[Chorus: x2]
The chorus repeats twice, emphasizing the theme of freedom.