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)
Gretchen
Nina Hagen Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Ich finde, ich finde sie nimmer und nimmermehr.
Wo ich ihn nicht hab', ist mir das Grab.
Die ganze Welt ist mir vergällt.
Mein armer Kopf ist mir verrückt,
Mein armer Sinn ist mir zerstückt.
Meine Ruh' ist hin, mein Herz ist schwer;
Nach ihm nur schaue' ich zum Fenster hinaus,
Nach ihm nur geh' ich aus dem Haus.
Sein hoher Gang, seine nähe Gestalt,
Seines Mundes Lächeln, seiner Augen Gewalt,
Und seiner Rede Zauberfluß,
Sein Händedruck, und ach, sein Kuß!
Tragédie, tragédie,
c'est le plus grand des malheurs,
Tragédie, tragédie,
il m'a quittée,
Comédie
???? la vie
Mystery, mystery,
Il m'a quittée,
J'étais plus que sa moitié,
Mon coeur était à ses pieds,
À chaque jour suffit sa peine,
Rendez-le moi ou tuez-moi
Meine Ruh' ist hin, mein Herz ist schwer;
Ich finde, ich finde sie nimmer und nimmermehr.
Mein Busen drängt sich nach ihm hin;
Ach könnt ich fassen und halten ihn,
Und küssen ihn, so wie ich wollt',
An seinen Küssen vergehen sollt'.
Ach drängt ich ihn küssen, so wie ich wollt',
An seinen Küssen vergehen sollt'.
Meine Ruh' ist hin, mein Herz ist schwer.
Nina Hagen's song "Gretchen" is a powerful expression of emotional turmoil and heartbreak. The lyrics speak of a woman whose peace and happiness have been torn away by the absence of her lover. She searches desperately for him, longing for his physical presence and the feeling of being loved by him. The pain of his absence is so great that it has driven her mad, causing her mind and senses to be shattered. Despite this, she cannot help but dream of being with him again and feeling his love.
Throughout the song, there is a sense of tragedy and despair that hangs over everything. The lines "Meine Ruh' ist hin, mein Herz ist schwer" repeat like a mournful dirge, emphasizing the depth of the emotional turmoil that the singer is experiencing. The imagery used in the lyrics is vivid and evocative, painting a picture of a woman who is consumed by love and desperation.
Overall, "Gretchen" is a powerful and emotional song that speaks to the pain and heartbreak that can come with losing someone you love. The lyrics are a poignant reflection of the human experience, capturing the intensity of emotion that we are all capable of feeling.
Line by Line Meaning
Meine Ruh' ist hin, mein Herz ist schwer;
My peace is gone, my heart is heavy;
Ich finde, ich finde sie nimmer und nimmermehr.
I can't find it, I can't find it anymore.
Wo ich ihn nicht hab', ist mir das Grab.
Where I don't have him, it's like a grave for me.
Die ganze Welt ist mir vergällt.
The whole world has become bitter to me.
Mein armer Kopf ist mir verrückt,
My poor head is going crazy,
Mein armer Sinn ist mir zerstückt.
My poor senses are destroyed.
Nach ihm nur schaue' ich zum Fenster hinaus,
I only look out the window for him,
Nach ihm nur geh' ich aus dem Haus.
I only leave the house for him.
Sein hoher Gang, seine nähe Gestalt,
His tall walk, his close shape,
Seines Mundes Lächeln, seiner Augen Gewalt,
His mouth's smile, his eyes' power,
Und seiner Rede Zauberfluß,
And his speech's magic flow,
Sein Händedruck, und ach, sein Kuß!
His handshake, and oh, his kiss!
Tragédie, tragédie,
Tragedy, tragedy,
c'est le plus grand des malheurs,
it's the greatest misfortune,
il m'a quittée,
he left me,
Comédie
Comedy
???? la vie
???? life
Mystery, mystery,
Mystery, mystery,
Il m'a quittée,
he left me,
J'étais plus que sa moitié,
I was more than his half,
Mon coeur était à ses pieds,
My heart was at his feet,
À chaque jour suffit sa peine,
Each day's troubles are enough,
Rendez-le moi ou tuez-moi
Return him to me, or kill me.
Mein Busen drängt sich nach ihm hin;
My breast yearns for him;
Ach könnt ich fassen und halten ihn,
Oh, if only I could grasp and hold him,
Und küssen ihn, so wie ich wollt',
And kiss him, just as I want to,
An seinen Küssen vergehen sollt'.
I would then perish from his kisses.
Ach drängt ich ihn küssen, so wie ich wollt',
Oh, if only I could press him for kisses, just as I want to,
An seinen Küssen vergehen sollt'.
I would then perish from his kisses.
Meine Ruh' ist hin, mein Herz ist schwer.
My peace is gone, my heart is heavy.
Contributed by Brody C. Suggest a correction in the comments below.