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)
Naturträne
Nina Hagen Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Spatzenwolken himmelflattern
Wind bläst, meine Nase friert
Und paar Auspuffrohre knattern
Ach, da geht die Sonne unter
Rot, mit Gold, so muss das sein
Seh ich auf die Strasse runter
Prompt wird mir's jetzt schwer ums Herz
Ich brauch' nur Vögel flattern sehen
Und fliegt mein Blick dann himmelwärts
Tut auch die Seele weh, wie schön
Natur am Abend, stille Stadt
Verknackste Seele, Tränen rennen
Das alles macht einen mächtig matt
Und ich tu' einfach weiterflennen
Aaaahhhh....
The lyrics of Nina Hagen's song Naturträne evoke a powerful sense of nostalgia, longing, and a deep connection to nature. The song describes the experience of looking out of an open window at sunset as the clouds of sparrows flutter by and the wind blows, causing the singer's nose to chill and the exhaust pipes to rattle. As the sun sets, the singer is reminded of a friend and their memories together, which weighs heavily on her heart.
Looking out at the sky and the birds, the singer's soul is also touched and the beauty of the natural world causes her heart to ache. The contrast between the calmness of nature and the busyness of the city around her, with its cramped soul and tears running down her face, leaves the singer feeling drained. Despite this, she continues to cry and let her emotions out, as if she has no other outlet for her feelings.
Throughout this song, Hagen communicates a sense of deep sensitivity, vulnerability, and introspection. She observes and reflects on her surroundings with a sense of wonder and melancholy, finding solace in nature and a need to express her emotions through crying.
Line by Line Meaning
Off'nes Fenster präsentiert
An open window displays
Spatzenwolken himmelflattern
Sparrow clouds flutter in the sky
Wind bläst, meine Nase friert
Wind blows, my nose freezes
Und paar Auspuffrohre knattern
And a few exhaust pipes rattle
Ach, da geht die Sonne unter
Ah, there goes the sun
Rot, mit Gold, so muss das sein
Red, with gold, that's how it should be
Seh ich auf die Strasse runter
I look down the street
Fällt mir ein Bekannter ein
I think of an acquaintance
Prompt wird mir's jetzt schwer ums Herz
Suddenly my heart feels heavy
Ich brauch' nur Vögel flattern sehen
I only need to see birds fluttering
Und fliegt mein Blick dann himmelwärts
And when my gaze flies towards the sky
Tut auch die Seele weh, wie schön
My soul aches, how beautiful
Natur am Abend, stille Stadt
Nature in the evening, quiet city
Verknackste Seele, Tränen rennen
Distorted soul, tears flowing
Das alles macht einen mächtig matt
All of this makes one terribly weary
Und ich tu' einfach weiterflennen
And I simply continue to weep
Aaaahhhh....
Aaaahhhh....
Contributed by Kylie J. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@gbrodie49
Imagine being this Goth, Punk and iconic all at once.
@catofthecafe4064
indeed
@matju2
To me, this music fits a lot more in the Prog genre (aka Progressive rock) than with the Goth/Postpunk scene it's associated with.
@schlomoubermann4365
@@matju2 yes, this song reminds me part of "Dark Side of the Moon".
@matju2
@@schlomoubermann4365, I didn't have Pink Floyd at all in mind when I said that, I was thinking of some bands that had some elements of opera singing such as Magma (from France, active 1969 until today), or church music as on the 2nd album of the Offenbach band (from Québec, this album in 1972 is called "Saint-Chrone de Néant"). It also makes me think of the very theatrical witch-like voice of Devil Doll (from Italy/Slovenia, "Dies Irae" album, 1996).
(But in all cases I give those examples also in part because of what the rest of the band does, not just the voice.)
@schlomoubermann4365
@@matju2 thank you for response, you brought something new to me :-)
@Nantosuelta
Nina Hagen is by far one of the most unique and creative artists of all time. Even if you're not a fan of her style, you cannot deny her insane talent and absolute uniqueness
@edwigcarol4888
I am so glad not to be alone with this impression.. after 30 years i listen to her again and i get kind of shocked,
Ganz und gar mitgerissen..
We have one with this insane creativity in France: Jacques Higelin. Do you know him?
@TrickOrRetreat
@@edwigcarol4888 I will check this Jacques Higelin out. ask me next week. I love youtube comments. last 10 years i found just about 95% of new music i listen to, just reading suggestions from comment sections. And Nina is a pearl wrapped in gold Leafs covered in fairy dust. And maybe a touch of chilli
@hijo1998
Yes but you also can't deny her absolute insanity