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)
New York New York
Nina Hagen Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
For a honeymoon in a hotel room
New York City is my favorite place
'Cause I know so many people with a golden face, uh-huh
It's always late at night when I want to go out
And New York City has for sure the horniest crowd
Especially for me this is true
After the show, when we are ready to go
We are going disco
But before we hit East 7th Street (oh, oh, oh, oh)
We are going to another disco
Disco after disco
And shaking our hair to the disco rap
AM/PM, Pyramid, Roxy, Mudd Club, Danceteria
The newest club is opening up
The newest club is opening up
The newest club is opening up
New York, New York
New York, New York
New York, New York
New York, New York, yeah!
New York City is the hottest place
For a honeymoon in a hotel room, uh-huh
New York City is a place so nice
Everybody says it so they had to name it twice
New York, my heart belongs to you, I love you very much
I could not live without you, so let's always keep in touch
New York City has the fanciest rule
When you want to live in this town, you just have to be a fool
After the show when we are ready to go
We are going disco
But before we hit East 7th Street (oh, oh, oh, oh)
We are going to another disco
Disco after disco
And shaking our hair to the disco rap
AM/PM, Pyramid, Roxy, Mudd Club, Danceteria
The newest club is opening up
The newest club is opening up
The newest club is opening up
New York, New York
New York, New York
New York, New York
New York, New York
New York, New York
New York, New York
New York, New York
New York, New York, yeah
It's going hop, hop, hop, hop, hop, hop
Straight up to the top
Hop, hop, hop, hop, hop, hop
Straight up to the top
Let there be light
'Cause David Bowie's gonna be here tonight in New York
I create ecstasy in my world
I know who I am
And I am willing to declare myself to the world
I am a star!
In New York
In the song "New York New York," Nina Hagen sings about her love for New York City and the club scene there. She declares that it's the hottest place, ideal for a honeymoon in a hotel room. Hagen loves the city so much because she knows so many people there who have a "golden face," perhaps indicating success or wealth. She also mentions that she has the best time in the city when someone special is with her, adding a personal touch to the lyrics.
Hagen talks about going to the disco after the show, listing various clubs such as AM/PM, Pyramid, Roxy, Mudd Club, and Danceteria. She then adds that the newest club is opening up, emphasizing the constant growth and changes in the city's nightlife scene. Additionally, Hagen mentions the fanciest rule of the city, stating that to live there, "you just have to be a fool," perhaps indicating that the city requires courage and risk-taking.
The song's chorus repeats that New York City is the place to be, complete with a catchy refrain of "New York, New York." The song ends with Hagen declaring herself to be a star and creating ecstasy in her world. Overall, the song captures the excitement and energy of New York City's club scene and the spirit of those drawn to the city's lights.
Line by Line Meaning
New York City is the hottest place
New York City is the most exciting place to be
For a honeymoon in a hotel room
It's a great place for couples to spend their honeymoon
New York City is my favorite place
It's the singer's favorite place to be
'Cause I know so many people with a golden face, uh-huh
There are a lot of successful people in New York City
It's always late at night when I want to go out
The singer enjoys going out at night
And New York City has for sure the horniest crowd
The people in New York City are lively and fun
Especially for me this is true
This is particularly true for the singer
I have the best time when you're there too
The singer enjoys spending time with someone else in New York City
After the show, when we are ready to go
When the singer is done performing
We are going disco
The singer and friends are going dancing
But before we hit East 7th Street (oh, oh, oh, oh)
Before they go to one particular club
We are going to another disco
They go to multiple clubs to dance
Disco after disco
They continue dancing at multiple clubs
And shaking our hair to the disco rap
They dance to disco music and rap
The newest club is opening up
There's always a new club opening in New York City
New York, New York
The singer is expressing her love for New York City
New York, New York, yeah!
The singer loves New York City so much
New York City is a place so nice
People love New York City
Everybody says it so they had to name it twice
It's such a great place that it's name is repeated
New York, my heart belongs to you, I love you very much
The singer loves New York City deeply
I could not live without you, so let's always keep in touch
The singer wants to always be connected with New York City
New York City has the fanciest rule
New York City has high standards and is prestigious
When you want to live in this town, you just have to be a fool
To make it in New York City, you have to take risks and be a little foolish
It's going hop, hop, hop, hop, hop, hop
The energy of New York City is lively and contagious
Straight up to the top
People in New York City strive for success
Let there be light
The singer wants to illuminate her creativity and vision
'Cause David Bowie's gonna be here tonight in New York
David Bowie is performing in New York City
I create ecstasy in my world
The singer finds joy in her creative process
I know who I am
The singer is self-aware
And I am willing to declare myself to the world
The singer is unafraid to show her true self to others
I am a star!
The singer is confident in her artistry and talent
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Carl Rucker, Nina Hagen, Steve W. Schiff
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Cory Hollywood
I was working at circuit city when this woman asked for help on a camcorder. I said “ you look like Nina Hagen” she replied “I am Nina Hagen”! I’ll never forget what an epic moment that was. She was so awesome.
MorningStar
I ran into her in San Francisco and ended up partying with her all night in approx '83. I found her funny and very mellow which might sound weird.
Cory Hollywood
@MorningStar such a great story. I think her own stage is a bit different then her every day.
Stephen Ulmer
Thats an awesome memory!
Cory Hollywood
@Stephen Ulmer thank you, it was pretty cool
HaliensExist
I love how raw and unpolished artists could be in the 80s and 90s. They were appreciated for authenticity, not a manufactured image.
ROTJ
Nina does something very few modern artists do. She moves to her music in a completely non self conscious, non choreographed way. She embodies it in the moment.
Robin Lewis
This is the way it should be done in my opinion
Sim Barr Fidel
The look, the moves, the voice, the lyrics, the attitude, the energy ... this is shear perfection.
Sunshine Daydream
100000% Agree