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)
Pollution Pirates
Nina Hagen Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Pollution pirates are sailing the 7 seas
Long John Silver is dumping his chemical waste
The sea is turning gray with a slick once more
All the animals are lying dead on the shore
Pollution pirates are sailing the 7 seas
One day we will glow
And one day we will flow
In the meantime baby
What you got to do is
Let yourself go
One day we may fly
And the next day we may die
In the meantime baby
What you got to do is
Give it a try
One day we are fine
The next day we may decline
In the meantime baby
What you got to do is
Learn to shine
Pollution pirates are sailing the 7 seas (we are the Rainbow Warriors)
Pollution pirates are sailing the 7 seas (we are the Rainbow Warriors)
Long John Silver is dumping his chemical waste
The sea is turning gray with a slick once more
All the animals are lying dead on the shore
One day you feel great and
The next day you lose your mate
In the meantime baby
What you got to do is
Have some faith!
One day you feel so free and
The next day you drive into a tree!
In the meantime baby
What you got to do is
Learn to see
One day they give you a pill and
The next day you feel really ill!
In the meantime baby
What you got to do is
Use your own will!
Pollution pirates are sailing the 7 seas (we are the Rainbow Warriors)
Pollution pirates are sailing the 7 seas (we are the Rainbow Warriors)
Long John Silver is dumping his chemical waste
The sea is turning gray with a slick once more
All the animals are lying dead on the shore
How many times must these words be said?
How many times until it gets inside of your head?
Yello, black, brown, or white
Man, woman, or child
Times keep on changing
But peace still has no name
Times keep on changing
But peace still has no name...
The song "Pollution Pirates" by Nina Hagen is a powerful protest against pollution and its perpetrators, whom she refers to as "pollution pirates". Long John Silver is mentioned as an example of a polluting sea-faring villain. The song highlights the devastating impact of pollution on the environment, with the sea turning grey and animals dying on the shore. Despite the bleak picture painted by the song, the lyrics also promote hope and resilience. Hagen encourages listeners to let themselves go, give it a try, learn to shine and to have faith. She also challenges people to take responsibility for their own health, urging them to use their own will and to learn to see.
Line by Line Meaning
Pollution pirates are sailing the 7 seas
The oceans are being polluted by those who seek profit without regard for the consequences of their actions.
Pollution pirates are sailing the 7 seas
The problem of ocean pollution is a pervasive and ongoing issue that affects every corner of the world.
Long John Silver is dumping his chemical waste
Corporate interests often put profits before the well-being of the environment, leading to the pollution of the oceans and irreversible damage to marine life.
The sea is turning gray with a slick once more
The environmental effects of ocean pollution are causing the sea to become increasingly damaged, and the situation is getting worse each day.
All the animals are lying dead on the shore
The devastating effects of pollution can be seen in the lives of marine animals and their habitats.
One day we will glow
We must work towards a better future, where we can all live in harmony with our environment.
And one day we will flow
We must strive to work in unison with the environment, not against it.
In the meantime baby
What you got to do is
Let yourself go
In the face of such overwhelming environmental issues, we must learn to let go of our stress and negative emotions, just for a while.
One day we may fly
The possibility of a brighter, healthier future is always within our reach.
And the next day we may die
The environmental degradation and destruction we face puts our very existence into question.
In the meantime baby
What you got to do is
Give it a try
Despite the possibility of failure or consequences, we must try to make positive change and work for a better future.
One day we are fine
In the present, everything may seem to be working well and in our favor with the environment.
The next day we may decline
However, the damaging environmental effects of pollution can quickly turn against us, leading to consequences beyond our control.
In the meantime baby
What you got to do is
Learn to shine
Through the challenges we face, we must learn to always strive for good in ourselves and others.
Pollution pirates are sailing the 7 seas (we are the Rainbow Warriors)
In response to the environmental destruction wrought by corporate interests and negligence, communities are banding together to oppose them and demand change.
Pollution pirates are sailing the 7 seas (we are the Rainbow Warriors)
People around the world, of all backgrounds and beliefs, are standing together to fight against those who seek to degrade and destroy the natural world.
How many times must these words be said?
Despite the growing attention being paid to the issue of environmental degradation, there remains much work to be done.
How many times until it gets inside of your head?
We must work to actively change people's attitudes and behaviors towards the environment, to make real and meaningful change.
Yello, black, brown, or white
Environmental degradation affects every person in every corner of the world, regardless of race or background.
Man, woman, or child
The negative environmental effects caused by pollution will impact people in all stages of their lives, whether young or old.
Times keep on changing
The world around us is always evolving, and we must be prepared to adapt and grow in response.
But peace still has no name
Despite changes in society and the world, we must continue to strive for a future free from environmental degradation and harm.
Times keep on changing
Through our continued efforts and advocacy, we can make a difference in the world and affect lasting, positive change.
But peace still has no name...
Although progress can sometimes feel slow and difficult, it is important that we continue to work towards a better future - one without the ravages of pollution and environmental destruction.
Lyrics © EMI Music Publishing, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: CRAIG MILLER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Mark1138
this is awesome.