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)
Prima Nina in Ekstase
Nina Hagen Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Und ick weess wer ich bin
Hab doch keine angst, doc,
Ick bin die Mutter des Punk Rock
Ick heisse Nina,
Ick fühl mir Prima,
Denn ich bin Berliner
Na Gott sei dank
Ich bin in Ekstase, Gott in der blumenvase
Astralflight um mitternacht
Alle achtung - Aufgewacht
Quatsch mir doch nicht voll, ey
Machs doch telepatisch
Das war ja so sympatisch
Und nich so dramatisch
Und nich so entartet
Ich habe dich erwartet
Du süsser kleiner pinguin -
Ach du lieber augustin
Ick find mir toll und ich weess watt ick sol
Singen!
Hab soch keine angst doc, ick bin die mutter des Punk rock
Ich bin die mutter des PANK - na Gott sei Dank
Ich fühl mir prima, denn ick bin berliner
Ich bin in ekstase - mitten in der gold'nen phase,
hab dir ooch watt mitjebracht-
alle achtung - aufjewacht
Ich bin in ekstase - flieg in meiner seifen-blase,
trippigstes erlebnis - ick seh dir beim begräbnis
Ich bin in ekstase
Gott in der blumenvase
astralflight um mitternacht
alle achtung aufjewacht
ick heisse Nina
Ick fühl mir Prima
Denn ich bin Berliner
Ick bin die mutter des PANK
Na gott sei dank
In "Prima Nina in Ekstase", Nina Hagen sings about her self-confidence, her identity as the mother of punk rock and her ecstatic experiences. The lyrics "Ick hab mir lieb und ick weess wer ich bin" translate to "I love myself and I know who I am", which reflects her confidence and self-assurance. She has no fear because she is the mother of punk rock, a genre that she helped shape and define. The line "Ick bin in Ekstase, Gott in der Blumenvase" translates to "I am in ecstasy, God in the flower vase" and suggests that her ecstatic experiences are beyond mundane human understanding. The lyric "Astralflight um mitternacht" or "Astral flight at midnight" indicates that Nina is experiencing an out-of-body, transcendental experience. The song ends with Nina emphasizing her identity as a Berliner and as the mother of punk rock, with the line "Ick bin die Mutter des PANK - na Gott sei Dank" or "I am the mother of punk - thank God".
Overall, the lyrics of "Prima Nina in Ekstase" emphasize Nina Hagen's individuality, her connection to punk rock and her ecstatic experiences.
Line by Line Meaning
Ick hab mir lieb
I love myself
Und ick weess wer ich bin
And I know who I am
Hab doch keine angst, doc,
Don't be afraid, doctor,
Ick bin die Mutter des Punk Rock
I am the mother of punk rock
Ick heisse Nina,
My name is Nina,
Ick fühl mir Prima,
I feel great,
Denn ich bin Berliner
Because I am from Berlin
Ick bin die mutter des punk
I am the mother of punk rock
Na Gott sei dank
Thank God
Ich bin in Ekstase, Gott in der blumenvase
I am in ecstasy, God is in the flower vase
Astralflight um mitternacht
Astral flight at midnight
Alle achtung - Aufgewacht
Attention - Wake up
Quatsch mir doch nicht voll, ey
Don't talk nonsense to me, hey
Machs doch telepatisch
Do it telepathically
Das war ja so sympatisch
That was so sympathetic
Und nich so dramatisch
And not so dramatic
Und nich so entartet
And not so degenerate
Ich habe dich erwartet
I have been waiting for you
Du süsser kleiner pinguin -
You sweet little penguin -
Ach du lieber augustin
Oh you dear Augustin
Ick find mir toll und ich weess watt ick sol
I think I'm awesome and I know what to do
Singen!
Sing!
Hab soch keine angst doc, ick bin die mutter des Punk rock
Don't be afraid doctor, I am the mother of punk rock
Ich bin in ekstase - mitten in der gold'nen phase,
I am in ecstasy - in the golden phase,
hab dir ooch watt mitjebracht-
I also brought you something-
alle achtung - aufjewacht
Attention - wake up
Ich bin in ekstase - flieg in meiner seifen-blase,
I am in ecstasy - flying in my soap bubble,
trippigstes erlebnis - ick seh dir beim begräbnis
Trippiest experience - I see you at your funeral
Ick bin in ekstase
I am in ecstasy
Gott in der blumenvase
God in the flower vase
astralflight um mitternacht
Astral flight at midnight
na gott sei dank
Thank God
Contributed by Sebastian I. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Phil
slight correction: "And not so fanatic boy, you get so fanatic" should say "And not so fanatic boy, you get dramatic"
AgentSpamCorp
Corrected! Thanks so much! ;-)
coreycox2345
"I'm in ekstasy, wanna jump down my balcony
I'm in heavenly agony, wanna fulfill my destiny
I'm in ekstasy, wanna jump down my balcony
I'm in heavenly agony, wanna fulfill my destiny"
Esteban Rearte
Allora complimenti per le lyrics ! Se per caso avete pure la versione in tedesco, sarei piuttosto felice. T`accomplimento dall`Argentina, Latinamerica
Esteban Rearte
@AgentSpamCorp Non ci si puo credere , meraviglioso !!!!! Comunque tantissime grazie, deine arbeit es wunderachon , il tuo compito e' raguardevole, muchas gracias es precioso tener la lírica germánica en la mano a través de tu trabajo , tanti auguri , sei propriamente eccezionale !
AgentSpamCorp
Ho trovato questo:
Ick hab mir lieb
Und ick weess wer ich bin
Hab doch keine angst, doc,
Ick bin die Mutter des Punk Rock
Ick heisse Nina,
Ick fühl mir Prima,
Denn ich bin Berliner
Ick bin die mutter des punk
Na Gott sei dank
Ich bin in Ekstase, Gott in der blumenvase
Astralflight um mitternacht
Alle achtung - Aufgewacht
Quatsch mir doch nicht voll, ey
Machs doch telepatisch
Das war ja so sympatisch
Und nich so dramatisch
Und nich so entartet
Ich habe dich erwartet
Du süsser kleiner pinguin -
Ach du lieber augustin
Ick find mir toll und ich weess watt ick sol
Singen!
Hab soch keine angst doc, ick bin die mutter des Punk rock
Ich bin die mutter des PANK - na Gott sei Dank
Ich fühl mir prima, denn ick bin berliner
Ich bin in ekstase - mitten in der gold'nen phase,
Hab dir ooch watt mitjebracht-
Alle achtung - aufjewacht
Ich bin in ekstase - flieg in meiner seifen-blase,
Trippigstes erlebnis - ick seh dir beim begräbnis
Ich bin in ekstase
Gott in der blumenvase
Astralflight um mitternacht
Alle achtung aufjewacht
Ick heisse Nina
Ick fühl mir Prima
Denn ich bin Berliner
Ick bin die mutter des PANK
Na gott sei dank