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)
So Bad
Nina Hagen Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Like a lion on a mission
I can do no wrong
I can fight day and night
That's my decision
Because the world is:
So bad
Like diet soda
I'm counting 37 wars
So bad
User friendly
So bad
We lost the singer of the Doors
So bad
The U.F.O. conspiracy
So bad
Starvation and depressy
So bad
Hiroshima Tomsk Tschernobyl
So bad
It's never gonna heal
I can be so good
Like a Goddess
Plus I'm modest - I
I have no fear
I will go all the way
I can show you how to pray
Because the world is:
So bad, so bad, so bad, so bad
So bad
Deadly chemo-therapy
So bad
The lies about H.I.V.
So bad
We've lost our last chance
So bad
And we're all dancing Shiva's dance
So bad
Genetic obsession
So bad
Misused atomic energy
So bad
Surprise, surprise, the culture industry
So bad
Helmut Kohl
(Bundeskanzler Kohl befürwortet diese Mission)
You can do no wrong
If you fight on my side
If you make that decision
Because the world is:
So bad
I.R.A. & R.A.F.
So bad
Are we really blind and deaf
So bad
The yugoslavian rape
So bad
And no-one can escape
So bad
The Nazi Lunacy
So bad
Artificial Extasy
So bad
I hate my T.V.
So bad
The song "So Bad" by Nina Hagen is a commentary on the state of the world and the many issues that are plaguing it. The lyrics talk about how the world is so bad and how there are many problems that need to be addressed. The song starts with the singer acknowledging her strength, saying she can be as strong as a lion on a mission, but she realizes that the problems in the world are larger than her individual strength. The song then lists some of the issues afflicting the world, such as war, disease, and hunger.
The second half of the song talks about how the singer can be good, like a goddess, but even that is not enough to make a real difference in the world. The lyrics mention specific issues such as chemical therapy, lies about HIV, genetic obsession, misused atomic energy, and the yugoslavian rape. The song ends with the singer mentioning how they hate their TV, possibly symbolizing how they believe the media and culture industry contribute to the world's problems.
Line by Line Meaning
I can be so strong
I have the potential to be incredibly strong, like a determined lion.
Like a lion on a mission
I am determined and focused like a lion who has a clear goal.
I can do no wrong
I am so confident in my abilities that I believe that I cannot make a mistake.
I can fight day and night
I am so driven that I am willing to fight tirelessly, without rest.
That's my decision
I have made up my mind to take this path.
Because the world is:
These are some of the reasons that I have to be so strong.
So bad
The world is incredibly difficult and unpleasant.
Like diet soda
Just as diet soda is a poor substitute for regular soda, the state of the world is a disappointing substitute for what it should be.
I'm counting 37 wars
There are an overwhelming number of conflicts taking place all over the world.
User friendly
The world today is shallow and superficial.
We lost the singer of the Doors
We have lost a great artist.
The U.F.O. conspiracy
There are conspiracy theories about aliens visiting Earth.
Starvation and depressy
There is widespread hunger and depression.
Hiroshima Tomsk Tschernobyl
These are locations where some of the world's worst nuclear disasters have taken place.
It's never gonna heal
These wounds will never fully recover.
I can be so good
I can also be incredibly virtuous.
Like a Goddess
In fact, I can be as holy and divine as a goddess.
Plus I'm modest - I
And yet, despite all of my strengths, I remain humble.
I have no fear
I am fearless and confident.
I will go all the way
I am willing to do whatever it takes to succeed.
I can show you how to pray
I can also be a teacher and guide to others.
Deadly chemo-therapy
Chemotherapy, a cancer treatment, can be deadly.
The lies about H.I.V.
There are many false beliefs and myths surrounding HIV.
We've lost our last chance
We have missed our last opportunity.
And we're all dancing Shiva's dance
We are all caught up in a destructive and chaotic cycle, similar to the dance of the Hindu god Shiva.
Genetic obsession
There is an unhealthy fixation on genetics and genetic engineering.
Misused atomic energy
Nuclear energy is often misused and poses many dangers.
Surprise, surprise, the culture industry
The entertainment industry often surprises us with its shallow and superficial offerings.
Helmut Kohl
Former German Chancellor Helmut Kohl supports a controversial mission.
You can do no wrong
If you join forces with me, you will be invincible.
If you fight on my side
We must work together to succeed.
If you make that decision
If you are willing to commit to this cause.
I.R.A. & R.A.F.
The IRA and RAF are Irish and German terrorist groups, respectively.
Are we really blind and deaf
Are we ignoring the obvious problems in the world?
The yugoslavian rape
Rape was used as a weapon during the Yugoslav Wars.
And no-one can escape
Nobody is immune from the horrors of the world.
The Nazi Lunacy
The crazy and destructive ideology of Nazism.
Artificial Extasy
Artificial and superficial pleasures.
I hate my T.V.
I am sick of the shallow and meaningless entertainment that television offers.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: DAVID ALLAN STEWART, NINA HAGEN, OLLE ROMO
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@CosmopolitanFools
" So Bad " ~ Lyrics
------ By Nina Hagen ------
I can be so strong
Like a lion on a mission
I can do no wrong
I can fight day and night
That's my decision
Because the world is:
So bad
Like diet soda
So bad
I'm counting 37 wars
So bad
User friendly
So bad
We lost the singer of the Doors
So bad
The you. F. O. Conspiracy
So bad
Starvation and depressy
So bad
Hiroshima Tomsk Tschernobyl
So bad
It's never gonna heal
I can be so good
Like a Goddess
Plus I'm modest - I
I have no fear
I will go all the way
I can show you how to pray
Because the world is:
So bad, so bad, so bad, so bad
So bad
Deadly chemo-therapy
So bad
The lies about H. I. V.
So bad
We've lost our last chance
So bad
And we're all dancing Shiva's dance
So bad
Genetic obsession
So bad
Misused atomic energy
So bad
Surprise, surprise, the culture industry
So bad
Helmut Kohl
(Bundeskanzler Kohl befьrwortet diese Mission)
You can do no wrong
If you fight on my side
If you make that decision
Because the world is:
So bad
I. Are. A. & are. A. F.
So bad
Are we really blind and deaf
So bad
The yugoslavian rape
So bad
And no-one can escape
So bad
The Nazi Lunacy
So bad
Artificial Extasy
So bad
I hate my T. V.
So bad
@ABRASILERA17
I discovered her the day after Christmas 2021, she's what I need to embody if I want to survive and thrive in 2022
@STRcircaFKR
I cannot believe I JUST found her. Good for us!!
@kleopatra1136
I love Nina. She’s been around FOREVER
@pixie77531
I JUST FOUND HER TODAY😂🤣💀
@aidanream9943
My mom's absolute favorite musical artist. Glad y'all found her. So interesting and really pushing the artistic norms
@odetteswann6091
In 2022, NEVER has this song been more relevant...
@AA1319A
I just discovered this woman today. How come I have never heard of her before? She is not only gorgeous but also an amazing singer.
@Mysteriuminiquitatis1998
Alex Datura same I actually I found out about her through the "give it away" song by red hot chili peppers since Anthony stated that the song was inspired by a conversation he had with her while they were dating. I never knew that lol you learn something new everyday
@ederuribe4827
Nina rules
@Kott_Anafiga
лох