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)
Sometimes I Ring Up Heaven
Nina Hagen Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Sometimes I ring up to heaven
When I'm all alone
Sometimes I ring up heaven
When I'm all alone
I can call my god
He stays by the phone
When my friends can't be bothered
He will hear my call (x2)
He won't let his child stumble, oh no!
He won't let me fall
I may not enjoy the bays of meech
But everything is really not what it seems
He said "Hey child don't worry
I'm standing on the line"
So I'll keep on dialing this true friend of mine
This royal telephone
Is one god's sent invention
He can tune in every nation
Still can be passing on Attention
Night time day time
I got main line to the throne
So I'll keep on dialing his Royal Telephone
Sometimes I ring up heaven
Anytime I fell all alone
Hmmm, yes I do!
Sometimes I ring up heaven
When I'm feeling all alone
I can call my god in the morning
Noon time in the evening
Cause he'll stay by the phone.
The song "Sometimes I Ring Up Heaven" by Nina Hagen is a song about the power of prayer and faith in times of loneliness and distress. The song begins with the singer expressing her need to call up to heaven when she is alone. She explains that she can call upon her god and that he stays by the phone to hear her call. The song shows the power of the telephone as one of God's inventions, through which he can tune in to every nation and pass attention to anyone in need.
The singer's faith in her god is shown throughout the song. She states that when her friends cannot be bothered, she can turn to God who will hear her call and that he won't let his child stumble or fall. The singer references the bays of Meech, which could be a reference to an area in Canada, but the true meaning is unclear. However, the singer implies that everything is not as it seems and that her god reassures her by saying, "Hey child don't worry, I'm standing on the line." The song ends with the singer saying that she can call her god anytime- morning, noon, or evening- as he will always stay by the phone.
Overall, the song offers a message of hope and comfort through the power of prayer and faith. The Royal Telephone is presented as a direct line to God and a symbol of his presence and accessibility.
Line by Line Meaning
Sometimes I ring up to heaven
I reach out to God for guidance and comfort.
When I'm all alone
During times of loneliness.
I can call my god
I can communicate with God through prayer.
He stays by the phone
God is always available to listen and help.
When my friends can't be bothered
When my human relationships fail me.
He will hear my call (x2)
God will always listen and respond to my prayers.
He won't let his child stumble, oh no!
God will provide guidance and support to prevent me from falling.
I may not enjoy the bays of meech
Life may not always be pleasant or easy.
But everything is really not what it seems
Things may not always appear as they truly are.
He said 'Hey child don't worry
God speaks to me and comforts me.
I'm standing on the line'
God is always available and listening.
So I'll keep on dialing this true friend of mine
I will continue to pray and seek God's guidance and support.
This royal telephone
Prayer is my way of communicating with God.
Is one god's sent invention
Prayer is a divine gift from God.
He can tune in every nation
God is omnipresent and can hear the prayers of all people.
Still can be passing on Attention
God is always paying attention and responsive to our prayers.
Night time day time
I can pray at any time, day or night.
I got main line to the throne
Through prayer, I have a direct connection to God.
So I'll keep on dialing his Royal Telephone
I will continue to pray and rely on God for guidance and support.
Anytime I fell all alone
During times of loneliness or isolation.
Hmmm, yes I do!
I truly do reach out to God for help.
When I'm feeling all alone
During times of emotional distress or isolation.
I can call my god in the morning
I can pray to God at any time of day.
Noon time in the evening
Whether it's morning, afternoon, or night.
Cause he'll stay by the phone.
God is always available and listening.
Contributed by Alyssa L. Suggest a correction in the comments below.