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)
Starlit Hour
Nina Hagen Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Oh, heaven is in your eyes
While the wind is sobbing
Underneath the stars
Both our hearts are throbbing
Like two guitars
Love here in the starlit hour
Let me dream forever
Underneath the silvery skies
Will it be just as sweet again,
The glamor, the glory that we know
Will I find when we meet again
The glamor, the glory's still a glow
But tonight let us forget tomorrow
Here under the midnight blue
Love will bloom and flower
In the starlit hour with you...
The song Starlit Hour by Nina Hagen is a romantic tune that portrays the beauty of spending time with someone special amidst the starry sky. The lyrics highlights the intense emotions felt by the singer and her lover during the serene and tranquil moments of the night. As they sit together beneath the glittering stars, they feel their hearts throbbing like two guitars. The wind's sobbing and the night's whispering lullabies add to the ambiance of the moment, as if the entire universe conspires to provide a perfect setting for their love to blossom.
The singer wonders if the magic of the current moment can be replicated when they meet again. She questions if the glamor and the glory of their love will still be alive when they meet next. But for now, they revel in each other's company, forgetting all the uncertainties of the future. For them, the present moment is all that matters, and they wish to savor it for as long as they can.
In summary, the song Starlit Hour is a celebration of love that flourishes under the stars. It is a beautiful reminder of the importance of living in the moment and cherishing the time we have with our loved ones.
Line by Line Meaning
Love here in the starlit hour
The feeling of love is present in this moment under the stars
Oh, heaven is in your eyes
Your eyes are so beautiful that they seem like heaven
While the wind is sobbing
The wind is making a crying sound
Underneath the stars
We are situated under the stars
Both our hearts are throbbing
The intense feeling of love is beating in our hearts
Like two guitars
Our hearts are making music together like two guitars playing in harmony
Night whispering lullabies
The night is singing a soothing song
Let me dream forever
I want to continue dreaming and enjoying this moment forever
Underneath the silvery skies
We are situated under the beautiful, shiny sky
Will it be just as sweet again,
I wonder if our love will be just as sweet as this moment when we meet again
The glamor, the glory that we know
The wonderful feelings and experiences we have shared together
Will I find when we meet again
I wonder if the same wonderful feelings will still exist when we see each other again
The glamor, the glory's still a glow
I hope that the wonderful feelings of our past will still be present when we meet again
But tonight let us forget tomorrow
Tonight we should focus on the present moment rather than worrying about what will happen tomorrow
Here under the midnight blue
We are situated under the starry night sky
Love will bloom and flower
Our love will continue to grow and blossom
In the starlit hour with you...
We will continue to enjoy this wonderful moment under the stars together
Contributed by Sarah E. Suggest a correction in the comments below.