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)
The Change
Nina Hagen Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
It's just a transformation, yeah yeah yeah
That boy george roman and queen elizabeth
All go from station to station
There is no end, it always goes on
There is no end for you, there
is no end for me
Heidi...
It's true [yodel], don't be blue [yodel]
When we lay down receiving life's crown
Open your eyes right now
Oh please be nice anyhow
It's gonna be no end for me
You fight with others just because you are wrong
Accumulating rubbish inside yourself
You have to throw it out, yes you have to throw it out
Human relationships are just so-so today
It's not too deep and darkness stands in our way
How about the light, i'm finished with the night
There is no end, it always goes on
Take my hand
And then we go the way, decide if you'll leave or if you'll stay
Say, what you say?
c'mon, hey hey hey
Our religions have to fight with one another
Just because we have the same father and mother
We shouldn't think them strange
So we have to do the change, the change
And our children live in danger and in sorrow
Who knows if they're not radioactive by tomorrow?
We shouldn't think it strange but we have to do the change
Yes we have to do the change
We have to do the change (4x)
The change, the change, the change
When we don't wake up now, who knows if we wake up at all!
We're so important and wish we would not fall
Deep down with Babylon, where's everybody gone?
It's true [yodel], don't be blue [yodel]
When we lay down receiving life's crown
And then we go the way, decide if you'll leave or if you'll stay
Say, what you say?
c'mon, hey hey hey
It's true [yodel], don't be blue [yodel]
When we lay down...
Nina Hagen's song "The Change" is a powerful commentary on the state of humanity and our need for transformation. The opening lines suggest a belief in reincarnation as Hagen sings, "There is no such thing called death. It's just a transformation." The reference to Boy George and Queen Elizabeth going from "station to station" echoes the idea of a cycle of life and death that continues endlessly.
Hagen goes on to address the issues of personal growth and how we accumulate "rubbish" that we must throw out in order to move forward. She also touches on the state of human relationships, which she describes as "just so-so today" and overshadowed by darkness. However, she remains hopeful and encourages listeners to make the necessary changes by saying, "Take my hand and then we go the way, decide if you'll leave or if you'll stay."
The song then highlights the larger societal issues that plague us, including religious conflicts and the possible danger that our children face in an uncertain future. Hagen seems to suggest that the only way to combat these problems is by embracing change and being more accepting of others.
Overall, "The Change" is a call to action, urging listeners to wake up and take responsibility for creating a better world.
Line by Line Meaning
There is no such a thing called death
Death is not an end, it is a transformation
It's just a transformation, yeah yeah yeah
Death is not the end, it is just a transformation
That boy george roman and queen elizabeth
Everyone, including famous people like Boy George, the Roman Empire, and Queen Elizabeth, goes through transformations
All go from station to station
Everyone goes through different stages in their life
There is no end, it always goes on
Life does not end, it always continues
There is no end for you, there
Your life does not end, it always continues
is no end for me
My life does not end, it always continues
Understand, mon cherie
Understand, my dear
Heidi...
Addressing someone named Heidi
It's true [yodel], don't be blue [yodel]
It's true, don't be sad
When we lay down receiving life's crown
When we die and receive the gift of eternal life
Open your eyes right now
Wake up and see the world for what it is
Oh please be nice anyhow
Please be kind no matter what
You fight with others just because you are wrong
You argue with others because you refuse to admit you are wrong
Accumulating rubbish inside yourself
Holding onto negative emotions and thoughts
You have to throw it out, yes you have to throw it out
You need to let go of your negativity and move on
Human relationships are just so-so today
Human relationships are superficial and lacking depth today
It's not too deep and darkness stands in our way
We are held back by negative emotions and a lack of connection
How about the light, i'm finished with the night
Let's focus on positivity and move on from negativity
Take my hand
Let me guide you
And then we go the way, decide if you'll leave or if you'll stay
Let's move forward together, and you decide if you want to come with me or not
Say, what you say?
What do you think?
c'mon, hey hey hey
Come on, let's go!
Our religions have to fight with one another
Religions fight with each other unnecessarily
Just because we have the same father and mother
We are all siblings under the same divine parent
We shouldn't think them strange
We shouldn't be afraid of different religions
So we have to do the change, the change
We need to make a change to accept and embrace different religions
And our children live in danger and in sorrow
Our children live in a world of danger and pain
Who knows if they're not radioactive by tomorrow?
We don't know what the future holds for our children
Yes we have to do the change
We need to make changes to protect and care for our children
We have to do the change (4x)
We need to make changes to improve our lives and the world
When we don't wake up now, who knows if we wake up at all!
If we don't start taking action now, we may not be able to in the future
We're so important and wish we would not fall
We have a responsibility to make a positive impact in the world
Deep down with Babylon, where's everybody gone?
We are losing sight of what truly matters and becoming disconnected from each other
Contributed by Jasmine W. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
wisdomist 21
"There is no such a thing called death
It's just a transformation, yeah yeah yeah
That Boy George Roman and Queen Elizabeth
All go from station to station
There is no end, it always goes on
There is no end for you, there is no end for me
Understand, mon cherie
Heidi...
It's true [yodel], don't be blue [yodel]
When we lay down receiving life's crown
Open your eyes right now
Oh please be nice anyhow
It's gonna be no end for me
You fight with others just because you aren't all (?)
Accumulating rubbish inside yourself
You have to throw it out, yes you have to throw it out
Human relationships are just so-so today
It's not too deep and darkness stands in our way
How about the light, I'm finished with the night
There is no end, it always goes on
Take my hand
And then we go the way, decide if you'll leave or if you'll stay
Say, what you say? C'mon, hey hey hey"
Deedee 60
Nina Hagen always makes me smile! She is fearless and totally unique.
Eduardo Rogério Perez
Simplesmente amooooooooo essa música! Marcou a melhor fase da minha vida! Só me traz lembranças maravilhosas! Posso ouvir um milhão de vezes que não enjoo nunca! Me faz sentir alegre, vivo!!!
Edson Leite
Essa música de Nina é o toque do meu celular e não abro mão disso.
elvira rainha
Ainda é?
Michel Frank Araújo
Bem anos 80 esse hit
Márcio Mendes
Música de ótima sonoridade, cantora diferenciada, performática.
Odair Ferreira Martins
Lembro dela no Rock in Rio 85, eu adorava essa música, era muito difícil escutar porque dependia das rádios, hj posso ouvir o dia todo 😂
Paulo Cezar
Que saldade sou muito fam desta Cantoral me lembra Minha adolecencia decada maravilhosa anos 80 ▶️⏯️👍
claudiocmms santana
Meu Deus, adorava essa mulher. saudades dessa época...
Marcelo Heiden
Que mulher maravilhosa em sua essência muito a frente de seu tempo mil anos luz