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)
Tiere
Nina Hagen Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Darum nenn mich nie mehr dummes huhn
Heilig ist die kuh, lass sie in ruh!
Tiere sind nich so gemein wie du.
Im dschungel, die tiere,
da geohoer'n sie hin,
Und nicht in den zoo;
Sie gehoer'n nich an die schultern deiner reichen puppe,
Und froesche und kroeten gehoer'n nich in die suppe.
Repeat of chorus
Kein vogel wuerde dir'nen kaefig bau'n,
Und dich zum singen zwingen.
Kein schwein dich maesten
und dich in den schlachthof sperr'n,
Uff'n haken haengen und
diene haut abzerr'n.
Repeat of chorus
Meine verwandten sind die elephante,
Und was ich gern' male, sind wale.
Repeat chorus twice
Rowrrr!
The lyrics of "Tiere" by Nina Hagen center around the treatment of animals and animal rights. The chorus of the song asserts that animals would never behave as cruelly as humans do; therefore, the singer demands to be called something other than a "dumb chicken." The lyrics argue that cows are sacred and should be left in peace; wild animals belong in the jungle rather than being trapped in zoos or as the adornment of wealthy people's toys. And, the animals such as frogs and toads should not be put in soup. The lyrics condemn the practices of confinement, forced labor and killing of animals, comparing it to a life in captivity in zoos or in a factory farm. The song suggests respecting animal rights and their natural habitats.
Line by Line Meaning
Tiere wuerden sowas neimals tun,
Animals would never do something like that,
Darum nenn mich nie mehr dummes huhn
Therefore, never call me a stupid chicken again
Heilig ist die kuh, lass sie in ruh!
The cow is sacred, leave it alone!
Tiere sind nich so gemein wie du.
Animals are not as cruel as you.
Im dschungel, die tiere,
In the jungle, the animals
da geohoer'n sie hin,
that's where they belong
Und nicht in den zoo;
not in the zoo
da sind sie doch nicht froh.
they are not happy there
Sie gehoer'n nich an die schultern deiner reichen puppe,
They don't belong on the shoulders of your wealthy doll
Und froesche und kroeten gehoer'n nich in die suppe.
And frogs and toads don't belong in soup.
Kein vogel wuerde dir'nen kaefig bau'n,
No bird would build a cage for you,
Und dich zum singen zwingen.
And force you to sing.
Kein schwein dich maesten
No pig will fatten you up
und dich in den schlachthof sperr'n,
and lock you up in the slaughterhouse
Uff'n haken haengen und
hang you on a hook and
diene haut abzerr'n.
take your skin off.
Meine verwandten sind die elephante,
My relatives are elephants,
Und was ich gern' male, sind wale.
And what I like to paint are whales.
Rowrrr!
Rowrrr!
Contributed by Arianna N. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Loka Nanda
Animals would never do something like that,
Thus never again call me a stupid chick.
Holy is the cow, leave her alone!
Animals are not as mean as you are.
Repeat of chorus
In the jungle, the animals,
that's where animals belong,
And not in the zoo;
There they are not happy.
They don't belong on the shoulders of your rich doll;
And frogs and bullfrogs belong not in the soup.
Repeat of chorus
No bird would build you a cage,
And force you to sing.
No pig would fatten you up
and lock you up in the slaughterhouse,
Pin you on a hook and
Tear off your skin.
Repeat of chorus
My relatives are the elephants,
And what I love to draw are whales.
der bosc
Eine lebende Legende !
James Lee
Niná Hagén ,en 1970 erá la mujer más hermosa del mundo,mé enamoré de ellá cuando yó tenía 7 años❤️🇲🇽🥇
Klein Steffi
Nina ist einfach die beste ❤️
Ronnyroo
This song and the video are absolutely nostalgic pleasures / treasures .... ok?!
Michael Kostrov
Thank you very much for this high quality version!!! Michail.
Loka Nanda
Animals would never do something like that,
Thus never again call me a stupid chick.
Holy is the cow, leave her alone!
Animals are not as mean as you are.
Repeat of chorus
In the jungle, the animals,
that's where animals belong,
And not in the zoo;
There they are not happy.
They don't belong on the shoulders of your rich doll;
And frogs and bullfrogs belong not in the soup.
Repeat of chorus
No bird would build you a cage,
And force you to sing.
No pig would fatten you up
and lock you up in the slaughterhouse,
Pin you on a hook and
Tear off your skin.
Repeat of chorus
My relatives are the elephants,
And what I love to draw are whales.
Court Paige
this is my favorite song from her
KatrinWoody
Thanks for the really awesome quality!
Cletus Wombat
I fucking love this !
Ls Gamer
Einfach im Ethik Unterricht gehabt gutes lied😂