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)
Vater Unser
Nina Hagen Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Komm und lass uns bieten
Alle wollen bieten
Alle wollen bieten
Ja, alle, alle wollen sich im Gebet zusammen finden
Im Namen des Vaters, des Sohnes und des heiligen Geistes
runter auf die knie
und je bietet ´wie noch nie
und je bietet wie noch nie
Komm und lass uns bieten
Wir wollen bieten
???? wir bieten
Alle wollen bieten
Ja, alle, alle wollen sich im Gebet zusammen finden
Im Namen des Vaters, des Sohnes und des heiligen Geistes
Im Namen des Vaters, des Sohnes und des heiligen Geistes
Vater unser, der du bist im Himmel - Hallo!
geheiligt werde dein Name
dein Reich komme
dein Wille geschehen
im Himmel als auch auf erden
unser tägliches Brot gib uns heute
und vergib uns unsre schuld
wie wir vergeben unsern Schuldigern
und fuhr uns nicht in versuchen
sondern erlöse uns von dem übel
Denn Dein ist das Reich
Und die Macht und die Herrlichkeit
In Ewigkeit.
Amen!
Und Amen!
The lyrics of "Vater Unser" by Nina Hagen are a mixture of the traditional Christian prayer "Our Father" and the call for unity and prayer among believers. The beginning of the song talks about the act of offering, or bidding in prayer, with the repetition of "Wir wollen bieten, alle wollen bieten" (We want to bid, everyone wants to bid). The call to prayer is intensified with the repeated urging to kneel and to offer more fervently than ever before. The lyrics then seamlessly transition into the traditional prayer itself, recited in German with an enthusiastic and almost punk-like energy. The song ends with a resounding "Amen" and the declaration that the Kingdom, Power, and Glory belong to God forever.
Overall, the song is a combination of traditional prayer and Hagen's unique vocal style and energy. She brings a sense of passion and urgency to the prayer, imbuing it with her own unique interpretation and style.
Line by Line Meaning
Wir wollen bieten
We want to pray
Komm und lass uns bieten
Come and let us pray together
Alle wollen bieten
Everyone wants to pray
Ja, alle, alle wollen sich im Gebet zusammen finden
Yes, everyone wants to come together in prayer
Im Namen des Vaters, des Sohnes und des heiligen Geistes
In the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit
runter auf die knie
Get down on your knees
und je bietet ´wie noch nie
And pray like never before
Ich sagte- runter auf knie,
I said, get down on your knees
Komm und lass uns bieten
Come and let us pray together
Wir wollen bieten
We want to pray
???? wir bieten
Unclear, cannot be analyzed
Alle wollen bieten
Everyone wants to pray
Ja, alle, alle wollen sich im Gebet zusammen finden
Yes, everyone wants to come together in prayer
Im Namen des Vaters, des Sohnes und des heiligen Geistes
In the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit
Im Namen des Vaters, des Sohnes und des heiligen Geistes
In the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit
Vater unser, der du bist im Himmel - Hallo!
Our Father, who is in Heaven - Hello!
geheiligt werde dein Name
Hallowed be thy name
dein Reich komme
Thy kingdom come
dein Wille geschehen
Thy will be done
im Himmel als auch auf erden
On earth as it is in Heaven
unser tägliches Brot gib uns heute
Give us this day our daily bread
und vergib uns unsre schuld
And forgive us our debts
wie wir vergeben unsern Schuldigern
As we forgive our debtors
und fuhr uns nicht in versuchen
And lead us not into temptation
sondern erlöse uns von dem übel
But deliver us from evil
Denn Dein ist das Reich
For thine is the kingdom
Und die Macht und die Herrlichkeit
And the power and the glory
In Ewigkeit.
Forever
Amen!
Amen
Und Amen!
And Amen
Contributed by Jackson A. Suggest a correction in the comments below.