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)
Yes Sir
Nina Hagen Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
-Yes Sir
Die nicht sehr Beliebte, bei Onkel und Tante
-No Sir
Man fürchtet ich könnte die behüteten Neffen
Im Spielsalon oder im Himmelbett treffen
Ich könnt sie verführen mit tausenden Listen
Zu etwas, dass sie vielleicht doch noch nicht wüssten
So bin am ganzen Leibe ich
So bin ich und so bleibe ich
-Yes Sir
So wie ich hier stehe, so bin ich, so leben
-Yes Sir
Die Schönheit ist mir nicht umsonst gegeben
-No Sir
Die tausenden, kleinen, pikanten ?, die leise ? ? grobe Märchen
Sind mir nicht umsonst angedichtet
Denn auch ein schlechter Ruf verpflichtet
Yes Sir, Yes Sir
So bin am ganzen Leibe ich
So bin ich und so bleibe ich
-Yes Sir
Und muss ich mein irdisches Gastspiel beenden
-Yes Sir
Sollt ihr euch nicht gleichgültig von mir wenden
-No Sir
Ich habe geliebt und ich habe geküsst
Weil die Liebe doch dazu erfunden ist
Wie`s alle auch hier tun seit tausenden Jahren
Nur darf man um Gotteswillen nichts erfahren
-No Sir
Yes Sir
So bin am ganzen Leibe ich
So bin ich und so bleibe ich
-Yes Sir
So bin ich und so bleibe ich....
Ich bin so und ich bleibe so!
In “Yes Sir,” Nina Hagen sings about her reputation as someone well-known but not well-liked. She goes on to say that her family fears she might lead her young nephews astray, either in a gambling den or in bed. She admits she could entice them with many intriguing ways, and some might learn about things they didn't know before. She concludes that her scandalous reputation is a burden, yet she is who she is and will remain that way. She asserts that she was given beauty, and it wasn't granted to her for free. Even if her reputation is bad, it still means something to her.
The song can be interpreted as an affirmation of self-assertion and self-affirmation by someone who has been scandalized by their behavior. Nina Hagen, who is known for her wild stage antics and unconventional behavior, characterizes herself as someone who has lived honestly and without shame, hence "So wie ich hier stehe, so bin ich, so leben" (As I stand here, so am I, so I live). By affirming who she is, she is sending a message that she is in control of her own life, and the public's opinion of her does not matter.
Line by Line Meaning
Man nennt mich Miss Fame,Die berühmte Bekannte
-Yes Sir
People call me Miss Fame, the famous acquaintance - Yes Sir
Die nicht sehr Beliebte, bei Onkel und Tante
-No Sir
The one who is not very popular with aunt and uncle - No Sir
Man fürchtet ich könnte die behüteten Neffen
Im Spielsalon oder im Himmelbett treffen
Ich könnt sie verführen mit tausenden Listen
Zu etwas, dass sie vielleicht doch noch nicht wüssten
Yes Sir, Yes Sir
They're afraid I might run into their protected nephews in the casino or in bed. I could seduce them with thousands of tricks into things they might not even know about - Yes Sir, Yes Sir
So bin am ganzen Leibe ich
So bin ich und so bleibe ich
-Yes Sir
This is who I am in my entirety, and I'm not changing - Yes Sir
So wie ich hier stehe, so bin ich, so leben
-Yes Sir
As I stand here, I am who I am, and I live accordingly - Yes Sir
Die Schönheit ist mir nicht umsonst gegeben
-No Sir
Beauty is not given to me for free - No Sir
Die tausenden, kleinen, pikanten ?, die leise ? ? grobe Märchen
Sind mir nicht umsonst angedichtet
Denn auch ein schlechter Ruf verpflichtet
Yes Sir, Yes Sir
The thousands of scandalous, small, spicy, soft or gross tales about me are not unfounded. Even a bad reputation comes with obligations - Yes Sir, Yes Sir
Und muss ich mein irdisches Gastspiel beenden
-Yes Sir
And when it's time for me to leave this earthly stage - Yes Sir
Sollt ihr euch nicht gleichgültig von mir wenden
-No Sir
You shouldn't turn your back on me indifferently - No Sir
Ich habe geliebt und ich habe geküsst
Weil die Liebe doch dazu erfunden ist
Wie`s alle auch hier tun seit tausenden Jahren
Nur darf man um Gotteswillen nichts erfahren
-No Sir
Yes Sir
I have loved and I have kissed, because that's what love was invented for, as everyone here has been doing for thousands of years. We just must not let anyone know - No Sir, Yes Sir
So bin am ganzen Leibe ich
So bin ich und so bleibe ich
-Yes Sir
This is who I am in my entirety, and I'm not changing - Yes Sir
So bin ich und so bleibe ich....
I am who I am, and that's how I'll stay...
Contributed by Michael P. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
johnnyrockitman
This is so awesome!!! Luv it!!!
Sophie Helix-Pomatia di Ambroise
@poweroflimits Cheers & thanks John ! I'm so happy u love it ! Nina "Die Mutter des Punk" is an awesome funny artist, and a real beautiful person btw.
Athletic Buddies
Very Nice :)
JohnnyLovelyOfficial
i luv this song
CinéMusic
Je dois avouer que je ne suis pas particulièrement fan de Nina Hagen mais on ne peut pas nier qu'elle a un style bien à elle et une personnalité peu commune. Elle a un côté excentrique et décalé qui font d'elle une Artiste à part entière. En plus, rares ont été les artistes a avoir fait carrière en chantant en Allemand. Alors... qu'on aime ou qu'on aime moins, on peut au moins lui reconnaître ce mérite. Je ne connaissais pas cette chanson mais c'est pas trop mal...