After self-releasing her first three records and gaining popularity in New York City's independent music scenes, particularly the anti-folk scene centered on New York City's East Village, Spektor signed with Sire Records in 2004 and began achieving greater mainstream recognition. After giving her third album a major label re-release, Sire released Spektor's fourth album, Begin to Hope, which achieved a Gold certification by the RIAA. Her following two albums, Far and What We Saw from the Cheap Seats, each debuted at number 3 on the Billboard 200. 2016's Remember Us to Life peaked at 23 on the Billboard 200.
Mayor Bill de Blasio proclaimed June 11, 2019, Regina Spektor Day in New York City. Spektor was also inducted into the Bronx Walk of Fame on May 18, 2019, by Borough President Rubén Díaz Jr.
Düsseldorf
Regina Spektor Lyrics
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His nose, it was red
In gelterkinden i forgot to frown
Then remembered again
In Paris i saw a big fish
Swimming slow in the seine
It made me hopeful that someday our
Water will be breathable again
In frankfurt i heard ein zwei drei
Counting cookies and no one was shot
In berlin stopped by the polizai
For drunk driving and everyone smiled
In prague i knew i'd been a witch
Burnt alive, a pyre of soviet kitsch
It made me miss my moscow mother
It made me miss my New York nothing
In Montpelier i stayed in a chateau
A girl climbed into my bed and she knew no boundaries
And in Amsterdam i got quite crazy
Might have been all the tulips and canals
Or it might have been all that hash, and in
Barcelona - buenos dias, chocolate, le picasso
And in Brussels, clean-cut hostel
And in London, me and the french existentialists
In corsica i floated away
All the way to marseilles
I should have held an afterparty
For all the thoughts i didn't say
In dusseldorf i met a dwarf
With bad breath and a really good tan
In gelterkinden i remembered how to laugh
And i never ever forgot it again
The lyrics of Regina Spektor's song Düsseldorf describe the experiences of the singer in different cities and the emotions it evokes in her. In the first verse, she describes the meeting with a clown in Düsseldorf and how forgetting to frown in Geltekinden made her remember to smile again, after maybe having been sad for a while. In Paris, she saw a big fish swimming slowly in the Seine and it made her hopeful that someday we will have clean water to breathe. The singer tells of different events in different cities and how they affected her in different ways.
In the second verse, the singer tells of hearing the numbers "ein zwei drei" while eating cookies in Frankfurt, Germany. Nobody was shot and the event made her realize how safe some countries are compared to others. In Berlin, the singer was stopped by the polizai for drunk driving, but everyone smiled, making her realize how different attitudes can be in different parts of the world. In Prague, she feels the sadness of the witches who were burnt in Soviet Russia, but at the same time, it makes her remember her own Moscow and New York experiences.
In the last verse, she speaks of staying in a chateau in Montpelier and experiencing the freedom of the girl who climbed into her bed with no boundaries. In Amsterdam, she became quite crazy, maybe because of the tulips and canals, or maybe because of all the hash. In each city, the singer has a different experience, but they all come together in a beautiful song that expresses the emotions of each moment.
Line by Line Meaning
In Düsseldorf i met a clown
I came across an entertainer in Düsseldorf, a clown to be precise.
His nose, it was red
He had a red nose, characteristic of clowns.
In gelterkinden i forgot to frown
I had an enjoyable time in Gelaterkinden and didn't feel the need to frown or be unhappy.
Then remembered again
However, later I remembered that I had reasons to be unhappy.
In Paris i saw a big fish
I observed a large fish swimming leisurely in the Seine river in Paris.
Swimming slow in the seine
The fish moved slowly in the river.
It made me hopeful that someday our
The sight of the fish was inspiring and made me optimistic that in future
Water will be breathable again
Our water bodies will have better quality and will support life.
In frankfurt i heard ein zwei drei
While in Frankfurt, I heard someone counting in German - one, two, three.
Counting cookies and no one was shot
The counting was related to distribution of cookies and no violence or harm was caused to anyone.
In berlin stopped by the polizai
In Berlin, I was stopped by the police for a traffic violation.
For drunk driving and everyone smiled
I was caught for drunk driving, but the police took it lightly and didn't seem to be too harsh on me.
In prague i knew i'd been a witch
While in Prague, I had a realization that in the past I was accused of being a witch and suffered a brutal death.
Burnt alive, a pyre of soviet kitsch
I was publicly burnt alive as a display of propaganda and ideological conformity during the Soviet era.
It made me miss my moscow mother
The experience made me nostalgic for my birthplace Moscow and my mother that I left behind.
It made me miss my New York nothing
However, I couldn't resist the opportunity to travel and explore the world and left my mundane life in New York.
In Montpelier i stayed in a chateau
During my visit to Montpelier, I had the chance to stay in a beautiful chateau.
A girl climbed into my bed and she knew no boundaries
I had a spontaneous encounter with a girl who didn't have any social inhibitions.
And in Amsterdam i got quite crazy
In Amsterdam, the free-spirited culture and liberal norms had a profound impact on me and I embraced the craziness.
Might have been all the tulips and canals
Perhaps, the scenic beauty of tulips and the network of canals contributed to it.
Or it might have been all that hash
Another factor that potentially influenced my state of mind was the consumption of hashish.
And in Barcelona - buenos dias, chocolate, le picasso
In Barcelona, I enjoyed the warm Spanish greetings, chocolate and the art of iconic painter - Picasso.
And in Brussels, clean-cut hostel
In Brussels, I stayed in a neat and well-organized hostel.
And in London, me and the french existentialists
In London, I engaged in philosophical discussions with French existentialists.
In corsica i floated away
In Corsica, my mind drifted away from the present moment.
All the way to marseilles
It felt like I had mentally traveled all the way to Marseille, a port city in France.
I should have held an afterparty
I regretted not expressing and sharing all the thoughts I had during my travels.
For all the thoughts i didn't say
I didn't express my deep, visceral thoughts verbally or in writing during my journeys.
In dusseldorf i met a dwarf
In Düsseldorf I came across a person of small stature, a Dwarf.
With bad breath and a really good tan
The Dwarf had halitosis but a really impressive suntan.
In gelterkinden i remembered how to laugh
In Gelaterkinden, I was reminded of the joy of laughter and didn't forget it again.
And i never ever forgot it again
I held onto the renewing experience and never forgot the value of laughter and happiness.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: REGINA SPEKTOR
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind