Some critics say that Rio Reiser created a new image of a German folk singer; he was even called a "Schlager" artist (a genre of German folk music), and a "Volksmusik" musician (sometimes translated as "folk music", but in a literary sense it means music of the people). To other critics, Rio Reiser was simply a singer in a rock band. However, Reiser sometimes approved of being referred to a Volksmusik musician, because he thought that this would simply mean he sang music for the people.
His father was an engineer for Siemens AG, and the family moved several times because of his father's work; they lived in Berlin, Oberbayern, Nürnberg, Mannheim, and Stuttgart. Reiser was never really able to feel at home in any of these places. Many of his friends said, when they were asked in an interview which was broadcast on the TV-channel arte in 1998, that he started playing music to create a place where he felt at home.
Reiser was known by his friends as someone who had a very special mind of his own. For example he managed to persuade his mother Erika Möbius that he was allowed to stop attending school and start an apprenticeship in a studio for photography. She believed that he was an autodidact; he never learned things when he was taught by someone else. Thus he taught himself how to play cello, guitar, the piano and other instruments.
He decided to change his name from Ralph Möbius to Rio Reiser because of the autobiographical novel Anton Reiser by Karl Philipp Moritz. During his teenage years Rio Reiser was a big fan of The Beatles and later of The Rolling Stones.
After he left school, Reiser started as a singer for the rock band The Beat Kings where he met his good friend R.P.S. Lanrue. Later he ended his apprenticeship at the photographic studio and left The Beat Kings, to be able to go to Berlin. In Berlin he composed the first Beat-Opera, which wasn't successful at all.
In 1970 Reiser recorded his first single with the band Ton Steine Scherben. Their original name was actually "Was ich fand, waren Ton, Steine, Scherben". In that same year the group performed their first public concert and recorded their first full length record. Ton Steine Scherben were musically successful, though not commercially.
In 1985 Reiser and the band finally split because of financial reasons. Reiser had a large debt with the group, but his solo career went so well that he was free from debt in a short time. His first solo record-album was called König Von Deutschland ("King of Germany") which was produced by his manager Georges Glueck. Many of his friends from the Ton Steine Scherben-days didn't like the fact that Reiser was suddenly a commercially successful musician.
Rio Reiser was also politically active. He was member of the Die Grünen and later after the German reunification he joined the PDS.
Reiser's sixth and last solo record was Himmel und Hölle (Heaven and Hell). Reiser wrote and performed most of his songs entirely by himself, although he was sometimes accompanied by his long time friend R.P.S. Lanrue.
Rio Reiser died on August 20, 1996 from a circulatory collapse after internal bleedings, probably as a result of a hepatitis C infection, at his home in Fresenhagen.
Land in Sicht
Rio Reiser Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Die lange Reise ist vorbei.
Morgenlicht weckt meine Seele auf.
Ich lebe wieder und bin frei.
Und die Tränen von gestern wird die Sonne trocknen,
die Spuren der Verzweiflung wird der Wind verweh'n.
Die durstigen Lippen wird der Regen trösten
werden von den Toten aufersteh'n.
Ich seh die Wälder meiner Sehnsucht,
den weiten sonnengelben Strand.
Der Himmel leuchtet wie Unendlichkeit,
die bösen Träume sind verbannt.
Und die Tränen von gestern wird die Sonne trocknen,
die Spuren der Verzweiflung wird der Wind verweh'n.
Die durstigen Lippen wird der Regen trösten
und die längst verlor'n Geglaubten
werden von den Toten aufersteh'n.
The lyrics to Rio Reiser's song "Land in Sicht" talk about a person who has just arrived at their destination after a long journey, and how they are feeling and what they are seeing. The first line "Land in Sicht, singt der Wind in mein Herz" translates to "Land in sight, the wind sings in my heart", which is a metaphor for how excited and relieved the person is to finally arrive. The next line "Die lange Reise ist vorbei" means "The long journey is over", reinforcing the idea of relief and happiness. The person describes how the morning light is waking up their soul, symbolizing a new beginning and a fresh start. They also mention how they feel alive again and free.
The next verse talks about how the person is leaving their past and their troubles behind. They believe that the sun will dry their tears and the wind will blow away the traces of their despair. They also have faith that the rain will quench their thirst and that the people they thought were lost forever will come back to life. The person then describes what they are seeing: the forests of their desires and a wide, sun-drenched beach. They also notice that the sky appears infinite, and that their nightmares have been banished.
Overall, the lyrics of "Land in Sicht" are about hope, renewal, and the end of a difficult journey. They offer a message of positivity and strength to anyone who may be going through tough times in their life.
Line by Line Meaning
Land in Sicht, singt der Wind in mein Herz.
My heart is singing as I see land in sight after a long journey.
Die lange Reise ist vorbei.
The long journey has finally come to an end.
Morgenlicht weckt meine Seele auf.
The morning light is awakening my soul.
Ich lebe wieder und bin frei.
I am alive again and feeling free.
Und die Tränen von gestern wird die Sonne trocknen,
The sun will dry the tears shed yesterday.
die Spuren der Verzweiflung wird der Wind verweh'n.
The winds will blow away the traces of despair.
Die durstigen Lippen wird der Regen trösten
The rain will quench my thirsty lips.
und die längst verlor'n Geglaubten werden von den Toten aufersteh'n.
The things I thought were forever lost will now be resurrected.
Ich seh die Wälder meiner Sehnsucht,
I am seeing the forests of my desires.
den weiten sonnengelben Strand.
And the wide, sunny yellow beach.
Der Himmel leuchtet wie Unendlichkeit,
The sky shines like infinity.
die bösen Träume sind verbannt.
The bad dreams are banished and gone.
Und die Tränen von gestern wird die Sonne trocknen,
The sun will dry the tears shed yesterday.
die Spuren der Verzweiflung wird der Wind verweh'n.
The winds will blow away the traces of despair.
Die durstigen Lippen wird der Regen trösten
The rain will quench my thirsty lips.
und die längst verlor'n Geglaubten werden von den Toten aufersteh'n.
The things I thought were forever lost will now be resurrected.
Contributed by Lillian K. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Ko ala
Ich kann nicht in Worte fassen, wie sehr ich diese Aufnahme liebe!!!! 🤗
Dieter Dietert
so gut oder? Ich höre das lied seit ich 13 bin oder so. jezt bin ich 34. :D
Jan Heither
Dieses Lied trifft einen einfach immer wieder. Im positiven Sinne. :)
till dawn
yatahey! das sind so wundervoll tolle lyrics...die noch so lange herzen berühren werden!
Katja Gieselmann
Wunderbar! I love him.
TributetoRioReiser
Nu aber! ;-) Wie gesagt eine der ältesten und schönsten Balladen von Rio! Mehr von Rio in meinem Kanal!
Fabian Zerfaß
ich find die Musik von Rio einfach nur cool
Drinkin Philosophen
Ich lebe wieder und bin FREI!
cosmoveridarium
#thankyou