2012 has started at the same amazing pace as 2011 for Scala & Kolacny Brothers, with a tour of Northern Spain, dates in Belgium, Germany, Italy and Ireland, an upcoming trip to Korea as well as TV appearances at ITV's Dancing On Ice (UK) and at the famous San Remo Festival... But 2011 was the breakout year for Scala & Kolacny Brothers as they conquered the United States and Canada with a major tour, in support of their first North American CD release, including headlining stages at SXSW and Coachella. This success was immediately followed by a first record release in the U.K., a sold out show at London's Union Chapel in June and a triumphant “special guest” performance at the Latitude Festival, where they played the prestigious Sunday noon slot. In June the group headlined at the Heineken Dia De La Musica in Madrid, in November the album ‘Scala & Kolacny Brothers’ was released in Italy, where it immediately hit the top 10 (!) and in December the group returned to 4 sold out shows in Berlin, as well as a Radio Eins very special-alternative-Christmas-songs special. 2011 has brought Scala & Kolacny Brothers the status of international phenomenon and it all seemed to start with a simple email.
When the email arrived in May 2010, the Kolacny brothers thought it was some kind of joke. “Yeah”, the brothers thought, “right.” But the request was genuine. And the film turned out to be The Social Network. It transpired that the director, David Fincher, is a huge fan.
The song in question is a hauntingly beautiful acoustic reworking of Radiohead¹s Creep. In July 2010, two months after the brothers received the email, the Social Network trailer was released. The powerful music was center stage, heightening a growing sense of unease like a chorus of fallen angels.
Like the film itself, the trailer has been a huge global hit more than 250m people have seen in the Cinema, on TV or online. Thanks in part to the subsequent buzz on social media, traffic to the brothers’ website went through the roof: their interpretation of Creep is an internet phenomenon, watched in various forms well over 25m times.
A record-label bidding war erupted in America but the brothers chose to sign with Atco, a subsidiary of Warner, with whom they had been negotiating. They released an eponymous album in in the US in March in the US and in the UK and most of the rest of Europe - 6 June 2011 (on Wall Of Sound). Italy followed in November of this year and the album was re-released in December in the UK, with two additional titles. In 2011 Scala & Kolacny Brothers also released 2 acclaimed video clips, for their versions of Use Somebody (directed by Inti Calfat) and Everlong (directed by Mark Woollen, who also directed the The Social Network trailer).
In September Scala & Kolacny Brother’s version of U2’s With Or Without You, was featured in the trailer for Season 2 of the British hit drama series Downton Abbey (broadcast in the USA on PBS where Scala & Kolacny Brothers also have their new special ‘Live From Bruges’ airing from December). And in December Scala’s version of Last Christmas was used in the trailer for the Downton Abbey Christmas special, while the group performed at Downton Abbey’s VIP Christmas special launch party in London.
But even with numerous TV shows (including 'the Simpsons'!) using Scala & Kolacny Brother’s music in 2011, it was the Social Network trailer which shone a spotlight on the unique musical project that is Scala & Kolacny Brothers an indie-rock choir, comprising of the two Kolacny brothers, Steven and Stijn, and Scala, their all-girl choir. Steven plays the piano, Stijn conducts the choir. The brothers usually work with 20-30 singers, aged 16-26, at a time, but these days have more than 200 girls on their books, ensuring plenty of cover for their increasingly busy schedule.
Scala & Kolacny Brothers take rock and indie songs and reinvent them as elegiac hymns to breathtaking effect with the piano often the sole accompaniment to the voices. On occasion they also use drum machines, sequencers and synthesizers, and also often perform with a full rock band.
The new album includes versions of Smells Like Teen Spirit (Nirvana), Champagne Supernova (Oasis), With or Without You (U2), Use Somebody (Kings of Leon), Everlong (Foo Fighters) and more. Creep also features, as do three original compositions Seashell, Masquerade and Our Last Fight.
Rock and indie music works best because “the beating heart of the songs is often very black and very emotional, and the female voices of the choir add a certain melancholic touch”, says Stijn. “Sometimes they bring out whole new dimensions in the songs our version of Nothing Else Matters could be
classical music; its sound is nothing to do with Metallica anymore.” Other influences range from Sigur Ros to Nirvana and include the dark electro-pop of Goldfrapp and Depeche Mode, and the brooding mini-symphonies of Massive Attack.
Mensch
Scala & Kolacny Brothers Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
momentan ist gut
nichts ist wirklich wichtig
nach der Ebbe kommt die Flut
am Strand des Lebens
ohne Grund, ohne Verstand
ist nichts vergebens
und es ist, es ist o.k.
alles auf dem Weg,
und es ist Sonnenzeit
unbeschwert und frei
und der Mensch heißt Mensch
weil er vergisst,
weil er verdrängt
und weil er staunt und stählt
weil er wärmt, wenn er erzählt
und weil er lacht,
weil er lebt
du fehlst...
das Firmament hat geöffnet,
wolkenlos und ozeanblau
Telefon, Gas, Elektrik
unbezahlt, und das geht auch
teil mit mir deinen Frieden,
wenn auch nur geborgt
ich will nicht deine Liebe,
ich will nur dein Wort
und es ist, es ist o.k.
alles auf dem Weg
und es ist Sonnenzeit
ungetrübt und leicht
und der Mensch heißt Mensch
weil er irrt und weil er kämpft
und weil er hofft und liebt,
weil er mitfühlt und vergibt
und weil er lacht
und weil er lebt
du fehlst...
oh, weil er lacht,
weil er lebt
du fehlst...
es ist, es ist o.k.
alles auf dem Weg
und es ist Sonnenzeit
ungetrübt und leicht
und der Mensch heißt Mensch
weil er vergisst,
weil er verdrängt
und weil er schwärmt und glaubt,
sich anlehnt und vertraut
und weil er lacht
und weil er lebt
du fehlst...
oh, es ist schon o.k.
es tut gleichmäßig weh
es ist Sonnenzeit
ohne Plan, ohne Geleit
und der Mensch heißt Mensch
weil er erinnert, weil er kämpft
und weil er hofft und liebt
weil er mitfühlt und vergibt
und weil er lacht,
und weil er lebt,
du fehlst...
oh, weil er lacht,
weil er lebt,
du fehlst...
The lyrics of Scala & Kolacny Brother's song Mensch convey a message of acceptance and freedom in the moment, without worrying about the past or future. The beginning of the song emphasizes that nothing is really important and that after every low point, there will come a high. The metaphor of the life's beach, where one builds dreams on the sand without reason or understanding, implies a sense of carelessness or lack of control.
However, the lyrics shift to suggest that humans are important because they forget, repress, and marvel at things. The contrast between forgetting and marveling indicates that humans sometimes need to overlook some aspects of life to appreciate others. This can be seen in the lines "weil er irrt und weil er kämpft und weil er hofft und liebt, weil er mitfühlt und vergibt" (because he errs and fights and because he hopes and loves, because he empathizes and forgives).
The chorus of the song repeats the line, "und der Mensch heißt Mensch" (and human is called human), expressing that humans are defined by their various qualities, both good and bad. The lyrics of Mensch, therefore, seem to advocate for accepting that humans are flawed, to embrace their strengths, and to live freely in the moment.
Line by Line Meaning
Momentan ist richtig, momentan ist gut
This moment is right, this moment is good
nichts ist wirklich wichtig, nach der Ebbe kommt die Flut
Nothing is truly important, after the low tide comes the high
am Strand des Lebens, ohne Grund, ohne Verstand
On the shore of life, with no reason and no sense
ist nichts vergebens, ich bau die Träume auf den Sand
Nothing is in vain, I build my dreams on the sand
und es ist, es ist o.k., alles auf dem Weg
And it is, it is okay, everything is on the way
und es ist Sonnenzeit, unbeschwert und frei
And it is sunny time, carefree and free
und der Mensch heißt Mensch, weil er vergisst, weil er verdrängt
And a person is called a person, because they forget, because they suppress
und weil er staunt und stählt, weil er wärmt wenn er erzählt
And because they wonder and strengthen, because they warm when they tell
weil er lacht, weil er lebt, du fehlst...
Because they laugh, because they live, you are missing...
das Firmament hat geöffnet, wolkenlos und ozeanblau
The firmament has opened, cloudless and ocean blue
Telefon, Gas, Elektrik, unbezahlt, und das geht auch
Telephone, gas, electricity, unpaid, it also works
teil mit mir deinen Frieden, wenn auch nur geborgt
Share your peace with me, even if it's borrowed
ich will nicht deine Liebe, ich will nur dein Wort
I don't want your love, I just want your word
und der Mensch heißt Mensch, weil er irrt und weil er kämpft
And a person is called a person, because they err and because they fight
weil er hofft und liebt, weil er mitfühlt und vergibt
Because they hope and love, because they empathize and forgive
oh, weil er lacht, weil er lebt, du fehlst...
Oh, because they laugh, because they live, you are missing...
es ist schon o.k., es tut gleichmäßig weh
It's already okay, it hurts evenly
ohne Plan, ohne Geleit, und der Mensch heißt Mensch
Without a plan, without a guide, and a person is called a person
weil er erinnert, weil er kämpft, weil er hofft und liebt
Because they remember, because they fight, because they hope and love
weil er mitfühlt und vergibt, und weil er lacht, weil er lebt, du fehlst...
Because they empathize and forgive, and because they laugh, because they live, you are missing...
Contributed by Asher O. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Kessy Meistes
Mir gefällt die Version von Grönemeyer auch wirklich gut doch zeigt diese Version die Gefühle in diesem Song einfach nur WOW
Mauricio Montilva
Wunderbar!!! Ein Traum!!!, nur perfektion
Eh
Auch das ist ein toller song- obwohl mir bei diesem die orginalversion von grönemeyer besser gefällt. Danke nochmals fürs hochladen^^
Johnny Thiele
Ich bin auch ein Fan von Scala & Kolacny Brothers aber hier muss ich mich den anderen anschliesen. Es ist eine sehr schöhne Version aber das Original ist hier echt besser gelungen. Leider. :´(
Mark Haub
mir fehlt einfach der speed bei Michels Chor ,muss das alles so lahmarschig sein,bischen mehr schwung täte allen songs von dem chor gut
Tobias Eichardt
Das ist nichs. Das kann Herbert besser.