The Berlin duo STEREO TOTAL has created a colourful and fascinating universe. Oscillating between the essential punk rock, disco and electro garage chanson and genious diletantism, the songs dazzle us for an instant (most of them not for longer than two minutes), leaving us stunned by their intensity.
At the beginning of this ever-expanding musical universe (pleasantly enough!): a woman, a man, and an inexhaustible, sparkling imagination. Françoise Cactus, (who was born Van Hove in Burgundy and has chosen Berlin as her home for something like a generation now) a writer, local diva, who has performed, among other things, as drummer and singer of the "Lolitas" in the eighties. Then there is Brezel Göring, an inexplicable mixture of the hyperspeedy "Grand Duduche" and the elegant, unobtrusive crooner, with a soft voice and a lively rhythm. Bent over his synthesizer, happy as a young boy, he reminds one of the hallucinated inventor Géo Trouve-tout.
To sum up STEREO TOTAL's short history, which began with the single "allo j'écoute", let us list the different elements characteristic of their musical art: a minimalistic production (in a positive sense), meaning a home-made-trash-garage-sound crossed with underground, authentic as well as amateurish, ironic as well as effective, pop as well as...political. An untiring creative energy, as if it could never suffice, "Oh, but you haven't heard this one!" and wop! here we go again, hardly leaving time to draw a deep breath. A brilliant sense of composition as well as for covering other's material, whatever the source, combined with an excessive love for French chanson (the main weak spot being an evident admiration for the master Gainsbourg). A mystery of words resulting from the French-German/ male-female bilingualism, words in which accents are merrily blended and become more and more exotic from album to album (Japanese, Turkish, Spanish, English). And finally, an explicit and surprising sensitivity for electronic effects and a thrilling beat. A gift of pop music and its everlasting history.
The unexpected combination of two traditions - French chanson and German electronica (which not only relates to Kraftwerk, but also to the uniquely German sound of "Neue Deutsche Welle", popular in the eighties, and the emergence of electrogroove, a sound which has flourished over the past ten years in numerous clubs in Berlin is again at its best, enchanting its listeners.
Just as the German audience adores Françoise Cactus charming French pronunciation of the German lyrics, her French collection of texts, poetic and playful, solemn and cheeky, anarchistic and light, makes her the most unknown composer and singer of French chansons - and it is high time that she be discovered. Fragile and irresistible, she stands behind her tiny drum kit and hammers the songs to a sequence in a devilish rhythm. In a matter of seconds she passes from a romantic ballad (No! Do not listen! It's a sad song!) to pure and simple rock, animating Brezel Göring (as well as the crowd) to leap. Indefatigable accomplice and perfect entertainer, Brezel Göring is at her side, stepping on the gas, his fingers working the knobs of his machine or the cords of his rectangular guitar.
Babystrich
Stereo Total Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
- Mann! Was ist denn?
- Warte mal, du kannst hier nicht mit 'ner Plastiktüte rumlaufen.
- Ist sie denn schon sechzehn?
- Klar, die ist doch bei mir in der Klasse.
She stands at Kurfürstenstraße
He gives her 20 Deutschmark
In rainy West Berlin
1 meter 69
43 kilo
Lost child with no tits
And she is only 13
Old men go crazy for her
They know that she needs
Dope and they hope
She will step into their car...
She stands at Kurfürstenstraße
He gives her twenty Deutschmark
She has long greasy hair
And she looks really cool
She's half a child
With pinhead eyes
And high heeled boots
And skin tight jeans
Old men go crazy for her
They know that she needs
Dope and they hope
She will step into their car...
Babystrich...
Stereo Total's song Babystrich is a dark and powerful commentary on the underbelly of Berlin's sex industry, particularly on the illicit and exploitative nature of child prostitution in the city. The song opens with the singer expressing a desire to visit a popular nightclub in the city, Ego, boasting about how his friend Charlie, a strong and popular alpha female, frequents the club every Saturday. However, the song then takes a dark turn and the lyrics describe a scene at Kürfürstenstraße, a street notorious for child prostitution in West Berlin. The singer describes a thirteen-year-old girl who sells sex for just twenty Deutschmarks and how she is exploited by older men who hope to lure her into their cars with drugs.
The song paints a vivid picture of the dangers and abuse that children face in the sex industry, often as a result of poverty and desperation. The lyrics also highlight the pervasiveness of this industry in Germany's capital city, where it is estimated that there are as many as 8,000 sex workers, including those who are underage. The song is a call to awareness of these issues and a condemnation of the exploitation and abuse of minors in the sex industry.
Line by Line Meaning
She stands at Kurfürstenstraße
The singer is at Kurfürstenstraße, a street in Berlin known for street prostitution.
He gives her 20 Deutschmark
A man offers the singer 20 Deutschmark in exchange for sex work.
Schoolgirl on the sidewalk
The singer is a young schoolgirl and is standing on the sidewalk of Kurfürstenstraße.
In rainy West Berlin
The song takes place in West Berlin, and it is raining.
1 meter 69
The artist is tall, measuring 1.69 meters in height.
43 kilo
The singer is thin, weighing only 43 kilograms.
Lost child with no tits
The singer is still a child and has not developed breasts yet.
And she is only 13
The artist is just a young teenager, only 13 years old.
Old men go crazy for her
Older men are drawn to the artist's youth and vulnerability.
They know that she needs
The men know that the artist is in a difficult situation and may be desperate for money.
Dope and they hope
The men may hope to push drugs on the singer or introduce her to drug use.
She will step into their car...
The men may try to lure the artist into their car, possibly to exploit or abuse her.
She's half a child
Despite appearing mature, the singer is still very young and innocent in many ways.
With pinhead eyes
The singer's eyes are small and narrow, possibly indicating tiredness or drug use.
And high heeled boots
The singer is dressed in a way that may make her seem older or more experienced than she really is.
And skin tight jeans
The artist's clothes reveal her body, making her more vulnerable to exploitation and harassment.
Babystrich...
The song is titled 'Babystrich', which means 'baby prostitute'.
Contributed by Noah G. Suggest a correction in the comments below.