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.
Ich weiss nicht mehr genau
Stereo Total Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
ich weiß nur noch, dass es schön war, ich weiß nicht mehr wieso
alles fing an mit einem kuss, der magisch wirkte
ganz elektrisch, ganz romantisch, der nie enden würde
mein gedächtnis hat löcher, ich weiß nicht mehr genau
welche farbe hatten seine augen? ich glaube, die waren blau
waren sie blau? waren sie grün? oder waren sie grau?
mein gedächtnis hat löcher, ich weiß nicht mehr genau
wann ich ihn zum ersten mal sah, ich frage mich wo
ich weiß noch, dass es musik gab, war es eine party?
oder war sie nur fantasie, die kleine melodie?
mein gedächtnis hat löcher, ich weiß nicht mehr genau
wer hat wen verlassen? - es ist egal sowieso
mein gedächtnis hat löcher, ich weiß nicht mehr genau
alles ist in nebel getaucht, verschwunden irgendwo
aber die kleine melodie war nicht nur fantasie
jeden morgen beim rasieren pfiff er sie ...
The lyrics of the song "Ich weiss nicht mehr genau" by Stereo Total express the idea of not being able to remember certain details about a past love many years down the line. The singer admits that their memory has holes and they can't remember things as they used to, but they do remember that it was a beautiful relationship. The song starts with a magical kiss that was electric and romantic and the singer admits to not remember the colors of their partner's eyes or when they first met. They do remember that the relationship had music and that there was a little melody that the partner used to whistle every morning while shaving.
The chorus of the song repeats the idea that the singer's memory has holes and everything is shrouded in a blur of uncertainty; however, they do remember the little melody and it wasn't just a figment of their imagination. The song highlights the idea that as we get older, memories fade and certain details are lost to time. The song ends on a nostalgic note as the singer remembers their past love while whistling the little melody the partner used to whistle while shaving.
Line by Line Meaning
mein gedächtnis hat löcher, ich weiß nicht mehr genau
My memory has gaps, and I can't recall it clearly.
ich weiß nur noch, dass es schön war, ich weiß nicht mehr wieso
I can only remember that it was beautiful, but I can't recall why.
alles fing an mit einem kuss, der magisch wirkte
It all started with a magical kiss.
ganz elektrisch, ganz romantisch, der nie enden würde
It was electric and romantic, and it seemed like it would never end.
welche farbe hatten seine augen? ich glaube, die waren blau
What color were his eyes? I think they were blue.
waren sie blau? waren sie grün? oder waren sie grau?
Were they blue, green, or gray?
oder wechselten sie ständig - vom wetter abhängig?
Or did they change frequently, depending on the weather?
wann ich ihn zum ersten mal sah, ich frage mich wo
I can't recall when or where I first saw him.
ich weiß noch, dass es musik gab, war es eine party?
I can only remember that there was music, but I can't recall if it was at a party.
oder war sie nur fantasie, die kleine melodie?
Or was it just a fantasy, a small melody?
wer hat wen verlassen? - es ist egal sowieso
Who left whom? It doesn't matter anyway.
aber die kleine melodie war nicht nur fantasie
But the small melody was not just a figment of my imagination.
jeden morgen beim rasieren pfiff er sie ...
Every morning while shaving, he whistled it...
mein gedächtnis hat löcher, ich weiß nicht mehr genau
My memory has gaps, and I can't recall it clearly.
alles ist in nebel getaucht, verschwunden irgendwo
Everything is shrouded in fog and vanished somewhere.
Contributed by Charlie R. Suggest a correction in the comments below.