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.
Supercool
Stereo Total Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Aber ich kann mich nicht erinnern
Ich bin anders geworden
Es macht Spaß, Spaß zu haben
I'm Wahnsinn
Liebe, Vorsicht, wir werden leiden
Sieh die Sonne, wunderbar
Eine Melodie galoppiert durch den Kopf
Das Radio klebend am Ohr
Ich explodier'
Whap doo wap, supercool
Whap doo wap doo wap, supercool
Ouououh...
Ich fühl' mich schön wie der Lastwagen
In dem ich liege
Ich flippe aus
Ich bin glücklich wie ein Fisch
Und ich explodiere I'm Senegal
Wenn ich höre
Blondie Elvis Presley die Bee Gees
Und die Musik, in einem Sinn stark
Wirklich schwebend
Champs Elysées, ich spaziere
Flirte relaxed
Keep cool, geil, whao doo whao
Whap doo wap, supercool
Whap doo wap doo wap, supercool
Ouououh...
In meiner Karre
Wirklich bizarr
Zieh ich einmal an meiner Zigarre
Welch ein Genuß!
Und ich gehe
Zu meinen Freunden und Freundinnen
Um zu fragen
Ob's ihnen gut geht in ihren Blue Jeans
Liebe Vorsicht
Um dem Jungen
Zuzuhören, der wie ein Gott singt
Und die Mädchen zu küssen auf die Augen
Und auf die...
Whap doo wap, supercool
Whap doo wap doo wap, supercool
Ouououh
The lyrics of Stereo Total's Supercool, which is sung in German, describes the singer's overwhelming excitement and joy, which they compare to that of a fish exploding in Senegal. The song begins with the singer addressing their animalistic nature - “Ich wurde als Tier geboren” (I was born as an animal) – which they cannot remember due to their evolution to becoming different from animals. They then continue to express their happiness, singing about the joy of having fun, the madness of it all, and love that can bring pain.
The lyrics continue to detail the singer's elation as they walk along the Champs-Élysées, flirting and keeping cool while listening to music that makes them feel strong and floating. The singer then moves on to describe their bizarre car, smoking cigars, and checking on their friends, making sure they are okay in their blue jeans. The song closes with the singer listening to a boy who sings like a god, kissing the girls on their eyes, and singing the refrain, "whap doo wap, supercool."
Overall, the song conveys the carefree and joyous nature of youth through the singer's descriptions of their adventures and the positive feelings they experience while listening to music and spending time with friends.
Line by Line Meaning
Ich wurde als Tier geboren
I feel like I was born an animal
Aber ich kann mich nicht erinnern
But I can't remember
Ich bin anders geworden
I became something different
Es macht Spaß, Spaß zu haben
It's fun to have fun
I'm Wahnsinn
In insanity
Liebe, Vorsicht, wir werden leiden
Love, caution, we will suffer
Der Frühling kommt
Spring is coming
Sieh die Sonne, wunderbar
See the sun, how wonderful
Eine Melodie galoppiert durch den Kopf
A melody gallops through my head
Das Radio klebend am Ohr
The radio glued to my ear
Ich explodier'
I'm exploding
Whap doo wap, supercool
Whap doo wap, supercool
Whap doo wap doo wap, supercool
Whap doo wap doo wap, supercool
Ouououh...
Ouououh...
Ich fühl' mich schön wie der Lastwagen
I feel beautiful like the truck
In dem ich liege
I'm lying in
Ich flippe aus
I'm freaking out
Ich bin glücklich wie ein Fisch
I'm happy like a fish
Und ich explodiere I'm Senegal
And I explode in Senegal
Wenn ich höre Blondie Elvis Presley die Bee Gees
When I hear Blondie, Elvis Presley, and the Bee Gees
Und die Musik, in einem Sinn stark
And the music, in a sense, strong
Wirklich schwebend
Really floating
Champs Elysées, ich spaziere
Champs Elysées, I stroll
Flirte relaxed
Flirting relaxed
Keep cool, geil, whao doo whao
Keep cool, awesome, whao doo whao
Whap doo wap, supercool
Whap doo wap, supercool
Whap doo wap doo wap, supercool
Whap doo wap doo wap, supercool
Ouououh...
Ouououh...
In meiner Karre
In my car
Wirklich bizarr
Really bizarre
Zieh ich einmal an meiner Zigarre
I take a puff of my cigar
Welch ein Genuß!
What a pleasure!
Und ich gehe
And I go
Zu meinen Freunden und Freundinnen
To my friends
Um zu fragen
To ask
Ob's ihnen gut geht in ihren Blue Jeans
If they're doing well in their blue jeans
Liebe Vorsicht
Love caution
Um dem Jungen
To listen to the boy
Zuzuhören, der wie ein Gott singt
Who sings like a god
Und die Mädchen zu küssen auf die Augen
And kiss the girls on the eyes
Und auf die...
And on the...
Whap doo wap, supercool
Whap doo wap, supercool
Whap doo wap doo wap, supercool
Whap doo wap doo wap, supercool
Ouououh...
Ouououh...
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: FRANCIS JEAN DEPRIJCK, YVES MAURICE A. LACOMBLEZ
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind