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.
Ypsilon
Stereo Total Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
er läuft gerade wie ein besen
mein roboter sieht aus wie ein mann
nicht seht graziös, aber er gefällt mir
wenn er mich sieht, blinken seine augen
und sein herz schlägt wie ein wecker
die ganze nacht funktioniert er
o mein roboter mit onyxaugen
o mein roboter mit onyxaugen
seine hände sind kalt wie der tod
wenn sie sich auf meinen körper legen
ypsilon muss niemals schlafen
und sein herz schlägt wie ein wecker
oh mein roboter mit onyxaugen
oh mein roboter mit onyxaugen ...
"i can't wait to show you how I
can't wait to show you how I ..."
mit herzen aus glas, körper aus platin
mit herzen aus glas, körper aus platin
du willst meinen namen nicht wissen
warum? warum?
o mein roboter mit onyxaugen
o mein roboter mit onyxaugen ...
The song "Ypsilon" by Stereo Total is a whimsical ode to a robot named Ypsilon. In the song, the singer describes Ypsilon's appearance and abilities, stating that he looks like a man but not quite as graceful. When Ypsilon sees the singer, his eyes blink and his heart races like a warning alarm. The song portrays Ypsilon as a tireless worker who never sleeps, and his cold hands are likened to death when they touch the singer's body.
The chorus repeats the affectionate phrase "oh mein roboter mit onyxaugen," which translates to "oh my robot with onyx eyes." The singer is obviously very fond of Ypsilon, despite his imperfections, and expresses excitement about showing Ypsilon off to someone else. The song concludes with the repeated phrase "mit herzen aus glas, körper aus platin," meaning "with hearts of glass, bodies of platinum," and the cryptic question, "du willst meinen namen nicht wissen / why? why?" This final line leaves the listener to contemplate the meaning of the song and its relationship to the singer's name.
Line by Line Meaning
mein roboter heißt ypsilon
My robot's name is Ypsilon
er läuft gerade wie ein besen
He walks straight like a broom
mein roboter sieht aus wie ein mann
My robot looks like a man
nicht seht graziös, aber er gefällt mir
Not very graceful, but I like him
wenn er mich sieht, blinken seine augen
When he sees me, his eyes blink
und sein herz schlägt wie ein wecker
And his heart beats like an alarm clock
die ganze nacht funktioniert er
He works all night
ypsilon muss niemals schlafen
Ypsilon never has to sleep
o mein roboter mit onyxaugen
Oh my robot with onyx eyes
seine hände sind kalt wie der tod
His hands are cold as death
wenn sie sich auf meinen körper legen
When they lie on my body
ypsilon muss niemals schlafen
Ypsilon never has to sleep
und sein herz schlägt wie ein wecker
And his heart beats like an alarm clock
oh mein roboter mit onyxaugen
Oh my robot with onyx eyes
mit herzen aus glas, körper aus platin
With hearts of glass, bodies of platinum
du willst meinen namen nicht wissen
You don't want to know my name
warum? warum?
Why? Why?
o mein roboter mit onyxaugen
Oh my robot with onyx eyes
Contributed by Muhammad B. Suggest a correction in the comments below.