The LP Lindenberg (also 1971, and sung in English, already with Steffi Stephan on bass) was likewise unsuccessful. In the following year, the fist LP in German was released: Daumen im Wind (produced by Lindenberg and Thomas Kukuck, who also produced the next five albums together), from which the single "Hoch im Norden" became a radio hit in northern Germany. The year 1973 brought a breakthrough with the album Andrea Doria and its catchy "Alles klar auf der Andrea Doria" and "Cello". Over 100,000 copies sold, and Lindenberg quickly received the largest record deal of any German-language musician up to that time. Lindenberg was earning a special place in the new German-language music of the 70s: Between internationally-oriented Krautrock and pop music, he found his niche. German-language rock had previously been confined to predominantly political message bands whose music was directed at a narrow audience.
Lindenbergs brash style, everyday subject matter ("Bei Onkel Pö…") and his feel for language were an unprecedented combination in German-language music. His pioneering work helped other artists such as Stefan Waggershausen and Marius Müller-Westernhagen get record deals of their own. In 1973 Lindenberg first went on tour with his Panikorchester (Panic Orchestra).
1976 was one of Udo Lindenberg's most productive years. Besides the LP Galaxo Gang he also published under the name Das Waldemar Wunderbar Syndicat I make you feel good, a first Best of Panik Udo and the first in a series of foreign-language publications No Panic, on which Lindenberg translated his songs to English. In the same year (and on another LP: Sister King Kong) with the song "Rock ’n’ Roll Arena in Jena", Lindenberg first mentioned a Panic Orchestra tour in the GDR. In 1976, Lindenberg discovered Ulla Meinecke and produced her first two albums. She was a guest artist and co-author of the 1977 LP Panische Nächte (Panic Nights) and the 1978 Dröhnland Symphonie. On Lindenbergs Rock Revue (1978) Lindenberg and Horst Königstein "Germanized" rock classics from Little Richard to The Beatles and The Rolling Stones, and went on a big tour. The Nr.-1-Hit "We Gotta Get out of This Place" was also published with German lyrics.
The subsequent Dröhnland-Symphonie-Tour was staged by Peter Zadek as a big multimedia stage show with a plethora of costumed extras. The result was Lindenbergs first live album Livehaftig. In 1979, Der Detektiv was the second Rock Revue, in which more international hits such as "Candle in the Wind" by Elton John, "Born to Be Wild" by Steppenwolf, "My Little Town" and "As Time Goes By" (from the film Casablanca) were "Germanized". Also 1997 was published "Belcanto - Udo Lindenberg & das Deutsche Filmorchester Babelsberg" which included hits like "Horizont", "Bis ans Ende der Welt" along with a song by Bertold Brecht and Udo's own interpretation of The Windmills of Your Mind - "Under the drunkard moon" ("Unterm Säufermond").
One of his most famous songs is Sonderzug nach Pankow (Special train service to Pankow), an adaptation of Chattanooga Choo Choo, released as a single on 2 February 1983. It originated from the refusal of eastern German authorities to allow Lindenberg a concert in the German Democratic Republic (GDR).
On June 3, 2011, Lindenberg performed at Kampnagel unplugged. The recording was later released as an album within the MTV unplugged series. Lindenberg was the 8th German artist in that series. The album became the second No.1 album for Lindenberg declared Platin status for 200,000 sold units after two weeks. The second single from the album "Cello" (feat. Clueso) went No.4 giving Lindenberg the highest chart position in German singles charts ever reached.
Lindenberg has worked collaboratively with various local and international recording artists (Eric Burdon, Helen Schneider, David Bowie, Tom Robinson, Keith Forsey, Gianna Nannini, and Nena) on a number of projects. He currently lives in Hamburg in the Hotel Atlantic (for several years now). His somewhat hoarse voice is the result of too much liquor and cigarettes. In 1989, he survived a heart attack. In 2010, he designed two stamps, themed on his songs "Andrea Doria" and "Sonderzug nach Pankow", for the Deutsche Post.
Baltimore
Udo Lindenberg Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
drängen sich die Möwen, halberfroren und matt
denn auf dem Meer sind Stürme
und das bringt große Not
in der City gibt's kein Futter
hier finden sie den Tod
Eine Nutte wartet auf das letzte Rendezvous
die Leute, die du ansiehst, gucken weg und drehn sich um
jeder spürt, die City stirbt
und keiner weiß genau, warum..
Oh, Baltimore, dein Ende ist in Sicht
oh, Baltimore, ein paar Jahre noch
länger geb' ich dir nicht
Meine Schwester Sandy und mein kleiner Bruder Gregg
ich kauf' ein altes Auto, das bringt uns ganz weit weg
in die höchsten Berge und in das weite Land
da bleiben wir für immer
komm, nimm meine Hand
Oh, Baltimore, dein Ende ist in Sicht
oh, Baltimore, ein paar Jahre noch
mehr geb' ich dir nicht
Oh, Baltimore, du wirst untergehn wie ein großes Schiff
oh, Baltimore, du gehst unter
doch mich ziehst du nicht mit runter
Baltimore, in deinem Schutt erstick' ich nicht...
The lyrics to Udo Lindenberg's song Baltimore describe a chaotic, decaying city that is filled with despair and hopelessness. The first verse sets the scene for the song, with the singer describing the seagulls that are struggling to survive on land because the storms at sea have disrupted their food supply. This is a metaphor for the people living in the city, who are also struggling to survive amidst the chaos and destruction that surrounds them. In the second verse, the singer describes a prostitute waiting for her final client and a homeless person huddled in plastic bags. The people in the city are disconnected from each other and the reality they face. The final verse sees the singer planning to escape the city with their siblings, to a place where they can start a new life without the hopelessness and decay of the city. The singer warns that Baltimore is sinking like a ship, but they will not be pulled down with it.
The song is a critique of urban decay in America in the 1980s, with the city of Baltimore serving as a symbol of the general decline of urban centers in the country. It speaks to the feelings of hopelessness and despair that are common among people living in urban areas that are plagued by poverty, crime, and a general sense of decay.
Line by Line Meaning
Überall im Zentrum der reichen alten Stadt drängen sich die Möwen, halberfroren und matt
The city center is now full of seagulls that are half-frozen and weak due to the big storms happening at sea, bringing great distress since there's no food in the city and they are dying of hunger.
Eine Nutte wartet auf das letzte Rendezvous und ein Penner deckt sich mit Plastiktüten zu
A prostitute is waiting for her final appointment, while a beggar is covering himself with plastic bags. Even the people in the city who try to look on are turning away from this mishap, where everybody senses that the city is slowly deteriorating and dying, but nobody quite knows why.
jeder spürt, die City stirbt und keiner weiß genau, warum..
Everybody is feeling that the city is dying, but nobody seems to have a real clue as to why this is happening.
Oh, Baltimore, dein Ende ist in Sicht oh, Baltimore, ein paar Jahre noch länger geb' ich dir nicht
Baltimore, its end is visible, and it's not far away anymore. A couple of more years, and I won't give you my loyalty anymore.
Meine Schwester Sandy und mein kleiner Bruder Gregg ich kauf' ein altes Auto, das bringt uns ganz weit weg in die höchsten Berge und in das weite Land da bleiben wir für immer komm, nimm meine Hand
My sister Sandy and my younger brother Gregg are coming with me. I'll buy an old car, and we'll go very far away, to the highest mountains and the wide lands where we'll stay forever. So come on, take my hand.
oh, Baltimore, du wirst untergehn wie ein großes Schiff oh, Baltimore, du gehst unter doch mich ziehst du nicht mit runter
Baltimore, you're going down like a huge ship that is slowly sinking, but you're not taking me down with you.
Baltimore, in deinem Schutt erstick' ich nicht...
Baltimore, I won't suffocate in your debris...
Contributed by Thomas O. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@ingostoecker1852
das war der erste Titel ,den ich gehört habe von UDO und von da an konnte ich garnicht genug kriegen von ihm.Er hat mich mein ganzes Leben begleitetund ich bin froh ,dass Er noch lebt und auch noch Musik macht und es sind auch wieder geile Songs dabei.Danke ,das es Dich gibt UDO
@hexensabat
1979 , ewig ist es her , doch damals hörte ich die Mucke Tag ein Tag aus.
UND
heute höre ich sie mal durch Zufall wieder UND der Text sitzt immer noch, unbeschreiblich.
@IplaySignatureDrums
Ich hab mich kürzlich an „Der Detektiv“ zurückerinnert. Das hatte ich seinerzeit in Vinÿl. Jetzt kommt mir das einfach in den Kopf wieder, weil es einfach soooo gut war. Also Liedgut. Gutes Liederwerk, liederlich, großmeisterlich, mit einer feinen Conote Gronau. So muss das. Zeitlos.
Bespiel: Baltimore, im Original von Randy Newman. Ein Meisterwerk der Feinfühligkeit,Interpretation, Wandlungskunst, schafft es der Mann aus Gronau, den Song in einer eigenen Klasse zu interpretieren. Da waren grüne Socken noch nicht erfunden. Für immer in Liebe.
@clauswalter9586
War das damals eine coole Zeit.... Man hat es gelebt.... ❤️
@clemensgrn
Die alten Songs sind immer noch die Besten, das ist nicht nur bei Udo so :-)
@hgwiechie
Genau so ist es!!
@Mansionet
Großartiges Lied, fand ich schon Ende 70 / Anfang 80 toll
@bettler64
----für mich das beste album von udo..habe es ..und würde es niemals abgeben...einfach genial:)
@christiankiller4617
Ja und Udopia - Detektiv & Poet Danke UDO
@christiankiller4617
JA AUF ALLE "Felle"
Hab gerade in der Mediathek die Reportage vom Panik Orchester angesehen - die haben einiges in diesem Land in Bewegung gebracht ...