Lindenberg (born May 17, 1946 in Gronau) started his musical career as a dr… Read Full Bio ↴Lindenberg (born May 17, 1946 in Gronau) started his musical career as a drummer. In 1969 Lindenberg founded his first band Free Orbit and also appeared as a studio and guest musician (with Michael Naura, Knut Kiesewetter). In 1970 he collaborated as a drummer with jazz-saxophonist Klaus Doldinger in Munich. In 1971, a band founded by Lindenberg, Passport put out its first album, with Lindenberg on drums. He also played drums for the theme music for the German TV series Tatort. The first LP of the Jazz rock group Emergency was released in 1971 but met with little commercial success.

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.

Der Countdown läuft
Udo Lindenberg Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Als ich Dich gesehen hab
das erste Mal
war der Blick ´n Tick zu lang
War wie´n Signal
- total
Ich hab geglaubt, ich wär so cool
und mal wieder frei & dachte einfach weitergehn
das geht schon vorbei

zu spät
ich kann das nicht mehr anhalten
der Countdown läuft - ich bin verrückt nach Dir
gibt kein Zurück mehr - du gehörst zu mir
Es ist doch ganz klar an dir komm ich nicht vorbei
Als Gott den Stahl erfand
hat er an dich gedacht
denn wenn du was willst
wird das auch gemacht
stahlhart
Und als Gott den Samt erfand
hast du ihn inspiriert
bis der Stoff aus dem Träume sind
Ganz weich und ganz schön raffiniert
Du bist beides: hart und zärtlich
Der Countdown läuft - ich bin verrückt nach Dir
Gibt kein Zurück mehr - du gehörst zu mir
Es ist doch ganz klar an dir komm ich nicht vorbei
90 000 Sekunden täglich für Dich da

mindestens 1000 Tage jedes Jahr
und ich sag dir auch an mir kommst du nicht vorbei

Overall Meaning

In "Der Countdown läuft," Udo Lindenberg sings about how he became infatuated with someone he saw for the first time. He describes how he initially tried to play it cool, but couldn't resist the strong attraction he felt towards this person. He compares his object of desire to steel and velvet, saying that whenever this person wants something, they get it, just like how steel gets the job done. Additionally, the person reminded him of velvet in their softness and refinement. Throughout the song, Lindenberg admits that he is currently obsessed with this person and there's no going back for him. He describes how he will be there for this person every day and that they are destined to be together.

The song is a mix of Lindenberg's signature rock style and pop elements. He mixes in a full horn section, piano melodies, and a strong drumbeat to create a catchy and fun sound that matches the upbeat lyrics. The song was a hit in Germany, Austria and Switzerland, and was one of the biggest hits of the year 1983.

Line by Line Meaning

Als ich Dich gesehen hab
I remember the first time I saw you

das erste Mal
It was the very first time

war der Blick ´n Tick zu lang
I couldn't help but stare at you for a moment longer than usual

War wie´n Signal
It was like a sign

- total
It completely consumed me

Ich hab geglaubt, ich wär so cool
At first, I thought I was too cool for you

und mal wieder frei & dachte einfach weitergehn
I felt free and believed I could just continue as usual

das geht schon vorbei
I thought it was just a passing feeling

zu spät
But it was already too late

ich kann das nicht mehr anhalten
I couldn't control my feelings anymore

der Countdown läuft - ich bin verrückt nach Dir
I can't stop thinking about you and I am crazy for you