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.

Detektiv Coolman
Udo Lindenberg Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Der Detektiv, der niemals schlief
Rund um die Uhr auf heißer Spur
Sein Leben war Risiko und Gefahr
Doch er musste immer wissen
Was Sache war

Es fing an mit Vietnam
Watergate, Harrisburgh, Gangsterpolitik

Weiße Kragen, schmutzige Geschäfte
In jedem Land, in jeder Republik
Er hatte sein ganz eigenes Bild
Von Recht und von Gesetz
„Die Kleinen“, sagt er: „fängt man“
„Die Großen gehen durchs Netz“

Er kämpfte für 'ne ehrliche Welt
Von der er, wie jeder, geträumt hat als Kind
Nun entlarvte er die Verbrecher
Die am Drücker sind
Doch es sind nicht nur die da oben
Allein hätten sie nicht die Macht
Es gibt zu viele hier unten
Die pennen und nicht nur bei Nacht
Bei denen schläft das Gewissen
Trotz Horror-Krimi überall
Und deshalb kommt der Detektiv nie zur Ruhe
Allein mit seinem größten ungelösten Fall

Der Detektiv, der niemals schlief
Rund um die Uhr auf heißer Spur

Hey Detektiv, du bist nicht allein
Bei diesem Auftrag, da steigen wir ein

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Udo Lindenberg's song "Detektiv Coolman" are about a detective who never sleeps and is always on a hot trail. He spends his life in danger and risk because he needs to know what's going on. The song mentions several political events and controversial issues from the past, such as Watergate, Vietnam, and corrupt politics. The detective has his own sense of justice and believes that the law should apply to everyone regardless of their social status. He fights for a fair and transparent world, exposing those in power who manipulate the system.

But the detective's mission is not an easy one. The song also points out that there are too many people who are complacent and indifferent about the corruption around them. They are the ones who don't speak up, and their silence allows the crooks to prosper. The detective is haunted by an unsolved case, which prevents him from resting. The song's lyrics suggest that the world needs more people like the detective who are willing to fight for justice.

Overall, the song "Detektiv Coolman" is an ode to those who are not afraid to stand up against corruption and fight for fairness in the world. It is a call to action for people to open their eyes and be aware of the issues around them.

Line by Line Meaning

Der Detektiv, der niemals schlief
The detective who never slept

Rund um die Uhr auf heißer Spur
Always on a hot trail around the clock

Sein Leben war Risiko und Gefahr
His life was risk and danger

Doch er musste immer wissen
But he always had to know

Was Sache war
What the situation was

Es fing an mit Vietnam
It all started with Vietnam

Watergate, Harrisburgh, Gangsterpolitik
Watergate, Harrisburgh, gangster politics

Weiße Kragen, schmutzige Geschäfte
White collars, dirty deals

In jedem Land, in jeder Republik
In every country, in every republic

Er hatte sein ganz eigenes Bild
He had his own picture

Von Recht und von Gesetz
Of law and of justice