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.

Gegen den Strom gegen den Wind
Udo Lindenberg Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Straßen runter rasen
schnell wie ein Orkan
wie die unerreichbar
vorne fahrn

Kannst auch mal abschmiern
kann jedem mal passiern
nun nicht wieder aufstehn

heisst alles zu verliern

Alleine bin ich stark
doch auf die Dauer
zusammen mit den Andern
hab ich noch viel mehr Power

Der nächste Berg
die nächste Qual
dahinter El Dorado
das goldene Tal

Gegen den Strom
gegen den Wind
weil wir die Antwort
auf eure Fragen sind
Bis zum Ende der Welt
ist doch kein Problem
wenn unser Team zusammenhält

Christopher Columbus
und die Astronauten
waren doch auch
als erste da

Und ist das Ziel
auch noch so weit
für uns ist der Triumph
zum Greifen nah

Gegen den Strom
gegen den Wind
weil wir die Antwort
auf eure Fragen sind
Bis zum Ende der Welt
ist doch kein Problem
wenn unser Team zusammenhält

Gegen den Strom
gegen den Wind
weil wir die Antwort
auf eure Fragen sind
Bis zum Ende der Welt

ist doch kein Problem
wenn unser Team zusammenhält

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Udo Lindenberg's "Gegen den Strom gegen den Wind" convey an underdog sentiment, where the singer and his team are determined to keep moving forward, no matter what obstacles come their way. The first stanza talks about the speed with which they are moving forward, comparing it to a hurricane, and how they always strive to be ahead of the competition. The second stanza highlights the possibility of failure and the importance of getting back up after a fall. Furthermore, the singer emphasizes the power of unity, stating that being alone is good but being with others is better.

The third and fourth lines explain how their team believes that they can achieve anything, and they view every obstacle as an opportunity for them to demonstrate their prowess. The chorus shows their confidence, as they affirm that they have the answers to other people's questions, and nothing can stop them when they are together.

The second stanza brings up the achievements of Christopher Columbus and the first astronauts to highlight that they too started from scratch, with the odds stacked against them, but they still managed to achieve the impossible. Finally, the chorus repeats, extolling the importance of teamwork and their ability to overcome any obstacle that comes their way, even if it means going against the tide or the wind.

Line by Line Meaning

Straßen runter rasen schnell wie ein Orkan wie die unerreichbar vorne fahrn
Driving down the streets, feeling unstoppable and fierce like a hurricane, while aiming for the unreachable, ahead of everyone else.

Kannst auch mal abschmiern kann jedem mal passiern nun nicht wieder aufstehn heisst alles zu verliern
It's okay to stumble and fall, it can happen to anyone. But, if you don't get back up, you lose everything.

Alleine bin ich stark doch auf die Dauer zusammen mit den Andern hab ich noch viel mehr Power
I might be strong by myself, but in the long run, I have much more power when I work together with others.

Der nächste Berg die nächste Qual dahinter El Dorado das goldene Tal
The next mountain may be a challenge, but beyond it, lies a place of great opportunity and reward.

Gegen den Strom gegen den Wind weil wir die Antwort auf eure Fragen sind Bis zum Ende der Welt ist doch kein Problem wenn unser Team zusammenhält
We go against the grain and face adversity because we have the answers to your questions. No matter how difficult the journey, we can conquer it if we stick together as a team.

Christopher Columbus und die Astronauten waren doch auch als erste da
Christopher Columbus and the astronauts were also the first ones there, taking risks and pushing boundaries.

Und ist das Ziel auch noch so weit für uns ist der Triumph zum Greifen nah
Even if the goal seems far away, we believe that victory is within reach.

Contributed by Landon R. Suggest a correction in the comments below.

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