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.

Heyooh Guru
Udo Lindenberg Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Er hat uns klar gemacht
hell ist der Tag und dunkel die Nacht
wir sind die Jünger - wir sind die Kunden
er hat das Rührei des Kolumbus erfunden
wir waren ja so blind - jetzt können wir sehen
wir können übers Wasser gehen
Heyooh

Hey - reich mir den Weihrauchtopf
räucher' mir mein Herzchen rein, und erleuchte mir den Dröhnekopf
zu allen Fragen, die uns bedrängen
der Meister läßt uns niemals hängen
zu allen Fragen dieser Zeit
hat er den genitalen Spruch bereit
Hare Hare - Rama Rama
und der Guru ist kein Armer
Heyooh

Er braucht öfter mal was Neues
einen bonbonrosa-schraubgehubten-Amphibien-Rolls-Royce
durch die Wüste zieht der Treck
der Guru fliegt schon mal vorweg

(er fliegt vorweg im Privatjet)
und er erscheint in weißen Wolken

Overall Meaning

These Udo Lindenberg lyrics are from his song Heyooh Guru, which satirizes the superficiality, materialism, and credulity of the followers of a guru. The song portrays the guru as an attractive, charismatic, and inventive figure who has discovered the secret of life and enlightenment. The lyrics describe the guru's teachings, which are presented in a mixture of wisdom and absurdity, and the blind devotion of his followers, who are willing to follow him blindly and to buy into his extravagant lifestyle.

The first stanza of the song explains that the guru has taught his followers the difference between light and dark, and has created a dish (the "Rührei des Kolumbus") that they find amazing. The second stanza describes the ritual of burning incense to purify the heart and mind, and using the guru's advice ("den genitalen Spruch") to answer all life's questions. The chorus (Heyooh) is a joyful exclamation of the guru's greatness and our blessedness to be his followers.

The song has a strong message about the potential for gurus to take advantage of their followers, and the need to maintain critical thinking and skepticism in the face of charismatic and persuasive individuals. The lyrics warn of the dangers of blind faith and the shallow promises of material wealth and spiritual fulfillment.

Line by Line Meaning

Er hat uns klar gemacht
He has made it clear to us

hell ist der Tag und dunkel die Nacht
The day is bright and the night is dark

wir sind die Jünger - wir sind die Kunden
We are the followers - we are the customers

er hat das Rührei des Kolumbus erfunden
He has invented Columbus's scrambled eggs

wir waren ja so blind - jetzt können wir sehen
We were so blind before - now we can see

wir können übers Wasser gehen
We can walk on water

Heyooh
Heyooh

Hey - reich mir den Weihrauchtopf
Hey - hand me the incense pot

räucher' mir mein Herzchen rein, und erleuchte mir den Dröhnekopf
Cleanse my heart with smoke, and enlighten my muddled head

zu allen Fragen, die uns bedrängen
For all the questions that trouble us

der Meister läßt uns niemals hängen
The master never lets us down