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.

Kann denn Liebe Sünde sein
Udo Lindenberg Lyrics

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jeder kleine spießer macht das leben mir zur qual
denn er spricht nur immer von moral
und was er auch denkt und tut
man merkt ihm leider an
dass er niemand glücklich sehen kann
sagt er dann
zu meiner zeit gab es sowas nicht

frag ich voll bescheidenheit, mit lächeln im gesicht

kann denn liebe sünde sein,
darf es niemand wissen wenn man sich küsst
wenn man einmal alles vergisst vor glück
kann es wirklich sünde sein
wenn man immerzu an die eine nur denkt
wenn man einmal alles veschenkt vor glück

niemals werde ich bereuen
was ich tat und was aus liebe geschah
das müsst ihr mir schon verzeihen
dafür ist sie ja da

liebe kann nicht sünde sein
und wenn sie es wär, es wär mir egal
lieber will ich sündigen mal
als ohne liebe sein

kann denn liebe sünde sein
darf es niemand wissen wenn man sich küsst
wenn man einmal alles vergisst vor glück
kann es wirklich sünde sein
wenn man immerzu an die eine nur denkt
wenn man einmal alles verschenkt vor glück

niemals werde ich bereuen
was ich tat und weas aus liebe geschah,
das müsst ihr mir schon verzeihen,
dafür ist sie ja da

liebe kann nicht sünde sein
und wenn sie es wär, es wär mir egal

lieber will ich sündigen mal
als ohne liebe sein

Overall Meaning

The song Kann denn Liebe Sünde sein by Udo Lindenberg talks about the societal views towards love and how they can be oppressive. The song highlights the spießer, which means narrow-minded or uptight people who impose their moral code on others. The spießer make life unbearable for the singer, who wants to feel free and happy to love without any judgment. The singer proclaims that love cannot be a sin and that he will never regret the loving actions he took with his partner.

The singer asks the question, "Can love be a sin?" He wonders why people can't kiss and show affection without judgment. The lyrics suggest that love is pure and should not be held back by society's views. It's a passionate plea to allow people to be happy in their love lives without any guilt or shame.

The chorus repeats the question, "Can love be a sin?" while making a case that love should not be judged. The singer declares that he would rather "sin" and love passionately than be without love at all. He believes that love is not something to regret and asks for forgiveness for any actions that may have caused harm.

Overall, the song Kann denn Liebe Sünde sein by Udo Lindenberg is a powerful message about the importance of love and the societal pressures that can come with it. The lyrics represent an ode to love's pureness while critiquing the narrow-mindedness of society.

Line by Line Meaning

jeder kleine spießer macht das leben mir zur qual
Every small-minded person makes my life unbearable

denn er spricht nur immer von moral
Because all they talk about is morality

und was er auch denkt und tut
What they think and do

man merkt ihm leider an
It's clear to everyone

dass er niemand glücklich sehen kann
That they cannot see anyone happy

sagt er dann
They say

zu meiner zeit gab es sowas nicht
That in their time, it was not like this

frag ich voll bescheidenheit, mit lächeln im gesicht
So I ask humbly, with a smile on my face

kann denn liebe sünde sein,
Can love really be a sin?

darf es niemand wissen wenn man sich küsst
Is it something to hide when we kiss?

wenn man einmal alles vergisst vor glück
When we are so happy that we forget everything else