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.
Knock Out
Udo Lindenberg Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Benzin im Treppenhaus
heute nacht wird umgebracht
wer anders ist
Deutsche Geschichte wird
immer wieder neu inszeniert
weil das Publikum so schnell vergißt
Biedermann und Brandstifter
das kotzt mich an und ich krieg'
kaltes Blut
ich schrei' euch ins Gesicht
stumm zusehen werd' ich nicht
und aus Trauer wird jetzt nackte Wut
Knock out
immer wieder der deutsche Schock
Knock out
meine Nerven laufen Amok
Knock out
Dieses Land wird mir fremd
wo Blödheit keine Grenzen kennt
wo Weltverbesserer ein Schimpfwort ist
wo die Kanonen blüh'n
Soldaten wieder in den Krieg zieh'n
und blinder Haß sich in die Herzen frißt
Knock out
Immer wieder der braune Schock
Knock out
knock ihn aus
knock den Wahnsinn aus
knock ihn aus
morgen brennt das nächste Haus
knock ihn aus
knock den Wahnsinn raus
zähl' ihn aus
wieviel Tote braucht ihr noch ?
Keiner kommt hier lebend raus
Flammen im Treppenhaus
heute nacht wird umgebracht
wer anders ist
Knock out
Immer wieder der braune Schock
Knock out
Knock den Wahnsinn aus
morgen brennt das nÄchste Haus
Knock ihn aus
was muß noch geschehn
so wird Deutschland untergehen
knock ihn aus
knock den Wahnsinn raus
zÄhl' ihn aus
wieviel Tote braucht ihr noch ?
Knock out
The lyrics of Udo Lindenberg's "Knock Out" depict the frustration and anger towards the prevalence of violence and hatred in German society. The image of "Benzin im Treppenhaus" (gasoline in the staircase) suggests a feeling of constant danger and fear. The lyrics mention the repetition of history, where the same pattern of violence and hatred reappears in different forms, but people tend to forget too quickly. The singer is disgusted by the increasing number of people who participate in this destructive cycle of violence and hatred, and he/she cannot remain silent anymore. The repeated phrase "Knock out" is a call to action, a plea to end the madness and to knock out the forces of hatred.
Moreover, the song highlights the singer's deep feeling of alienation and confusion towards the society he/she lives in, where stupidity seems to have no limits, and being a "Weltverbesserer" (world-improver) is a curse. The mention of soldiers going off to war and spreading blind hatred is a direct criticism of the militaristic and nationalistic tendencies that have caused so much suffering in German history. The repeated imagery of flames and death illustrates the devastating consequences of this ideology.
Overall, "Knock Out" is a powerful critique of the destructive tendencies that are deeply ingrained in German society, a call for the people to wake up and take action against them.
Line by Line Meaning
Keiner kommt hier lebend raus
No one will leave this place alive
Benzin im Treppenhaus
Gasoline in the staircase
heute nacht wird umgebracht wer anders ist
Tonight, anyone who is different will be murdered
Deutsche Geschichte wird immer wieder neu inszeniert weil das Publikum so schnell vergißt
German history is constantly being reenacted because the audience forgets so quickly
Biedermann und Brandstifter und es werden immer mehr das kotzt mich an und ich krieg' kaltes Blut
Dishonest and corrupt individuals are increasing and it disgusts me so much that I become enraged
ich schrei' euch ins Gesicht
I will scream in your face
stumm zusehen werd' ich nicht und aus Trauer wird jetzt nackte Wut
I will not stand by silently and my mourning turns into raw anger
Knock out immer wieder der deutsche Schock
Knock out - the German shock, over and over again
Knock out meine Nerven laufen Amok
Knock out - my nerves are going crazy
Dieses Land wird mir fremd wo Blödheit keine Grenzen kennt wo Weltverbesserer ein Schimpfwort ist
This country becomes foreign to me where stupidity knows no bounds and where people trying to make the world a better place are insulted
wo die Kanonen blüh'n Soldaten wieder in den Krieg zieh'n und blinder Haß sich in die Herzen frißt
Where war is thriving, soldiers are going back to war, and blind hatred is devouring hearts
Knock out Immer wieder der braune Schock
Knock out - the brown shock, over and over again
knock ihn aus knock den Wahnsinn aus knock ihn aus morgen brennt das nächste Haus
Knock him out - knock the insanity out - knock him out. Tomorrow the next house will be burning
was muß noch geschehn so wird Deutschland untergehen
What else needs to happen? This is how Germany will go down
zähl' ihn aus wieviel Tote braucht ihr noch ?
Count them out. How many more dead bodies do you need?
Contributed by Ethan L. Suggest a correction in the comments below.