"Wolfsheim" is a German band from Hamburg. Their musical style takes cues f… Read Full Bio ↴"Wolfsheim" is a German band from Hamburg. Their musical style takes cues from the New Romantics, New Wave and Synthpop; the lyrics tend to be melancholic, but at the same time modernist. They were inspired by the name of a fictional character from Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby.

Formation
The band was founded in 1987 by Markus Reinhardt and Pompejo Ricciardi. Reinhardt's brother Oliver Reinhardt joined the band sometime afterward. After producing a demo tape, co-founder Ricciardi left the band and was replaced by Peter Heppner. Heppner had known the band from mutual friends and from growing up in the same neighborhood in Hamburg. Oliver Reinhardt departed the band, leaving the current lineup as Peter Heppner (vocals) and Markus Reinhardt (electronics).

After producing two new demo tapes, Wolfsheim applied at various labels, until they caught the attention of Strange Ways Records, which has since published all their records.

No Happy View & Popkiller
In 1991, the single "The Sparrows and the Nightingales" was released, followed by the single "It's Not Too Late (Don't Sorrow)" and their first album "No Happy View" in 1992. While No Happy View was recorded in two weeks, the sophomore "Popkiller" (1993) was given more time to be produced. This allowed Wolfsheim to incorporate more classical elements.

In 1995, Wolfsheim released a compilation, "55578", which stayed on the German Media Control Charts for five weeks. Its name is the postal code for Wolfsheim, Germany.

Dreaming Apes
The third album "Dreaming Apes" was released in February 1996, followed by Wolfsheim's first tour. On this tour the live album "Hamburg Rom Wolfsheim" was recorded and published in October 1997.

It was in 1998 when Wolfsheim received public attention, after Heppner had recorded a duet "Die Flut" (The Surge) with Joachim Witt. This song was a major hit, reaching number two on the German Single Charts.

Spectators
"Spectators", the fourth album, was released in February 1999 and went to number two on the German album charts. That summer, Wolfsheim played at many of the major German festivals and also played their first show outside of Germany, at Belgium's Eurorock Festival.

In 2001, Heppner recorded more songs as a guest artist. His collaboration with "Schiller", "Dream of You", received heavy rotation on MTV Germany. He also collaborated on "Glasgarten" with "Goethes Erben". These collaborations brought Wolfsheim still more attention. Also in 2001, Metropolis Records brought Wolfsheim to American audiences, releasing Spectators in the United States. Recordings from the Spectators tour were released as a DVD Kompendium in April 2002.

Casting Shadows
"Casting Shadows", their fifth studio album, was released in March 2003. The single "Kein Zurück" debuted at number five on the Media Control Charts, later reaching number four, and staying in the top ten for 10 weeks. Casting Shadows itself reached the top position on the album charts. In March and April 2004, Wolfsheim went on their first tour in the USA.

On January 17th, 2008, it was announced on the band's official website that the collaboration between Markus Reinhardt and Peter Heppner is reaching its end. According to the press release, the reasons for this are attributed to ongoing disputes concerning the future of Wolfsheim. Heppner's ambitions to launch a solo career meant that any plans for the production of a new Wolfsheim album would be suspended for 2009.

The disputes peaked when Peter Heppner signed a multi-album solo record deal in late 2005 and Markus Reinhardt, considering this a breach of contract and a disregard for the basic interests of Wolfsheim, filed a lawsuit to exclude Heppner from the Wolfsheim partnership so that Wolfsheim could continue without him. In spring 2008, Reinhardt's lawsuit was rejected.

Ruby Don't Take Your Love To Town
Wolfsheim Lyrics

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You painted up your lips
And rolled and curled your tinted hair
Ruby are you contemplating
Going out somewhere
The shadow on the wall tells me the sun ist going down

Oh ruby, donÂ´t take your love to town

It wasn't me who started
That old crazy Asian war
But I was proud to go
And do my patriotic chore
And... yes itÂ´s true, that IÂ´m not the man I used to be

Oh ruby, I still need some company

ItÂ´s hard to love a man whose legs
Are bent and paralyzed
And the wants and the needs
Of a woman your age ... ruby I realize

But it wonÂ´t be long
I've heard them say until IÂ´m not around

Oh ruby, donÂ´t take your love to town

SheÂ´s leaving now
Â´Cause I just heard the slamming of the door
The way I know I've heard it slam one hundred times before
And if I could move IÂ´d get my gun and put her in the ground

Oh ruby, donÂ´t take your love to town
Oh ruby, for godÂ´s sake... turn around

Overall Meaning

The song "Ruby Don't Take Your Love to Town" by Wolfsheim is a cover of the song by the same name originally written by Mel Tillis in 1967. The lyric tells the story of a paralyzed veteran, his wife Ruby, and their struggles with intimacy and trust. The veteran's legs are bent and paralyzed from his time serving in the "old crazy Asian war." Ruby is contemplating going out somewhere, painting up her lips and rolling and curling her tinted hair. The veteran is pleading with her not to take her love to town, as he is not the man he used to be and still needs some company. But he acknowledges that it is hard to love a man like him and that the wants and needs of a woman like Ruby are different from his. As the song comes to an end, Ruby is leaving him, and he contemplates putting her in the ground if he could move. He urges her for God's sake to turn around.

The song is poignant in the way it captures the struggles of veterans coming home from war, particularly those who are physically disabled. The veteran in the song is a shadow of his former self, no longer the man he used to be. He lacks the ability to fulfill his wife's needs, and she has grown tired of taking care of him. The song speaks to the sacrifices made by those who serve in the military and the toll it takes on their lives even after they return home.

Line by Line Meaning

You painted up your lips
You're putting on makeup

And rolled and curled your tinted hair
You're styling your hair

Ruby are you contemplating
Are you thinking about

Going out somewhere
Leaving to go somewhere

The shadow on the wall tells me the sun ist going down
It's getting late in the day

Oh ruby, donÂ´t take your love to town
Please don't cheat on me

It wasn't me who started
I didn't start

That old crazy Asian war
The Vietnam War

But I was proud to go
I went and I was proud

And do my patriotic chore
I fulfilled my duty to my country

And... yes itÂ´s true, that IÂ´m not the man I used to be
I'm not the same person I was before the war