German Symbolism in Rock Music: National Signification in the Imagery and Songs of

Rammstein
Author(s): Robert G. H. Burns
Source: Popular Music, Vol. 27, No. 3 (Oct., 2008), pp. 457-472
Published by: Cambridge University Press
Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/40212402
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PopularMusic (2008) Volume 27/3. Copyright 2008 CambridgeUniversityPress,pp. 457-472

Printedin theUnited Kingdom
doi:10.1017/S0261143008102239

Germansymbolismin rock
music: national significationin
the imageryand songs of
Rammstein
ROBERT G.H. BURNS
DepartmentofMusic, Universityof Otago, PO Box 56, Dunedin, New Zealand
E-mail: rob.burns@stonebow.
otago.ac.nz

Abstract
in theperformance
I discussaspectsofnationalidentity
In thisarticle,
styleoftheGermanrock
and
the
vocal
the
textualcontent
bandRammstein
style
from perspectives
ofimagery,
oftheir
's
music
reveals
into
Rammstein
transformations
ofsignifiers
fromearlier
songs.1Investigation
thatthebanduseas a meansofrelocating
German
performance
stylesandearliertextualthemes
The adoptionof nationalGerman
intotheirown performances.
notionsof Germanidentity
between
thebandandthegrowth
Rammstein
to
establish
connections
enables
ofnational
signifiers
and promotion
awarenessamongGermanyouthwhofollowthem.In thisway,marketing
of
unawareoftheorigins
togenerations
notions
ofneo-romantic,
identity
ofa newnationalGerman
a successful
commercial
in Rammstein
'$ musicsupports
nationalGermansignifiers
enterprise
and
nationalist.
between
national
close
to
boundaries
I
runs
that, argue,
existing

Introduction
Rammstein
is a Germanrockbandmosteasilysituatedwithintheheavymetalgenre,
withinseveraloftheheavy
identified
althoughtheband mightbe moreaccurately
thatof'extreme'metal.Withrecord
discussedbelow,particularly
metalsub-genres
metalboundary
have remainedcloseto theextreme
companysupport,Rammstein
notionsofnostalgiaforan earlierGerman
withoutactuallycrossingitbypromoting
- while eschewing
culture-and fortheirversionof a new Germanromanticism
WorldWarperceptions
ofWagnerand
As post-Second
oflinkstofascism.
accusations
fromearliertwentieth-century
connections
to
becomedisassociated
Straussgradually
of the [German]
fascism,Alex Ross observesthat,in Germany,'a deep mistrust
in his discussionon Theodor
musicalpaststilllingers'(Ross 2005,p. 1). Moreover,
Adorno'slastinginfluenceon Germanmusicalthought,Ross describeshow, in
notina historical
Nazismis stillinvokedinartistic
modernGermany,
matters,
sense,
butas a negativeexampleofcontemporary
styles(ibid.,p. 1). Itmaybe understandable thatGermanywould wantto,as Ross putsit,'wipe theslateclean' afterthe
underscore
connections
SecondWorldWar.AspectsofRammstein's
music,however,
rockand
towardsright-wing
orientated
torecenttrendsinpost-unification
Germany
extrememetal,as well as to consequentextremeattitudestowardsthecountry's
kitsch.
recentpastand suspicionsofneo-fascist
457
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458

RobertG.H. Burns

Rammstein's
lyricsare almostalwayssungin Germanand have enabledthe
bandtoestablish
an identity
ina genresaturated
thatprovidesdifference
byformulaic
and
rockbands.2Froma mediaperspective,
theband's
however,
European American
as politically
incorrect
and theirmusichas beenlinkedto
lyricshavebeencriticised
the shootingat ColumbineHigh School thattook place on the 23 April1999.3
some Britishand Americanradio stationshave refusedto play
Consequently,
Rammstein
attracted
further
criticism
fromAsian and
songs.In 2001,Rammstein
Afro-Caribbean
who
were
band's
UnitedKingdomrecord
performers
signedto the
label.4This criticismconcerneda Rammsteinpromotionalvideo thatincluded
a filmdocumenting
the1936BerlinOlympicgamesthat
imagestakenfromOlympia,
was directedby Leni Riefenstahl
1902-2003
earlierfilm,Das blaue
(
).5 Riefenstahl's
Licht(TheBlueLight)(1932),broughtherdirectorial
skillsto theattention
ofAdolf
with
whose
sanction
she
made
films
about
the
revival
of
German
nationalism
Hitler,
duringtheThirdReich'srisetopowerin the1930s.6She is nowadaysconsideredan
in sportsphotography
innovator
withfascism
techniques,
althoughherconnection
remainsa contentious
issuebecauseofotherpropagandafilmsthatshemadeforthe
NationalSocialistParty.7
Rammstein
DespiteusingimagesfromOlympia,
denyany
connections
toNationalSocialism.
It is notthepurposeofthisarticleto supportaccusationsconcerning
possible
linksbetweenRammstein
and right-wing
Germannationalism,
althoughI arguethat
thereare aspectsof theirmusic and theirperformances
thatrevealunderlying
nationalsignifiers,
someofwhichmightbe consideredcontroversial.
I do,however,
Benedict
Anderson's
that
socio-historians
tend
to
acknowledge
warning
'hypostasize
theexistenceofNationalism-with-a-big-N
(ratheras one mightAge-with-a-big-A)
and thentoclassify
"it" as anideology',althoughI cannotequatemyargument
with
hissuggestion
thatitwouldbe easierifnationalism
weretreatedinthesamewayas
'kinship'and 'religion',ratherthanwith'liberalism'or 'fascism'(Anderson1991,
p. 5).
This articleprovidesan examinationof threeareas in whichRammstein's
I makecomparisons
between
signification
practicescan be clearlydefined.Firstly,
Rammstein's
and
and
costumes
the
mechanical-kinetic
constructivist
stagesettings
inGermany
movement
inthe1920s,as wellas betweentheband'sphysicalimagery
in
live performance
and Germanneo-classicism
in the 1930s.Secondly,I illustrate
similarities
betweenthevocalstyleofTillLindemann,
theRammstein
vocalist,and
vocaltechniques
used by Germancabaretsingersoftheinter-war
period.Finally,I
discussRammstein's
use of inventedfolkloreand Germantextsthathave been
frompoemsbyJohann
vonGoethe( 1749-1832
) andHeinrich
appropriated
Wolfgang
Hoffman
(1809-1894).

Rammstein:restatingthe 'national' in Germanrockmusic

In an interviewin 1998,Rammsteinmaintainedthatnone of its membershold

buttheyarenaivetoclaimthatGermansignifiers
intheirmusicdo
beliefs,
right-wing
notsuggestoften-negative
notionsofnationalism.8
has
often
beenused to
Notoriety
rock
Rammstein
have
with
assistance
promote bands,although
promoted
complicit
fromtheirmanagement
and theirrecordcompany,
RecordsSony/Universal/BMG
a controversial
for
band
the
national
German
image
by deliberately
incorporating
to
establish
in
a
of
music
that
often
has
signifiers
individuality
genre popular
celebratednotoriety.In an online magazine articleon Rammstein,Winston

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in rockmusic
Germansymbolism

459

CummingsmaintainsthattheGermanmediahave endeavouredto establish'true

morecontroversial
and mysterious
meaningsbehindsomeofRammstein's
songswithnoevidencewhat-so-ever
evershowingup'.9
[sic]ofoft-rumoured
Nazi-leanings
Whileit is not thepurposeof thisarticleto supportallegationsof linksbetween
Rammstein
and NationalSocialism,Cummings'laudatoryaccountofRammstein's
a significant
illustrates
trendamong
successand theirliveperformances
commercial
and therockmediatoprioritise
commercial
concernsabove
therockmusicindustry
ethicalones.
metal'scene,KeithKahn-Harris
notesthatthere
Whilediscussingthe'extreme
in thisgenreto differentiate
betweenmusicand
is a practiceamongperformers
'a considerable
is reflexive,
awarenessof
demonstrating
politicsandthatthispractice
andpoliticsof[musical]scenesandthewidersociety'(Kahn-Harris
thestructuration
10
2000,p. 127). Kahn-Harrisalso maintainsthatthis genrealso practisesantiseekingtoexcludethisawarenessfromscenicpractice,
producreflexivity
bywilfully
withinwhichexists'a politicsof
anti-reflexivity'
amongperformers
inga 'reflexive
in whichthe structuration
of the scene and the consequencesof
depoliticisation
are
certain
Lorenz,theRammstein
ignored'(ibid.,p. 127).Christian
practices wilfully
statement
Kahn-Harris'
by dismissingcriticisms
keyboardplayer,exemplifies
texts
and
content
of
their
theuse of Riefenstahl
band
for
the
levelledat the
song
band
as
'as
the
filmimagesand by describing
being dangerousas choirboys'in
on
television'.11
olds
see
to'theshitsixteenyear
comparison
contentof the band's songs,
concerns
textual
While Lorenz's statement
- the
identifiable
music
is
most
recorded
Rammstein's
easily
alongtwodimensions
on
the
with
vocaland theinstrumental
vocal,giventhat
emphasisplaced
primary
and
to
would
be
the instrumental
unlikely provideindividuality, commercial
Rammstein
arenotthe
in
metal
genre.Froma vocalperspective,
viability, theheavy
in
native
texts
their
to
band
tongue,althoughthey
sing song
onlyGermanrock
a nationaltrendin Germanpop musicthatis movingaway fromthe
represent
In hisdiscussionon culturalnationnatureofmostWestern
formulaic
pop music.12
viewthatno languageis superioror
the
Herderian
discusses
Taruskin
alism,Richard
that
there
has
beena romantic
he
adds
to
inferior another,
linkagebetween
although
in
arts
since
the
middleof the
the
German
of
nation
the
and
concept
language
While
the
use
ofGerman
(Taruskin2002,pp. 691-2).
discussing
century
eighteenth
describes
how
Edward
in
German
Larkey
manylatepopularmusic,
language
of
the
the
dominance
German
twentieth
Anglo-American
rejected
performers
century
as usedintheSchlager
and theuse ofStandardGerman,
song
popularmusicindustry
oftheSecondWorldWar(Larkey2000,p. 2).13Larkeymainstylein theaftermath
innineteenth-century
Germanoperettaand
has itsprecedents
tainsthattheSchlager
in
rock
the
musicians
it
was
that
performing emerging musicgenreofthe
by
regarded
and
as
conservative
1960s
obsolete,whereasrockmusic,mostoftensungin transand insurrection
rebellion
atlanticEnglish,signified
(ibid.,p. 4). Thiswas a conseof
Western
dominance
of
popularcultureinthesecondhalf
quence Anglo-American
Western
which
most
twentieth
the
of
popularmusicwas sungin
centuryduring
Till
theRammstein
vocalartists.
even
Lindemann,
speaking
bynon-English
English,
in
metal
context
within
an
in
German
ist,however,sings
heavy
Anglo-American
thathisutterance
is one of
orderto,as AllanMooreputsit,convey'theimpression
inanunmediated
withan
form
an attempt
tocommunicate
thatitrepresents
integrity,
alsoconveystotheaudiencewhatMoore
audience'(Moore1993,p. 200).Lindemann
of expression'as a meansof circumventing
observesas 'first-person
authenticity

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460

RobertG.H. Burns

'mereentertainment'
in favourofpromoting
a senseofbelonging,
orwhatmightbe
in culturalexperienceand a means
of authenticity
regardedas the maintenance
culturalexpression,
as notedbyRichardMiddleton(1990,p. 127).
promoting
Froman instrumental
Rammstein's
perspective,
stylecanbe situatedinseveral
mostnotablytheextreme
metalstylewithitsconnections
todark
heavymetalgenres,
metaland thrashmetal,as described
(2000,p. 124).DeenaWeinstein
byKahn-Harris
refers
toRammstein's
musicas 'industrial
ofheavymetalthatshe
metal',a sub-genre
describesas a combination
ofpunk-influenced
'thrash'metaland synthesised
dance
music(Weinstein2000,p. 288). Thisdescription
of theband's instrumental
sound
but theband's last threealbums,Mutter
mightbe applied to earlierrecordings,
(Mother)(2001), Reise,reise(Arise,arise) (2004) and Rosenrot(Rose Red) (2005), often

exhibitinfluences
takenfromearlierBritish
rockmusic,whilemaintainprogressive
firm
links
with
rockmusicapproing
heavymetal.Mooreobservesthatprogressive
maintains
valuesand appealstoa
priatesclassicalreferents,
highsoundproduction
ratherthana dancing,market(2001,p. 402). Moreover,
Mooreadds that
listening,
rockremained
indication
progressive
popularinEuropeuntilthelate1990s,a further
oftheoriginsofRammstein's
soundand production
aesthetics.
Rammstein's
current
musical'formula'includesa combination
oforchestral
andchoralarrangements
often
what
is
in
referred
to
rock
D'
as
accompanying
guitarperformance 'drop
open
Thistuningprovidesa deeper,
tuning- D, A, D, G, B,E (lowesttohigheststrings).
moreresonanttimbrewhen highlyamplifiedand it maintainslinksto standard
modernrockperformances
familiar
to Europeanand Americanrockaudiences.As
RobertWalserobserves,
themostsignificant
auralsignofheavymetalis thesoundof
distorted
a
extremely
guitars, definingaspectof theheavymetalgenrein which
chords
root
note
andtheperfect
fourth
orfifth
interval
above- areplayedon
power
thelowerstrings
In
D
with
as
standardtuning,
(Walser1993,pp. 41-3). drop tuning,
tonesamplified
witha distorted,
overdriven
soundareoftenreproduced
withaccomtones
above
and
below
the
actual
of
the
Walser
panying
range
guitar.
rightly
equates
thepowerofpowerchordswiththeweightofheavymetalandwiththe'hardnessof
hardrock',in whichsustain,distortion
and resultant
tonesare crucial(ibid.,1993,
The
use
of
intervallic
and
structures
distorted
harmonic
overtones
thatsituate
p. 43).
themin thebroadheavymetalgenre,however,do notprovideRammstein
with
musicalindividuality
thatmightaffordan elementof difference
frommostother
bandswithinthegenre.
Froma rhythmic
thedrumkitin Rammstein's
is
perspective,
performances
in
a
reminiscent
of
earlier
rock
further
played
style
many
performance
precedents,
withotherbandsintheheavymetalgenre.14
Inhissuccinct
reinforcing
commonality
of
rock
drum
Moore
that
observes
bass
drum
beatsusually
description
performance,
1
beats
in
and
3
and
measures
the
hi-hat
and
ride
4/4
emphasise
cymbalsusuallyplay
constantquaversor crochetsactingas a metronome
(Moore 1993,pp. 37-9). Snare
drumbeatsin 4/4 measuresofmostrockmusicstylesfallon beats2 and 4, and are
oftenreferred
toas the'backbeat'.Theformulaic
natureofRammstein's
combination
ofstandardised
and
metrical
within
the
band's
use
ofinstrurhythm
arrangements
mentalsoundtextures
wouldcausedifficulties
foranymodernrockbandendeavourthatmightenableit to achievecommercial
ing to establishan individualidentity
success.Further
of
the
Rammstein
musical'formula'do,however,
examples
provide
elements
ofsonicdistinction.
Theseincludemarching
drumpatterns,
boots
'marching
on gravel'soundsamplesand malevocalchants,respectively,
in 'Links,Zwei,Drei,
Vier' ('Left,Two, Three,Four') and 'Mein Teil' ('My Part',althoughthe 'part'

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Germansymbolism
in rockmusic

461

inthesongis tothenarrator's
also includechoral
reference
genitalia).Sonicelements
andorchestral
tothe
accompaniment
providing
grandioseandquasi-operatic
settings
ofband songs,suchas in 'Reise,reise'('Arise,arise',takenfromthea
rockcontext
ordertoawakensleepingseamen)andfolkloric
suchas in
Germanseafaring
imagery,
'MeinHerzbrennt'('My HeartBurns') and'Spieluhr'( 'MusicalClock').15Moreover,
includesa theatrical
vocalperformance
Rammstein's
sonicformula
stylethathas its
precedentsin Germancabaret,and thatoccursin mostof theband's repertoire.
and instrumentation
use formulaicrockarrangements
to
Rammstein,
therefore,
presenta familiarrockconceptto theiraudience,whilestatingnationalidentity,
withthe use of culturalsignifiers
thatestablishnotionsof
and thusdifference,
withinnationaland international
contexts.
distinctiveness

Singularityin spectacle:the 'national' in Rammstein'svisual

performance
levelledat
As previously
stated,itisnotthepurposeofthisarticletovalidatecriticism
on thegroundsofpossiblelinksto NationalSocialism.It is theband's
Rammstein
demonstrates
elements
visualpresentation,
however,thatparticularly
performance
thatmightsupportthiscriticism,
giventhatseveralvisualaspectsofRammstein's
fromthelate-1930s
evokeechoesofGermanhistory
sincethelate-1990s
performances
Theassemrecentcondemnation.
thataresimilartothosethatalreadyhaveattracted
discussedbelowis,however,at
blageofthevariousaspectsofvisualpresentation
thatare
oddswithmanyoftheothersignifiers
performances
presentinRammstein's
notassociatedwithNationalSocialism.
in modernGermanrockmusichas manyof its originsin the
Theatricality
and Nina Hagen and it could be
of artistssuch as Udo Lindenberg
performances
thatstartedin the
a
are continuing Germanrocktradition
arguedthatRammstein
at the
Rammstein
of
the
late 1960s.Thatsaid,priorto thebeginning
performance
dimmed
to
and
were
in
WuhlheideFestivalin Berlin 1998,stagelighting spotlights
the
which
covered
illuminated
a largeredcurtain,
torches,
stage
byflaming
highlight
ralliesof the
of theNuremburg
area.Thisscenemaybe construedas reminiscent
ina similar
thatoftentookplaceatnightwithredNazi bannersilluminated
late-1930s
individual
illuminated
each
As thecurtain
separately
opened,singlespotlights
way.16
final
band
member
tobe
The
static.
memberoftheband,who remainedcompletely
to
the
made
his
who
was thevocalist,Lindemann,
introduced
stagebybeing
entry
inmotion.Thestaticnatureof
loweredon a trapezeandwhowas theonlyperformer
often
entrance
therestofthebandcomparedtoLindemann's
juxtaposesstatue-like,
theatre
cabaret
or
witha circus-like,
neo-classical
production.
imagery
Theband'scostumesweresimilarto imagesfromFritzLang'sfilm,Metropolis
(1927).17Each costumeappearedto be made ofsilverand blackmaterialthatproreinforced
machine-like
videda metallic,
bytheattachappearancethatwas further
was
that
each
to
the
onlooker
mentofexternal
performer
plastictubingsuggesting
tubular
and
metal
from
was
constructed
Thestagesetting
girders
partlymechanical.
thatexisted
constructivism
andwas inthestyleofthemechanical-kinetic
protrusions
in
of
the
constructivist
as
the
as
well
in the1920s,
inGermantheatre
artist,
paintings
Band
Erich Mercker,such as Hochofenim Bau (Blastfurnacesunderconstruction).18

thatwerelit
outlinesoffacialfeatures
woresilvermake-upthathighlighted
members
lines
of
band memand
the
cheekbones
thataccentuated
frombelow,an effect
jaw
wore
and
one
of
the
silver
were
coloured
Hairand stagecostumes
bers.19
guitarists

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462

RobertG.H. Burns

silvercontact
ofthestage
lenses,inkeepingwiththeoverallmechanistic
presentation
as wellas theaccentuated
cheekbones
andjaw lines,Rammstein's
Moreover,
setting.
also containeda visual emphasison themuscularphysiqueofband
presentation
someofwhomperformed
bothguitarbare-chested.20
members,
Duringtheconcert,
istsoftenstoodalmostmotionless
at eithersideofthestagefacingtheaudiencewith
an expressionless
aided by theuse of
effect,
gaze thatprojecteda dehumanising
metallic'sculptural'or 'monumental'imagery,and thatemphasiseddetachment
fromthe audience.The emphasisplaced on the staticand physicalformsin
Rammstein's
canbe comparedtotheworksofsculptors
Thorak( 1889Josef
imagery
1952),FritzKlimsch(1870-1960)and ArnoBreker(1900-1991),all ofwhomwere
official
stateartistsoftheThirdReich.Thesesculptorscarvedstatuesrepresenting
whattheNationalSocialistPartyregardedas the'perfect'humanformin heroic
(GreatGermanArt
proportionsforexhibitionat the GrosseDeutscheKunstausstellung

Exhibition
forReichbuildingsduringtheSecondWorld
) inMunichandas decorations
War.21
HitlerregardedModernartas connected
tointernationalism,
a conceptintrinlinked
to
his
and his personalview of artwas
sically
perceptionof Jewishness,
linkedto a racially'pure' culturebased on depictionsof country,
consequently
physicalhealthand theconceptsofbloodand soil(Adam 1992,pp. 15-16).22Works
such as Thorak's Danziger Freiheitsdenkmal
's
(Danzig FreedomMonument),Breker1
Predestination
and Klimsch's Brunnengruppe
11 (FountainGroup11) depict sculpted

malefigures
intheneo-classical
haswell-defined,
style.Eachfigure
highcheekbones,
detailedmusculartorsosand limbsand a dehumanisedfixedgaze at a pointin the
distancethatdoes notengagetheonlooker.23
TheNationalSocialistPartyregarded
the idealisedbroad-shouldered
and naked Germanmale image as representing
classlessnessand nobilityand,accordingto PeterAdam,'theclassicalideal ofthe
heroicathleteinhisnaturalness'
of
(Adam 1992,pp. 178-9).Rammstein's
projection
thisphysicalimagery
therefore
a
link
in
to
art
aesthetics
late-1930s
provides
apparent
Germanhistory.
Visualsimilarities
in theband'sperformance
to
mightalso extend
'. . .
from
L.
the
as
William
Shirer
notes
imagery
Wagner'sRingCycle, operathat,
gave
and especiallytheThirdReichso muchofitsprimitive
Germanicmythos'
Germany
on theDVD, Liveaus Berlin(Livefrom
(Shirer1960,p. 102),althoughin interviews
Rammstein
intentional
Berlin),
denyany
imagerythatmightsuggesta new 'master
race'.24
Manymalepopularmusicartistshavebeenpromotedby imageryportraying
theirsexualitythroughsemi-nudity,
butRammstein's
imageryis closerto theporof
German
notions
in
of
used
Riefenstahl's
filmsthatcontain
trayals
Aryan'purity'
of
German
men
and
women
at
the
of
fitness.
For example,
images
peak physical
Rammstein's
albumcoverforHerzeleid
Heartache
a
1995
was
(
)(
)
photographic
portrait
ofthebandsuperimposed
overan enlargedphotograph
ofa bloomingflower.
Thesix
members
ofthebandappearnakedabovethewaistand thoseinthefront
rowofthe
photographdisplaysculpted,oiled, muscularphysiques.The coverof Herzeleid
attracted
criticism
fromtheband'srecordcompanyin theUnitedStatespriorto its
releasein 1995due towhatthecompanyregardedas thecover'sAryanimagery
and
itssuggestion
ofconceptsof'masterrace',conceptsthatRammstein
continue
todeny.

Vocal characterand the 'national': the cabaretin Rammstein

WhileRammstein's
is situatedintheheavymetalgenre,thereareelements
in
identity
theband'svocalperformance
that
function
as
further
links
to
German
national
style

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Germansymbolism
in rockmusic

463

Inventedtradition
has oftenbeenusedforthepurposeofvalidating
notions
identity.
discussionconcerning
theuse
ofauthenticity,
althoughtherehasbeenlittlescholarly
forthesamepurpose.25
Issues
ofwhatmightbe regardedas 'exaggerated'identity
can be linkedto whatMooreregardsas
concerning
'exaggerated'nationalidentity
of traditionsto authenticate
practice(Moore 2002,
contemporary
appropriation
in the popularmusic genrehave oftenespoused theirown
p. 216). Performers
andexamplescanbe foundinsungJamaican
intheirperformances,
nationalidentity
British/Jamaican
generation
reggaeperformers
patoisinthemusicofthirdandfourth
vocalperformances
ofbands
in theUnitedKingdom,as wellas in theidiosyncratic
In thecase ofRammstein,
thereare
and The Cranberries.
suchas The Proclaimers
traitsin theirmusicthatsuggestnationalGerman
vocal performance
distinctive
use of
beyondtheiruse oftheGermanlanguage(includingan overstated
signifiers
and
the
band's
use
of
theatrical
and
inHighGerman) beyond
softconsonants
guttural
often
a
Rammstein
uses vocal
Germanimagery.26
neo-classical
vocalist,Lindemann
stylethatJohnWilletdescribesas gesticspeaking( Willet1988,p. 138).
performance
This styleis anothercomponentof what mightbe regardedas the Rammstein
recordedonalbumssince
'formula'anditis apparentinmostoftheband'srepertoire
in
'Mein
such
as
Herzbrennt',
'Mein
2001,withparticular
examplesoccurring songs
of
these
utilises
Teil' and 'Hilf Mir' ('Help Me').27The vocal performance
songs
each
extended
formula,
pitchinspokenvoiceand,as partoftheband'soverallstylistic
are
delivered
is intwoparts.Verses
vocalperformance
usinghalf-spoken/half-sung
oftenperformed
as an almost
and thechorusesare,in contrast,
gesticperformance
shoutedchant.
In orderto situateLindemann'svocal performance
styleas a characteristic
the
it
is
in
Rammstein's
Germannationalsignifier
performances, worthconsidering
at
the
Uberbrettl
that
took
in
cabaret
the
place
performances
originsofgesticspeaking
whocontribTheatreinBerlinintheearlytwentieth
Amongthecomposers
century.28
was
Arnold
at
this
theatre
uted songsforperformances
Schoenberg(1874-1951)
whoselied(song),'PierrotLunaire'(1912) featured
(literally
meaning
Sprechstimme
Thistechnique
speechand melody.29
'speak voice'), a vocal techniquecombining
of a melodybut,
requiresthe singerto accuratelymaintainthe notatedrhythm
but
on
starts
maintains
whereasa sungtext
pitch thenleavesitby
pitch,Sprechstimme
took
orrising.Thefirst
performance placein1912andlatervocal
Sprechstimme
falling
Uberbrettl
at
the
Theatre,such as 'gestic'speaking,are
stylesused
performance
thatGerman
Willetmaintains
vocal
this
style.30
performance
by
arguablyinfluenced
of
movements
and
worker's
theatre
in
Volksbiihne
the
cabaretbegan
(People'sStage)
21
Cabaret
centuries
twentieth
and
the late nineteenth early
(Willet1988,p. ).31
of thiskindled to a later'tradition'of actors'singingthatWillet
performances
describesas 'thatclearlyaudible,oftenratherinformal,
consonantal,
nonsingerly
whichcharacterizes
[Lotte]LenyaorErnstBuschfarmoresharplythandoes
delivery
were
anyotheraspectoftheiracting',althoughhe adds thatgesticvocalmannerisms
'rarerintheEnglishspeakingworld'(ibid.,p. 208).
vocalperformances
Lindemann's
thegestic
As wellas employing
speakingstyle,
worksof
Theatrical
theatre.
from
German
influences
with
arealso combined
comedy
from
influences
Frank
Wedekind
drew
and
theGermanperformer playwright,
upon
an
and
became
he
to
he
which
and
the
vaudeville
drama,
circus,
preferred literary
of
the
nineteenth
and
Berlin
at
the
end
in
Munich
both
cabaret
influential
performer
centuries(Jelavich1993,p. 82). Lisa Appignanesi
and beginningof thetwentieth
a 'raw, jarring,
as featuring
vocal performances
comedic
his
describes satirical,

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464

RobertG.H. Burns

nasal voice,whichsharplyarticulated
each syllable'and she
high-pitched,
slightly
statesthathis'harshly
andabrasive'was imitated
satanictone,brittle
ironic,
byBrecht
and ultimately
became'the markoftheGermancabaretsongstyle'(Appignanesi
2004,pp. 48-9).
Willetmaintains
thatthe'jerky,
gestic'speakingwas lateradoptedbyactorPeter
Lorrein the1932production
ofMan EqualsMan (Willet1988,p. 138),althoughthe
KurtWeilland Bertolt
Brecht
song,'Moritat'('The BalladofMacktheKnife'),which
alsofeatures
thistypeofvocalperformance,
in1928.32
was first
performed
Earlyinhis
at
career,Weillwas a musicianforthe comedianKarl Valentin,who performed
theatresin Munichduringtheearly1920s.Valentin'sperformances
also featured
on Brechtand
half-sung/half-spoken
songsthatmightbe regardedas an influence
Weill'slatervocalcompositions,
suchas songsinDieDreigroschenoper
( TheThreepenny
emotion'
Opera).WilletnotesthatBrecht
opposed'thevocalexcessesandheightened
thathe regardedas an affront
to audiencesand which,in his view,typified
the
Germantheatrical
stylesagainstwhichhe laterreacted(ibid.,p. 208).DenisCalandra
thatBrecht
usedValentin
as a keyexampleofhowactorsshouldsing
notes,however,
in Die Dreigroschenoper,
that
in
Brecht
admiredthemalevolence
adding
particularly
Valentin'svocalperformance
(Calandra2003,p. 198).
drawnfromearlytwentieth-century
Germancabaret
Comedyandmalevolence
and vaudeville,as wellas gesticspeaking,arekeydescriptors
vocal
ofLindemann's
imitation
of
these
of
vocal
performance
style.Contemporary
aspects
performance
situatesLindemann's
vocaldeliveryin contrast
to themorefamiliar,
and regionally
rockperformances
ofAmericanand British
vocalistswho oftensing
unidentifiable,
withwhatmightbe regardedas a 'transatlantic'
accent.Thisimitation
also provides
Rammstein's
with
reinforced
authenof
German
performances
concepts perceived
and
notions
of
new
in
nationalism
situated
an
earlier
artistic
area
that
was
ticity,
and
National
Socialism.
The
of
the
German
relocation
opposed to,
persecutedby,
cabaretsong styleintoa contemporary
rockcontextthusenablesRammstein
to
and
an
that
view
of
German
and
culture
is
exploit promote arguably
nostalgic
history
and
that
in
is
to
the
band's
visual
beyondnegativeassociations,
juxtaposition
presentation.Whilerelocationto earlytwentieth-century
performance
stylesreinforces
betweenRammstein
and otherrockbandsin theirgenre,italso
pointsofdifference
identifies
Rammstein
as quintessentially
Germanto a youngGermanaudienceas a
nationaliconby theuse offamiliar
nationalsignifiers.
Thisidentification
is further
reinforced
the
band's
use
of
and
literature
German
by
eighteenth- nineteenth-century
forinclusionintheirsongtexts.

'National' text:Rammstein'sappropriationof Germanfolkloreand

literature
Further
evidenceoftheuse ofGermannationalsignifiers
existsinRammstein's
texts
thatoftendrawuponfolkloric
and
themes
from
German
literaimagery appropriate
ture.Moresignificantly,
someofthefolkloric
usedbyRammstein
can
subjectmatter
be associatedwiththepromotion
ofGermannationalism
the
as
during late-1930s,
notedby Mechthild
von Schoenebeck
In
his
discussion
of
notions
of
(1998,p. 279).
in
Moore
maintains
the
and
blues
that,during rhythm
authenticity performance,
revivalthattookplace in theUnitedKingdomduringtheearly1960s,'it becamea
matter
ofideologytoemploythe' 'blues"withina thoroughly
different
socialcontext,

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Germansymbolism
in rockmusic

465

itsoriginators',
a conceptthatenabledartists
oftheperiodtoappropribyvenerating
of thoseoriginators
ate the authenticity
(Moore 2002,p. 215). In a similarway,
an invented,
ifnotexaggerated,
Rammstein
endeavourtomaintain
nationalauthentakenfromGermanfolklore
elements
and Germanliterature
into
ticity
byrelocating
theirsongtexts.Use ofGermantextualthemesis another
meansbywhichRammstein
withinitsperformances.
underscores
audiencenotionsofnationalidentity
Whilediscussingaspectsof folkloreused as a meansof promoting
German
in the 1930s,von Schoenebeckobservesthat,in the aftermath
nationalism
of the
associatedtoearlierconcepts
SecondWorldWar,Germanfolkmusicremained
ofVolk
thatwere stillintrinsically
tied to volkisch
(community)
(people)and Gemeinschaft
and anti-Semitism
nationalism
1998,p. 289).33Folkmusicofthis
(von Schoenebeck
nationalawarenessinthe1930s,
kind,whichhadbeenusedas a meansofpromoting
a
becameanathematopost-warconceptsoffolkmusic,althoughtheHeimatschlager,
as 'homecountry',
remainedpopularin
'folk-like'
vernacular,
songaboutGermany
the1950s(ibid.,p. 279). LarkeydescribesthethreegenresofGermanfolksongat
this time as Schlager(new folkmusic),volkstumliche
[sic] (popular) and Volksmusik

who 'rallied
(traditional
folkmusic),all of whichwerepromotedby conservatives
folkculture'(Larkey2000,
aroundpre-Naziculturalidealsrootedin a romanticized
of
p. 1). As withtrendsintheUnitedKingdomand theUnitedStates,thepopularity
ofrockmusicincreasedduringthe
as thepopularity
folksongsdeclinedinGermany
1960sand 1970s.Some Germanfolkartists,such as the duo Zupfgeigenhansel,
a repertoire
of traditional
Germanfolksongs
to an
remainedpopular,performing
a
alternative
to
rock
music
folk
music
as
audiencethatregarded
but,
respectable
unlikefolkmusicintheUnitedKingdomandtheUnitedStatesinthe1950sand 1960s,
Germanfolkmusicwas neverlinkedto liberalpoliticsnorwas itsubjectto thefolk
After
thatoccurredin boththeUS and UK duringthatperiod.34
musicrevivalism
what
as
German
sales
of
German
audiences
in
reunification1989,however,
regarded
inthebroadcast,
folkmusicwereinexcessofDM100millionannuallyandresulted
by
what
von
Schoenebeck
refers
toas
television
1990,ofeighty-six
featuring
programmes
'folk-like'
songs (von Schoenebeck1998,p. 279).35Von Schoenebeckis criticalof
thattheycontain'hiddenmessages'intypicalsemiotic
songsofthiskind,maintaining
and performance
music
(ibid.,pp. 279-80). Among the
systemssuch as text,
as
the
'innocence
ofchildren'
view
are
such
this
(which
topics
'messages'thatsupport
'Mein
Herz
texts
of
in
Rammstein
brennt','Spieluhr'and 'HilfMir'),
appears the
'touchingepisodesofeverydayGermanlife'and 'thelifeofsailors'- anothercomthemeusedintextsofsongssuchas 'Seeman'( 'Seaman') and'Reise,
monRammstein
andthealbum,
usedonthecoversofthesingle,Seeman
in
theimagery
as
as
well
reise',
include
'close
tieswithone's
Thevaluesespousedinthefolk-like
Rosenrot.
'messages'
nationalprideand politicalawareness,and von
nativesoil',nature,order,tradition,
the
Schoenebeckcontendsthatthesenew German'folk-like'songs 'fitperfectly
of
the
and
ideas
pp. 286-90).
country's
right
wingparties'( ibid.,
politicalprogrammes
as
Rammstein
havedrawnuponGermanliterature
As wellas folkloric
themes,
German
national
of
authentic
notions
further
a meansof
identity.
By
emphasising
the
oftheband,and in particular
doingso, theyalso enablean audienceperception
vocalist,as Romanticheroes,a conceptobservedby Macan in his comprehensive
inprogressive
rockmusic
ofaspectsofvirtuosity
discussionon audienceperceptions
a
called
'Dalai
contains
Rammstein's
Reise,reise,
(Macan1997,p. 46).
song
recording,
Der
to
Goethe's
several
similarities
contains
text
of
which
the
Lama',
poem, Erlkonig
ofthisintheCD sleeve
(TheElfKing)(1782),althoughthereis no acknowledgement

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466

RobertG.H. Burns

notes.36
'Dalai Lama' is nottheonlysongin whichRammstein
drawupon themes
fromneo-romantic
texts,giventhatthesong'Rosenrot'is looselybasedon Goethe's
und
poem Heidenroslein(HeatherRose) and the BrothersGrimm's Schneeweifichen
Rosenrot
Goethedescribesa fatherand son
(Snow WhiteandRoseRed). In Der Erlkonig,

at night,on horsebackthrough
a forest.37
Thefather
holdsthechildinhis
travelling
armsbutthechildhearsthevoiceoftheElfKingwhoenticeshimtolivewithhimand
his children.The fatherinitially
to
ignoreshis child'sdistressbut finallyattempts
himwhenhe arriveshome,onlyto findthechilddead in his arms.While
comfort
existbetweenGoethe'sand Rammstein's
texts,
manysimilarities
theydo notalways
withtheorderof eventsthatoccurin each song.Firstly,
Rammstein's
correspond
'Dalai Lama' textfollowsGoethe'sintroduction
ofthefather
and theson travelling
at nightand in 'safetyand warmth'.38
Eachtextthenintroduces
thesupertogether
naturalelementsofeachstory,
withtheErlkonig
inGoethe'stextand thegod ofthe
windsinthatofRammstein,
an introduction
followedbythechildineachtextasking
hisfather
whether
can
a
hear
that
voice
as he attempts
totellhisfather
he,too,
spirit
thespiritis trying
to abducthim.Atthispoint,bothtextsproposethespiritbeing's
childrenas futuresiblingsforthechild- sistersin Goethe'stextand brothers
in the
Rammstein
text.Each fatherfinallybecomesawareofeach child'sdistressand,in
theGoethetext,thefather
findsthechilddead in his arms.The Rammstein
textis,
with
darker
the
father
the
thus
however,
accidentally
suffocating child,
allowinghis
soultojointhespiritsofthewind.
Another
Rammstein
textualappropriation
occursin'HilfMir',a songrecorded
on thealbumRosenrot
as
a
ofa nineteenth-century
German
(2005)
reinterpretation
As
with
'Dalai
there
is
no
of
the
source
of
the
band's
Lama',
poem.
acknowledgement
textinthealbumsleevenotes,althoughthesongis derivedfromHeinrich
Hoffman's
'Die gar traurigeGeschichte
mitdem Feuerzeug'('The TragicStoryof [with]the
which
was
Matches'),
originally
publishedin 1845in a collectionof shortpoems
called Struwwelpeter
Each of thesepoems containsa cautionary
(StrawPeter).39
what
to
Walter
Sauer
a
describesas 'misdeedand punishment',
messagerelating
in
children's
literature
The
(Sauer 1999,p. 11).
populargenre nineteenth-century
betweenRammstein's
versionofthetextand thatofHoffman
is
principaldifference
Rammstein's
narration
ofeventsbeingfroma first-person
than
rather
perspective
fromHoffman's
thirdperson.Bothversionsbeginwiththeprotagonist
being'allein
zu Haus' ('at homealone') because'Die Elternwarenbeideaus' ('the parentswere
bothout') and thenproceedtooutlinethediscovery
of'ein treffliches
Spielzeug'('a
In
both
the
Hoffman
and
Rammstein
then
versions,theprotagonist
splendidtoy').
'ein
Holzchen'
while
that
this
is
what
its
mother
has
often
('a match'),
lights
stating
done.40Bothtextsthendescribehow 'Die Flammefasstdas Kleid'('the flamestake
holdon thedress'), althoughRammstein
refer
to' dieJacke'( ' thejacket') as opposed
to Hoffman's
laterreference
to 'die Schurze'('the apron'),withtheeffect
that'Es
brennt
dieHand,es brennt
das Haar' ( 'itburnsthehand,itburnsthehair'). Thefinal
outcomeis a conflagration
in whichtheprotagonist
is totallyconsumedby flames.
WhereasHoffman's
textendswiththeprotagonist
beingreducedtoashes,servingas
a cautionarymessageto children,Rammstein's
textfollowsa darkerand more
theme.
It
describes
the
who
in poor health,
spiritual
protagonist, was originally
and
deliverance
with
one
the
sun
and
that'Das
seeking, finding,
bybecoming
stating
Feuerliebtmich'( ' thefirelovesme'). Itisnotwithinthescopeofthisarticletodiscuss
ethicaldifferences
thatmay existbetweenthe two textsbut it is significant
that
Hoffman's
collectionofpoemswas regularly
in
between
1845
published Germany

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Germansymbolism
in rockmusic

467

Sauernotesthatthiscollectionhad an 'enormous
and thelate twentieth
century.
in Europe thatcontinued
influence'on nineteenth-century
children'sliterature
the twentieth
century(Sauer 1999,pp. 9, 14), an aspect of national
throughout
thatRammstein
have used to theiradvantage.Germanrockaudience
familiarity
and Hoffman's
awarenessofGoethe's'Der Erlkonig'
Struwwelpeter
poems,evenon a
subliminallevel,and withinventedaspectsof German'fakelore'- includingvon
of'hiddenmessages'- therefore
enablesconnections
Schoenebeck's
tobe
suggestions
madebylatergenerations
toan idealiseddistant
tomorerecent
pastthatis incontrast
inwhichwarand otherpoliticalupheavalshavetakenplace.
history

Conclusion
I have demonstrated
thatthereexistsa diverserangeofneo-romantic
and national
toany
Germansignifiers
music,someofwhicharecontrary
presentin Rammstein's
ofa Germanmusicalpastwithitsimplication
oflinksto neoresiduesofmistrust
betweenaspectsofstagingandperformance
that
Similarities
nationalism.
techniques
andcabaretinthe1920sand inRammstein's
existedinGermantheatre
performances
accusations
ofright-wing
inthelate1990smightbe regardedas a meansofnegating
withtheneo-romantic
and as aligningRammstein's
movetheatricality
sympathies
as circus-like
ment,giventhattheband regardsits stageperformance
comedy.41
theatrewere criticised
by theThirdReich
Manyaspectsof Germanexpressionist
which,fromits ascentto powerin 1933,soughtto discouragewhat it regarded
and over-acting
over-emotionalism
as introspection,
(Willet1988,pp. 164, 179).
and song textsdiscusseddo not
However,whilethestagesettings,
performances
I
ofRammstein,
politicalbeliefsamongmembers
anyparticular
openlydemonstrate
suchas theuse ofsound
in theband's recordedrepertoire,
regardothersignifiers
ofmarching
snaredrum
on graveland theperformance
samplesofbootsmarching
militaristic
overtonesand, as
songs,as suggesting
patternsin severalRammstein
such,questionable.
thisarticlehas discussedthreedistinct
Moreover,
spheresofGermansignificatopromoteand maintaina bandidentity
tionusedbyRammstein
and,withoutthis
theband would be similarto manyof its peers,and perhapsless
signification,
that Rammsteinhave modelled
successful.I have demonstrated
commercially
ofwhattheNationalSocialistParty
theirphysicalimageon neo-classical
depictions
Aryanhumanform.Thebandhas used thisimageryin live
regardedas theperfect
ofthebandon albumcoversand othermedia.
as wellas in depictions
performance,
in the
structures
mechanical
feature
constructivist
Theband'sstagesettings
/kinetic
Germanartand theatreand,by drawingupon
and early-1930s
styleof late-1920s
pre-SecondWorldWar imagery,the band projectsan impressionof an earlier,
This
had almostspiritualassociations.
undividednationin whichartand literature
in
an
overt
a
which
reinforced
is further
by theuse of vocal technique
impression
of1920sand 1930sGermancabaret,is
reminiscent
senseofmalevolent
theatricality,
textualthemes.Finally,I have
used to conveythe dark natureof Rammstein's
themesand have
textshave drawnupon folkloric
thatRammstein
demonstrated
in
earlierpublishedGermanliterature orderto aligntheirown texts
appropriated
as a meansofreinforcing
Germanfablesandnarratives
andfamiliar,
withestablished,
and
nationalidentity, nostalgia.
notionsofinvented
and neo-classicalimagery,theatrical
use of mechanical-kinetic
Rammstein's
an 'exaggerated'southernGerman
with
vocal performances
usinggesticspeaking

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468

RobertG.H. Burns

accentandtheappropriation
ofthemesfrom
literature
neo-romantic
German,
suggest
a deliberate
teamanditsrecord
plancarriedoutbytheband,itsmanagerial
marketing
use ofthesesignifiers
an orchestrated,
therefore
illustrates
company.Rammstein's
themeaimedat promoting
theband's Germanidentity
in a musicalgenre
stylistic
alreadysaturatedwithbands playingformulaic
heavyrockmusic.As previously
haveadopteda laissezfaire
viewoftheirsignification
as
stated,Rammstein
practices,
wellas theiruse incommercial
promotion,
claimingthatGermanic
aspectspresentin
theirperformances
an extension
oftheband's policyofmaintaining
onlyillustrate
nationalidentity,
andthatbandperformances
areoftenregarded
bytheiraudiencesas
theatrical
thatmight
be madebetween
parody.Thisclaimthusavoidsanycomparison
Rammstein
and Europeanrockbandsthatarelinkedtoright-wing
ideologies.
The use of Germansignifiers
in the pursuitof commercialsuccess does,
further
WhileRammstein
however,carry
significance.
acknowledgethattheyare
and activelypromotenotionsof Germanauthenticity,
I
purposelycontroversial
- whicharearguablypresentin someof
maintain
thatdenialofright-wing
elements
theGermansignifiers
used invisualaspectsoftheirperformances
and theirtexts- is
a convenient
meansbywhichthebandappealstogrowing
nationalawarenessamong
Germanyouth,giventhatearliergenerations'
popularmusicpurposelyavoided
connections
to nationalism.
Rammstein's
Consequently,
publicityavoids comparisons to extrememetalbands,manyofwhichperform
rockmusicespousingwhite
and radicalright-wing
Theriseofradicalright-wing
supremacy
politics.42
politicsin
at
the
end
of
the
twentieth
is
the
of
this
article,
Europe
century beyond scope
although
I contendthatany'mainstream'
rockbandthatopenlydeclaredpoliticalsympathies
in thisarea would be regardedas unacceptable
by its audienceand by its record
With
record
Rammstein
continuetoremainclosetothe
company.
companysupport,
extreme
metalboundary
without
the
betweennational
it,although boundary
crossing
and nationalist
in theircase is sometimes
tenuous.As Andersonargues,theoriesof
nationalism
areoftenperplexedbytheobjective
ofa nationtothehistorimodernity
an's eyeversussubjective
in
the
of
nationalists
(Anderson1991,p. 5),
antiquity
eyes
can be reinterpreted
as the
case,'theeyesofnationalists'
althoughin Rammstein's
of
in
those
of
commercial
'eyes
pursuit
gain'.
Use ofGermansignification
also enablesthebandtopromotenostalgic
notions
ofan earlierGermanlifestyle
as partoftheirversionofa newGermanromanticism.
Idealisationof an earlierGermanhistoryand cultureis potentially
similarto the
idealisation
ofan earlierBritish
cultureby British
skinheadsin the1960sand 1970s
who violentlyresistedwhat theyregardedas invasivegovernment
immigration
ofpreviousgenerations
thathad
policies,whilemaintaining
nostalgicperceptions
whattheyregardedas a bettersocialframework
based on oldervaluesthatexisted
withina tightly
boundsenseofcommunity.
Rammstein
promotea similarsenseof
Germannationalawarenessintheirtextsandperformance
stylestoa youngGerman
audiencethathas grownup intheyearsfollowing
theupheavalofreunification.
The
of
a
new
invented
German
based
on
World
War
promotion
identity
pre-Second
ofGermansocietyand culture,
withtheirintrinsic
connection
tonotions
perceptions
of a singlecommunity
withinEurope,therefore
act as a convenientmarketing
andpromotion
ofnotionsof'exaggerated'
Germanidentity,
to
policy.Themarketing
unaware
of
the
of
in
nationalistic
German
generations
origins neo-romantic,
signifiers
Rammstein's
haveproblematic
outcomes.
music,maytherefore
Rammstein
fosters
notionsofGermanyas a new culturalbrandand a newly
'whole'nation,completewithperceptions
ofan old andvaluablecultural
to
heritage,

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Germansymbolism
in rockmusic

469

who mayonlybe awareofa smallnumberofGerman

audiencesoutsideGermany
the
manyofwhomsingin Englishand who havenotmaintained
pop/rockartists,
thatRammstein
careerlongevity
both
enjoys.In thisway,Rammstein
manipulates
notionsof a new, 'phoenix-like'
nationaland international
Germany,as well as
nationalculturalsignif
ofGermanauthenticity
iers,performance
through
perceptions
have limited
promotea rockband thatwould otherwise
aspectsthatcommercially
successintheheavymetalgenre.
Endnotes
in 1993and thebandtakes
until1949.Herpenulformed
1. Rammstein
placedunderhousearrest
inGermany
filmas a director
timate
was Tiefland
itsnamefromthecityofRamstein
(Lowlands)
aftera fatalcrashat
thatachievednotoriety
(1954) and she did notdirectanyothersuntil
in 2002. Her reputation
Underwater
an air show in 1988at whichseventypeople
Impressions
as a Nazi sympathiser
remaineduntilthelast
died. EdwardLarkeyarguesthat,due to the
natureofsomeoftheband's
sexual/masochistic
yearsofherlifeandin1997therewereprotests
inHamburgofher
ata photographic
exhibition
lyrics,thenamemayalso referto thephallic
worksincethewar.
aggressionof the sexual act (Larkey2003,
6. Claudia Koonz maintainsthat Riefenstahl
p. 145).
becamepartofa cadreofintellectual
careerists
German
2. Notableexceptionsto Rammstein's
used by Hitlerto populariseracialimproveonthealbumReise,
languagepolicyareAmerika,
ment.Othermembersof thiscadreincluded
reise(2004),whichis sungmostlyin English,
Hans Frank,
AlbertSpeer,Reinhardt
and Moskau,on the same album,whichhas
Heidrich,
RudolfHossandAdolfEichmann
versessungin Russianbya guestvocalist.On
(Koonz2003,
made Olympia
as a docuthe album Rosenrot(2005), StirbNichtvorMir/
p. 106). Riefenstahl
ofthe1936Olympiadthattookplacein
I Do hasversessunginEnglish
Don'tDie Before
mentary
Berlin.
bya guestvocalistand Te QuieroPutal(I Want
7. These filmswere Triumphdes Willens(Triumph
inSpanish.
You,Whorel
) is sungentirely
whocarriedout
students
3. OneoftheColumbine
of theWill) (1934) and Tag derFreiheit(Day of
Freedom)(1935), both of which presentan
theshootingsaid thathe and his accomplices
of
listenedto German'industrial'rockbands,
Aryanperspectiveon the reconstruction
Germansocietyand theGermanarmedforces.
had a highand another
Rammstein,
including
takenwearinga Rammstein 8. Interview with Winston Cummings,
schoolphotograph
T-shirt. Sources: <http://www.mtv.com/ 'Rammstein:TeutonicValues' in Hitparader,
an
December1998. Hit Paraderis currently
1427256> and <http:/
/columbine.
articles/
inheavy
onlinemusicmagazinethatspecialises
eric/pics/ericramm>( accessed
free2host.net/
metalmusic,althoughit has been published
10October2004).
sincetheearly1960s.Source:<http://herzeleid.
4. Rammstein'scurrentrecordlabel is Sony/
com/en/press/1998-1
( accessed
2_hit_parader>
Records.In 2001, however,
Universal/BMG
11October2006).
intheUnited
weredistributed
theirrecordings
inHitParader.
Kingdomby London Records,whose other 9. Cummings
metal'to
appliestheterm'extreme
recordingartistsincluded the Asian Dub 10. Kahn-Harris
ofheavymetalsuchas 'BlackMetal',
offshoots
Foundation.
'Doom Metal', 'Thrash Metal' and 'Death
had
5. Priorto makingthesefilms,Riefenstahl
Metal'(Kahn-Harris
2000,p. 124).
actedin,andassistedinthedirection
of,several
inan interview
on
thatweredirected 11. Lorenzmadethisstatement
filmsaboutmountaineering
theDVD, Liveaus Berlin
(1999).
whomadefilms
byArnoldFanck(1889-1974),
discussionon theuse of
of 12. Fora comprehensive
duringthe1920sonthethemeofthestruggle
German
Germanlanguagein contemporary
againstnature,a conceptpromoted
humanity
pop music,see Larkey(2000).
by theThirdReichin the1930s.Examplesof
in the
these films include Der Berg des Schicksals 13. Larkeyadds thattherewas resurgence
use of StandardGermanamongtheatrically
(Mountainof Destiny) (1924), Das heiligeBerg
orientatedGerman rock artistsfrom the
(The SacredMountain)(1926), Stiirmetiberdem
1970s onwards.These artistsincludedUdo
MontBlanc(StormoverMontBlanc) (1930), Der
weisseRauch(The WhiteFlame) (1931) and Das
Lindenbergand Nina Hagen (Larkey2000,
blaue Licht(The Blue Light) (1932). Das Blaue
p. 4).
theRammstein
debutand 14. Christoph
directorial
Lichtwas Riefenstahl's
drummer,
Schneider,
and almostminimalist,
Attheend of
herto Hitler'sattention.
adoptsan economical,
brought
WorldWar II, theAlliesarrestedRiefenstahl, approachtohisplayingthatservestomaintain
'feel'and constant
clearedher
theAmericans
pulsewhilesuprhythmic
eventually
although
theperformances
oftherestoftheband.
ofNazismin 1945.She was laterrearrested
porting
by
Rock drummersoftencite JohnBonhamof
beforebeing
theFrenchand institutionalised

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470

RobertG.H. Burns

Led Zeppelin as the principalexponentof this

rockdrummingstyle.
15. As withtheoriginoftheband's name,thissong
has connectionsto an air disaster.The recording
containssound samples ofJapaneseaircraft
personnel shouting'Pull up, pull up!' in Japanese
in thelast momentsbeforea crashin 1985.
16. Rallies of thiskind took place regularlyfollowing Hitler'sappointmentas chancelloron the 1
February 1933, on which night Propaganda
Minister,JosefGoebbels ( 1897-1945)organised
a torchlight
parade ofSS soldiersthroughBerlin
(Kershawl998,p.433).
17. Despite Nazi criticism of many aspects of
German theatre and cinema, Metropoliswas,
perhapspredictably,one ofGoebbels' favourite
films(Koonz 2003,p. 86).
18. See Willet (1988, p. 81). The cover of the
Rammstein DVD, Lichtspeilhaus(2003), is
another example of the use of constructivist
imagery.
19. This performancewas recorded for the DVD,
Liveaus Berlin(1999).
20. This emphasis is also apparenton the cover of
the album,Herzeleid(1995), and in thevideo of
the single,'Du RiechstSo Gut' ('You Smell So
Good') (1995).
21. Source: OfficialExhibitionCatalogue,Deutsche
Kunstzu Munchen(1943).
22. It is notwithinthescope ofthisarticleto discuss
theThirdReich's manipulationofGermanfolkloric perceptionsof nation, blood and soil as
a medium for galvanising German popular
opinion in the aftermath of the Weimer
Republic, although folkloricallusions to these
subjects can be found in several Rammstein
texts.
23. Rammsteinmembersadopted a similartheatrical, static/mechanisticapproach to stage movements while on tour in 2005, although stage
costuming was changed to Lederhosenand
Tyrolean hats and jackets. The stage band's
stagesettingremainedin theconstructivist
style
with a metallic,machine-likestructureproviding a backdrop to the singerand guitaristsand
actingas a riserforthedrummer.See theband's
appearances at the Arenes de Nimes, France
(2005) and the Brixton Academy, London,
UnitedKingdom(2005) (RosenrotDVD [2005]).
24. In the 1930s, the Nazi media published a
magazine called Neues Volkas a mass-market
publicationaimed at membersof the German
public who regarded the already available
politicalpublicationswithdistrust.Koonz notes
thatNeues Volkcontributorspromoted,among
other racist propaganda, concepts of racial
purityamong the Volk(Koonz 2003, pp. 11718). Moreover,itbecame partypolicyto undertake genotypic and phenotypic studies into
racial characteristics,
includingskull measurements,in order to determinean idealised view
oftheperfectNordic/Aryanstereotype(Koonz
2003, p. 112). This view of a racially pure
Germanicpeople is depictedin thesculpturesof
Thorak,Klimschand Breker,among others.

25. My doctoralresearchbuilt upon the works of,

among others,Hobsbawm and Ranger (1989),
Harker(1989), Anderson(1991), Boyes (1993),
Atkinson(2004) and Sweers (2005), and it investigatesthe validationof notionsof tradition
by theinventionof'authenticity'and 'identity'.
26. For example ich, the personal pronoun, pronounced as 'ish' ratherthan the Low German
pronunciation'ik'. For a comprehensivediscussion on regional pronunciationin German
popular music,see Larkey(2000, p. 3).
27. The text of 'Mein Teil' concerns masochistic
sexual fantasyand cannibalismand is based on
a murderthattookplace in 2001in whichArmin
Meiwes killed BerndJiirgenBrandes who had
answered a classifiedadvertisementpublished
by Meiwes asking for a male volunteerwho
wished to be slaughteredand eaten.The textof
'Mein Herz brennt'takes a folkloricsettingas
thebasis forthenarrationofa child'snightmare,
withtheinclusionofdemons,ghostsand fairies.
'Hilf Mir' has a text based on Heinrich
Hoffman'spoem, 'Die gar traurigeGeschichte
mitdem Feuerzeug',whichwas originallypublishedin 1845in a collectioncalled Struwwelpeter
thatHoffmanwroteforhis children.
28. The OberbrettlTheatrewas foundedin Berlinin
1901by Ernstvon Wolzogen as a theatrespecialising in cabaret.
29. The textsof PierrotLunairewere adapted into
German by Otto Erich Hartleben (1864-1905)
frompoems by AlbertGiraud (1860-1929).
30. The firstSprechstimme
performancewas given
by AlbertineZehme (1857-1946).
31. Many actors,such as MarleneDietrichwho performedin Germantheatreduringthe 1920sand
1930s, also performedin cabaret settings.The
cabaretrepertoireoftencombinedtheworks of
such as Weilland Brecht,and comsongwriters,
posers, such as Hindemith, with influences
fromjazz resultingin what Willet refersto as
'music theatre'(Willet 1988,p. 207).
32. TheBalladofMack TheKnifeis a song fromThe
ThreePenny Opera (1928) by Kurt Weill and
BertoltBrecht.The text of this song concerns
murderand bloodshed and provides a further
linkto thetextof 'Mein Teil'.
33. Von Schoenebeck also argues that folkloric
aspects in contemporaryGerman folk songs
mightbe moreaccuratelyregardedas 'fakelore'
(von Schoenebeck 1998, p. 289), a term originallyused by Dorson ( 1950). It is worthnoting
that the Nazis sang many German folksongs,
although the main S.S. marchingsong was a
'folk-influenced'song called the Horst Wessel
Song. This song became the officialanthemof
theNationalSocialistParty,whichviewed itas a
second 'national anthem' to Deutschlandtiber
Alles. Goebbels made Wessel an idealised
martyrto the Nazi cause and Germannational
identityand awareness was furtherpromoted
by theuse ofnotionsofa mythical,once glorious
Germany steeped in folklorictradition and
music. These notions were used to rebuild
nationalself-esteemafterdefeatin WorldWar I,

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Germansymbolism
in rockmusic
the collapse of the Weimar Republic and the
economiccollapse of 1929 (Shirer1960,p. 147).
34. Source:<http://www.plaene-records.de/zupf.
htm> (accessed 6 October2006).
35. Concerns of German ethnologistswere disregardedby German televisionproducers and
commercialsongs continuedto be sold as folk
music duringthe 1990s.
36. Dalai Lamais recordedon the album Reise,reise
(2004). There is no referenceto the Dalai Lama
in the textof this song although the titlemay
relateto SevenYearsin Tibet(1955) by Heinrich
Harrer. In the autumn of 1939, Harrer, an
Austrian mountaineer planned to climb
Nanga Parbat,one of the highestpeaks in the
Himalayas, but was captured and placed in a
Britishprisoner-of-war
camp. He laterescaped
and made his way throughtheHimalayas to the
Tibetan city of Lhasa where the Dalai Lama
befriendedhim. Harrer spent seven years in
Tibet during a period of political upheaval in

471

thatcountry,and the book is a narrativeof his

spiritualenlightenmentunder the guidance of
theDalai Lama.
37. Therewere several liedsettingsof Der Erlkbnig,
most notably by Johann FriedrichReichardt
(1752-1814) in 1794, Franz Schubert (17971828) in 1815 and Carl Loewe (1796-1869) in
1818.
38. Rammstein'stexthas 'Sie sitzen sicher,sitzen
warm' ('They sit in safety,theysit in warmth')
and Goethe's, 'Er fafitihn sicher,er halt ihn
warm' ('He clasped him safely,he held him
warm').
39. This work has also been published as
Shock-Headed
Peterand SlovenlyPeter.
40. In 'Hilf Mir', Rammsteinuse the diminutive
-chenratherthanHoffman's-lein,as in Holzlein.
41. Interviewon DVD, Liveaus Berlin(1999).
42. Thereare severalbands ofthiskindin Germany
such as Die letztenHelden,Freikorps,
Neue Werte,
Nordwindand Radikahl.

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Discography
Rammstein.Herzeleid.MotorMusic CD 529160-2.1995
Sehnsucht.
UniversalCD 537304-2.1997
MotorMusic CD 044-141-2.1998
Stripped.
Du RiechstSo Gut.Motor Music CD 044-033-2.1998
Liveaus Berlin.UniversalDVD PY685. 1999
Mutter.UniversalCD 5496392.2001
UniversalDVD 986604.2003
Lichtspeilhaus.
Reise,reise.UniversalCD 9688150.2004
Rosenrot.
UniversalCD and DVD 987458-9.2005

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