ThreeTuneTuesday - Nina Hagen: Gorgeous Shock-Rock from Germany

Sometimes you tend to discover new things in stuff you thought you knew, only to realize it goes way deeper than you ever expected. For me that's the case with Nina Hagen these days. I've always liked her, sort of. Her crazy, unleashed operatic voice coupled with innovative music, woven together from all directions. Also, her incredible outbursts on live TV, where she let her views and opinions fly completely unrestrained, often shocking the neat society, who was already so smug and proud of their open-mindedness.

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Given this exciting combination, I am actually surprised that I have not immersed myself deeper into her work sooner, by studying her discography, for example. As I am doing this now, I am reaching the realization that this lady has managed to personify the elusive concept of what punk is really about in her entire lifestyle. No wonder they gave her the nickname Godmother of Punk. So while it would be challenging to put all of that in one post, let me try to give some examples for this week's #ThreeTuneTuesday challenge, created by @ablaze .

Firm Anti-Establishment Roots

Nina grew up in a family of artists, actors, and scriptwriters, in East Germany, which gave her lots of exposure, including her operatic vocal training from a young age. However, the world of performing arts was also closely tied to freedom of expression, which was indeed frowned upon by the political establishment at the time. When Nina's adoptive father, Wolf Biermann was given permission to have a concert in West Germany, but then denied re-entry into East Germany, Nina requested permission to follow him to the West. She threatened the party officials that otherwise she would step into his shoes and "become the next Wolf Biermann". The comrades agreed to let her go. Upon moving to Hamburg, she was given the recommendation to acclimatize herself with life in the West, so she moved to London, taking a head dive into the booming punk scene at the time.

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Instead of featuring her first hit song, Du hast den Farbfilm vergessen, a very subtle critique of East German lack of color, performed in a very presentable setting, the song I picked from Nina's early life is one where she tells the story, in an exaggerated (or not?) German accent, of hanging out with Sid Vicious, trying to open the door to the hotel room where his girlfriend may have overdosed. The song is titled Knocking on Herman's Door, from the 1979 Dutch film Cha Cha. And just like in so many masterpieces of hers, it's not so much about the music itself, but everything else around it. Interestingly, what it reminds me of is not the Bob Dylan original, but the Guns'n Roses cover, as she skips the verses entirely, focusing on the chorus and the spoken bridge.

Musical Versatility in Reinterpretations

Of course Nina Hagen would not have been herself, had she remained on the punk edge of the 1980's, or followed the mainstream into 90's grunge and "alternative". Instead, she carved her way into what she saw as her own alternative, and that is probably more punk than anything commonly identified by that label. She collaborated with various artists from across the musical spectrum, from Brazilian Supla to German rapper Thomas D. In her music she covered Zarah Leander, Rammstein, and reinterpreted songs, such as Spirit in the Sky, Personal Jesus, or Herbert Grönemeyer's Männer. In 1999 she performed in Berthold Brecht's Threepenny Opera, which I still would love to get my hands on. In many of her songs she freely mixes German with English, French, as well as respective slangs.

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In between, she drew attention in various TV appearances, such as a 1992 episode of "Talk im Turm" where she discussed drug policy with Angela Merkel among other guests, before bursting out in her infamous "I will scream at you as much as I want!" for being repeatedly interrupted by her interlocutors. The hour-long show is available online, and it's certainly worth checking out if you speak German. But that clearly does not belong into the #TTT challenge. So instead, I want to share with you Nina Hagen's way of performing My Way. In this song she spontaneously re-interpreted her own interpretation when she heard about the fall of the Berlin Wall. But this one here is from before: a great live performance from 1985:

Gender Issues Before they Became Cool

Of course, Nina Hagen is not simply about shocking the establishment, which she does with skilled finesse. She also has lots of opinions, ranging from extraterrestrials to the food-medical maffia, and is a strong campaigner against cruelty to animals. Another topic that she has been handling from the beginning, is about gender equality, and gender identity. In Wenn ich ein Junge wär she discusses what it would be like if she was a boy.

The song is an adaptation of a hit by Italian pop singer Rita Pavone from 1964, where she mentions wearing pants, riding motorcycles, coming home late at night, and playing football as some of the classical examples illustrating the inequality girls (used to) face. Raising these concerns were scandalous enough in 60's Italy. But in her version Nina Hagen adds that she would hang out in the gay scene, so she would have plenty of sex, if she was a boy. Clearly, nowadays this would not even raise an eyebrow. But back in 1979 it was wonderfully shocking, even in a place like West Berlin.

To see more of my music related posts, please visit my Monday Music post collection.