Radio

Album: Rammstein (2019)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • The six Rammstein band members all come from the German Democratic Republic, a state founded in the Soviet occupation zone after World War II. Before the GDR became part of the Federal Republic of Germany in 1990, secretly listening to Western radio stations and their music was prohibited. The opening lyrics translated into English are:

    We weren't allowed to belong
    Couldn't see, talk, or hear anything
    But every night for one or two hours
    I escaped from this world
    Every night a little bit happy
    My ear so close to the receiver


    The GDR government severely restricted citizens' freedom and spies would monitor "system enemies," punishing them if they were caught doing anything deemed illegal. This is the line, "See, talk or hear nothing." Young people such as the Rammstein band members would tune in nightly to Western music beamed in from elsewhere to feel liberated for a few hours.
  • Released as the second single from Rammstein's untitled seventh album, the song topped the charts in Poland and reached the Top 5 in several other countries, including Germany and Hungary.
  • Jorn Heitmann directed the black-and-white music video, which depicts the band performing the song in a 1960s music hall. At the climax of the clip, a police squad tries to break up Rammstein's performance by hitting them with batons. However, it is revealed that the group members are holograms and therefore unaffected by the use of violent force.

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Michael Sweet of Stryper

Michael Sweet of StryperSongwriter Interviews

Find out how God and glam metal go together from the Stryper frontman.

Bob Dylan Lyric Quiz

Bob Dylan Lyric QuizMusic Quiz

Think you know your Bob Dylan lyrics? Take this quiz to find out.

Michael Schenker

Michael SchenkerSongwriter Interviews

The Scorpions and UFO guitarist is also a very prolific songwriter - he explains how he writes with his various groups, and why he was so keen to get out of Germany and into England.

Tony Joe White

Tony Joe WhiteSongwriter Interviews

The writer of "Rainy Night in Georgia" and "Polk Salad Annie" explains how he cooks up his Louisiana swamp rock.

Five Rockers Who Rolled With The Devil

Five Rockers Who Rolled With The DevilSong Writing

Just how much did these monsters of rock dabble in the occult?

Francis Rossi of Status Quo

Francis Rossi of Status QuoSongwriter Interviews

Doubt led to drive for Francis, who still isn't sure why one of Status Quo's biggest hits is so beloved.