| Rammstein – Stripped (Depeche Mode cover) Lyrics | 14 years ago |
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While most people seem to only acknowledge this song for its at a first glance; erotic message. But I think this song works on 2 very powerful layers. The Nostalgic layer: This song is centering around a specific time period of Germany. More specifically the time period around the 30's and the late 20's. You might ask why I would make this seemingly absurd claim. And I shall answer you: 1. Rammstein clearly references the famous german Sci Fi Movie "Metropolis" from 1927(this movie is in the top 100 best movies of all time on IMDB, go check it out its an awesome movie!). They then continue in the setting of that movie, with the lines: "You're breathing in fumes. I taste when we kiss " Very relevant as Metropolis is a huge industrial city covered in smoke and fumes. And the movie centers around the love plot between the main characters a rich son of a corporation leader, and a robotic female). 2. Rammstein used another famous german movie, Leni Riefenstahl's movie "Olympia" from 1938, as the music video for this song. Again an emphasize on this specific time period of German history. This nostalgic perspective brings renewed meaning to the chorus; "Come back to the land". Of course we now understand that the land the singer wants us to come back to is Germany in the 30's. and the continuation "Where everything is ours"... gets eerily close to a dark chapter in history. But with the line "For a few hours" we are reminded that this is merely a short nostalgic reminiscence. The Mindless Consumerist layer: First of; the Rammstein band is renown for vehemently attacking the consumerist culture. They have in many songs attacked capitalistic USA and the Mindless Consumerism that they associate with USA(listen to their song "America" for confirmation). Further confirmation can be found: 1. The lines: "Let me hear you. Make decisions. Without your television. Let me hear you speaking. Just for me." is a blatant attack on Consumerism. As the lyrics imply that a person is incapable of making decisions without the help of the television. Which is to say that the person is mindless. And that the person is incapable of speaking. That the person is a drone. Or one of the slave workers from Metropolis. The lines "Let me see you stripped" could also be a reference to see the mindless person described above, stripped of all his consumerist products; Televisions, computers, cars, etc. To find some core truth(which perhaps is to be found in the nostalgia layer). 2. Again the Metropolis quote becomes relevant. As Metropolis ultimately is a critique of capitalism. The movie depicts the relationship between workers and owners in its extreme. The workers are slaves that walk with their heads bend at all times, they live below the city, and frequently die due the terrible conditions of their fume and gas filled environment. Whereas the owners sit atop huge skyscrapers and live lives of pure luxury without ever experiencing or caring for the harsh lives of the many workers. Like Metropolis was a critique of Capitalism, this song is also a critique of capitalism and more specifically; the mindless drones it turns us into. Conclusion. So what is this song really saying? Its saying something about how things were before and after the introduction of the consumerist society. He wants the listener to take his hand and take a short nostalgic trip back to Germany in the 30's, a time before MacDonalds, Radio, Television, Starbucks, Windows, MTV, Blockbuster, the internet and all the other things we associate with consumerism, to perhaps find some values which have now been forgotten. Since he want us 'Stripped' from all these things. I must assume he wants us to know that all these things are not important, and we should strip ourselves of these mindless idols. |
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| Choir of Young Believers – Hollow Talk Lyrics | 15 years ago |
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I agee a very addictive and beautiful song. I think the song could be about one of two things, a relationship that is falling apart, or a person who is reminiscing his childhood and events regarding his parents divorce. Personally I lean more toward the latter of the two possibilities. Partly because there is almost no love in this song, as there ought to be had it been regarding a romantic relationship. Secondly the very important line "And everything goes back to the beginning" suggests that its the latter of the two. So what is this persons past and why is it important? It all seems to be regarding some conflict perhaps a trauma in childhood, the "trembling noices that come to soon" suggest that something is nearing him and is destroying his otherwise perhaps peaceful childhood. And the next line "resonating your mask of feud" again suggests that something is fake or out of order. Personally I think he is describing one of his parents, and since he goes on to say "hollow girl" in the next line I think he is describing his mother in his early childhood and perhaps its a divorce that is nearing, and destroying his childhood euphoria. after this first part of the song music plays and we get the "Never said it was good" and "Shadows raises and you are here" suggesting something has changed to the worse, perhaps at this point the divorce is final, and he now lives with a mom who is struggling to make ends meet, and who still is hurt from the divorce the "Shadows raises and you are here" definetly suggest that are some unresolved issues regarding the divorce and all-in-all in his childhood. "and then you cut" The "you" person in this line could be either of his parent, I think its his mom though. And as we've reached sofar she is not a happy person, but a person filled with anger. "you cut it out" what she cuts out must be love, or at least the capacity for love. As the divorce must've changed her view on this. "and everything goes back to the beginning" she doesnt realize why she does this, but the main character the man who is reminiscing his childhood and the events regarding his parents divorce realizes that his mom's behavior is due the events regarding the divorce and the feelings that were hurt at the time. "Silence seizes a cluttered room, Light is shed not a breath too soon. Darkness rises in all you do, Standing and drawn across the room. Spatial movements are butterflies Shadows scatter without a fire." These lines again describes this "you" person that could be either of his parents, or even himself. I think these lines speaks for themselves. Needless to say things are bad. "There's never been bad, there has always been truth, Muted whisper of the things she'll move." Ahh a "she" character perhaps it was his mother he was describing all along then. muted whispers must be a metaphor for what she has cut out earlier in the song. exactly what its she'll move or even if that is supposed to be analyzed as a metaphor is bit unknown to me. "Never said it was good, never said it was new, Muted whisper of the things you feel. " of course as she has cut out her love and thereby her capacity to feel, the 'whispers of the things you feel are muted' |
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| System of a Down – Soldier Side Lyrics | 15 years ago |
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I dont know if anyone else has pointed this out, but I think there are some references to the movies "Full Metal Jacket" and "Apocalypse Now" movies that also deal with theme of war and soldiers. I'll show you. "Maybe you're a sinner into your alternate life" The movie Apocalypse now is based on a book called "Heart of Darkness", the main theme is the change within the main character as he travels into vietnam, and the further he gets in, the more crazy he becomes, ultimately creating an alternate life and becoming a sinner(raping women and killing people). "Maybe you're joker, maybe you deserve to die" The main character in Full Metal Jacket is a soldier who we follow from recruitment untill deployment in Vietnam and his name is "Joker" and much like the main character of apocalypse now he too becomes slightly more and more inhumane the further he goes in vietnam. The movie ends with him shooting a vietnamese woman hence the reason he might deserve to die. "He's gone so far to find no hope He's never coming back" Again a reference to the long distance the main character in Apocalypse Now has to travel up the river to find what he is looking for, in the meantime becoming more and more insane. And as we see in the movie, he doesnt return, hence the reason hes never coming back. Note: This is repeated throughout the song with a few variations. "Young men standing on the top of their own graves" This is an almost direct portrayal of a scene from Full Metal Jacket, where the soldiers are standing atop a mass grave. This could all be overinterpretation, but I find somewhat fascinating that there are so many lines that can work as references to these 2 hugely famous war movies. 2 war movies that much like this song ultimately criticizes war and the changes they create in the soldiers. |
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