Stripped (Depeche Mode cover)

I think RemyKilledElvis, Lorcado, and rammsteingirl got it just right. I also like Alucard_Mishima's interpretation of the video [yes, the olympics have become all about the money and the show, and the idea of a peaceful assembly of all nations has become almost totally buried under all the commercial aspects. However, this was already the case in the 1930ies' olympics where the material used by R+ for their video clip is actually taken from; Hitler used the olympic games for his propaganda in order to give himself the air of a peaceful and cosmopolitan politician (while in fact he was just a powermad and reckless racist)]. Thanks for coming up with an interpretation which wouldn't have occured to me, Alucard_Mishima! Here in Germany, though, most people didn't go as deep in their interpretational efforts; the whole discussion just got hooked up on (maybe even sidetracked to?) the question, whether it was reprehensible to use clippings from the Third Reich olympic games to illustrate the music. This public discussion served to fuel the controversy whether R+ are supportive of right wingers or not. Well, I don't think they are (in fact they distanced themselves from this in their song 'Links,zwo,drei,vier' - but nevertheless: with this type of video they kind of asked for it! I think, it was probably just a well-planned publicity stunt, since bad news is good news - especially if nobody can actually pin you down to what they accuse you of. But I find it refreshing to see that people can actually get much more from R+'s art than just the obvious and very superficial thrill of the verboten. But let me come back to Depeche Mode's Song 'Stripped' for once: I think it is interesting, that they mention Metropolis and chose the television as a symbol for the distractions and fake appearances of our modern society; "Metropolis" is a famous dystopy, and it immediately made me think of other ones such as "Brave New World" and "1984". Now, in "1984", television is also an important motif: In this narrative, the 'telescreens' work both ways, and everything you do is directly televised to the government agencies overseeing all our lives. Now, in the song 'Stripped' (just like in the book "1984"), the protagonists get away from the metropolis in order to regain some privacy out in the fields where they make love. So in a way all these narratives intertwine here. And by this, there's another message conveyed: Making love should be a private thing, and not something you do in order to show off (like all those wannabe celebrities who'll do anything [presumably] shocking on tv just to get their 15 minutes of fame. Ironically, this is just what Rammstein tend to do...)