Yes, I have to say, this isn't a man trying to commit suicide, or at least, certainly the lyrics say he was just trying to look at the view.
But as with most of Rammstein's songs, there are multiple layers.
Simple narrative -- man climbs up on bridge, bloodthirsty crowd gathers, someone kicks him off the edge
Commentary on society -- It's really completely believable that people might act this way. It's showing a dark side of humanity, one a lot of people don't like to look at. A friend I played this song for told me he'd once seen someone standing at the top of a building contemplating suicide, and so many people had gathered to yell for the guy to jump.... We (as society) really are looking for spectacles and don't always care who gets hurt.... And sometimes if someone gets hurt we are more excited. Art can shine a light on parts of life that some people would rather keep in shadows.
Metaphor -- We, the fans, the screaming public, are trying to force the band (or other public icons) into a certain role that we thought they wanted for themselves, or that we think they ought to want for themselves. Someone on the English translation page for this song brought this up, I hadn't thought of it, but it does fit....
This is my favorite Rammstein song. It is so achingly beautiful, and yet so dark... Classic.
Yes, I have to say, this isn't a man trying to commit suicide, or at least, certainly the lyrics say he was just trying to look at the view.
But as with most of Rammstein's songs, there are multiple layers.
Simple narrative -- man climbs up on bridge, bloodthirsty crowd gathers, someone kicks him off the edge
Commentary on society -- It's really completely believable that people might act this way. It's showing a dark side of humanity, one a lot of people don't like to look at. A friend I played this song for told me he'd once seen someone standing at the top of a building contemplating suicide, and so many people had gathered to yell for the guy to jump.... We (as society) really are looking for spectacles and don't always care who gets hurt.... And sometimes if someone gets hurt we are more excited. Art can shine a light on parts of life that some people would rather keep in shadows.
Metaphor -- We, the fans, the screaming public, are trying to force the band (or other public icons) into a certain role that we thought they wanted for themselves, or that we think they ought to want for themselves. Someone on the English translation page for this song brought this up, I hadn't thought of it, but it does fit....
This is my favorite Rammstein song. It is so achingly beautiful, and yet so dark... Classic.