I know hardly any German, but I do know this is the old version of the German national anthem. After that bit of unpleasantness in the 1940s the first stanza was dropped because it sounded triumphalist - actually, it doesn't mean "Germany rules OK", it's more "I love Germany above everything else", but people were feeling a bit sensitive. Nico sings the banned verse; &, what's more, she sang it in Berlin, accompanied by John Cale, & damn near started a riot! You can't fault her courage. Strange woman, gorgeous voice. This is sung like a dirge & is just a joy to listen to, even if (like me) you can't understand a word. It seems to be made up entirely of cliches - freedom, heart & hand, fatherland, la la la - but the way she sings it does kind of make you want to go right out there & invade Poland...
I know hardly any German, but I do know this is the old version of the German national anthem. After that bit of unpleasantness in the 1940s the first stanza was dropped because it sounded triumphalist - actually, it doesn't mean "Germany rules OK", it's more "I love Germany above everything else", but people were feeling a bit sensitive. Nico sings the banned verse; &, what's more, she sang it in Berlin, accompanied by John Cale, & damn near started a riot! You can't fault her courage. Strange woman, gorgeous voice. This is sung like a dirge & is just a joy to listen to, even if (like me) you can't understand a word. It seems to be made up entirely of cliches - freedom, heart & hand, fatherland, la la la - but the way she sings it does kind of make you want to go right out there & invade Poland...