When I first heard this song (yeeeears ago), I thought it was about what drives people, specifically young people, to commit crimes...The attention and recognition and whatnot...Since the video shows them robbing a bank and being literally rewarded for it I figured I was right.
I was pretty disappointed when Till and Paul said it was just about connecting with the audience during concerts. But I think the lyrics can be taken as a double-meaning - something Rammstein uses a lot, Du Hast being the most obvious example. In the metaphor here, they are the criminals while the audience represents the media and the general public.
Whenever there's a school shooting or similar crime, people are always quick to say it was done "for the attention". It pisses me off, because it's a very narrow-minded way of looking at things. Sure, people do things for attention all the time, but everyday "normal" people don't go around murdering people just to get attention. If such extreme measures are taken just for that purpose then there's other things to be considered.
As the lyrics also address, they don't just want to be "seen", or "to go down in applause", but also "heard", "understood." "In control."
I hate to bring up Columbine here, but I'm reminded of something Marilyn Manson said about the shooting. When asked what he'd say to the perpetrators, he said something like "I wouldn't say anything. I'd listen to what they had to say, because no one else did."
The parents of school shooters often say they had no idea their own child was suffering so much. All of these kids had problems - sometimes serious mental problems - and nobody would listen to them. Their families either wouldn't listen or didn't understand. They had no friends to open up to, or they didn't even feel able to open up to anyone. All that bottled-up depression and anger has to be let out some way.
In the same sense, why do bands like Rammstein make music and do the crazy shit they do? Yes, there's the obvious "attention" motive, but beneath the outrageousness of some of their antics there's an underlying message. They want to be understood, and for people to listen to what they have to say.
I'm not, in any way, justifying the actions of the people who commit these crimes. A lot of people go through far worse situations and turn out fine. That's where the question of mental stability comes in. At the same time, most people with mental or emotional disabilities aren't mass murderers. I think the song is saying the motivations behind such crimes can't be summed up by simply saying "they wanted attention" or "they're just crazy." There's so many other factors to be considered.
Holy shit that was long. Sorry if TL;DR, but I have always wanted to share my interpretation of this song. The video brings a level of complexity to the really simple lyrics, which is what makes it one of my favorite songs and music videos of all time. Watch all of Rammstein's other videos - almost all of them go along with the lyrics, they're not just random unrelated images to go with the song, so I'm pretty sure they did the video that way on purpose. Or I could be just rambling and looking way too deep into it because it's 2:30 in the morning. idk.
When I first heard this song (yeeeears ago), I thought it was about what drives people, specifically young people, to commit crimes...The attention and recognition and whatnot...Since the video shows them robbing a bank and being literally rewarded for it I figured I was right.
I was pretty disappointed when Till and Paul said it was just about connecting with the audience during concerts. But I think the lyrics can be taken as a double-meaning - something Rammstein uses a lot, Du Hast being the most obvious example. In the metaphor here, they are the criminals while the audience represents the media and the general public.
Whenever there's a school shooting or similar crime, people are always quick to say it was done "for the attention". It pisses me off, because it's a very narrow-minded way of looking at things. Sure, people do things for attention all the time, but everyday "normal" people don't go around murdering people just to get attention. If such extreme measures are taken just for that purpose then there's other things to be considered.
As the lyrics also address, they don't just want to be "seen", or "to go down in applause", but also "heard", "understood." "In control."
I hate to bring up Columbine here, but I'm reminded of something Marilyn Manson said about the shooting. When asked what he'd say to the perpetrators, he said something like "I wouldn't say anything. I'd listen to what they had to say, because no one else did."
The parents of school shooters often say they had no idea their own child was suffering so much. All of these kids had problems - sometimes serious mental problems - and nobody would listen to them. Their families either wouldn't listen or didn't understand. They had no friends to open up to, or they didn't even feel able to open up to anyone. All that bottled-up depression and anger has to be let out some way.
In the same sense, why do bands like Rammstein make music and do the crazy shit they do? Yes, there's the obvious "attention" motive, but beneath the outrageousness of some of their antics there's an underlying message. They want to be understood, and for people to listen to what they have to say.
I'm not, in any way, justifying the actions of the people who commit these crimes. A lot of people go through far worse situations and turn out fine. That's where the question of mental stability comes in. At the same time, most people with mental or emotional disabilities aren't mass murderers. I think the song is saying the motivations behind such crimes can't be summed up by simply saying "they wanted attention" or "they're just crazy." There's so many other factors to be considered.
Holy shit that was long. Sorry if TL;DR, but I have always wanted to share my interpretation of this song. The video brings a level of complexity to the really simple lyrics, which is what makes it one of my favorite songs and music videos of all time. Watch all of Rammstein's other videos - almost all of them go along with the lyrics, they're not just random unrelated images to go with the song, so I'm pretty sure they did the video that way on purpose. Or I could be just rambling and looking way too deep into it because it's 2:30 in the morning. idk.