I had no idea that the German term for singer-songwriter has made it into the English language. A liedermacher (pronounce approximately: ‘leader-ma-her) is basically a song maker, thus the literal meaning. The word only came up after WW II, notably introduced by German musician Wolf Biermann. Being of a more conservative family background, I wasn’t “exposed” to political song lyrics which was originally connoted with this left musician movement. I was listening to the pop music of the time on the radio. Yet I had heard of Wolf Biermann.
Biermann, the son of a Jewish resistance fighter in the Third Reich who was murdered in Auschwitz, harbored Communist ideas and, after WW II, emigrated to the newly founded German Democratic Republic (GDR), where he thought his ideals would receive more support than in Western Germany. Yet his non-conformist views weren’t appreciated by the GDR government; he was even barred from performing, blacklisted, and finally, while on a tour through Western Germany, stripped of his citizenship in 1976. All of his political isolation never stopped him from writing his songs – basically, his attitude shaped a lot of German liedermacher (that’s also the German plural) of the times and encouraged their criticism of politics and society.
One of Western Germany’s best-known liedermacher is certainly Reinhard Mey. His songs appeal to a wider public, as their approach is from a less political angle. One of his most popular songs is this one about the change of the importance of things when you are looking at them from a different angle such as in flying:
This song has even made it into German beer tents in the early 2000s. But he has also written very critical songs about environmental change such as the disappearance of cockchafers, people’s greed at buffets, or tourism.
I’d definitely call Udo Lindenberg another liedermacher – though he is called one of the founders of Deutschrock – yes, indeed, rock music with German lyrics. One of his best-known songs, yet, is his cover version of Chattanooga Choo Choo, a political provocation sung literally across the Wall in 1983, aimed at then GDR head of state Erich Honecker, responding to the stage ban that the GDR had imposed on Lindenberg:
Guess what! Honecker was livid to have been made fun of; but Lindenberg succeeded and was invited to perform at a concert in East Berlin that same year! It was to be his one and only GDR performance, though. Of course, his political engagement had him perform for Live Aid and for Rock Gegen Rechts (pronounce: rock gah-gn rah-ts, meaning rock against the right as in fascism). Which connects him with other German musicians like liedermacher Marius Müller-Westernhagen.
I might be wrong, but the movement of Neue Deutsche Welle (pronounce: ‘noy-ah ‘doy-tshah ‘val-lah, meaning New German Wave) of the late 1970s through the mid-80s would have been unthinkable without liedermacher and/or Deutschrockers like these. They wrote their own songs with German lyrics, and some of them have had quite critical voices. I’m pretty sure all of you have heard of this song by Nena protesting all war:
Today, there are apparently also liedermacher of the political right wing. I have never heard of any of them, as I just looked into a list of theirs. But then, I’m not in touch with German music these days anymore, anyhow. Surely though, I can sing along a lot of the good old stuff that shaped so much of who I am today.
I enjoyed your article about German songs & songwriters, but it caused me to suffer a flashback to the time I lived in the Daynor Apartments with my new wife up near UPS back in the late 1960s.
One of the other tenants called the Tacoma Police on me.
I was arrested for felony level disturbing the peace for singing Irish drinking songs in the shower. My sound was authentic as I had been drinking before breaking into song.
After suffering the indignity of being hauled downtown in handcuffs I have never again been able to carry a toon.
I beat the wrap by singing in the courtroom at my arraignment. The judge threw me & my case out of court.
As I made my exit the judge asked if I knew how to sing Far Far Away? I knew the song, but that was not what he meant. By far far away he meant that I should sing as far away from his courtroom as possible.
Thanks for the memories.
Joseph Boyle
Susanne,
My use of the word toon above is the Joe Boyle phonetic spelling for the unnecessarily complicated word tune.
Toon is found in the Joe Boyle Dictionary & is the preferred spelling especially for those who have English as a 2nd or 3rd language.
Ok, I am going to stop responding before you toon me out.
Joseph Boyle – A guy with a defective secondary education, having never attended kindergarten.
Joe,
You caused me a hearty laugh, my dear friend! But seriously: handcuffed for singing?!
And then you sang them a looney (bin) toon? I picture a judge laughing and crying in despair, tearing out their hair (rhymes without reason). We might never get to sing together anymore, but I’ll never toon you out.
Your friend from far, far away,
Susanne
Udo Lindenberg was poking fun at the Pankow neighborhood of East Berlin, where rich and powerful East German officials lived. A translation of Lindenberg’s lyrics is available at https://www.songtexte.com/uebersetzung/udo-lindenberg/sonderzug-nach-pankow-englisch-73d7a295.html
The original song lyrics and music were composed by American songwriters Harry Warren and Mack Gordon in 1941, and was first recorded by the Glenn Miller band. The song has been repeatedly recorded since that time from multitudes of singers ranging from Bill Haley and the Comets, Ray Charles and Harry Connick Jr. to the Muppets. Italian and Finnish adaptations of the song were also written and recorded.
SONDERZUG NACH PANKOW LYRICS translated
Excuse me, is that the special train to Pankow-
I have to go there
Just to East Berlin
I have to clear something up with your chief Indian
I’m a talented yodeler and want to play there with a band
I have a bottle of cognac with me and it’s delicious
I then slurp that very easily with Erich Honecker
And I say: Hey honey, I sing for little money
In the Republic Palace if you let me
All the clown monkeys are allowed to sing there
Are allowed to bring all their junk to the lecture
Just little Udo, just little Udo
He’s not allowed to do that and we don’t understand that
I know exactly I have an awful lot of friends
In the GDR and every hour there are more
Och Erich ey are you really such a stubborn Schrat
Why don’t you let me sing in the workers’ and peasants’ state
⨯
Is that the special train to Pankow, that’s the special train to Pankow
Sorry for the special train to Pankow
I have a bottle of cognac with me and it tastes delicious
I then slurp that very easily with Erich Honecker
And I say: Hey honey, I sing for little money
In the Republic Palace if you let me
All the clown monkeys are allowed to sing there
Are allowed to bring all their junk to the lecture
Just little Udo, just little Udo
He’s not allowed to do that and we don’t understand that
Honey, I think you’re actually quite easygoing
I know deep down you’re actually a rocker too
You secretly like to put on the leather jacket
And lock yourself in the toilet and listen to West radio
Hello Erich, can you hear me hello-lo-hole hello
Hello honey can you hear me hello-lo-hole hello
Honey can hear me jodelodeldido
Hello Erich can hear me jodelodeldido.
Thank you for the research you did on Ido Lindenberg’s personage and lyrics, Beverly! Actually, Lindenberg doesn’t call Honecker honey, though. He calls him Honni, which was highly disrespectful, of course. And he asks “excuse me, please, is this the special train to Pankow?” What you translated with clown monkeys is actually pop monkeys, as Lindenberg was one of the few who had never been invited but obviously had more meaningful lyrics than just the usual harmless love songs. These days he has changed the lyrics to protest fascist demonstrations in Leipzig.