Ein Lied

A pair of big, strong and warm imaginary arms wraps their way around my body and tiny brain when I listen to this song. Ein Lied. Allow me to start this entry with Blaise Pascal’s famous quote: “There is a God shaped vacuum in the heart of every man which cannot be filled by any created thing, but only God, the Creator, made known through Jesus.”

And let me just disagree. Because, there is indeed a hole inside of us all, that people fill differently. Some with money, travelling, marriage, drugs, philosophy, career. We really are looking for salvation all over, and many people never really succeed in finding the one thing that they can just lose themselves in, forget about the world and restore their energy.
I was lucky enough to find Rammstein. My solution, my comfort, my source to energy. A place I can always go to be myself, to be understood and to explain things that I cannot explain myself.

This song helps me in so many ways; Ein Lied comforts me when I’m upset, it helps me relax if I feel tense, and all in all it just makes me feel safe. I’ve never experienced this feeling elsewhere, the song opens a haven inside of my head, a place where I can go to get relief, to unwind and even to receive a big, warm psychological hug after a long day.

Photo of me, taken by my beloved Julie.
A little attempt to show my 'haven', with my beloved guitar faithfully by my side.

I go to my own safe-haven,  where I can let the music consume me, fill me and restore me.
The song has an almost “Guardian Angel” feeling to it, I feel a promise being given to me, that the band will always be there. It encourages me to be the best person I can be, “Wer Gutes tut, dem wird vergeben, so seid recht gut auf allen Wegen.”, and I aspire to meet my own standards every day.

Unlike most Rammstein songs, it’s played in a calm manner, turning the focus to the bass and Tills voice mainly. Not initially something I would have expected from a singer with such a naturally aggressive register. But it really does show how versatile the band, and especially Tills voice is.

For many people, they will probably be able to relate to the feeling of having something in their life happening to them, that they have never actually felt that other people ever quite understood completely. Maybe even something traumatic that they don’t feel they can vent in any other way than to listen to music that explains. One of the major reasons that I adore Rammstein for what they are.
If you want it to, music can always pull you through the darkest of nights; all you have to do is to let it.

Because, truth is, music reaches everyone. It matches everyone, regardless of your religion, political views, preferences and race.
This is what this song is to me. It expresses my love for music, my relief, my salvation. No matter the situation, music can soothe it. It’ll make you feel better in the morning, it will offer you hope to pull through, and give you the energy to fulfill your dreams.

Yet another photo of me, taken by Julie.
Nothing more to say really, than "Music - my savior." 

Weißes Fleisch

Weisses Fleisch… Oh, the controversy! One of the most aggressive songs, both lyrically and musically.
I’m going to do something a bit different this time, given that I actually have a college degree in music, and thought I’d put that into use. Most importantly because I feel that one of the things that makes Rammstein such a different, interesting band, is the way the music completely compliments the lyrics, blending together into an insanely perfect mix. 

Judging from the key signature, I would assume that the key is either D-major or H-minor. There are no other indications other than the two crosses in the beginning of the song, and after having played both scales on piano, both could fit the song. 

Weisses Fleisch is a song consisting of 109 measures and is played with 132 beats per minute, and a time signature containing of 4/4. There is no real dissonance to compliment the harmonics, because the song is played in an anti-harmonic way that helps underline the lyrics.

Now to talk about the lyrics! 

People often take this for a song about a pedophile raping an under aged girl. I’ve always had a different view on the song, maybe because I’ve liked it even before I knew German. What I seem to find myself agreeing on, is that the song is about a psychopath, or at least a persona containing some tendencies, enough to have the urges that a BDSM relationship requires. I made that sound an awful lot more negative than I meant to, but rest assured, I have nothing against such. Anyways, the point!

I believe the song symbolizes a somewhat atypical S/M relationship. The black blood mentioned coming from Till isn’t necessarily literal, but underlines his dark urges to have his way with the girl with the white skin and white dress, expressing a classical view on innocence. “Mein schwarzes Blut versaut dit das Kleid.”
It explains the way a person can get sexually aroused from causing pain to other people, the need to soil another person’s innocence in order to feel superior. “Rote Striemen auf weisser Haut, ich tu dir weh und du jammerst laut” clearly indicates spanking or such, leaving marks behind on the white, pure skin.
The beginning of the “Schulhof”, the schoolyard doesn’t indicate that it is a child to me. More like a metaphor that the punisher is older than her. She surrenders to him, because he is physically superior to her, bigger, taller and stronger, and she acts as a tool to his needs.

This is one of the most erotic songs from Rammstein in my book, having all the good aspects playing up and uniting to a beautiful anthem of a twisted facet of perversion, the urge to make the pure, innocent and untainted dirty, and the trust and expectation from the “white flesh”. And I adore Rammstein for putting out there instead of making a taboo. 

Photo of me, taken by my amazingly talented friend Julie,
attempting to portray the passion, lust and pervesion of the song.
And also because I'm amazingly pale!