Westerland (song)
| Westerland | |
|---|---|
| The doctors | |
| publication | April 8, 1988 |
| length | 3:40 |
| Genre (s) | Punk rock |
| Author (s) | Farin Urlaub |
| Producer (s) | Uwe Hoffmann , The Doctors |
| Label | CBS |
| album | That's not the whole truth ... |
Westerland is a punk song by the band Die Ärzte . It is the fifth track of their 1988 album Das ist nicht die whole truth ... and was previously released as the second single from it. At that time - in contrast to some songs criticized as objectionable - often played on the radio, Westerland developed into one of the most famous songs of the band. The readers of the Musikexpress voted it third among the best titles in the group.
Text and music
It's a pretty fast, melodic punk song , also known as a " surf hit ". Unlike what is common in punk, organ-like keyboards are used. In the text of the song, songwriter Farin Urlaub - sitting at Wannsee in Berlin - sings about his longing for Westerland on Sylt , with the words "This one love will never end, when will I see it again?" The text, however, contains some ironic ones Exaggerations. Lines like "It's a bit more expensive / But you are among yourself / And I know every second person here / Is just as stupid as I" show that the song, in a punk-rock-typical satirical way, targets the bourgeois holiday habits and the trend towards the chic that is said to exist in the place takes.
Emergence
On the demos that were recorded before the actual production of the album, the island of Helgoland is still the subject of the text. The passage quoted earlier was originally still: "I dream of the rocks / of sun, sea and wind / I dream of the island / where everyone is happy." The general background for the change is a farewell concert on the island of Sylt the planned dissolution of the band accepted, on the other hand the more appropriate topic for punk rock.
In fact, the band played on July 9, 1988 in Westerland in the New Kurhaus in front of around 1500 fans, some with punk clothes and hairstyles, a “culture shock” for the locals. Contrary to fears in advance - an emergency hospital was quickly set up - and rumors circulating later, there were no riots. The hotel where the band was staying owner said, looking back: "They were very dear guys who came partly arrived with their mothers." Only by refusing Farin Urlaub at McDonald's the boom box to lower the volume.
Publication and reception
Westerland was released on April 8, 1988 on CBS as a single and became an often-performed live song in the doctors' repertoire. The single reached number 34 in the German charts and was placed for nine weeks, from October 17 to December 12, 1988. In addition to the 7 "single, a 12" maxi with the 9:34 minute "commercial mix" and a 10 "Picture vinyl edition. All formats also contain a 3:07 minute live version of the song. In addition, a 3" CD maxi was released as a format that was still relatively new and not very popular at the time. The song also appeared on compilations such as The Best from Shortly After Earlier to Now .
Music video
The music video combines scenes from a live performance by the group with scenes from Westerland. For example, scenes of the performance are cut into two virtual “canvases” at a café, similar to later video walls, which, however, did not exist at the time in terms of size and quality. As an allusion to the rich Hamburgers visiting the island, the lines "It is a bit more expensive ..." shows a luxury car with the registration number HH-HH ....
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b When punk came to the island , shz.de, July 10, 2013
- ↑ a b Die Ärzte: These are your 50 best songs (according to you) , musikexpress.de
- ↑ a b The Doctors - Westerland , www.80s80s.de
- ^ The Doctors - Westerland , officialcharts.de
- ^ The Doctors - Westerland , youtube.com