Deutschland by Rammstein: An Analysis

[@pianoraves]

POV: a german guy explains your own country's history to you in a foreign language

[@mo_shiota1637]

Well, count me in 😅

[@hannihonk6373]

I learned that in school

[@klausvanandan8968]

wer spricht schon Deutsch in ? in diesem Kanal (dein Kanal) -> (youtube) um etwas zu verbreiten, muss man schon etwas in der Sprache sprechen, die viele Menschen verstehen. Gehe ich in ein fremdes Land, spreche ich die Spache der Menschen die da leben.

[@Wuei108]

@@klausvanandan8968 Ja, das macht Sinn. Israel würde mich reizen. Ich kann kein Hebräisch. Korea würde mich reizen. Ich kann kein Koreanisch. Englisch kann ich, Reizt mich aber nicht als Reiseziel. Französisch kann ich teilweise. Reizt mich auch als Reiseziel. Atlantikküste, Deutsche U-boot Bunker, Südfrankreich, Marseille der Sündenpfuhl. USA, China beiden haben große Anziehungskraft, China noch bisschen mehr. Die Mutter der Kultur Ostasiens.

[@vladiiidracula235]

Must be pretty damn surreal

[@ugh_dad]

Can we all just take a moment to appreciate the level of thought & effort that goes into pretty much every Rammstein video? Very few artists go to these lengths, always next level.

[@IloveGorgeousGeorge]

And money...thats a hell of a set and a video.

[@maxkordon]

I mean, most artists try, Rammstein just has access to an incredible amount of resources that most artists could only dream of

[@RuiLuz]

Yes, conceptual art.

[@arianastrangelove]

And One does top quality videos too, and Steve Naghavi is Iranian. screw all you white supremecists, my wife is black as night and I am proud!

[@bioticzilean5489]

There is no other band in the world putting so much depth in there music / video

[@hbomberguy]

DU

[@PRTZLnet]

HAST

[@Snarfindorf]

DU HAST

[@Warpwaffel]

DU HAST MICH

[@svgarpaws]

DU HAST MICH GEFRAGT

[@thedoruk6324]

+hbomberguy *mein hell friendz!*

[@MrRootMusic]

Being a Polish person and knowing our troubled history with our neighbours I honestly say that this video brought a tear to my eye. I have a lot of friends in Germany, I've been to Germany many times, I also speak German and I know their turbulent history very well. I totally understand the message of this song and this video. I understand how hard it is to live with the burden of your parents and grandparents wrongdoings. I understand how troubled history German people had. I might be one of the few Polish people who openly reach a friendly hand and send love to my German friends, but I will do it over and over again to bury the past and look for the future.

[@BauerAzlan]

dziekuje my brother

[@allengordon6929]

There should be a polish, then hungarian, then romanian, then serbian, then russian, then turkish version or counterpart of this song.

[@pzakp311]

Danke für die Geste und die Worte.

[@bohemianwriter1]

Visited Poland 23 years ago on an interrail trip. I hear that Poland has changed politically since then And not for the better The same foces and voices who went along with the Nazi occupation are the same ones who marches the streets today attacking anyone they see as different .

[@Pretermit_Sound]

@@bohemianwriter1 Poland has seen a marked shift to the right in the last decade or so. Part of the wider worldwide trend of increasing authoritarianism in national governments, and political discourse. Their president, Andrzej Duda, is a total a-hole. Persecution of the LBGTQ+ community has become especially prevalent in the country unfortunately. I’m half Polish myself (Glowaski), and it’s very disappointing to witness Poland backsliding like this. They were such a beacon of hope, democratic values, and people-power during the final years of the Cold War. The Solidarity Movement was a huge inspiration in shaping my own political beliefs, and now it’s legacy is being spat on. I sincerely hope that Poland Is Not Yet Lost. ✌🏻🇺🇸🇵🇱

[@silverfiste]

So I came here to see why it takes 27 minutes to analyze a video, and got educated on german history.... I love the internet.

[@darkdream1469]

Lol

[@minardi9992]

Internet power

[@clicheguevara5282]

Being truly educated on Germany is literally illegal.

[@lonelysith66]

Why even bother going to school? 🤣🤣🤣

[@minardi9992]

@@lonelysith66 Many teacher use KZbin as well as their lesson to support their lesson actually

[@markschaumann3012]

If only every nation was as brutally honest about its history...

[@TheTheThe_]

Looking at America and Japan

[@Osama84ca]

well said

[@Kat-Kobold]

Looking really hard at Britain rn

[@cantutmez8854]

In Turkey it's impossible..we are taught that armenian genocide was fake and we didn't do it..and people say"we didn't do it but we wish we did"..

[@Andyw1228]

Are there parts of Japanese war crimes in Japanese school books or about the decimation of native Americans in US school curriculum? I assume not. So in fact Germany is one of the only countries being brutally honest about its history. That, at least, is something to be proud of... among some other things.

[@ToastedWafflez]

Buy a coffee for 30,000 marks, sell it back to the barista for 60,000 two minutes later. Stonks.

[@zacharymohammadi]

Me: can I have money for candy bar? Mom: Ok ... here you go, 5 trillion marks

[@aaronamour6101]

But in like 30 seconds, your 60,000 marks are worth like only 70% of what they were worth when you got them.

[@mordredthemightymetalhead5929]

*Marx

[@Tedsville]

STONKS

[@soulsinkpen3964]

LMFAO if it doesn't have my spitting it then it's going to be double the cost

[@alexroselle]

One of my favorite visual references in the video (there are so many, and they come and go so fast) was when Ruby Mossey as Germania appeared in a gold chainmail bikini, with sunglasses and a fur coat, holding back four snarling dogs (and backed by a squad of armed Bundespolizei) - an obvious reference to and subversion of the statue of Victoria in a four-horse chariot which tops the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin.

[@donjulio420]

Same. It’s absolutely stunning

[@LaplacianDalembertian]

My favourite scene is SS officer handshaking with Inquisition, then both are watching over burning books. Germany was essentially eaten from inside by Inquisition, that's why German Empire were not catching up with British Empire.

[@ad.kaiser]

You mean Ruby Commey, not Mossey

[@darklight6013]

You missed the part when monks and priestes feast upon the body of Germany and when, the same clerics, happily hug nazis; a clear reference about how church has always preyed on the people misery and it is also been very appleasant and collaborative with an antisemitic and uberconservative leadership such as the nazi's one. Thank for the explanation about the weimar's turbolent history elements shown in their clip.

[@samgreen5517]

How do you interpret the scene that scene with the red box below the cannibalisation of Germania?

[@Gay_Bradbury]

I really like what you said. I totally agree. The church , especially the Catholic church has a dark last when it comes to atrocious regimes and people. I also think it's very relevant , look how the Russian Orthodox church is Putin's pet and show support for him.

[@Fulllife3.2]

The funny thing is that Hitler and The Catholic Church did not actually like each other.

[@cirithduath7526]

Well said and I wholly agree.

[@wolf13xxx]

That scene was terrifying and disgusting to me. I felt for Germania in that scene.

[@rowan-priince1860]

Rammstein literally said “f*ck nazis” and people freaked out because they said nazis :|

[@zerosixsixsix2931]

best comment yet

[@Mayhzon]

Well serves them right. Anyone still talking about Nazis deserves to get shamed for being dumb. Imagine trying to garner brownie points saying "Nazi bad".

[@janjarous]

@@Mayhzon Yeah. Why they mention nazis in video about german history? Thats dumb.

[@regularsapiens8060]

@@Mayhzon Dumbs or idiots or extremists avoid parts of history, change them or chose not to speak of them (japan and their behaviour in china and almost everywhere their army goes, Armenian genocide in turkey and so on).. Now it s part of history, dont talk about parts of history is dumb, anyone can speak freely of any history event as long as he dont transform it .. That s what they do in Poland, the result is fine.. And you got the extremists raising again everywhere.. Strange, extremists are present in Israel too and in every country, nothing can be said to them as long as they say "shoah".. Like a magic word..

[@Foreignhedgehog]

@@Mayhzon gr8 b8 m8

[@nobody4248]

Germania is black, but she also wears red and gold to symbolize german flag.

[@finnfinity9711]

Why didn't they take a chinese girl wearing black and red?

[@grantbrown1695]

@@finnfinity9711 based on their politics probably because the choice of a black woman is a lot more stark and much harder for those on the far right that might want to appropriate a band like rammstein to swallow

[@karstenschuhmann8334]

@@grantbrown1695 Chinese are not really yellow, they have a similar range of skin colors as Europeans.

[@laststand3525]

Red and Gold or more than just the colour of the german flag. Already the Holly Roman Empire used these combination (black eagel on gold background).

[@meranger92]

@@finnfinity9711 Because chinese aren´t gold?

[@lisamann]

As a Jew I was never offended by the brief trailer for the video depicting band members about to be hung. Because it INSTANTLY hit me as a stark condemnation- a big middle finger- to the Third Reich and all it stood for. It never seemed like a cheap stunt to me, and I didn't understand the controversy. Thanks for exploring the other images in the video and explaining the related history, of which I as an American know very little.

[@ExarchGaming]

@@hansprins6147 Ruby was probably pretty strategically chosen, because with her skin color, it represents one of the colors of the german flag, the others being gold and red (which is part of her armor) it likely has very little to do with anything related to african descended people. This is entirely about wanting to be proud of germany's long and very deep history, but also condemning commiting some of the very worst acts that humanity inflicts upon each other. The perspective of other countries is irrelevant here, this is to germans, from a german band born out of the communist controlled east germany.

[@notlikethis9932]

@Hans Prins She is not Eva. She is always Germania.

[@ProtoIndoEuropean88]

hahahah you as an american? before you're american, you're jewish and that says alot

[@radschele1815]

The Zentralrat der Juden was critisizing the video not only for the depiction but using it for publicity as well. It might be different in the states but using Nazi symbolics is partly criminal, partly shunned and quite narrow used in art. The Nazis were so often depicted in pop culture in the USA, it's more common to use the symbols. I think there is a difference of view here

[@emzetkin1100]

​@@radschele1815 I mean, if we zoom out a bit away from the depictions of concentration camps, we see this almost skepticism for German patriotism as Germania bays for blood. The broader point of whether these depictions should be allowed is really contentious and might just be cultural, Americans are more individualistic and tend to think censorship doesn't even exist in our country. I'm definitely not one of those "heritage" weirdos, rather I think it's important to look at your country's past very honestly and consider the implications. American history is defined by racism, there's no way around that fact, but what does that mean for people of color living here?

[@derharlekin5205]

I think the witch who was burned was Germania. Which leads me to the interpretation that the burning of books is meant to be a burning of Germany, in a cultural and intellectual sense.

[@napoleonbonaparteempereurd4676]

"Those who burn books will end up burning people"

[@EddieMorphling]

You can actually see that its not Germania but Wilhem II. , seen at the badges she is wearing while burning. She wears the same ones when she portrayed Wilhem II. in the shot before meaning that the Nazis didnt only burn books when they got into power in 1933 but they also burned the last chances of Wilhem II. ( and with him the whole monarchical system ) to return leading the country ever again.

[@ozra874]

@@EddieMorphling I think that Germania was always wearing outfits and colours depicting the current 'Germany', i.e. Black and White in the prison scence, golden armor with the eagle in the middle ages. So whilst your argument is proper, I think it is secondary, and the interpretation of 'Der Harlekin' holds.

[@EddieMorphling]

@@ozra874 I agree but I dont think that that was the point of the original poster, since he said that he thinks that the witch burned was Germania which was quiet obvious at that stage in the video if he was trying to make the argument you stated, if you know what I mean.

[@ScorpionViper1001]

Also one of the most intense and ugly periods of witch hunting took place in Germany during the Thirty Years War. There's a lot of parallels between the religious fanaticism that ripped apart the German states in the early 17th century and the social Darwinist imperialist delusional zealotry that was the Third Reich.

[@ashesfalldown492]

I gotta say as a Jew I was at first worried when I saw the snippet when they released it but I wanted the whole context and Rammstein did not disappoint. Even in the snippet it didn’t seem exploitative and I was furious at how people were reacting to it. I was glad to see how right I was when the whole video was released. It is an amazing piece of art and has a ton of meaning. Thank you for breaking it down.

[@Osama84ca]

I think the scene with the execution of the SS officers and the crying of the prisoner really bury the argument that it is a pro nazi video. I agree with the author though, that the snippet was a cheap marketing gimmick and pretty intentionally ambiguous. However, I think it is difficult for Germans to reflect on their history without being accused of glorifying Nazism. It was an important part of their history, something to learn from. I have always been fascinated by the Nazis, despite being strongly opposed to their hateful and ignorant ideology. As you Jews say, forgive but never forget. Sincerely, your loving neighbor, a Canadian Egyptian!

[@dantecaputo2629]

Mayhzon There is a difference between having pride in your country, and celebrating Nazis. There are many things to be proud of in German history, the war years are not among them. Now, of course Ramstien was not celebrating Nazis, and that’s a good thing. But in the context of being worried about that first snippet without context, it makes sense.

[@ulonpirmaggins1424]

Tiel Liedmann is on the brink of being hanged as a Jewish political prisoner saying whilst crying: Mein Liebe kann ich dir nicht geben. My Love I can't give you (back). Which i was then the situation of the German Jews. I guess here that a political Jewish prisoner had to be German. German Jews were German and some gave their lives to Germany in World War I. So it means that the Nazi Holocaust sealed beyond repair a Love that would become impossible to give again. Exile again.

[@Mayhzon]

@@dantecaputo2629 No it doesn't. Being worried about any mainstream band in Germany means having not understood German (pop) culture. It's all soft boiled eggs cowtowing to whatever the most sanitized politician says. Pussified to the core, afraid to offend anyone and constantly Anti-German in spirit and action.

[@Schwachsinnn]

@@Mayhzon Pop culture is always soft, doesn`t even depend on where it`s coming from, so what`s your point? There is definetely also harsh and controversial music to be found and allowed. That this particular kind of music doesn`t attract 80% yet lets say 10 % of the population is self explanatory. It`s called individual taste. Rammstein is heavy music that needs you to dive into it to fully embrace it. But most ppl prefer the easy to listen/ moody music and I don`t see why that should be a problem. Music is for entertainment and each individual has other needs.

[@bloodwolf6274]

Teacher: Why are you so good in german histoy? Me: I watchted, listened and understood Deutschland by Rammstein

[@leopoldsalzbrenner7791]

Sir are you trying to reference Ceasar here? (I came, I saw, I conqured)

[@bloodwolf6274]

@@leopoldsalzbrenner7791 Maybe

[@jaroslavb.korinek7285]

Here is your PhD.

[@KayosHybrid]

‘Nationalism is easy to overdose on’ is an absolutely fantastic, genius phrase

[@DoroteoVilla]

The opposite is also true

[@cuddlycuttlefish5674]

@@DoroteoVilla thank you, captain Obvious

[@marra4459]

@@cuddlycuttlefish5674 actually to liberals I don't think its that obvious

[@loschwahn723]

@@bluecollarcanuck nope ANARCHY is just like those french illness named EU in OPEN PUBLICSKI naPOLEon - there is the problem in open borders outside of mental hospital

[@bluecollarcanuck]

@@loschwahn723 I'll have to ask you to translate to a clearer form of English. ;) -although, I presume you mean that "open borders" is pure insanity.

[@suides4810]

I think "mein Land" and "Amerika" also give some perspective on how they see imperialism and nationalism.

[@LauraGrrrr5370]

oh but that involves actually knowing German and who has time to learn anything other than God's Language which is English [/sarcasm]

[@k8g8s8]

As a kid I really learned a lot about politics tough them by looking up the lyrics.

[@suides4810]

Laura Griffin true

[@ToxicTerrance]

@@k8g8s8 SAAAAME

[@flrnGM]

If "Mein Land" had been released in 2015, they would have faced an extrordinary right wing shit storm.

[@juhaturu849]

Do you see the symbolism in germanias colours? Her BLACK skin, her golden(YELLOW) chainmail and her RED lips or background. Those colours make a german flag.

[@Ajunta]

The patron saint of the HRE was ST. Maurice. He was also the patron saint of knighthood and soldiers. The sword of the crown juwels of the "first" "german" "Reich", the holy roman empire, was allegendly that of the christian martyr. The image and attributes of "germania" from the 19th century are based on him. Look him up. ...then you will realise the real genius in that depiction.

[@lebens3585]

Actually the German flag is golden and not yellow. At least officially.

[@juhaturu849]

@Blæck Løtus That's kind the point. Doofus.

[@Johnson-br2lw]

@@juhaturu849 what is the point again

[@tridder]

@@lebens3585 It is said to be golden, but the official colours name is, as recommended by the Ministry of Inner Affairs, "Melonengelb" or RAL 1028 and in fact not golden. However you're right that officially it's golden as dictated in § 22a of the German Constitution

[@MrAbse2001]

As an Israeli Jew, I find this beautiful and not offensive at all. I have very controversial feelings towards Germany. I love this country, the language is beautiful so I learned it, the culture and food are great, and the people are really nice (at least today). However, as I said I am Jewish, moreover my parents are from Russia, I have everything to lead me to hate the country. Sometimes I feel guilty for loving it and being in Berlin got me in tears, thinking I am having good time where my great grandpa fought almost to death against the power of evil. I believe this song and its' video are representing the German patriotism, while criticizing their country and not being nationalist. They are afraid/ashamed to express their national feelings, and when they do we understand why. The moment I watched the video and I saw the lead singer dressed as a Jewish prisoner in a death camp saying "Deutschland über allen" I was like "NOW THAT IS ART". This cynical expression of feelings towards your own country, made me feel like the Germans (as a nation and not as a state) did leave it in the past, and yet it is a part of who they are. I don't want to make this comment to long, but there is much more to say.

[@alexrenxa7700]

I dont know i think thats what being a TRUE nationalist is about, knowing your country and loving it but ALSO knowing it has a bad past and acknowledging it as something that happened and knowing it was bad. I dont think being nationlist means you HAVE to think your country has no faults and is perfect. I dunno.. not trying to rip into you at all, just giving my thoughts, just been thinking about nationalism a lot lately with the U.S's current state haha

[@MarcFMusic]

Don't feel guilty for having a good time, where your grandpa fought almost to death... Feel blessed, that times have changed and you can actually have a good time there again! It's a privilege you should enjoy! We have to remember the past, so it won't happen again, but we also have to let it go. - Greetings from Germany!

[@antidote5125]

@@alexrenxa7700 Being proud of your country but still acknowledging its faults is just national pride, and you're right, that's fine. Nationalism is specifically loyalty to your country to the point of erasing those faults, though - I would discourage you from calling yourself a nationalist if that's not what you want people to think you're like.

[@Nat-fn4ou]

Danke für dein Kommentar! Ich finde auch, dass das Musikvideo genial und seinen Hype wirklich verdient hat. Deutschland ist mit den Jahren immer toleranter zu bestimmten Menschengruppen geworden,aber leider gibt es noch einige Hohlköpfe, die menschenrechtsverachtende Dinge tun. Ich habe einige muslimische und dunkelhäutige Freunde, die sich schon viel zu viele wiederwertige Kommentare anhören mussten. Auch haben jetzt zum Beispiel die "Querdenker" und auch rechte Parteien bewiesen, dass sie die Pandemie für sich nutzen. Es gibt also immernoch einen Haufen ignoranter Idioten, die nicht zur Ethik dieses schönen Landes (mit viel und wichtiger Vergangenheit) passen. Ich hoffe, dass einige aber ihre Stellung überdenken werden.

[@odessa5631]

@@antidote5125 who cares what people think it means! We can always re-define it. To me nationalism is knowing and loving all parts of the country as well

[@myaxalienn]

I feel like every country needs their own ‘Rammstein’ to make art like this so everyone knows the real history their country tries to hide

[@hmcredfed1836]

if you think this: "knows the real history their country tries to hide" is the reason why rammstein made this song you got it 100% wrong. But how when you almost 30min long video explaining the song ... it is about the feeling of being German and how the German identity has developed, how it has been enslaved and abused by many groups throughout history.

[@myaxalienn]

@@hmcredfed1836 I genuinely have no idea what you’re trying to say here. Yes it’s about the history of the country they’re from and their feelings about their German identity. It very clearly shows that in the song and video. I said every county should be honest about the often dark parts of their history that they tend to sweep under the rug. What’s your point?

[@sayan_tan]

Tell it to Arab mate.

[@narumakiii]

Japan needs this lol

[@19Peace69]

Illmerica - Wolfgang Gartner.

[@jademoon7938]

I've watched this video a few times, and I never once got the impression they were being exploitative or insensitive or anything like that. There's no disrespect. They're talking about their relationship with their homeland, a mix of pride and shame, love and hate, joy and pain. There are things to hold Germany up for, and things they should hang their heads for. Same as any country, though Germany has had a rocky road for one of the leading modern economies of today. How could they just leave out the Nazis? That would've seemed.. Like they were trying to pretend it didn't happen. It did. And they are ashamed of it. That's why they made themselves the victims. They sympathize. I just don't get the criticism. It's a mini movie of Germany's history. Can't just cut out the parts people would rather not think about. That would be wrong. I think it's beautiful and sad and it was moving. I love it. Rammstein has always been pushing the boundaries. I don't think this is one of those times. They're expressing their mixed feelings about their heritage in art. That's it.

[@helvete_ingres4717]

Is there something virtuous about ostentatious displays of 'shame'?

[@Zaitekno]

Thank you Jade, nailed it!

[@galatzy01]

@@helvete_ingres4717 It is and this is of much concern for all the nationalists, race realists or others euphemisms they like to cover themselves with. It means you fully accept all the history of your country, the good stuff and also what the aforementioned groups want to downplay at all cost, the bad stuff.

[@Osama84ca]

very well said comment!

[@ET-tt7oq]

The criticism, as usual, comes from ignorance and not actually taking the time to properly interpret what the artist's message is. this is unfortunately the curse of today's generation. They just jump to being offended before getting owned by the truth. Then they need a safe space.......

[@thejadedeagle6729]

A political observation I noticed: In the concentration camp scenes, Germania is wearing her eye patch over her left eye. Perhaps to symbolize that Germany was only "seeing" through the right (wing) at the time.

[@yossee614]

actually both eyes... check the official video @ 4:00 and 4:12 ;) I guess Germany was just blind lol

[@SomebodyPerfectly]

Left eye/right hemisphere, right eye/left hemisphere

[@kogasoldier9379]

@@SomebodyPerfectly what were the nazis biggest enemy? Communists right? Communists weren't the right wingers in this timeline. Just throwing that out there before the obligatory "but nazis were left wing because they were national SOCIALISTS" I feel you want to throw out there. I'm not discounting the idea that I completely misread your comment though....

[@tabeazizka6070]

Hi i am german and I think the eye patch is supposed to resemble the resistance fighters during the nazi time. Especially the duke of staufenberg who wore an eye patch. So germany is not only nazi germany but also the people who were against it.

[@TheNthMouse]

@Yosse - you're right: it is both eyes. OP is right about the symbolism. It's a way of saying "don't be blind to, or focus on, either wing."

[@CFilmer]

My favorite part of the song: "Wer hoch steigt der wird tief fallen, Deutschland, Deutschland über allen" "The higher you climb, the farther you fall, Germany, Germany above all"

[@nickliba5819]

Also wird Deutschland sehr tief fallen, nicht wahr?

[@RoguSpanish]

Holy shit, does that really rhyme both in german and english? These guys are clever as fuck.

[@kazaddum2448]

@@nickliba5819 Hat es doch schon mehrfach.

[@ulture]

@@RoguSpanish it helps that the two languages are very closely related. like, you can see 'Fallen' and 'allen' are the same words as 'fall' and 'all'.

[@Torn9696]

I love the cuts in the video at the time of these lyrics.

[@TheCyberDruid]

German here: This is why I cry when watching/hearing the song. Germans are not easy to understand, but we did (mainly) evolve past WW2. So much wrong did create something better in the end. This song really strikes a nerve, but it does it in a way that makes sense.

[@TheCyberDruid]

When my wife (Polish) tried to get a German passport we were asked to prove that I (as a German) know the dates and full names of my parents and grandparents. That is the legacy of the Nazi regime still beng part of today's immigration law in Germany.

[@zvendiearschficker6664]

Rammstein reminds us through their music that WWII didn’t happen a thousand years ago. That’s why so many people (Germans) find this distasteful. They recognize that our savagery isn’t something of the past, but something that is with us now. We all want to be good people, so we react defensively. We must not forget our history, no matter how dark it is because that’s the only thing that will prevent us from repeating it again.

[@mikeschoe]

I’m an American who was born into a German family. My last name is Schoenbaum, which used to be Schoenēbaum in Germany. My great-great grandfather came to America in 1888. My family was always very proud of our heritage. Despite growing up in America, my paternal family ate German food, spoke German, had German dogs, we really embraced our heritage despite being American. I’m really self conscious of the ugly history of Germany. I’m ethnically half German

[@micko6393]

Germans are alright. Everybody makes mistakes.

[@shaunahinson5814]

Just watched this as an assignment for a college Ethnic Politics in the US class. Used by our German American instructor as an example of a "text" analysis we will have to complete on US media. So your message is still spreading far. Thanks for such detailed content!

[@livstalklinga6804]

Oh! I just found this ( found rammstein a long time ago, but totally missed this song until 2024) and my first thought was " they should use this in school "!!! Soo Gooood!!

[@AslanW]

German band: **Being german** Rest of the world: .... German band: **references German history in their art** Rest of the world: **Starts sweating profusely**

[@TheYasmineFlower]

And then we make a killing on the deodorant sales.

[@zacharymohammadi]

Swedish band: **does literally the exact same thing** Rest of world: **happiness noise** (I’m referencing sabaton in case anyone is wondering)

[@JebeckyGranjola]

I thought you meant Abba

[@zmaniacsheriff]

Oh shit they about to do it

[@XenaBe25]

@@JebeckyGranjola LOL

[@jimmy21584]

Re. the theme of their other song “Radio”, I didn’t realise what the “every night, for 1 or 2 hours” meant until a Berlinerin metalhead explained it. The jamming of Western radio stations by the East would go down for a few hours very early in the morning. So that was the only time when the East Berliners could catch the illegal news and music from the West, instead of the Schlager songs and propaganda from the East.

[@ausintune9014]

Propaganda from West and east

[@ci9099]

Oooh that was interesting! Thank you for sharing that info!

[@TheContraspirit]

At the time the members of Rammstein listened to western radio stations (in other words the 80s) there was no jamming anymore. Everyone in East Germany listened to western pop and rock music. I guess the line refers to a special Metal broadcast.

[@yltraviole]

Oof, only a couple hours of non-schlager music? I sympathize

[@amandawyllis9826]

Richard only had one cassette tape of AC/DC to listen to when he was young because getting "Western" music and instruments was impossible

[@HerbertLandei]

Casting Ruby Commey was pure genius, not because of the colour of her skin, but because of her performance. It's hard for me to picture someone else playing this role.

[@Ravenkell8]

She embodies regal, pompous and magnificence to such an extent that you know she is not just a person, she is a nation and idea. Acting and presence that defines the video, I've never seen someone that could just BE an idea and concept. You never wonder why she's there, you just know...

[@loschwahn723]

@@Ravenkell8 omg... this coloured is only standig for a "burned one" - a STATEBASED CRIMINAL

[@necroplastful]

She is beautiful ngl. Thats a real woman right there

[@kevlonk]

Casting her was an incredibly ballsy choice on the director's part and Rammstein's. They knew what they were doing, and they knew that they were going to piss off nationalist types. The result was glorious, she was absolutely perfect in the role.

[@christopherstein2024]

@@kevlonk Your comment shows complete unawareness of the sentiments in Germany. There was absolutely nothing ballsy about casting a black women for the role, on the contrary it serves as a convenient counterweight for the tones of the video. You have swastikas, band members in KZ uniforms, "Übermenschen" and "Deutschland, Deutschland über allen", without a clear condemnation all of those go way beyond the comfort zone of the German mainstream. Portraying Germany as a black women is a clear condemnation of the referenced historical ideas that you can't miss. Something like this was needed in the video. Nobody in Germany is scared to piss off the nationalist types. Pissing of the nationalist types is the most uncontroversial thing you can do in Germany. Germans are scared to piss of the anti-nationalist types. For example: German politicians are not willing to declare German the language of the country in the constitution because that could be seen as nationalist.

[@alexbenavidez4500]

Rammstein: *Kissing on stage, singing Liebe ist für alle da, waving LGBT+ pride flags, declaring they hate Nazi's, portraying themselves as the oppressed victims of the Nazi regime* Critics: Are these far-right nationalists?? NAzis??? I actually remember having someone ask me after I said I loved Rammstein, that aren't they hard right-wing?? and I was like ? No? I can sorta see where the shock elements in the hard aesthetic would remind you of that, but they're distinctly counter-culture and counter-authority and have a very clear disdain for fascism. They also have zero issue portraying minorities such as POC or LGBT+ individuals in an empowered and positive light in their music Why can't the controversy be more centred around how damn filthy they are sometimes lmao. You absolutely cannot detach the sexual element of their music from the band, but can you not fuck your throat til you vomit on stage pls danke

[@diabetoes]

@BLUE DOG and waving gay pride flags while kissing on stage in Moscow was a nazi dog whistle to show..... what exactly?

[@MagisterialVoyager]

mood

[@sloppynyuszi]

@BLUE DOG they aren't Nazis. Listen to more songs from them.

[@sloppynyuszi]

@BLUE DOG what are you getting at? There hardly is any actual free speech anywhere. In the US you have the FCC controlling media on what you can and can't say publicly, and other stuff. And a lot more examples everywhere on this. Back to Rammstein. I'm pretty sure they don't like Nazis. I don't think they are using any trickery to bypass anything. If they felt strongly about something they aren't allowed to say in Germany, they could record and release their songs abroad. I'm sure they have the clout and money to go to US, Japan, Russia or Jamaica, where they can record all the antisemitic music they want and not get arrested, and still make money. I'm quite convinced they don't like Nazis, and are either indifferent or like Jewish people.

[@sloppynyuszi]

@BLUE DOG I think it's supposed to be not to glorify Nazi's. Or profit on the tragedies caused. Although facts is probably fine. They won't arrest you for saying how technologically advanced people in the Nazi regime was. I think a bunch of current Hollywood filming techniques was invented by a Nazi Lady in the 30s as an example. The Deutschland video has Nazis portrayed negatively. What truth you want to uncover? Your point of hiding info is fine, but your context is weird. Are you trying to say Rammstein are Nazi sympathizers? Are you one? Or are you thinking Jews control the world? Even if you believe the secret evil mafia leader of the world is Jewish, doesn't mean your regular Jew is in on the scam. This is KZbin not the German government. No need to be cryptic

[@theresastarmanwaitinginthe5149]

I wasn't expecting this, but I'm not complaining.

[@jaojao1768]

Yeah, same

[@TheYasmineFlower]

It made me check out the song. Catchy, and the video is awesome.

[@mc_kublai]

There's a starman waiting in the sky Oh shit I haven’t seen you in Fantano’s comment sections in forever, didn’t know you were a comrade

[@MichaelJimenez416]

you're a legendary account. I see you everywhere. And whenever I read your name it fills me with nostalgia for when I first was listening to Bowie.

[@MatPost]

Comrade Speedwagon...I salute you

[@dreimar1796]

I'm Italian but this song give me shivers everytime, and often stop in silence for minutes. This video is one of the few musicvideo worth watching again and again. It's a display of a wide range of emotions: Love, mostly, but also sadness, shame, hope and anger. It's a piece of Fine Art and i will be forever thankfull to Rammstein fot it. Also thanks to you, Three Arrows for the deep analysis of ths masterpiece.

[@TwoCowzBrowze]

a LOT of their music does that, they are great performers.

[@gabrielegenota1480]

"Rammstein says punch nazis. There you go" hell the fuck yes

[@safetyinspector250]

Bash the fasc

[@ThomasVanhala]

The fact that the band member put them self in the roles of gays and Jews in the scens with the nazis, to me is just a clear sigh that they don't glorify or in any way support that typ of political movement.

[@DerPijO]

@@blitzkrieg1941 you go down a dark lonely path. Trust me. One day almost everything will become cringe in you head. Stuck far away from reality. But go ahead, call me also cringe. Proud of it. Hope you piss off some fans IRL and getting stomped lol.

[@weybye91]

only a left winger can get that from the lyrics. Rammstein is proud of their country flaws and everything

[@DarthPingu07]

@@blitzkrieg1941 you say cringe. Look at what you've called your account 😂😂😂👌

[@ForelliBoy]

The scenes with the monks eating off of Germania's body with the bodies writing underneath is representative of the HRE and city states era prior to Unification, with medieval lords dividing Germany up for their own fiefdoms? They briefly show Prussian soldiers raising a toast during the first scenes with the monks as well

[@jazzguitar3441]

Frank Things Thanks very much 👍 I didn’t quite figure that out 🙈

[@odessa5631]

I think it's rather religion/clerics tearing up Germany, like in the Thirty Years War, then the wars against Charles V of Spain over religion, and then the monks who saved almost all Nazis after WW2

[@richardwhaler8717]

I took it to reference the catholic-protestant religious wars as well, since the Reformation started in Germany.

[@catchy_tune]

This is correct

[@Yutani_Crayven]

You guys, the beautiful thing about art is that it can be all of these options and more.

[@jasonknight3078]

I’m an American, and lately I’ve found myself questioning my own patriotism. I’m glad you took the time to break this video down, and confirm my initial impressions of the video. I find it resonates powerfully with the current American political climate.

[@hugosilva400]

As a non-American, I can say that this video relates quite well to the political climate in a lot of different countries, especially those dealing with the refugee crisis

[@MushroomCloudConfetti]

"I’m an American, and lately I’ve found myself questioning my own patriotism." I was pretty sure never to hear or read this sentence from an American for my whole life. Glad I was wrong. How come?

[@Mandred85]

This Song can be interpretated as warnig. You want to play with nationalism? It will lead to suffering an pain. Germany, more than most other countries should know... but seem to forget again.

[@billuvill]

@@Mandred85 newly formed former yugoslavians states know it very well.

[@FranzFerdinand76]

America comes up short when compared to Utopia. But compared to any alternative it comes up pretty good. Before you disregard patriotism you can always consider a much worse alternative. Say, being a German in 1919. Also being a patriot or even a nationalist doesn't automatically make one nefarious. That is total fallacy when people imply that it does.

[@peterbeck88]

It's a shame how often German bands that present anything other than the stereotype of Europop camp get the "are they Nazis?" question, despite being so openly anti-Nazi (like Rammstein here, or KMFDM). Nobody ever asks if Dschinghis Khan is fascist...

[@xalxika]

Love DK!

[@hanszimmer9224]

trust me. no german (except some marxists) cares if he's called a nazi or not.

[@aForkfulOfGold]

@@hanszimmer9224 Trust me when I say that you're wrong, and you should probably only speak for yourself and- if even that- your own narrow group of friends and acquaintances. Everyone should care whether others deem it fitting to call them a nazi, German or not.

[@hanszimmer9224]

@@aForkfulOfGold no its overly used like racist, fascist etc. if you yell 'nazi' in germany you lose all your credibility, at least among educated people.

[@RvEijndhoven]

@@hanszimmer9224 In my experience the only people who think that terms like 'racist' or 'fascist' are overused are racists and fascists, because they're the only ones who hear it all the time.

[@user-yl9wg6mx9h]

I wish that we the British were as honest as both Rammstein and Germans generally are about the ‘dark’ parts of their history. They really do deserve credit for laying it all bare. This song aside, just visit Berlin and see how they expose and live with their past. I often tell people that as a race, they are really moderate and liberal compared to we in the UK who seem to be veering to the right. How ironic that we revel in defeating Nazism, only to catch this infectious disease when we should and do know better.

[@tomcollett24]

Fr, the average British person won’t be caught dead condemning the atrocious acts of the British empire

[@CristalianaIvor]

tbh that is what I love about rammstein. They lay it bare. They sing about rape, about fetishes, drugs. Josef Fritzl (an austrian guy who locked his daughter in his basement to rape her...) and they don't leave out the bad and ugly parts.

[@Barrywfa]

Don't you mean veering to the left?..... yours and my Governments are Globalist Puppets..... who want Communism Extreme.

[@maxdamagusbroski]

Nonsense.

[@maxdamagusbroski]

@@tomcollett24 Absolute bollocks. It was the outrage of the people of Britain back home that ended the abuse of power that went to some fools heads in India. Anglo-Saxons are the moral heart of a nation that brought the world the mother of parliaments, common law, innocent until proven guilty, and the rights of man and equality to the world. The lifespan of the British Empire encompasses many common errors of empires but also the story of redemption, in ways that no other empire achieved or attempted, such as the great crusade against world slavery. That mistakes were made is not only accepted but drilled into kids heads in Britain. However, while mistakes were made, we marched uphill and expended ourselves conquering a greater evil, twice. If anything, not enough is taught in Britain about our great and good achievements. Why? Because the Cold War never ended, marxist propaganda exists in our television and educational establishment to demoralise and disunite the British, fueled by those jealous of our achievements, prominence and how we dismantled the Empire largely peacefully, with almost ALL former colonies, protectorates and dependencies voluntarily CHOOSING to join the commonwealth. Educate yourselves. We are not just the wrongs of our past, but the lived and proven evidence that we learned from it. We are here, now. We evolved. You cannot pin us to one page in the past.

[@wadeking4054]

I love when metal and history become one. Even better that Three Arrows is talking about it.

[@banessuperbrutalmetalfunti2561]

You'd probably dig Sabaton, then. It's totally goofy Power Metal with a G.I Joe for a frontman, but people seem to like it.

[@wadeking4054]

@@banessuperbrutalmetalfunti2561 I love Sabaton's content and mood. Never really enjoyed their singer. They make some quality stuff.

[@AholeAtheist]

Have you heard of that Dutch band that sing about history in Frisian? I forget their name..

[@Quintinohthree]

@@AholeAtheist I'm sure History with Hilbert can tell you all about them.

[@ScorpionViper1001]

@@banessuperbrutalmetalfunti2561 Agreed. Just try and avoid the comment sections of lyric videos. Wehraboos and Pepe Brigades infesting EVERYTHING good hat is history related.

[@MethCrystal666]

It's so nice to watch a video in which everything is completely right, uncontroversial, and not up for argument.

[@aegis_knight]

Ich viel mag Rammestein. Wann immer ich höre sie, ich versuche zu verstehe die Text. Deutsch ist nicht meine Muttersprache so es tut mir leid für schlechtes Deutsch.

[@Born2Die_]

ich (ein deutscher) rate mit dir was es bedeuten soll :D

[@whitegold2960]

Rammstein versteh ich auch sehr selten bist du nicht allein

[@anuk1311]

@@Born2Die_ ehrenlos

[@j.l.8806]

Entschuldige dich nicht für dein „schlechtes“ deutsch. Dein Deutsch ist sehr gut, man versteht dich und wir schätzen sehr, dass du dir die Mühe gemacht hast, das auf Deutsch zu schreiben :)

[@krauseehre5626]

your englisch is very good for not nativ speaking :D from a german

[@danielevanni6622]

Thank you so much for this!! As someone who learned German as a foreign language in high school, Rammstein were pivotal in keeping my interest in German culture and literature alive, as all of their songs have a plethora of more or less cryptic references to Goethe (in "Dalai Lama"), Feuerbach, (in "Mein Teil"), Brecht (in "Haifisch") and so on. Probably wouldn't have had the same drive to learn and understand the language without them. I love how they create this double layer for the audience - a "superficial" layer of interpretation that is just gory, shocking and weird, and a "deeper" one that is dense with poetry and commentary and kind of hidden behind a linguistic/cultural barrier. I sincerely believe Rammstein actually intended to spark a controversy. They knew some people would have taken the imagery at face value without making an intepretive effort. It's almost as if the shocking imagery was meant to cause a "Verfremdungseffekt" and force the audience to think deeper. Cheers from Italy, a country which hasn't problematized its past nearly as much as Germany did, unfortunately.

[@benhancock6253]

Coming from England, I completely understand that feeling of an over-glamourised or "glossed over" history. It's an embarassment of our countries inability to reconcile with our past.

[@yurigvngg]

Childish Gambino : This is America Rammstein : hold my beer

[@carrier2823]

“You think your country feels ashamed?”

[@mileshill7196]

At least the Germans learned from their horrifying mistakes. The U.S. would rather pretend our crimes never happened at all.

[@elijahtourtillott7550]

@@mileshill7196 lol no shit my family is still living on the rez im one of 5 that could financially leave/born outside of it

[@janiss2926]

*Bier

[@k8g8s8]

I think they are both amazing critics of their cultures /countries. They can both be amazing.

[@MysticMindAnalysis]

Personally, I find any textual analysis of the lyrics make it pretty clear what this song is about. Rammstein want to love their country and embrace their national identity as Germans, but the country has gone down so many different dark roads that they have a largely love/hate relationship with Germany. The concentration camps scene in particular shows the band members as the victims, rather than the perpetrators, and the camera's focus on Till singing as one of said victims illustrates who they're sympathising with. Not to mention the end of the second verse being "Deutschland, Deutschland, Uber Allen/Germany, Germany Above All" (please pardon my terrible spelling) is delivered by a concentration camp inmate, turning back to the camera. This to me is a clear display of irony, openly mocking the fascist use of German Nationalism to kill religious and ethnic minorities within such a supposedly amazing nation.

[@elyjah6380]

Well put, managed to verbalise my thoughts exactly.

[@mrn234]

btw when you cant write an ä, ö or ü just write ae oe or ue.

Spot on! As a German I ask myself all the time if I should love or hate my own country.

[@combine314]

I don't think it's really a display of irony. Till saying "Germany above all" as an inmate, even more as a Jew inmate, shows that those people from the concentration camp were actually as German as those executing them and who also saw Germany above all (things - I would say), in the sense of wanting a prosperous future for the nation and having the same love for their country. The irony being in that the Nazis were not killing enemies from another nation, but in fact they were killing their own people, their own fellow Germans. At least that's how I see it.

[@Rage639]

​@ Love it in the same way you love your child. Care for it and want the best for it. When it does something wrong you point it out and speak out so that it can become better. Blind love as in anything goes is what creates shitty kids and shitty countries I would even argue it isn't real love but some kind of obsession. I am Swedish but visited Germany this summer and have always been interested in your history and culture. During my visit I got a sense of shame from Germans which is really sad, you do not inherit the sins of your parents and those who came before them, learn from their mistakes and the good that they have done and improve upon it. It can be hard to see what makes your own country special since it is what you are used to but Germany is beautiful, the people very warm and welcoming, I was completely taken away by the giant statues and wonderful works of architecture your country is completely full of, the food and many other things. Loving your child does not mean you hate other children the same goes for countries. I am proud to be Swedish and want the best for my country but that does not mean I have any hate for other countries or people and if others want to be a part of my country and help improve it they are welcome.

[@azuredystopia3751]

I feel like they would have been equally lambasted for omitting the Holocaust from a 'story of Germany' narrative. This channel has taught me a great deal- measured analysis of an often misunderstood band I happen to love is a welcome if unexpected bonus.

[@jadesx96]

yeah for sure people are never happy

[@maxkordon]

Omitting it would be so much worse

[@mikekvia320]

If they were angry about the Holocaust references then they missed the point of the video.

[@ace-demiromantic-girl1129]

Why am I, a german, watching an analysis of a german song, in english on youtube? O.o I have now clue!

[@franciscoserra3616]

Because you lost the fucking war

[@volkerwendt3061]

And the analyst is obviously German. Bur explains in English

[@grinsekatze3085]

Why is a German commenting an analysis of a German song, made in English, in English? I have no clue either 😁

[@Mandred85]

Because it makes sense.

[@ace-demiromantic-girl1129]

@follow petitelordexx Yes. I'm a hufflepuff and Ship Snily^^

[@guardingdark2860]

I'm not gonna say I know exactly what it's like to have something like the Holocaust behind you, but as an American I feel like I understand how it feels to struggle to love your country when it has such a brutal history. I listened to Deutschland after I watched this video (and read the translations) and thought it did a really good job of getting that feeling across. Now of course I am coming at this from a somewhat distant perspective, but having watched the video and listened to the lyrics and reading the translation, I really get the sense that if your only takeaway was "it's tasteless to reference the Holocaust", then you really weren't paying attention.

[@SS-yj2le]

What do you mean? Our country has the brutal genocide of millions of Native Americans and the horrors of slavery. Even our own eugenics program was partly inspiration for the Nazis. So our past even played a role with the Holocaust. Our country is not innocent by any means.

[@SS-yj2le]

@@guardingdark2860 Tell that to Andrew Jackson and the trail of tears. The wars against the Pequots, Comanches, Sioux, Seminoles, and the Apache. Many which included wiping out culture and even eugenics through forced sterilization. The US government taking the Black Hills away after promising it to the Indians forever after some self-absorbed conceited imperialist went there and found gold. Also the killing of the buffalo into endangerment in order to force the Lakota to abandon their old ways of life. That is extremely systemic and orchestrated by the US government. Slavery wasn't as systemic, but was incorporated as recognizing that African descended people were not people. There was also the idea among the laws that if you have any African blood at all, you are not white at all. It was so harsh that when Nazis were incorporating elements of Jim Crow, they considered that law to be in-humane themselves.

[@Rendar77]

I know exactly what you mean, man.

[@duanebidoux6087]

Kudos to Rammstein for bringing a song to a wide audience that actually merits a 27 minute analysis. Beats the hell out of "baby I love you, but you wronged me and now my heart is broken."

[@Osama84ca]

hey Justin Beibs is a legend in his own mind

[@MannyBrum]

They have always put a lot of thought into their lyrics, their videos, and their stage shows. Most good artists only check one or two of those boxes. Most of the Rammstein videos are mini films with a story and a plot twist. I hate when bands release official videos that are mostly stage footage, especially since most of them don't have stage shows 1/10th as entertaining as Rammstein's.

[@sineamhac]

@@MannyBrum I agree and disagree, depends on the size of the band. If it's big artist, yeah it's just plain lazy and indicative of a lack of passion or creativity (which is alarming for an artist...), in my eyes at least. For a smaller band, I love when they release a fully fledged video with all the bells and whistles, but as a musician myself I know that budgets can be small and the pressure to release literally anything to tick a box is very intense. So I can see why it happens all the same.

[@loschwahn723]

@@Osama84ca yes it is very drippy and lickend

[@boredutopia]

when i saw the song video and listened to lyrics for the first time i almost cried, i am not german, but being former yugoslavian, i understood the images, the emotions, the pride and shame.. this song even thou it is about german history and how common people in modern times got tormented inside for the actions of their ancestors and being judged even today with things they have nothing to do, why do i understand it. because as a croat i feel, felt the same. my country is responsibel for so many crimes in its history, especialy durgin ww2, then communistits came who were on so many levels same as ustasi (nazies), then yugoslavia fall apart and new war came, i am actualy survivor of ethnical cleansing, my own brother is c. camp survivor and he was only 16. i went thru hell when city felt and after war, many years later i joined the support group for young and child survivors, met people from bosnia and croatia, who were croats, serbs, bosniaks, who talked about same hell they went thru, but their tormenteros were serbs, croats, bosniaks, dpending on their ethnicity. knowing so many things and so many historical facts it is sometimes so hard to be proud of your own heritage, national identity, but then again, there are things for which everyone of us should be proud, every country is having criminal history parts. dark parts wich should be teached and shamed off so that they never happen again. and there is so many things we all should be proud about our countries. many people i know from my country have that same love and hate feeling towards naional pride, history etc. we all need to work on tomorro'w history, we cant changed what already happend, we should not be judged coz of sins of past done by our ancestors, we have nothing to with those, instead we all should work together that in future generations which are coming are proud of the world they will be living in, to acceot every person as a unique individual, without labels and presumptions coz of their natiopnality, history of their country, religion, race, gender, sexual orientation. we all are humans, living on a same planet, only planet we have and we keep doing same mistakes over and over inevery corner of this earth. when people will consider themselves as a citizens of planet earth, equal to anyone else on this planet, then everything else what makes their own idnetity, then we will be abel to go somehwere as a spicie, till then many more will expirence and have same feelings towards their own countries for many more years to come.every person on this planet must face the thruth, accept the history and crimes and sins of heir own ancestors, of their own countries instead allowing the rewriting of history. my country done exactly that, when yugoslavia felt ww2 history was rewriten, kids were teached wrong facts, then after recent war crimes of our own were covered and people got rewriten version, but many people did not want to be quiet, they stood up and 30 years after recent war we finaly speak about our own crimes commited towards others in recent war and history books about ww2 are finaly covering the right historcial facts, without any sugar coating... i understand the whole song so perfectly, and i am not even german. this song is universal...

[@ventura433]

am a black latino, who has listen to this band since the iraq war. I have a very special connection to this band, due to my struggles and the energy that it has provided me.

[@Osama84ca]

im a Candian born Egyptian muslim and R+ are the best band in the world since the doors

[@xp7575]

I assume you mean since the Iraq War started but since it's been going on for 18 years now (or 28 years depending on how you look at it) adding the qualifier of the word "started" would help to clarify

[@FromTheRoomOfLittleEase]

@@xp7575 Not if he served.

[@BlaqueCzar]

Ramstein are lowkey the most progressive band in the west. They make sure to be shocking.

[@TrenElZombie]

We all living in mutica

[@hollowhoagie6441]

@@TrenElZombie ist wonderful...

[@radschele1815]

It sure isn't the most progressive, but sure the most known by being shocking.

[@esra9426]

they are not the most progressive. i can name a few that are more progresive

[@halfbloodprincess989]

My german great-grandma kept all her money in 5-Mark-coins under her matress, untill the day she died. She told me, that her family (having sold two houses befor the inflation) became impoverished in the great inflation, so she never trusted banks ever again.

[@karimshebeika8010]

having your money under the matress doesnt stop inflation though...

[@halfbloodprincess989]

@@karimshebeika8010Yeah that probably wasn't the smartest thought-process. I think she felt like the banks had stolen that money, because the money they got from selling the houses was suddently worthless.

[@TheAmericanAmerican]

That’s actually kinda smart if she did in fact have ALL the money in 5 Mark coins due to the fact that back then the coins themselves were around 90% silver and the Mark bills were obviously worthless paper! Silver and gold coins will almost always hold their value so she was a smart lady 😉

[@KrautKranky]

My Oma did the same. Big crystal jar of shiny 5 Mark coins. And once in a while... I got an extra toy. /cough

[@halfbloodprincess989]

In her older years she decided to buy the appartment she lived in from these savings. She did the paperwork and then went to the bank. The banking consultant asked: "how do you want to transfer the money?" And she said: "I'm paying with cash" Then she opend the bag she brought with her and started counting 5-Mark coins (she had them packedged in socks), piling them up on the bank counter. Awsome old lady.

[@mariamelnitskaya4493]

As a Russian/Belgian national I find this song extremely relatable and the lyrics works 100% accurate for both my national identities, if I replace Deutschland with Russland or Belgien. These are exactly the questions we're asking ourselves: who are we? is it possible to love our country after all the horrific things done? are we able to redeem ourselves? does this country have to exist at all? or we're too different to live together? or the existence of this state only brings misery and the world would be better off without it? And HUGE respect to Germans for asking these questions out loud and being brutally honest about their history. Thank you for giving a voice to my own feelings

[@EarlGreyLattex]

Belgium too has its horrific history, just as bad if not worse than Russia when you compare size of the country. Belgium murdered over 12m Congolese in less than a lifetime under the reign of Leopold the second Edit: sorry I misread your post, I thought you were only criticising Russian history. My bad

[@Rendar77]

It works for Americans like me, also

[@IsomerSoma]

I feel like that the german people were much more involved in the holocaust and nazism than the belgians were in the congolese genocide.

[@clapcrab9525]

Yeah blame yourself, thats what western media wants. You russian/belgium is bad, you should feel shame and pay americans for everything.

[@annetturch8556]

​@@Rendar77I think ALL countries have dark side.

[@MADAMEOCTA07]

I learnt about the inflation, ww1 and ww2 in school but I wish we covered more I find German history so interesting. Not to say my own history isn’t interesting (I’m welsh), but I dunno Germany’s history fascinates me.

[@user-vc7ur1hd2s]

the history of Cymru is super interesting as well as German history. all history is super interesting imo, especially fascism and geopolitical history.

[@catchy_tune]

There is taboo as well as bad-boy cachet surrounding Germany's history. Can be distracting; I definitely sympathize.

[@Yutani_Crayven]

I think German history is especially interesting because the "country" was such a massive … clusterfuck (for a lack of a better word) before unification under Bismarck in 1871. It was the last European country to come together as a nation state, in that sense. Everyone else got their shit sorted way sooner. The UK even got the prize for spearheading democracy. Fun fact, German founding/unification at that time was also a major reason why all the other great powers were itching for a fight. France especially feared a strong German neighbour. And Germany, in its own right, feared losing out on overseas colonies. Another fun fact - at its founding and before WW1, Germany had a larger economy than the US. That looks much different now after everyone in Europe was fighting for so long while Americans pretty much got to sit it out and develop freely. So, now they're far at the top. "Wer hoch steigt der wird tief fallen."

[@erikengheim1106]

It is an extremely interesting country from a historical perspective as it has been the center of all modern European history. I am Norwegian but I really wish there was a better coverage of Germany in school. That there was more movies and such. I feel I know a lot about the US and the UK because of media, but very little about Germany which has had such profound influence on so many things. Like I walk around in Oslo, Norway where I live in the beautiful old neighborhoods from the 1800s and it is only in the last few years I came to learn that the style was all influenced from Germany. That they bought whole building sections from Germany. When visiting Germany I see how so much in Scandinavia has this German influence and connection we never even hear about. Berlin is very fascinating to visit I think, because you see the legacy of WWII as well as the cold war and the divided city. This city encapsulates the troubles Europe has gone through like few other cities.

[@meganoob12]

the thing about German history, that makes it so interesting and inportant is, the geografical location of Germany. In the center and the heart of Euroope lays a land devided into hundreds of small duchies and counties for hundreds of years, yet boasting the largest population in western europe and the potential of being the biggest economic power. Why did Germany go through so many world changing events in it's history? Well because it was a sumbering super power for so long. The only thing that stood in the way of becoming a world leading power were the Germans themselves. It was also situated between the super powers of France, Britain, Austria and Russia, creating a balance of power for hundreds of years, until Germany united and suddenly became a superpower in itself.

[@QuntingToothache]

I really like the piano rendition of Sonne at the end of the Deutschland video.

[@Osama84ca]

lol thank you for pointing that out I was wondering why the outro was so long

[@Jjydvfgcmsr]

ICH HAB' dich so sehr vermisst

[@svgarpaws]

Amen

[@Dorian_sapiens]

Ich immer auch.

[@Tehstroyer]

Or to fit the song, _Ich (hab dich)_ _Hab dich so sehr vermisst (vermisst, vermisst)_ [For whatever reason the panels with the lyrics came to my mind when reading the comment]

[@bigmilk13_]

Not only could I pick up on the general jist of "wanting to love your country despite its frankly awful history", but I could also relate to it. The US is much like Germany in many respects. “Überheblich (overbearing / presumptuous), Überlegen (superior) Übernehmen (taking over), all of these apply. The biggest difference, however, is our stance on Nationalism. While Germany is rightfully cautious of being overbearing, the United States is anything but. Our country has committed countless atrocities across the world, some without the people's consent, most with our enthusiastic permission. And yet, much like lady Germania in *that one scene*, most of us are still blind to it. Some of us have taken the eyepatch off, others insist on keeping it on. But most of us took it off once or twice, hated what we saw, and decided to keep wearing it. But let's just say that the strap becomes pretty tight with a proper American education.

[@thomasschmitz3765]

As a German having visited the Unites States a couple of times (as a tourist and for business, but for visiting my friends, too), I fully buy into your comment. However, one should never forget about Germany having initiated two World Wars and allowed Nazis to rise and execute the most evil crime mankind has ever commited - holocaust.

[@illerac84]

@@thomasschmitz3765 Germany got blamed for the first one, but a bunch of Imperial powers were going to fight it out eventually. Blaming Germany for the First World War was just a way for the European Allies to wash their hands.

[@kalelvigil1510]

It's really interesting to me, because there are so many different parallels to the US and other imperialist countries and the 3rd Reich. Almost every imperialist country existing on the planet has had some sort of form of Manifest destiny. All of it was started with the United States which I think is the most damning critique I can give of our country. We have committed genocides, we have committed cultural genocides. We have initiated wars in the name for a piece of dirt, a change of accent, or the color of the skin. I'd go so far as to say that the US and the 3rd rank are not so different from each other. Germany still has a lot of things things to reconcile with and at least tries, but America will never reconcile with anything.

[@kevinlindberg2220]

Your "proper American education" has apparently warped your mind.

[@johnhall4526]

@@kalelvigil1510 There are many historians who believe that the Nazi Regime based much of their ideology on US ideology, particularly the US class/citizenship systems throughout its history leading up to the WW2 era. There was a point in time that political analysts during the WW2 era couldn't decide which side of the war the US would ultimately join, but most realized that it had too many ties with Britain. Some have even gone so far as to argue that the first Fascist State wasn't Italy but rather the US from its very inception. However, most of that can also go back to the US roots in the British Empire.

[@Utomneian]

it's cool that Big Joel and Harry collab'd with you :) i'm a fan of Rammstein, and i'm glad you gave a fair review here

[@FlottisPar]

When I, in the words of Lindsay Ellis, watched the music video for the fifth time (with whiskey), I had real shivers and almost cried. When Germania is dressed in full armour, raising her sword, yelling "DEUTSCHLAND". I imagine her being there in the 1860's or something, and there is just something so sad about that. The cries of a nation coming together, rising up in that way and you just know where it's heading. Two world wars and several genocides. It is a true tragic of history. P.S. My apologies for writing like shit. I'm not english and it's been a few whiskeys...

[@gelatinouscube2342]

I blame Lindsey for hooking me on Writer's Tears whisky.

[@omega1231]

Weeeeeell armors were outdated by the mid 1600s, so more like mid 1500s probably. Muskets and cannons made armor largely obsolete.

[@DrewWithington]

Well I am English and I think your writing is great.

[@MrCmon113]

What?! As if the German Empire had been much better. History classes should focus more on the 19th century and before. People keep romanticising everything before 1910.

[@thealeph165]

@@omega1231 Russian troops during the opening phases of the Napoleonic Wars (i.e, during the reign of Tsar Paul) had some metal plating around their pants, and armor was still being used in some units in some armies, although it certainly wasn't that useful other than over encumbering your own troops

[@ellajacob3425]

Hi! I'm from German. I'm so proud of the hard work Rammstein have put into this music video. It shows everything that went wrong in our history. It's so sad that some people blamed the group for being racists and tasteless. This video is so much better and more thoughtful than what we usually get.

[@loschwahn723]

_" Hi! I'm from German "_ me: _" ...oh look here a nazipollack which is making real crazy thinkings again... "_ HEUL SHITEATER

[@0g0mogosepikworld31]

To be honest German lady looked like she was having fun with her role. Just look at her smile, it's so precious

[@Danil1101]

She smiles only on purpose here. Rammstein put a lot of effort into details like that.

[@0g0mogosepikworld31]

@@Danil1101 thank you for writing this. I got to watch the music video again. it's such a beautiful depiction of history and it's just awesome

[@loonachan]

Hey Three Arrows, I recently read a book called "They Thought They Were Free" by Milton Mayer which features the stories of ten Nazis interviewed in the 50s. The afterword of the current edition does some good job of giving more historical context and accuracy, but I thought it would be interesting if a real live German read it and analyzed it today.

[@salemsdead7029]

i was scared to click on the notification for this because of how upset everyone is about the video. but i appreciated an insightful look into it. i thought that the combination of visuals and lyrics in the execution scene was beautiful and impactful. and why wouldn't they include it? they're talking about the history of Germany, and that's an important part. obviously i'm biased, since they're my favorite band, but i never thought they meant anything disrespectful at all by it.

[@alexsmith2910]

I'm happy you were willing to put aside your feelings and challenge your beliefs. It shows wisdom.

[@gulliverthegullible6667]

of course they would include the Holocaust. The only problem is that they used the holocaust for advertising purposes with the trailer. That is typical for Rammstein, they are not very sensitive. But they do have good politics, I believe. It just becomes a bit weird when such people become super rich rockstars and thus you can't relate to them anymore.

[@H4FJ]

@@gulliverthegullible6667 I don't think the point is being sensitive, to me it is pretty clear that many of their songs and the themes of these songs are also meant to have a shock factor. Showing that scene in the trailer had a shock factor. I sort of get why people might get upset over it, but honestly not really. It's so obviously not meant as a mocking portrayal or worse.

[@autohmae]

If it is your favorite band, I would think you are used to a bit of controversy and already know their intentions are good.

[@zeigdich7904]

If they had not included it, they would be called “Holocaust Deniers”. You can’t win. You gotta just do what you feel is right.

[@solidkingcobra]

that actress who played Germania is fucken gorgeous.

[@thespicyfaery8736]

her name is ruby commey:)

[@Groeningathletics]

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder

[@thespicyfaery8736]

@@Groeningathletics she is very beautiful to ME

[@thespicyfaery8736]

@Blæck Løtus okay troll account

[@thespicyfaery8736]

@Blæck Løtus she doesn’t represent african people... did you watch the video? please watch the explanation and stop bothering me

[@gtgamer666]

That had to have been the coolest music video ever. It had lasers, knights, astronauts, transvestites, angels, tanks, sex slaves and beautiful women in golden armored dresses.

[@jdher99jdh]

When I watched this video, I told my wife, "dude I would soooo go see this movie, I wish this was a trailer"

[@JavierSalcedoC]

And German shepherd puppies

[@victorortiz193]

you forgot the lion-dog puppies...

[@Necroscope86Archive]

@@victorortiz193Leonburger

[@craigchance2057]

I think Rammstein always take it to another level. They are far and away above most bands in a political sense and it shows in all their music videos that always appear to immaculately produced. I really enjoy their work because they will push boundaries a go where others fear to tread. There is no rule that states that popular music shouldn't be more than just a catchy tune with inane lyrics.

[@JamesHPTS]

One thing that I want to add to your interpretation about Germania being a black woman is that Germany is usually referenced as the fatherland. This is different to most other cultures that call them the motherland (or some other femenine variation). So to turn that upside down is immense. She births a litter of puppies as an Angel. What that means is anybody's guess, but it definitely flys in the face of a militaristic, masculine fatherland. Also when Germania is in the officer uniform of the Third Reich, that Shes blinded. That the Nazi party has blinded (her *Left* eye no less) and scarred her to come along (not something a nationalist would portray). After watching it and not understanding the words, i wouldn't have guessed it was right leaning even. But i love your insight arrows! Keep up the good work and I hope to see another video soon

[@thatsterroristsbro7855]

Dan regularly ignores and downplays gender. Good luck.

[@SeanvanBerlo]

I think you're overstating the impact of Germania her gender when she has been traditionally portrayed as female

[@JamesHPTS]

@@SeanvanBerlo really? I'd love to see that. Do you have a reference?

[@JamesHPTS]

@@thatsterroristsbro7855 He may not think it's worth saying, which it may not be. I just thought that it was interesting point thought.

[@CamelDance]

@@SeanvanBerlo not to mention that all of these personifications, from brittanica to yes, america, are female. About the eyepatch: likely reference to the July plot to assassinate Hitler (Stauffenberg famously wore one) and if you look from her perspective, she is blind in the right eye. 'Am rechten Auge blind' is a German idiom complaining about a person or institution ignoring the danger that the far right is.

[@ProfDrLaeradr]

They also use the first verse of the german national hymn in a critical way and make it a parody of itself: "Wer hoch steigt, der wird tief fallen Deutschland, Deutschland über allen." "Whoever climbs high, will fall deep Germany, Germany above all"

[@Quintinohthree]

It's important to note that by changing "alles" to "allen" the meaning of "all" changes from "all things" to "all people". I'll leave the analysis of that to the reader because I can read too much in to this to think of any succinct analysis.

[@Lightsellful]

It's incredibly pedantic but: the current german national anthem only has one verse, which is the third of the Deutschlandlied.

[@Milkymalk]

What is parodied is neither the first nor ANY verse of the national anthem. The national anthem consists of exactly one verse which is the third verse of the song from which the first verse is being parodied, the "Lied der Deutschen". It is important to understand what "Deutschland, Deutschland über alles" / "Germany, Germany above all" in the lyrics of that song means in the historical context. When the song was written, there was no single German state, but German states, connected by their language, which were all but unified. The Holy Roman Empire had just crumbled under Napoleon's conquests. The lyrics of the song call for the German states to cease their petty quarrels and unify as a single nation for all German people. They should put the still-to-be-made German state "above all" other agendas. It is not, and never was, intended to mean to put Germany above all other nations.

[@Lightsellful]

@@Milkymalk it certainly was used to mean that Germany is above the rest by the Nazis and earlier. Even with Hoffmanns contemporaries there was critisism of this line. This Problem is just pretty inherent, especially after the creation of Germany.

[@Milkymalk]

@@Lightsellful The Nazis took a lot of stuff and perverted its meaning to their ends, as well as people not understanding where the lyrics came from and what they were meant to say. Doesn't mean it actually means that.

[@TheMystic_239]

It amazes me how many people still think Rammstein are Nazis after watching this video. After reading the lyrics, I immediately understood the video and why they chose to show a Jewish exicusion among other things. The entire point of the video is showing that Rammstein loves their country, but also understands it's dark past and actions

[@lemsip207]

One of the inmates wore a pink triangle badge, so he was meant to be gay.

[@ArgieGrit]

"Rammstein says punch nazis" I didn't expect any less

[@deinvater797]

yay! lets implement violence against our political enemies! cant imagin where that leads...

[@edtExodus]

@@deinvater797 All politics is violence. Never mind that we're not talking about "our political enemies", but Nazis. You know what Nazis do, yes?

[@deinvater797]

@@edtExodus please educate me... are trump supporters nazis? what about conservatives, ethnopluralists and republicans?

[@aleksanderkardyka6013]

@@edtExodus >all politics is violence Ok buddy

[@edtExodus]

@@deinvater797 I don't need to "educate you" when you're trying to muddy the waters. We're talking about Nazis. I'd be impressed if you could even define what a fascist is, but being honest clearly isn't your intent in the first place.

[@Minia_]

I was a Rammstein fan in junior high and high school (about 10-15 years ago), now I listen to their music from time to time. This song is amazing, the video is strong, tons of signs and meanings in a few minutes, but I consider it as a true piece of art. Made me wanna get back to their music once more.

[@colinmackay92]

I'm a vet. I say this to stop people from saying "you don't know anything about suffering." I get that a lot of people are sensitive about things like the holocaust and Nazis. I completely understand that. But jesus. People need to get a thicker skin. Rammstein isn't praising Nazis. They're doing the exact opposite.

[@catonkybord7950]

I'm so sorry, but after your first sentence I thought you were a veterinarian and expected you to talk about the dog birthing scene. Boy, was I confused for a second 🙈😅

[@colinmackay92]

@@catonkybord7950 lol thanks for the laugh. My wife is a Vet tech funny enough.

[@donjulio420]

They literally kiss on stage

[@victorix30]

Can’t believe I had to wait for two years until someone puts together all the details of the video to provide us with such an insightful analysis of the German history. Absolutely brilliant and professionally made and well-explained. I remember watching many amateurs analyzing the video the moment it came out, but since they were all super fast to post, videos were lacking in quality, lots of crucial information and were very superficial. There was a huge room left for improvement. I knew that one day the deep dive into a German history based on the Rammstein video would come. And it’s finally here! Bravo and props to you for your hard work and every tidbit brought up in this video!

[@arbysmakesfries5787]

There's another level of analysis you're missing about the song "Radio" beyond a simple portrayal of the DDR's state censorship and the ray of hope provided by Western radio broadcasts. The Slovenian Marxist philosopher Slavoj Žižek who is very close to Rammstein's ideological orbit (essentially the house intellectual of the Neue Slowenische Kunst art collective whose musical wing, the band Laibach, is possibly Rammstein's single most important musical and aesthetic influence) has claimed that illicit availability of Western media was actually a helpful safety valve for the old Eastern Bloc regimes in maintaining control for as long as they did, since it directed people's political hopes toward the fantasy of escaping to a utopian society somewhere else, and thereby helped divert their political hopes from the possibility of tangibly changing the society they actually lived in. (Ironically, this also strongly resembles the classic Marxist critique of religion: by goading people into believing that they'll get "pie in the sky when they die" in Heaven, the ruling elite tries to dilute the political potency of people's demands for a better life here and now on Earth.) Signs of this critique are clear in at least a few places in the music video for the song "Radio". First you have what seems to be a popular street uprising, complete with visual allusions to the iconic "Liberty Leading the People" figure from the French Revolution, but then it turns out to just be a consumerist mob descending on an electronics store to loot a bunch of radios; Žižek himself has talked at length about the role of consumerist looting frenzies as a diversion from more substantive political protest, a type of scene also depicted more explicitly and at greater length by the Bosnian leftist band Dubioza Kolektiv in their video for the song "Himna Generacije" ("Hymn for a Generation"). Then you have the scene where East German riot police show up at the recording studio to break up the band's radio broadcast, but it turns out they're swinging their riot clubs through holograms of the band members, and soon they launch into a choreographed dance routine on the outro chorus; one could interpret this as Western music finally capturing the hearts and minds of even the regime's own hired thugs, but a deeper interpretation is that the regime itself is tolerating and tacitly endorsing the broadcast, and they're only superficially play-acting to trick people into thinking they want to shut it down. The coup de grâce though is in the last few seconds, where the video cuts from black-and-white to color and the band is shown leaving the studio: the banners flying outside the studio are colored in vintage communist red-and-yellow, but instead of a hammer and sickle, the logo on the banners is the star circle of the present-day EU flag. To me the message here is that on a deeper level, the band isn't really singing about the DDR at all, and much like Žižek often does in his philosophical lectures, they're using the more obvious (especially in hindsight) ideological repression of the Eastern Bloc period as an analogy to help understand the less obvious (especially in the moment) ideological repression of the modern capitalist West. So maybe the song is actually trying to tell us that we shouldn't think of ourselves as so much less ideologically restricted than those poor communist Easterners tuning their radios to Western media as a form of escapism, because maybe our computers and smartphones tuned to social media or Netflix or KZbin are playing the same escapist safety-valve role for us right now today.

[@TrenElZombie]

That was awesome

[@XenaBe25]

Hehe. That *was* awesome, but the Laibach reference was technically incorrect. Christian stated once that the similarities between Rammstein and Laibach were surface similarities, only. Laibach are quite intellectual, while Rammstein write from the heart and soul. They consider themselves feelers, not thinkers. I'm paraphrasing an interview from a few years ago, tho. They may have changed their minds. The Deutschland vid is effing brilliant, *and* heartfelt. It's difficult to say for sure how deep the Radio vid was meant to go into all that political stuff. I mean, there are people who can explain all the physics and biology and psychology of dancing. And then there are people who just wow us with the dance itself. I'll wait for Rammstein to explain what they meant for the audience to take away from their vid ;)

[@CacaTeach]

Kardeşim makale yazsaydın

[@davidm1926]

Western media as the opiate of the masses. Huh.

[@normaaliihminen722]

There is still marxist still around? Ideas of Marxism should have died long ago.

[@aceofspades2711]

I want to add something to the “Deutschland, Deutschland über allen.“ Part. Before this line the lyrics say a bunch of negatively connoted verbs and adjectives: Überheblich (arrogant), überlegen (superior) Übernehmen (to take over), übergeben (to hand over or to vomit) Überraschen (to surprise), überfallen (to ambush) Now to say „Germany over everyone“ after these words, could also mean that german did these thinks more often and more cruel than any other nation in history, again reflecting back on the 3rd mainly.

[@AKAHEIZER]

I better write my answer in German, otherwise I may fail to express my thoughts the "right way". (Nice provocative wordplay ^^) Ich habe es so verstanden: Die Textzeile "Deutschland über allen" aus der ursprünglichen Version der Deutschen Nationalhymne stammt, und wie im Video erklärt von der NS Propaganda von einer patriotischen, zu einer nationalistischen Aussage verdreht/missbraucht worden ist, ist sie bis heute innerhalb der rechten Szene essentieller Bestandteil des Selbstbildes, das im Video durch einem KZ- Häftling singen zu lassen, provoziert diese natürlich umso mehr. Erst die klassischen nationalistisch, völkischen Aussagen ( innerhalb der Rechten Szene gern gesehen) "überheblich", "überlegen", "überraschend -> übernehmen", dazu visuell unterstützend im Video die V2 Raket und SS- Uniform, aber dann die bedeutungsträchtigste Aussage von allen "Deutschland über allen" wird durch einen KZ-Häftling dargestellt, das macht die Rechte Szene natürlich fuchsteufelswild. Till schaut dabei direkt in die Kamera, seht genau hin, das Resultat aus all der "Die überlegende Rasse" Ideologie war der Holocaust.

[@CristalianaIvor]

They also say something about "who climbs high will fall deep" which is a reference to "Hochmut kommt vor dem Fall" = "Pride goes before a fall". it's the second time they use the Deutschland Deutschland über allen part: Du (Übermächtig, überflüssig) - you (overpowering, superfluous) Ich (Übermenschen, überdrüssig) - Me/I (Ubermenschen, weary) Wir (Wer hoch steigt, der wird tief fallen) - We (who climbs high will fall deep) - "Pride goes before a fall" Ihr (Deutschland, Deutschland über allen) - You (Germany, Germany above all)

[@perfischer1033]

It might mean that the German nation showed no mercy to its own people...

[@Cyberjjc]

Thank you "Three Arrows", I am pleased that you took the time to analyze Rammstein's music video. Being an American, the music video can be misinterpreted. Thankfully, I always keep an open mind before I make an educated decision. What I took away from your analysis is a deeper understanding on Germany's history and that Rammstein's talent for providing an art form from Germany's deep history is incredible. I just recently started to listen to Rammstein and am very selective on what songs I like. Thanks again for your time in making this Analysis.

[@bernhardriemann1563]

Iam a native german and realy love this song as a great masterpiece. The interpretation in this video is very detailed and good 😊 Thank you for this video and greetings from germany 🇩🇪

[@bassplayer8815]

I love u 3 Arrows And u 2 Rammstein

[@Vfin-cn1pu]

a leftie with a SPQR avi? now that's a rarity

[@bassplayer8815]

@@Vfin-cn1pu I'm also called bass player who now plays guitar

[@2nd3rd1st]

Pff, "3 arrows"... I love him 3 thousand

[@mav8535]

@@bassplayer8815 what music?

[@DouaisienLOSC]

@@Vfin-cn1pu I immediately thought "who is this trolling fash?"

[@evankimori]

Been looking for a widespread version of a discussion like this. I struggled to explain the video to friends when it first came out and now watching this: I realize I have missed a LOT of nuances and parts of the discussion on a whole. I love the band, I love their messages and all the critique they hide in their videos - as surreal and downright bizarre as they may be sometimes. Thanks for producing this.

[@scotiadragoon5974]

I'd never heard of Rammstein before this, and it got me listening to the band. Aaaaand having listened to more of their work, KZbin pointed me at Sabaton, and I have to wonder how much grief their subject matter puts them through.

[@BlackEpyon]

The people offended at the message are often the ones who MOST need to hear it.

[@donjulio420]

Rammstein puts a mirror at the face of society. They shows us what we don’t want to acknowledge. That’s why they’re so controversial.

[@loltwest9423]

The lyrics "I want to love you but also condemn you" hit pretty hard for me. I personally feel like it perfectly encapsulates the message of the song. They can't forget the horrible atrocities of their past, and neither will they let it go, no matter how much they want to love their country and its achievements. The craziest bit for me personally is the V2 rockets bit. From the American perspective and knowing what those rockets eventually lead to, it's a crazy contrast seeing this technological advancement achieved during the time period of such insane atrocity. The whole message I got was that to nature of the German identity is one of wanting to love a country but grappling with its many and horrific atrocities. All I'm gonna say is, watching the development of modern Germany and seeing where you and the other Germans go from here will be fascinating. (Also you validated my theory that they chose a black woman to represent the spirit of Germania to avoid or spit in the face of accusations of being "far-right.")

[@loschwahn723]

it means " i fuck you all and everytime and there will be nothing to fuck left "

[@wilhelmkaiser9804]

Du siehst ja jetzt die Entwicklung des modernen Deutschland, Krieg gegen Russland. Und schon wieder haben eine Handvoll Politiker es geschafft, sich die Macht an sich zu reißen, und die Welt beherrschen zu wollen. Politiker stören die natürliche Entwicklung eines Landes und seiner Kultur. Fremdgesteuerte Politiker sind keine neue Erfindung. Du erwähnst die vielen schrecklichen Greueltaten der Deutschen, und das ein Deutscher sein Land lieben will. Es ist sehr leicht sein Land zu lieben, egal wie viele Tote es im Zweiten Weltkrieg gab, wenn man weiß, dass der Kriegsgrund nicht alleine auf deutscher Seite zu suchen ist. Glaubst du immer noch daran, dass ein Land einfach so den Zweiten Weltkrieg beginnt, nur weil es Spaß macht? Zu Beginn des Zweiten Weltkrieges waren Kriege immer noch langsam und nicht vorhersehbar. Hitler hat wirklich geglaubt, er könne gegen Polen verlieren und er hat sich schon Gedanken gemacht, wie er zurücktreten wird. Ganz so offensichtlich war es nicht, dass ein großer Krieg kommen wird, der Weltkrieg hat sich erst Jahr für Jahr weiterentwickelt. Siehe heute Ukraine und Europa und Russland Krieg, mit jedem Jahr wird es schlimmer, die Geschichte wiederholt sich. Deutschland wollte seine verlorenen Gebiete zurück haben, Hitler wollte das durch den Einmarsch in Polen erreichen. Die wichtigste Frage ist doch, warum hat Deutschland sein Land verloren, wenn im Ersten Weltkrieg alle Nationen Kriege führen wollten, warum hat man nicht Frankreich ein Stück Land weggenommen? Das war alles so politisch provoziert worden, die Franzosen und die Briten und die Amerikaner hassen Deutsche, sie wollten nach dem Ersten Weltkrieg den Samen für einen neuen Krieg setzen. Und vor dem Ersten Weltkrieg gab es kein Deutschland, aber die ständigen Angriffe von Frankreich haben dazu geführt, dass Deutschland gegründet wurde, also wer hat jetzt den Samen der Gewalt eingepflanzt? War es Deutschland gegen die ganze Welt, oder Deutschland gegen das britische Imperium und das französische Weltreich? Beide Imperien haben die ganze Welt beherrscht. Die Deutschen haben viele tausend Jahre lang friedlich gelebt. Es gab nie ein Deutschland. Wir Deutschen brauchen keine aggressiven Nachbarn, wie Frankreich und England, die uns ständig in Kriege hinein treiben, wie jetzt gegen Russland.

[@rodri_merli27]

18:22 "you can be black and be as much a German as everyone else" and as a matter of fact she *IS* German, Berlin-born Ruby Commey.

[@unclejoeoakland]

And darn purty, too.

[@TheTheThe_]

Incoming chuds

[@unclejoeoakland]

@@TheTheThe_ hey! I just learned a new word!

[@sinomirneja771]

Me and you believe she is German, and the nationality has nothing to do with the skill color. The alt-right see it as a corruption of "true" German identity. The corruption which leads to Germania giving birth to dogs.

[@unclejoeoakland]

@@sinomirneja771 I hadn't really thought through that imagery so far. Gonna have to cogitate on that

[@ComedianSaghinadze]

One interesting thing I found about "Deutchland Uber Allen" lyrics, in video it was juxtaposed with the concentration camp scene, so the message was more blatant

[@aarnault5297]

Yep and at that moment, he looks right at the camera too.

[@Quotenwagnerianer]

It's also a clever word play on the misinterpretation of the original national anthems lyrics by the right wing nationalists. "Deutschland, Deutschland über alles, über alles in der Welt" does not mean that Germany towers above everything else in the world. It means that it is more close to the heart to a German than everything else in the world. By changing it to "Deutschland, Deutschland über allen" it actually becomes what the Nazis thought it meant, that Germany is better than everything else in the world and that it should rule over the world.

[@RustyDust101]

@@Quotenwagnerianer The Germans of the time when the "Lied der Deutschen" was composed had seen again and again that their tiny nation-states had absolutely no bloody chance at defending against larger, stronger nation's armies, such as at that time most recently, the French. Every other nation-state in Europe held much more political and military power compared to almost any of the tiny nation states of the Holy Roman Empire of Germanic Nations, possibly with the exception of Austria-Hungary, Bavaria, and Prussia. Any neighbor who wanted to could easily take chunks out of the HRE at any time because there was no unified army to defend the states; only the small local armed forces of the local nobles. The "Deutschland, Deutschland über alles" actually refers to the idea from the 1848 "Lied der Deutschen" / "Song of the Germans" of a whole, unified Germany as opposed to seeing yourself as a Badenser, Swabian, Bavarian, Frankonian, Hannoveranian, Bremerian, Schleswiger, Holsteiner, Rhinelander, Prussian, Silesian, Pommeraninan, yada-yada-yada, you get the drift. The HRE's previous tiny noble fiefdoms looked across their borders and saw strong, powerful nation states pop up everywhere around them, and were very afraid for their saftey. The only solution they saw to prevent themselves from being gobbled up in nice bite-sized chunks was to become part of a unified whole nation-state that would defend ALL of its member states. Therefore you should not think as a member of one of the dozens, if not hundreds of small, independent tiny baronies, duchies, earldoms, and micro-kingdoms that made up the 'Holy Roman Empire of Germanic Nations', but rather as a person of a unified nation of Germany. The idea of a whole, unified Germany should thus actually be translated much more as "Germany before the sub-set of states". That was the basic drive of the time: to finally unify Germany so it might have a chance to defend itsself against its many times more powerful neighbors. Agreed, it does not have the same ring or fluidity to it. That's what cramming such a line into a song does for the context, damn it. So the "Deutschland über allen" is much more the Nazi intent. Obviously (hopefully, I got it immediately) this version means the superiority complex the Nazis had. As such it was, again, obviously a very bitterly-cynical parody of the original lyrics.

[@garrett7384]

3thony Arrowtano Best arrows in the game

[@knokgroda]

My take on the "astronauts" scanning the past is that we only see what's happening by looking back. Hindsight is 20/20. And the astronauts in combination with the puppies are, for me, that we're puppies, we know nothing of we don't look back and learn from history.

[@kindofunkind4826]

This is easily one of the most elaborate and nuanced analyses I ever came across on youtube, regardless of topic. Please keep putting out quality content like this, regardless of quantity. There's a dire need for more like it, and it's in very short supply. My compliments!

[@hjalmarschacht2559]

Brilliant! EXCELLENT analysis! Almost as good as the video itself. This is a very ... emotional video. The first time I watched it, I found myself crying. I have no idea why. Thanks again for clarifications. You now have a new subscriber.

[@satyasyasatyasya5746]

Oh? A ThreeArrows video about something I'm pretty sure I know nothing about but will enjoy anyway... YAY ^.^

[@reaperking2121]

I honestly love the fact that its a black actress who portraits germany in the music video. Its really a nice way of attacking and mocking the idea of a "White" Germany. It also points nicely to the fact that modern Germany is a nation of many races, religions ethnic groups and the whole spectrum of sexuality that most certainly has come along way from 1944.

[@DGARedRaven]

That, plus said black actress IS German by birth. Which I, being German, find so incredibly poetic and powerful :) And the fact that I can say: "She is one of us!" make me even more proud.

[@crazyjkass]

Also, in previous videos, they have used black actresses for visual contrast against the band.

[@IGotNoJam]

It also mocks those who thought this song was somehow meant to be a patriotic love song to Germany and its past. They are called out by even thinking that the use of her was wrong. Neo-nazis can't use this song as they would want to. And if they played it and shouted Deutschland proudly to it then I'm sure they've never seen the video of it. It's funny really, just the thought of them watching it in disgust 🤣

[@reaperking2121]

@@IGotNoJam the funny thing is that the reason they hate it is why I love it. Because this song doesn’t blindly declare it’s love for the German past but instead is about the reconciliation between the crimes of Germanys past and the Germany I am so proud of today.

[@bloodhound2995]

Funny think actually there was black soldiers in German military in ww2 would you like the pictures? Some was part of the Arab free Legion was other was part of the party and heer

[@sebrij]

"Should the Kaiser be called german Kaiser or the Kaiser of germany" 😂😂 that's the Germans for you

[@TheHeavyshadow]

It has been some time since my history-lessons in high-school but I'm certain that was more than just lexical splitting of hairs. IIRC a "German Kaiser" would have simply meant a Kaiser who is of German nationality while "Kaiser of Germany" would have meant that now every territory that was under the reign of the Kaiser would be considered a part of Germany. The latter was quite the statement and preferred by a lot of political/military higher-ups in Germany, while of course not so much by other states. In the end they settled on something neutral during the proclamation to sidestep the issue, calling him "Majesty" or something like that. But again: A pinch of salt is suggested with my recapture, it's been a hot minute since I last dealt with that topic.

[@UlitheUnruly]

@@TheHeavyshadow bravo.

[@_zedejose]

@@TheHeavyshadow ...and let's not forget for instance Belgium where the king is King of the *Belgians*, and *not* the King of Belgium, i.e. a "popular" monarchy vs. a constitutional/absolute monarchy.

[@fionafiona1146]

As long as the “prince" of Prussia won't get any part of it semantics are fine to dicuss.

[@lonelysith66]

Oh, Germany, you never cease to confuse me. 🤣🤣🤣

[@RadicalReviewer]

Best Arrows in the Game...a song review...you are wonderful!!

[@Pincer88]

Very good analysis and one I adhere to wholehartedly. I must say Rammstein's 'synopsis' of Germany's history is admirably self-critical and is - at least in my eyes - not at all offensive. I really detest the reflex by some to protest against this depiction without even understanding (or trying to understand) what they see or what the message is. I know, this may sound very shallow with the recent events in Halle in mind, but everyone with a right mind can see that Rammstein's message is pretty simple: the old sentiments are never far away, beware. And as you rightfuly state: those sentiments were never and still are not unique to Germany. Being Dutch I have got to say, that there's no nation that I know of that has shown such devotion to dealing with the dark pages of its history. Most other nations still glorify their past, even when it consists of conquest, supression and exploitation (colonialism, anyone?). The way I perceive our German neighbours is with respect. Of course there are biggots in Germany like anywhere else. But the mainstay of German people are decent, polite ("höfflich"), hard working, honest and sympathetic men and women. I hope that anyone who sees Rammstein's video would stay away from the reflex-like reaction and instead becomes interested in Germany, its rich culture, history and beautiful language (yes, of course, wenn not pronounciated like a Gestapo-officer). It saddens me to see that so many never have read (or heard about) Erich Kästner, Hermann Hesse, Goethe, Lessing ("Nathan der Weise!!!") or Rilke. If the only way we can see Germany is through a lense of the 2nd Worldwar, we fail ourselves. So from the Netherlands: a heartfelt compliment both on this video, as on Rammstein and present day Germany. Zum Wohl.

[@Mayhzon]

Everything is nihilistic and "bravely self-critical" these days. It all follows the critical theory and the destruction of everything. Not everything history is dark pages and bad past. Some of the rulers of the Holy Roman Empire were some of the best our people ever saw, much better than the traitors Helmut Kohl (rejected to take back offered ex-Prussian territory from Gorbatschov and also rejected proper peace treaties offered at the time) and Merkel (countless acts of sabotage against our people and also rejects all peace treaties offered by Russia, USA, etc).

[@linuswang6572]

The date 16 A.D. makes sence. 14-16 A.D. the romans, led by Germanicus (and for a while even Tiberius himself), contucted punitive expeditions against the Germans and Arminius. During these expeditions, they came upon the remains of the legions massacred by the German tribes in the Teutoburg forest. That event is most likely what's being referenced at the start of the Deutchland-vid.

[@mortarpadowan]

Loved the analysis, and would definitely love to see more of these.

[@Matt-bg5wg]

I've loved Rammstein since Mutter. Although I knew a lot of their songs from earlier albums. Last year I finally got to see them perform live in Barcelona. Deutschland is one of my favourite songs of theirs, and it was amazing to see it (as well as every other song) live. However, this deconstruction of the video and song lyrics has elevated this past experience in my life to another level. Thank you so much for putting this together.

[@daddyleon]

*+Three Arrows* What about that "Germania" dies and is given a space burial, suggesting that the idea of Germany will die in the future anyway. And that all this nationalism was a weird and troubled concept to begin with. An outsider's fiction (Romans) in the first place; that was nevertheless adopted by the natives that didn't really seem to live up to it (the scene of Germans eating Germania during the middle ages), with sometimes being a uniting force (Germania in battle gear); with the notion of "Germania" being fully corrupted during WW2 and the DDR-time; and after being somewhat salvaged the RAF tries to tare it all up; but eventually...she dies when we reach space and earthbound nationality doesn't even register. To me this suggests something like: the only way we can finally be free of all the negativity it has, is once it just dies; because it can always be corrupted, always held hostage; it can change, but it's always a tool that's never just 'good'.

[@falsevacuum4667]

That's a very interesting concept. Sadly, I don't think Earth's nations pushing beyond the envelop of our planet is going to melt away national and other divisions among us. There are already notions that China, America, etc. will all make their own Moon bases etc. It will just be "Chinese in space" and "Americans in space," rather than humanity as a whole exploring for the benefit of us all. I hope I'm wrong about this.

[@daddyleon]

@@falsevacuum4667 Yes, I like the concept too :) I also don't think it's really going to happen (but I do think this might be the vain hope), but not that it'll be "[nation] in space". Have you seen "The Expanse"? Great tv series and touches this too.

[@falsevacuum4667]

@@daddyleon No, I haven't seen that show. I looked it up and I'm intrigued. Definitely going to give it a watch! Thanks for the great rec

[@daddyleon]

@@falsevacuum4667 Yeah, it's great :) Hoping you'll like it! There's at least a couple of seasons worth to binge for you!

[@KrabbenmannF]

21:25 the point with the lyrics „Germany above everyone“ is not only what was given in the video, but also that in the third verse they sing the bulletpoints “überflüssig = needles”, „überdrüssig = tired off” and the sentence “the higher you go, the farther you fall” before repeating “Germany above everyone”.

[@pastlesandfish]

I feel like your videos are like mini history lessons on Germany. I love them.

[@thezieg]

Please do more media criticism/explication. I enjoyed this. As a Jew of German descent, and a dedicated Leftist, I am fascinated by all these intertwined manifestations of thought and expression.

[@TheReddShinobi13]

In metal music, you can find a lot what you seek. Especially in some more heavy and extreme bands. Just...be careful of a genre called NSBM. National Socialist Black Metal. I don't think I need explain to a fellow Jew the reasons to avoid it

[@loschwahn723]

_" As a Jew of German descent "_ ...all brain ends here...

[@thezieg]

@@loschwahn723 your "brain" must have "ended" long ago if my remark causes you difficulty. But, frankly, I really couldn't give a rat's ass.

[@cheburekman696]

@@loschwahn723 why exactly?

[@SSofIreland]

The seven core tenets of nationalism: 1. If an area was ours for 500 years and yours for 50 years, it should belong to us - you are merely occupiers. 2. If an area was yours for 500 years and ours for 50 years, it should belong to us - borders must not be changed. 3. If an area belonged to us 500 years ago but never since then, it should belong to us - it is the cradle of our nation. 4. If a majority of our people live there, it must belong to us - they must enjoy the right of self-determination. 5. If a minority of our people live there, it must belong to us - they must be protected against your oppression. 6. All of the above rules apply to us, but not to you. 7. Our dream of greatness is historical necessity, yours is fascism.

[@antonioalbul00]

"if you are a minority living there, it must belong to us" so I guess hooray for our Chinese overlords since they have people in every country on Earth and lived there for generations

[@moezlamloum]

that's Israel in a nutshell

[@CedarPinesFieldGrove]

​@@moezlamloum Pretty much

[@SomeYouTubeTraveler]

Wait, so America is... oh. Wait, so Israel is... oh. Wait, so Palestine is... oh. Wait, so Islam is... oh. You know what... I think nationalism causes all our problems now.

[@animeXcaso]

you know that without nationalism there wouldn't be a united Italy?