Mein Teil
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| “Mein Teil” | |||||
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| Single by Rammstein from the album Reise, Reise |
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| Released | July 26, 2004 | ||||
| Format | CD | ||||
| Recorded | El Cortijo Studio, Málaga, 2003 | ||||
| Genre | Tanz-Metall | ||||
| Length | 4:38 | ||||
| Label | Motor (Part of UMG) | ||||
| Producer | Jacob Hellner and Rammstein | ||||
| Rammstein singles chronology | |||||
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"Mein Teil" is the first single by the German Industrial metal band Rammstein from their fourth album Reise, Reise. The Title means "My Part", but in the organic way, which is easy to understand in this "cannibal context". The song is inspired by the infamous case of Armin Meiwes and Bernd Jürgen Armando Brandes. In March 2001, in Rotenburg, Germany, the two men, both in their 40's, met each other, cut off and cooked Brandes' penis and consumed it together. Afterwards, Meiwes killed Brandes—allegedly with Brandes' consent—and ate his remains. As a result, Meiwes was originally sentenced to eight-and-a-half years in jail for manslaughter, but was later charged with murder and sentenced to life imprisonment. A prominent phrase in the song is "Denn du bist was du ißt und ihr wißt was es ist" ("Because you are what you eat and you (plural) know what it is").
According to Rammstein's bassist Oliver "Ollie" Riedel, the song came about after "one of our members brought a newspaper to rehearsal and it had a story about the cannibal guy in it. We were fascinated, shocked and amused at the same time." Vocalist Till Lindemann comments that "It's so sick that it becomes fascinating and there just has to be a song about it."
Mein Teil attracted considerable controversy in Germany; the media dubbed it the "Kannibalensong" (cannibal song), which helped to boost it to second place in the German music charts after its release in early August 2004. Remixes of the song were done by Arthur Baker and the Pet Shop Boys.
At the beginning of the song in the video, the phrase "Suche gut gebauten 18-30 jährigen zum Schlachten - Der Metzgermeister" ("Looking for a well built 18 to 30 year old to be slaughtered - The Master Butcher") is spoken. This is a quote taken from an online post by Armin Meiwes.
Rammstein was nominated for "Mein Teil" in the category of "Best Metal Performance" in the 48th Annual Grammy Awards.
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[edit] Live story
It debuted in three consecutive concerts for members of the fan club, in October 2004. This song is one of the most notable live performances of the 2004-2005 Reise, Reise tour. From the central backstage access, Till Lindemann appears pulling a giant cooking pot. He is dressed as a blood-stained chef holding a microphone with a large butcher's knife attached to the end. Keyboardist Christian "Flake" Lorenz appears in the pot, with metal cylinders attached to his arms and legs, and plays the keyboard during the song. After the second chorus, Till takes a flamethrower and roasts the bottom of the pot, "cooking" Flake. Flake escapes from the pot and starts running around the stage with flames erupting from his arms and legs, while chased by a knife-wielding Till. When asked about what it is like to perform this, Flake said: "It's fine. It is only pain. Although you can't breathe in because then you will inhale the flames and die." [3] Due to all of the theatrical performance, the song usually extended to 6 or 7 minutes when played live. It was played at every concert of the Reise, Reise tour.
[edit] Music video
The controversy over Mein Teil prompted MTV Germany to restrict the airing of the music video to after 11 pm. The video shows Till being fellated by an angel before he eats her wings; Flake performing ballet; Paul shaking violently and wandering around the set in a frantic and crazed state; Richard wrestling his alter-ego; Oliver writhing on the floor in painful spasms; the whole band fighting in a mudpit; and five of the band members crawling out of the Deutsche Oper U-Bahn (subway) station while held on leashes carried by "Frau" Christoph Schneider, who is dressed as a woman.
[edit] Track listing
- Mein Teil
- Mein Teil (You Are What You Eat Edit, Remix by the Pet Shop Boys)
- Mein Teil (Return to New York Buffet Mix, Remix by Arthur Baker)
- Mein Teil (There Are No Guitars on This Mix, Remix by the Pet Shop Boys)
[edit] References
- "Strange tastes", Sunday Herald Sun (Melbourne, Australia), October 24, 2004
- "German cannibal inspires hard rockers Rammstein to new hit", Agence France Presse, August 27, 2004
- "Shock'n'roll Circus", The Times (London), January 29, 2005
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