Mein Teil
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| "Mein Teil" | ||
|---|---|---|
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| Single by Rammstein | ||
| from the album Reise, Reise | ||
| Released | July 26, 2004 | |
| Format | CD | |
| Recorded | El Cortijo Studio, Málaga, 2003 | |
| Genre | Tanz-Metall | |
| Length | 4:38 | |
| Label | Motor (Part of UMG) | |
| Producer(s) | Jacob Hellner and Rammstein | |
| Chart positions | ||
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| Rammstein singles chronology | ||
| "Feuer frei!" (2003) |
"Mein Teil" (2004) |
"Amerika" (2004) |
"Mein Teil" is a single by the German Industrial metal band Rammstein from the album Reise, Reise.
"Mein Teil" is the first single released from Rammstein's fourth full-length studio album, Reise, Reise. The translation of "Mein Teil" is literally "My piece", and could be slang for "penis".
The song is inspired by the infamous case of Armin Meiwes and Bernd Jürgen Armando Brandes. In March 2001, in Rotenburg, Hessen, Germany, the two men in their 40's met each other, cut off Brandes' penis and the two ate it together. Afterwards, Meiwes killed Brandes—apparently with his 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" ("Because you are what you eat"), which is obviously a humorous reference to cannibalism.
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." [1] 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 have been done by Arthur Baker and Pet Shop Boys.
At the beginning of the song, the phrase „Suche gut gebauten 18-30 jährigen zum Schlachten“ - Der Metzgermeister (Which translates to "Looking for a well built 18 to 30 year old to be slaughtered - The Master Butcher") is spoken. This is a quote taken from the online post by Armin Meiwes. This quote is only heard on the single version of the song.
Rammstein was nominated for "Mein Teil" in the category of "Best Metal Performance" in the 48th Annual Grammy Awards, which was held on February 8 in Los Angeles.
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[edit] Live Performance
This song is one of the most spectacular live performances of the 2004-2005 Reise, Reise tour.
From the central backstage access, Till Lindemann appears dressed as a blood-stained chef holding a microphone with a large butcher's knife attached to the end. He pulls out a giant cooking pot with a portable keyboard attached to one side. 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 comments: "It's fine. It is only pain. Although you can't breathe in because then you will inhale the flames and die." [3]
[edit] Music video
The controversy over Mein Teil prompted MTV Germany to restrict the airing of the music video to after 11pm. It shows Till being fellated by an angel before eating her wings; Flake performing ballet; Paul shaking violently and wandering around the set in a crazed state; Richard wrestling his alter-ego, Oliver writhing on the floor in a spasm; the whole band fighting in a mudpit; and five of the band members crawling out of a Berlin U-Bahn (subway) station while held on leashes carried by "Frau" Christoph Schneider, who is dressed as the mother of the cannibal Armin Meiwes.
[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
| Rammstein |
| Till Lindemann | Christian "Flake" Lorenz | Christoph "Doom" Schneider | Richard Z. Kruspe | Oliver Riedel | Paul H. Landers |
| Discography |
|---|
| Albums: Demos - 1994 | Herzeleid | Sehnsucht | Mutter | Reise, Reise | Rosenrot |
| Singles: Du riechst so gut | Seemann | Engel | Du hast | Das Modell | Du riechst so gut '98 | Stripped | Single Collection | Asche zu Asche | Sonne | Links 2 3 4 | Ich will | Mutter | Feuer frei! | Schtiel | Mein Teil | Amerika | Ohne dich | Keine Lust | Benzin | Rosenrot | Mann gegen Mann |
| VHS and DVDs: Live aus Berlin | Lichtspielhaus | Völkerball |
