| Mensch | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Studio album by Herbert Grönemeyer | ||||
| Released | August 30, 2002 | |||
| Genre | Rock | |||
| Label | Grönland (EMI) | |||
| Herbert Grönemeyer chronology | ||||
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Mensch, released in 2002, is the 20th music release by prominent German rock/pop artist Herbert Grönemeyer. Mensch ("Human") is Grönemeyer's 11th full-length album of original compositions. The title track Mensch became Grönemeyer's first number-one single in Germany. The mood of the album reflects the recent death of both his wife and one of his older brothers within the same week, and is rich with poetic imagery. The songs range from rock to ballads. The richness of the imagery and language, as well as the use of creative word play, can make the lyrics difficult to interpret by listeners who are not fluent in German. In Mensch Grönemeyer reflects on his own humanity as it relates to feeling loss. The song Der Weg in particular focuses on memories of his wife and the love they shared.
The full-length album was released in three different versions:
Both the Compact Disc and the Super Audio CD (CD layer and high-resolution SACD stereo sections) contain a hidden track after about fifteen minutes of silence at the end of the last song. The album is almost entirely in German, with the hidden track in English. The Album has been a huge success in Germany, Austria and Switzerland and sold nearly 4 million copies, making it one of the best-selling German-language records of all time. Being certified 21 x Gold in Germany, it is the best-selling album of all time in that region.[1]