Das Model

"Das Model"

German sleeve
Single by Kraftwerk
from the album The Man-Machine
B-side "Neonlicht" (1978, Germany)
"The Model" (1981, Germany)
"Computer Love" (1981, UK)
Released September 1978 (Germany)
December 1981 (UK)
Format 7" vinyl, 12" vinyl
Recorded 1977–1978
Genre Synthpop[1]
Length 3:38
Label EMI Kling Klang 1C 00645109 (1978, Germany)
EMI Kling Klang 1C 006 78078(1981, Germany)
EMI Capitol EMI5207 (UK)
Writer(s) Ralf Hütter, Karl Bartos, Emil Schult
Producer(s) Ralf Hütter, Florian Schneider
Kraftwerk German singles[2] chronology
"Die Roboter"
(1978)		 "Das Model"
(1978)		 "Taschenrechner"
(1981)
"The Model"
UK sleeve
Kraftwerk UK singles[3] chronology
"Computer Love"
(1981)		 "The Model"
(1981)		 "Showroom Dummies"
(1982)
Music sample
Kraftwerk - The Model

"Das Model" (spelling on all releases of the album up to the 2009 remaster: "Das Modell"; English version title: "The Model") is a song recorded by the German group Kraftwerk in 1978, written by musicians Ralf Hütter and Karl Bartos, with artist Emil Schult collaborating on the lyrics. It is featured on the album, Die Mensch-Maschine (English version title: The Man-Machine).

First released as a 7" single in Germany (B-side: "Neonlicht"), under its English translation the song was eventually included on the B-side of the "Computer Love" single released in July 1981, which reached no. 36 in the UK charts. When radio DJs started playing the B-side, EMI re-issued the single in December 1981—apparently against the band's wishes—with "The Model" as the A-side. It reached no. 1 in February 1982 and spent a total of 21 weeks in the top 75 of the UK Singles Chart.[4]

Chart performance

Chart (1978) Peak
position
Netherlands (Single Top 100)[5] 43
US Billboard Hot Dance Club Play[6] 39
Chart (1982) Peak
position
Australia (Kent Music Report)[7] 33
Germany (Media Control Charts)[8] 7
Ireland (IRMA)[9] 4
Netherlands (Single Top 100)[5] 41
UK Singles (Official Charts Company)[10] 1

Rammstein version

"Das Modell"
Single by Rammstein
B-side "Kokain"
"Alter Mann"
Released 23 November 1997
Format Enhanced CD, CD
Recorded Temple Studios, Malta, 1997
Genre Neue Deutsche Härte, industrial metal
Length 4:46
Label Motor Music
Writer(s) Ralf Hütter, Karl Bartos, Emil Schult
Producer(s) Jacob Hellner with Rammstein
Rammstein singles chronology
"Du hast"
(1997)		 "Das Modell"
(1997)		 "Du riechst so gut '98"
(1998)

German Neue Deutsche Härte band Rammstein covered the German version of "Das Model" in 1997 as "Das Modell". It was released as a non-album single.

"Das Modell" is introduced by a French phrase spoken by film editor Mathilde Bonnefoy:[11] "Mesdames et messieurs, nous avons l'honneur ce soir, de vous présenter la nouvelle collection de Rammstein" which translates to "Ladies and Gentlemen, tonight we have the honour of presenting you with Rammstein's new collection" – something that one would expect to hear about a clothing collection. The beginning sounds like a fashion catwalk. Someone belches then a bump and a scream is heard, followed by laughter and cameras clicking, apparently to sound as if the model stumbled and fell.

The single contains three non-album tracks taken from the Sehnsucht recording sessions. In the special version of "Alter Mann", Bobo (Christiane Hebold) sings alongside Till Lindemann in the chorus. Also included is the computer game "Asche zu Asche" for Microsoft Windows.

Live versions

Despite being a single, "Das Modell" has only been played live once, on 23 October 1998 in St. Louis, MO, USA, during the Family Values Tour.[12] It had a shortened intro and outro, making it one of the few Rammstein songs to be shortened instead of extended when played live. The second song Kokain was also played in concerts two or three times. Moreover Flake Lorenz stated it was a difficult song to put across live[13]

Track listings

Promo CD
No. TitleWriter(s) Length
1. "Das Modell"  Ralf Hütter, Karl Bartos, Emil Schult 4:46
2. "Kokain"  Rammstein 3:09
Enhanced CD
No. TitleWriter(s) Length
1. "Das Modell"  Hütter, Bartos, Schult 4:46
2. "Kokain"  Rammstein 3:09
3. "Alter Mann" (special version) (featuring Bobo)Rammstein 4:22
4. "Rammstein Computerspiel für Windows" (Rammstein computer game for Windows)n/a n/a

Chart performance

Chart (1997–1998) Peak
position
Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)[14] 18
Germany (Media Control Charts)[15] 5
Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)[16] 41

Other cover versions

The song was first covered by Snakefinger on his debut LP Chewing Hides the Sound in 1979. Noise rock pioneers Big Black covered the song on their 1987 album Songs About Fucking. It has also been covered by Hannes Kröger, The Cardigans, The Members, Terrorvision (with Die Cheerleader), Carter USM, Canasta, The Divine Comedy, Electric Six, Yat-Kha, Balanescu Quartet, Hikashu, Ride, Chris Whitley, Aviador Dro, Eläkeläiset and Zoot Woman, Scala & Kolacny Brothers, Russian experimental surf rock band Messer Chups, Demolition Group, Wunderkind, the Dutch band Treble Spankers, Fink, English folk band Tickled Pink, Sopor Æternus & the Ensemble of Shadows (sung in Latin, and released under the title 'Modela Est'), Supernaut (a Serbian punk-funk underground hard rock band), as well as a French version by Canadian electro pop duo Lola Dutronic. In 2001 Czech model Veronika Zemanová (a.k.a. Veronica Zemanova) released a version, in which the lyrics were changed into 'I'm a model' instead of the original 'She's a model'. Adrian Edmondson's folk band the Bad Shepherds covered the song on their debut album Yan, Tyan, Tethera, Methera! released in 2009. Japanese musician Tomoyasu Hotei covered it on his 2009 cover album Modern Times Rock'N'Roll. Brazilian singer Seu Jorge covered the song on his 2010 covers album "Seu Jorge and Almaz", and so did Tangerine Dream in their 2010 album Under Cover – Chapter One. Die Toten Hosen covered the song on their Ballast der Republik album in 2012.

References

  1. ↑ Reynolds, Simon (2009). Rip It Up and Start Again: Postpunk 1978–1984. Faber and Faber. ISBN 978-0-5712-5227-5. A few weeks later, another song from 1978 — Kraftwerk's 'The Model', the catchiest song on The Man-Machine — was released as a single and, as if to proclaim the Dusseldorf group's ancestral centrality for synthpop, promptly soared to number 1
  2. ↑ Kraftwerk International Discography: Germany at the Wayback Machine (archived 6 February 2006). Retrieved 4 April 2009.
  3. ↑ Kraftwerk International Discography: Great Britain at the Wayback Machine (archived 6 February 2006). Retrieved 4 April 2009.
  4. ↑ "Kraftwerk". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 26 June 2013.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 "Dutchcharts.nl – Kraftwerk – The Model" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved 20 July 2013.
  6. ↑ "Kraftwerk – Awards". AllMusic. All Media Network. Retrieved 20 July 2013.
  7. ↑ "Forum – ARIA Charts: Special Occasion Charts – CHART POSITIONS PRE 1989". Australian-charts.com. Hung Medien. Retrieved 22 July 2013.
  8. ↑ "Officialcharts.de – Kraftwerk – Das Model". GfK Entertainment. Retrieved 20 July 2013.
  9. ↑ "The Irish Charts – Search Results – The Model". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved 20 July 2013.
  10. ↑ "Archive Chart: 1982-02-06" UK Singles Chart. Retrieved 22 July 2013.
  11. ↑ "Rammstein – Das Modell (CD, Maxi, Enh)". Discogs. Retrieved 22 April 2009.
  12. ↑ "Rammstein – RammsteinNicCage.com – Concert Info – St. Louis, MO, USA – October 23, 1998". RammsteinNicCage.com. Retrieved 23 April 2009.
  13. ↑ Williams, Jeremy. "Press: Rammstein Chat with Flake". Herzeleid.com. Retrieved 20 July 2013.
  14. ↑ "Austriancharts.at – Rammstein – Das Modell" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Retrieved 20 July 2013.
  15. ↑ "Officialcharts.de – Rammstein – Das Modell". GfK Entertainment. Retrieved 20 July 2013.
  16. ↑ "Swedishcharts.com – Rammstein – Das Modell". Singles Top 60. Retrieved 20 July 2013.

External links

Preceded by
"Oh Julie" by Shakin' Stevens		 UK Singles Chart number-one single
(English Kraftwerk version)
6 February 1982 (1 week) 		Succeeded by
"Town Called Malice"
by The Jam