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Amerika (song)

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For other songs of this name, see Amerika (disambiguation) § Music.
"Amerika"
Song

"Amerika" is a song performed by German band Rammstein. It was released in September 2004 as the second single from their album Reise, Reise.

Content

The song deals with the worldwide influence of the culture of the United States of America. The two verses are sung in German with a chorus in Denglisch: We're all living in Amerika, Amerika ist wunderbar, We're all living in Amerika, Amerika, Amerika and We're all living in Amerika, Coca-Cola, sometimes war. The band views it as a satirical commentary on Americanization, and the lyrics refer to such things considered American as Coca-Cola, Santa Claus, Wonderbra and Mickey Mouse. Uncharacteristically for Rammstein, the song incorporates an interlude in which the lyrics explicitly state the band's intentions: This is not a love song, This is not a love song, I don't sing my mother tongue, No this is not a love song.

Video

The video shows the band in Apollo-era space suits on the Moon, with shots of other cultures acting like stereotypical Americans and some using American-owned products such as cigarettes, with the assertion that American culture is everywhere. The high-tech Apollo scenes are intercut with African, and Australian Aborigine tribal footage as a stark cultural contrast. The end of the video shows that the band have actually been in a fake Moon set in a studio,[1] complete with film crew, an allusion to Apollo moon landing hoax accusations. Till Lindemann, Rammstein's lead singer, wears a space suit with the name "Armstrong" on it, a reference to Neil Armstrong. The video ends with a band photograph left behind on the moon's surface while the recording of Jack Swigert's quote "Houston, we've had a problem here" is being played. In something of an inside joke, the video concludes with a close up of band member Richard Z. Kruspe, who winks at the camera as he was, at the time, actually "living in America."[2]

Live performance

As with every song from Reise, Reise (except "Ohne Dich"), "Amerika" debuted live in three consecutive concerts for members of the Rammstein fan club. During the live performances of this song on tour, Flake is often seen riding around on a Segway PT with confetti cannons firing red, white and blue confetti in a parody of a ticker-tape parade. It was the last song of the band's main set, and was played at every concert of the Reise, Reise tour. During a concert in Gothenburg, Sweden on July 30, 2005, frontman Till Lindemann suffered a knee injury when keyboardist Flake accidentally ran into him with the Segway PT; this caused concerts scheduled in Asia to be cancelled.

Track listing

CD Single

  1. Amerika
  2. Amerika (English Version)
  3. Amerika (Digital Hardcore Mix) by Alec Empire
  4. Amerika (Western-Remix) by Olsen Involtini
  5. Amerika (Andy Panthen & Mat Diaz's Clubmix)
  6. Amerika (Electro Ghetto Remix) by Bushido & Ilan
  7. Amerika (Jam & Spoon So Kann's Gehen Mix)
  8. Mein Herz brennt Orchesterlied V
  • Released in a jewelcase, digipack and as a digital download

Pock-it CD

  1. Amerika
  2. Amerika (Digital Hardcore Mix) by Alec Empire
  • A 2-track CD single was also released in a card sleeve

UK 7" Vinyl

  1. Amerika
  2. Wilder Wein

Australian Edition

  1. Amerika
  2. Amerika (Digital Hardcore Mix) by Alec Empire
  3. Amerika (Western-Remix) by Olsen Involtini
  4. Amerika (Andy Panthen & Mat Diaz's Clubmix)
  5. Mein Herz brennt (Orchestra Version)

UK Version

  1. Amerika
  2. Amerika (Digital Hardcore Mix) by Alec Empire
  3. Mein Herz brennt
  4. Ich will Orchesterlied VII

UK DVD

  1. Amerika (Video) - 4:19
  2. Making of the Amerika Video - 12:01
  3. Amerika (Album Version) - 3:46

Charts

Chart (2004) Peak
position
Australia (ARIA)[3] 81
Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)[4] 3
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[5] 36
Belgium (Ultratip Bubbling Under Wallonia)[6] 4
Denmark (Tracklisten)[7] 2
Finland (Suomen virallinen lista)[8] 10
France (SNEP)[9] 89
songid field is MANDATORY FOR GERMAN CHARTS 2
Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[10] 22
Norway (VG-lista)[11] 13
Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)[12] 21
Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[13] 5
UK Singles (The Official Charts Company) 38
US Mainstream Rock Songs (Billboard) 40

References

  1. ^ "How to Fake your own Moon Landing" Archived August 18, 2011, at the Wayback Machine, Ethan Siegel. Science Blogs. June 7, 2009. Accessed June 7, 2011
  2. ^ "Rammstein Interview". The Gauntlet. 2011. Retrieved 10 November 2012.
  3. ^ "Rammstein – Amerika". ARIA Top 50 Singles.
  4. ^ "Rammstein – Amerika" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40.
  5. ^ "Rammstein – Amerika" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50.
  6. ^ "Rammstein – Amerika" (in French). Ultratip.
  7. ^ "Rammstein – Amerika". Tracklisten.
  8. ^ "Rammstein: Amerika" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat.
  9. ^ "Rammstein – Amerika" (in French). Les classement single.
  10. ^ "Nederlandse Top 40 – Rammstein" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40.
  11. ^ "Rammstein – Amerika". VG-lista.
  12. ^ "Rammstein – Amerika". Singles Top 100.
  13. ^ "Rammstein – Amerika". Swiss Singles Chart.
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