Fearless: A Nina Hagen Retrospective
The central premise in identifying modern rock was its separation from the more broadly embraced, mainstream forms of rock. It needed to be different, not just in style and sound, but in pushing boundaries. One artist who most easily embodied this paradigm was Nina Hagen, one of modern rock’s female pioneers.
Click on the YouTube icon to listen to the playlist as you read along.
There was almost nothing about Nina Hagen that was normal. Her hair, make-up, clothing, and behaviour diverged not just from classic rock, but even for most modern rockers. Her voice and music crossed genres with reckless abandon, neither tethered to a foundational sound nor restricted by impulse. Her music ranged through punk, glam, hard rock, electronica, dance, hip hop, funk, R&B, opera, and jazz. It’s hard to think of other artists who have ranged so broadly over a career. Vocally, her only consistency was being unpredictable, almost unable to deliver any song in a straight-ahead fashion. Though a trained singer, it was not for opera, as is often assumed given her penchant for operatic interludes in her songs. Her soprano voice and multi-octave range made for a broad versatility of vocal styles, from spoken word to frequent punctuations with cries, yelps, and screams that could impress, frighten, and intrigue the listener all at the same time. Her talent set her well above the norms of what modern rock audiences were used to hearing.
The Playlist - “song”\album (year)
“Du hast den Farbfilm vergessen” \ non-album single (as Automobil) (1974)
“Hatschi Waldera” \ non-album single (1975)
“Komm Komm” \ B-side to “He, wir fahren auf’s land” (as Automobil) (1976)
“Honigmann” \ B-side to “Ich Bin Da Gar Nicht Pingelig” (1976)
“TV-Glotzer (White Punks on Dope)” \ Nina Hagen Band (1978)
"Naturträne" \ Nina Hagen Band (as Nina Hagen Band) (1978)
“Superboy” \ Nina Hagen Band (as Nina Hagen Band) (1978)
“African Reggae” \ Unbehagen (as Nina Hagen Band) (1979)
“Auf’m Rummel” \ \ Unbehagen (as Nina Hagen Band) (1979)
“My Way” \ non-album single (later included on Nina Hagen in Ekstasy) (1980)
“Smack Jack” \ NunSexMonkRock (1982)
“Born in Xixax” \ NunSexMonkRock (1982)
“New York New York” \ Fearless (1983)
“What It Is” \ Fearless (1983)
“Universal Radio” \ Nina Hagen in Ekstasy (1985)
“Punkwedding” \ Punk Wedding EP (1988)
“Dope Sucks” \ Nina Hagen (1989)
"Blumen für die Damen" \ Street (1991)
“Go Ahead” \ non-album single (1992)
“Berlin” \ Revolution Ballroom (1993)
“(Another Junkie) Einfach Nina” \ FreuD euch (1995)
“Tiere” \ FreuD euch (1995)
“Runaway” \ BeeHappy (1996)
“Eisern Union” \ non-album single (1998)
“Let Me Entertain You” \ Big Band Explosion (2003)
“Yes, Sir” \ Irgendwo auf der Welt (2006)
“Soma Koma” \ Volksbeat (2011)
“Unity” \ Unity (2022)
Hailing from Germany, she was also separate from the core modern rock scenes of the UK and North America, both geographically and by language. In all respects, there was no reasonable expectation of Nina Hagen becoming a star, and yet she did. As a modern rocker and of an ilk far less approachable than most, she was never going to be a chart topper, yet she achieved broad awareness and a core of loyal fans, most notably in her native Germany, but also in the rest of Europe and in North America. She was respected and embraced by her musical peers and, occasionally, by a bemused musical press. It all came down to her talent, an irrepressible charm, and a sense of fun and embrace of art as a purpose for being, that sparked inspiration and admiration from fans and foes alike.
Nina in 1975, aged 20
Born as Catharina Hagen in East Berlin during the deep throes of the Cold War, Nina came into the arts honestly as her father was a scriptwriter and her mother was an actress, though they split when she was still a toddler. Her Jewish family bore the scars of the war, having lost both her grandfathers. It isn’t hard to imagine how such a history would have affected Nina’s outlook on her world, engendering suspicion, wariness, and a fierce independence.
Raised by her mother, through her arts training Nina made herself known as a budding prodigy. After a stint in Poland during her teens, she returned to Germany and began performing in bands. Graduating school, she first released music with the band, Automobil, issuing several singles of originals and covers and appearing on TV through the mid-1970s. Their sound ranged through cabaret, pop, funk, and glam rock. Her family then moved to West Germany, managing to cross the iron curtain via an appeal from Nina that leveraged her celebrity. Signing to CBS Germany, she travelled to London and was exposed to the burgeoning punk scene, which resulted in her forming Nina Hagen Band back in Germany.
Nina Hagen Band
Backing Nina on vocals was a band that had already been performing together as a rock cabaret act, Lokomotive Kreuzberg. They were a quartet of Reinhold Heil on keyboards, Herwig Mitteregger on drums, Bernhard Potschka on guitar, and Manfred Praeker on bass. Nina Hagen Band released their self-titled debut LP in 1978, but strife between Nina and the band led to their break-up before completing their second, contractually required LP. Nina had moved to New York, though recorded the vocals in L.A. over the band’s tracks, recorded in Germany. Unbehagen, the second album, was released in 1979. These two LPs contained the songs that launched her international career and, in many respects, still define her to this day. Mixing classic rock, glam, opera, punk, and new wave, Nina Hagen Band was a unique package, both visually and musically.
Their first single was “TV-Glotzer” a cover of The Tubes’ seminal 1975 glam and proto-punk track, “White Punks on Dope.” There could not have been a better introduction to what Nina was about, as it let her vocal combinations of growling punk, operatic interludes and crescendos, and deep-throated yelps, cries, and squeals fly about over tight, driving rhythm of guitar and piano. It was the formala we’d hear often over the next forty years. There was also a memorable cover of Lene Lovich’s, “Lucky Number,” inspired from having worked with Lovich and Nina’s boyfriend, Dutch singer, Herman Brood, after appearing in and recording the 1978 soundtrack to the film, Cha Cha. Indeed, Nina was also an actress, appearing in many films over her career, originally starting in roles alongside her mother to later providing the voice of Sally in the German version of The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993).
The 1980 North American EP which introduced me to Nina Hagen
On the second album was one of my favourite songs of all time, “African Reggae.” My brother had Nina Hagen Band’s first North American release, an EP with four songs from the two albums, and as a young teenager this was my introduction to Hagen. I grabbed onto “African Reggae” and listened to it often, even before I had transitioned out of my adolescent pop habits into my alternative tastes. The reggae base under her odd, undulating vocals made for a song so far from what I was used to, yet so mesmerizing and thrilling to the ear, that even though I had no idea who she was or what the song was about, made me fall in love with Nina Hagen. To this day, this song remains the lynchpin of my allegiance to her artistry.
The musicians in Nina Hagen Band stayed together, achieving success as a 1980s new wave band, Spliff. Now solo, Hagen started with a single, a cover of “My Way,” clearly inspired by Sid Vicious’ 1978 punk version. Her first two LPs, NunSexMonkRock in 1982 and Fearless (Angstlos in German) in 1983 saw her embrace the early ‘80s trends in electronics, hip hop, funk, and club music interspersed with her usual rock sounds and varieties of vocals. She also started singing songs in English, making her more accessible to international audiences. Fearless, with club hits “New York New York” and “Zarah,” was the closest she came to success in North America. Though the LP couldn’t crack the top 100 on the album charts with a peak at #151, “New York New York” reached the top ten on the US Dance charts. However, her flamboyant visual style gained her some exposure through the fledgling video stations such as MTV and MuchMusic (in Canada).
Fearless was an album I picked up (through the Columbia House Record Club, no less) and played often. I loved the playfulness, infectious beats, and her always entrancing vocals, all guided by pioneering producer Giorgio Moroder. I wasn’t a hip hop fan, but Nina’s take on it had crossover appeal. The LP’s funk influence, notable on tracks like, “What It Is,” were a result of having Anthony Kiedis and Flea as co-writers and performers, who had not yet released their first LP as Red Hot Chili Peppers. However, after Fearless I didn’t hear much of Hagen. Pre-streaming, there wasn’t an easy way to hear her music. It wasn’t on the radio, and with my limited funds I wasn’t inclined to buy albums unheard. I did, quite happily, get to see her in concert in 1994, surprising me with a metal-tinged rock show peppered with cover songs, including several from Nirvana. It was thrilling to see her. It has also been fun catching up on her career now that her music is much more accessible through streaming.
There were many factors that hindered breakthrough success for Nina Hagen. While her appearance was out there, it wasn’t too bizarre coming on the heels of glam and concurrent to the rise of punk and new wave. She fit well alongside the likes of Siouxsie Sioux and Boy George and the ’80s fashions. Certainly her erratic vocal styles were a challenge to most listeners, and her performances also featured odd behaviours and expressions. While quirkiness is endearing at first, over time it loses its charm if not paired with more enduring elements of appeal.
During her '90s rocker phase
Any chance Nina had of locking in a wider following would come down to the music. In that regard, this is where Hagen has struggled. Many albums have been inconsistent, and though littered with many catchy and great tunes, more broadly her work has tended to generic rock and electronica, not often enough incorporating a lasting hook or melody. Her evolution of styles, including one of Hindu bhajans (Om Namah Shivay, 1999) and two of big band jazz standards (Big Band Explosion, 2003 / Irgendwo auf der Welt, 2006), may have drawn interest from many different corners, but hindered a consistent following across all the genres. However, listening to some of her dance-club music of the early ‘90s, she could certainly be on trend and stay with the times, which is impressive for any artist to do so credibly.
Nina, in 2012
As of 2023, Nina Hagen has released sixteen albums, including the two with Nina Hagen Band, plus one, BeeHappy in 1996, that was an English language version of a German LP, FeuD euch from 1995. Her later work has been infused with themes of religion, politics, and social commentary, though have relied predominantly on cover songs. While Hagen has written some of her music, usually the lyrics, she has always relied on many co-writers and covers for much of her discography. Her albums are also littered with many collaborators of note, ranging from Lene Lovich to Dee Dee Ramone to Afrika Bambaataa to George Clinton to Lemmy Kilmister of Motörhead. After an eleven-year hiatus, she issued her most recent LP in 2022, Unity, one of her more consistent efforts since the early 1980s. She has also done guest work on other artists’ releases, who have been keen to get some of that unique Nina flavour into their work. Notable in that work were appearances with acid house impresario, Adamski, and she impressed metalheads with her 2003 performance with Finnish, symphonic metal act, Apocalyptica, on a cover of Rammstein’s song, “Seemann.” In 1998, she issued a single, “Eisern Union!”, written as the theme song for German football club, FC Union Berlin.
Promo photo for Unity
Now in her late 60s, it’s good to see Nina Hagen continue to work and, whether relevant or not in the modern music world, she remains an iconic, influential, and cherished member of modern rock’s first generation. In Germany she’s proclaimed as the Godmother of Punk. Her impressive, operatic voice paired with an ability to growl and shriek with the best of any punk or rocker, and all delivered in a colourful, eccentric fashion and performance style, has made her one of the most ground-breaking, distinctive, and talented contributors to the breakthrough of modern rock, even if her commercial success outside her homeland was never substantial. She is a one-of-a-kind and always worthy of consideration, and to this day still holds a place among my most favourite music.
