Rammstein (song)

From RammWiki
Rammstein
Song by Rammstein from the album Herzeleid
GEMA database:3796011-001
ISWC:T-801.861.103-6
Composer:Rammstein
Lyricist:Rammstein
Recorded:March 1995
Polar Studios, Stockholm
Producer:Jacob Hellner, Carl-Michael Herlöfsson
Mixed:Ronald Prent
Chateau du Pape, Hamburg
Released:25 September 1995
Video:April 1997
Length:04:25
Time signature:4/4
Tempo:57
Key:E
Live debut:7 May 1994 (first known time)
Last performed:5 Aug 2023
Live count:434
Stream / Buy:
Herzeleid tracklist
  1. Wollt ihr das Bett in Flammen sehen?
  2. Der Meister
  3. Weißes Fleisch
  4. Asche zu Asche
  5. Seemann
  6. Du riechst so gut
  7. Das alte Leid
  8. Heirate mich
  9. Herzeleid
  10. Laichzeit
  11. Rammstein

Rammstein is the eleventh song on the album Herzeleid by Rammstein.

Background

  • This was the very first song that the band wrote together. It is about the accident from which the band took its name.
  • The intro part of the song was played before Bück dich during the 2013 tour.
  • The engine sound in the intro of the song was previously used in the Feeling B song Slamersong.

Versions

Studio

Title Release Length Recorded Released Notes
Rammstein Herzeleid 04:25 1995 25 Sep 1995
Engel 1 Apr 1997 Volume reduced by 1dB.
Original Single Kollektion 19 Jul 1998
Rammstein (Edit) Lost Highway 03:26 18 Feb 1997 Skips from after the first "Rammstein" in the second verse to after the first "Rammstein" in the third verse.
Rammstein Trial By Fire 04:25 24 Dec 2000 2000 Remaster.
Rammstein XXI 04:25 4 Dec 2015 2015 Remaster.
Herzeleid (XXI Vinyl) 8 Dec 2017
Herzeleid (XXV Vinyl) 4 Dec 2020
Rammstein Herzeleid (XXV CD / Digital) 04:25 2020 Remaster.
Rammstein 5-Track Demo 05:28 1994 30 Apr 1994
6-Track Demo 1 1994
Rammstein 6-Track Demo 2 03:50 1994 5-Track Demo version.
Different mix.
Cut before the final guitar solo.
Rammstein 3-Track Demo 2 05:16 1995 5-Track Demo version.
Different mix.
Rammstein 3-Track Demo 3 05:18 1995
Rammstein A Journey Into Sound IV 05:08 1995
Rammstein Time for a Cut 05:23 1995
Rammstein 6-Track Demo 3 03:23 1995 5-Track Demo version.
Different mix.
Fades out before third verse.
...Just Wanna Have Fun! 1995
Rammstein 6 Rough-Mixes/3 Mixes 04:31 1995 1995 Mix.

Live

Title Release Type Length Recorded Released Notes
Rammstein Rammstein Life Video 27 Sep 1996 Arena Berlin, Berlin 24 Dec 1996
Rammstein Live aus Berlin Audio 05:29 22 Aug 1998
23 Aug 1998
Wuhlheide, Berlin 30 Aug 1999
Live aus Berlin (2CD) 05:42 Longer crowd cheering at the end.
Ich will (DVD) 06:12 10 Sep 2001 Fades in.
Longer crowd cheering at the start and the end.
Fades out.
Live aus Berlin (VHS / Censored DVD) Video 05:44 14 Sep 1999
Live aus Berlin (DVD) 05:37 29 Nov 1999 Multicam mode.
Six different angles.
Ich will (DVD) 00:30 10 Sep 2001 Snippet of the intro and first verse.
Live aus Berlin (Uncensored DVD) 05:43 27 Mar 2020
Rammstein Völkerball (2CD) Audio 05:12 23 Jul 2005 Festival de Nîmes, Nîmes 17 Nov 2006
Video 05:14

Remix

Title Release Length Remixed by Released Notes
Rammstein (Eskimos & Egypt Radio Edit) Engel
Original Single Kollektion
Sehnsucht (French Special Edition)
03:41 Eskimos & Egypt 1 Apr 1997
Rammstein (Eskimos & Egypt Instrumental Edit)
Rammstein (Eskimos & Egypt Instrumental)
Engel
Engel (Fan-Edition)
Original Single Kollektion
03:32

Live

Live performance

Herzeleid Tour

In 1994, the song's structure was slightly different, with the guitar solo being played at the beginning of the second verse, rather than after the third verse. The well-known burning coat was not yet associated with the song's performance. Instead, Till would use two fountain fireworks at the start of the first verse.

In 1995, Till would start using the first burning coat, consisting of a black suit top with chainmail-like sleeves that could be ignited. Only the right sleeve of the coat would be ignited in 1995. As Rammstein was the first song of the setlist, Till would walk onto the the stage from the backstage whilst wearing the coat. He would stop and look down to the ground while he stood in front of the microphone. Once Paul and Richard started playing after the synth intro, Till would rise his arms and hold them out next to him. When he started singing the first verse, he would hold his right arm behind him, allowing a crewmember to come and ignite the coat's right sleeve. Till would stand still with his arms held out during the instrumental breaks between the verses.

In 1996, the same coat would be used as before, but now both sleeves would be ignited during the song. The stage antics would remain the same, however. The old coat would be used from January to August of 1996, before getting replaced in September. On one occasion, on 14 June, Till launched two fireworks near the beginning of the song, instead of using the burning coat. He did this because he was concerned that the coat would wear out too fast.[1] On 19 July, Till's sleeves were ignited with pyrotechnic flares by two naked women.

From September onwards, Till would use a new kind of coat, consisting fully of the chainmail-like material. This coat had a longer backside as well as a collar. During performances, both sleeves and the back would get ignited. With this coat, Till would spin around after the first verse and show the flames on his back to the audience during the instrumental break. After the third verse, Till would leave the stage while Paul and Richard came over to the middle of the stage to play the guitar solo. Till would return without the coat before the end of the song's outro and face away from the audience.

From 1994 to 1996, Till would also wear a Schlitzbrille when performing the song.

Sehnsucht Tour

From April to August 1997, the performance mostly remained the same, with Till performing whilst using the burning coat. One difference being that during these months, Till would not wear any sort of goggles. Another difference is that Till would remain backstage for the entirety of the song's outro, rather than return to the stage and wait until the outro was finished. During these months, the band would sometimes start performing the Eskimos & Egypt remix of the song after the first verse, which would be performed normally. When this was the case, Schneider would replace one of his drumsticks with a sparkle fountain firework during the second guitar solo.

On one occasion, on 18 May, three minor fireworks exploded behind Till while he was standing still during the song's intro. Another exception took place on 28 June, on this date, fireworks were launched at Till during the song's intro.

During the September and October dates, Rammstein would be performed as the first song of the encore. Till would be standing on a platform made to look like a boxing ring, with crewmembers pushing it through the audience while the rest of the band remained on the normal stage. On the first two September dates, Flake would be present in the ring with Till. At one point, Till would get down on his hands and knees and Flake would start roasting sausages on the fire his back provided. During these months, the song would only be performed with it's first two verses, with Paul and Richard playing an extended guitar solo as a way of ending the song. Till would also start using goggles with a laser pointer for the left eye during the performances.

From November 1997 onwards, the boxing ring would no longer be used, likely due to the song's different placement on the setlist. The song would once again be performed in it's traditional way, with nothing more than the burning coat. All three verses would now be performed again as well.

1998 would not see any changes to the performance of the song, except for two exceptions. On 27 June, Till wore the stage outfit normally used during Spiel mit mir and used a portable flamethrower. Also, during the recording dates for Live aus Berlin on 22 and 23 August, Till rose from underneath the stage on a rising platform. On these dates, an extended synth intro would performed.

For any further performances from 1998 to 2001, the song would get performed normally, with Till just walking onto the stage with the burning coat and laser pointer goggles.

Mutter Tour

During the 2001 Mutter tour dates, a new stage act premiered. Till would perform the song while wearing a flameproof mask resembling his own face, as well as a flameproof suit underneath the coat. After the song's second verse, Till would catch fire and Flake would come to his aid with a fire extinguisher. However, Flake's extinguisher would be filled with flammable powder, making the fire even worse. Till would get down on the ground where crewmembers would come to actually put out the fire.[2] The entire performance would be stopped during this stunt, for a more dramatic effect. Till would eventually stand up, revealing his protective clothing and mask to the audience before finishing the song. This act was done from May to August, but dissapeared completely after September 2001. The act was dropped because it would shock the audience too much and people did not know how to react. Despite this, the band actually liked the act.[3]

For the remainder of 2001 and the whole of 2002, the song would get performed in its traditional way. To replace the stage act, Till just bowed down after the second verse, before continuing the song. 2002 was also the last year that Till used the laser goggles during the song.

Reise, Reise Tour

By 2004, the classic burning coat was no longer in use. Till would instead use an exoskeleton with big flamethrowers mounted on the arms. He would begin firing the flamethrowers in the air after the second verse, either straight up or in an X-form. During the third verse, Till would fire them after every "Rammstein". The same exoskeleton would be used during the entirety of 2005, with one exception. On 3 June Till once again used the burning coat rather than the exoskeleton, this was also the last time the coat was used.

Made in Germany Tour

During the 2013 leg, the song's instrumental intro would get used as an intro to Bück dich. Till and Flake would be missing from the stage while this intro was performed. Schneider added breaks to the instrumental and every time he hit his cymbal, either Paul or Richard would fire from their guitar-mounted flamethrowers. When both guitarists started playing, they would use their flamethrowers at the same time.

Stadium Tour

The main towers of the stage now shoot flames into the sky during the song's intro. A new contraption also replaces the flamethrower exoskeleton. Till now wears a flamethrower backpack, shooting flames in 9 directions for every time he says "Rammstein". The backpack was not used on 1 June 2019.

In addition to the new stage act, the song is also structured differently now. After the guitar solo, the main intro synth returns with Schneider having small drum hit breaks while the synth plays. Every time Schneider hits the drums, Till's backpack shoots flames, with Paul and Richard using their guitar-mounted flamethrowers soon after. After this, a second guitar solo is performed, meaning the third verse does not get sung.

Variations

Type Description First played Last played

Professional recordings

Date Type Location City Country Notes
2 Jul 1994 Video Kunsthaus Tacheles Berlin Germany Filmed by two singlecams.
27 Aug 1994 Video M.A.U. Club Rostock Germany Recorded for the movie ACHTUNG! WIR KOMMEN..
16 Feb 1996 Video Kulturzentrum Stern Riesa Germany
19 Jul 1996 Video Harley-Davidson Motorcycle Jamboree Biesenthal Germany Recorded for release on a VHS tape.
18 Aug 1996 Video Bizarre Festival Cologne Germany
15 May 1997 Video Tor 3 Düsseldorf Germany
18 May 1997 Video Pinkpop Festival Landgraaf Netherlands
12 Jun 1997 Video Hultsfred Festival Hultsfred Sweden
28 Jun 1997 Video Wâldrock Festival Burgum Netherlands
17 Aug 1997 Video Bizarre Festival Cologne Germany Part of the Eskimos & Egypt remix was performed.
22 Aug 1997 Video Pukkelpop Festival Hasselt Belgium
23 Oct 1997 Video Philipshalle Düsseldorf Germany
22 Nov 1997 Video Odjazdy Festival Katowice Poland
29 Nov 1997 Audio Melkweg Amsterdam Netherlands Broadcasted via radio.
6 May 1998 Video The Roxy New York City United States
10 Apr 1999 Audio River Plate Stadium Buenos Aires Argentina Broadcasted via radio.
10 Apr 1999 Video River Plate Stadium Buenos Aires Argentina
17 Apr 1999 Video Autódromo José Carlos Pace São Paulo Brazil Shown in the documentary Rammstein in Amerika.
26 Jan 2001 Video Big Day Out Sydney Australia
10 Jun 2005 Video Hurricane Festival Scheeßel Germany

Music Videos

Name Director Released Notes
Rammstein Mathilde Bonnefoy
Emanuel Fialik
April, 1997

Trivia

  • The instrumental intro is used as intro for the anthem of the Berlin soccer team 1. FC Union Berlin.

Lyrics

Album version
 

Rammstein
Ein Mensch brennt
Rammstein
Fleischgeruch... in der Luft
Rammstein
Ein Kind stirbt
Rammstein
Die Sonne scheint

Rammstein
Ein Flammenmeer
Rammstein
Blut gerinnt... auf dem Asphalt
Rammstein
Mütter schreien
Rammstein
Die Sonne scheint

Rammstein
Ein Massengrab
Rammstein
Kein Entrinnen
Rammstein
Kein Vogel singt... mehr
Rammstein
Und die Sonne scheint

Rammstein
Rammstein
Rammstein
Rammstein
Rammstein

Demo version
 

Rammstein
Ein Mensch brennt
Rammstein
Fleischgeruch... in der Luft
Rammstein
Ein Kind stirbt
Rammstein
Die Sonne scheint

Rammstein
Ein Flammenmeer
Rammstein
Blut gerinnt... auf dem Asphalt
Rammstein
Mütter schreien
Rammstein
Die Sonne scheint

Rammstein
Ein Massengrab
Rammstein
Kein Entrinnen
Rammstein
Kein Vogel singt... mehr
Rammstein
Die Sonne scheint

Rammstein
Official French translation by Mathilde Bonnefoy


Un homme flambe
Rammstein
Odeur de chair brulée
Rammstein
Un enfant meurt
Rammstein
Le soleil brille

Rammstein
Une mer de flammes
Rammstein
Du sang goutte sur l'asphalte
Rammstein
Des mères hurlent
Rammstein
Le soleil brille

Rammstein
Un charnier
Rammstein
Pas d'issue
Rammstein
Plus un oiseau ne chante
Rammstein
Le soleil brille

Media

Merchandise

Rammstein
Shortsleeve shirt
Sold at:Rammstein mailorder
Released:January 1997

Sources