Sehnsucht (album)

Sehnsucht is the second album by Rammstein. It was released on 25 August 1997, in Germany and on 13 January 1998, in the USA. Whilst being the second album of the band, Sehnsucht was their debut album in the USA, and was promoted as such.

Sehnsucht
Album by Rammstein
Recorded:	Temple Studios, Malta, 1996 - 1997
Producer:	Jacob Hellner
Released:	25 August 1997 13 January 1998 (US)
Format:	CD, Cassette, Vinyl, Digital
Label:	Motor Universal (Re-Release) Slash (US) XIII Bis (France)
Stream:	Spotify iTunes
Discogs:
Rammstein album chronology Herzeleid (1995) Sehnsucht (1997) Mutter (2001)
Singles:
Engel      1 April 1997 Engel (Fan-Edition)      23 May 1997 Du hast      18 July 1997 Sehnsucht      1997
Alternative artwork:
Anniversary Edition

Information

Recording

Pre-production for the album started around September 1996, which was followed by a second pre-production in Berlin, this time including a producer. The album recording started in mid-November 1996 in the Temple Studios in Malta, followed by additional recordings in the Wisselord Studio in Hilversum, Netherlands. The album has again been mixed by Ronald Prent at Chateau Du Pape in Hamburg. 13 songs are known to have been recorded, which includes the 11 songs on the album, plus Das Modell and Kokain, which were both released on the single for Das Modell. Additionally it is known that the band was still working on their old song Schwarzes Glas, but it's unknown if a studio version of it has been recorded in these sessions.

Around January/February '97, the band played five songs of the album to journalists in a studio in Berlin, Prenzlauer Berg. Two of the premiered songs were Du hast and Bestrafe mich.

The album was first scheduled to be released in April. But "due to small delays in the proudction process" it was re-scheduled for the end of May. From May it was re-scheduled again to August. In an interview Olli was asked about re-scheduling the album:

Wir hatten Probleme beim Mischen und so hat das noch um 2 Monate verschoben, und dadurch, daß man besser im Sommer keine Platten herausbringt haben wir uns entschlossen das Album erst Ende des Sommers im August zu veröffentlichen. Das waren nur noch Mischprobleme und die Covergestaltung die noch fehlten. Deshalb haben wir jetzt auch schon eine Single veröffentlicht, um ein bißchen die Zeit zu überbrücken.

We had problems with mixing and so that postponed for 2 months, and because it is better not to release records in the summer we decided to release the album at the end of the summer in August. There were only mixing problems and the cover design that were still missing. That's why we have already released a single to bridge the time a bit.

• 

  Temple Studios

Other songs

The band recorded a total of 13 new songs, and two alternate version of album songs. Except for one of those alternate versions, all songs have been released:

• Das Modell - released on the single Das Modell
• Kokain - released on the single Das Modell
• Alter Mann (Special Version) - released on the single Das Modell
• Engel (Till)

Promotion

The promotional copy of the album came with a promotional folder, of which the following text is taken from:

German original

Am Anfang war der Terror. Metal und Techno in verführerischer Mischung, dazu aus Deutschland. Wie gerufen die ersten Abmahnungen. Das übliche Schreckensvokabular, die üblichen Denuntziationen. Trotzdem ein ordentlicher Erfolg. Immer wieder in die Charts, und dann der Durchmarsch, schließlich auf Platz acht der Album-Charts, nahezu 400.000 verkaufte Tonträger, Goldstatus in Deutschland. Zudem internationale Anerkennnung und unzählige Veröffentlichungen im Ausland inklusive Italien, Spanien, Griechenland, Schweden, Frankreich, Mexico. Auftritte auf den größten Sommer-Festivals in Schweden, Holland, England, Belgien, Frankreich... Das war das Debüt von Rammstein, Herzeleid, eine Sensation mit Zeitzünder, eine beispiellose Erfolgsgeschichte. Dazwischen kam David Lynch, kam der "Lost Highway", zwei Songs auf dem famosen Soundtrack neben Bowies "I'm Deranged". Bewunderung für die Teutonen beim Film-Team. zentrale Momente im Film mit Rammstein-Gruselromantik. Vielleicht, spekuliert einer der Gefängniswärter in "Lost Highway", sei das alles "weird shit". Verstehen kann man es jedenfalls nicht. Aber warum auch ! Das Reizvolle an Lynchs Rätselspielen wie an den nicht minder enigmatischen Attacken von Rammstein ist das Locken des Unheimlichen, die Erotik des Mythos, die Wucht der Gewalt. Es ist ein beliebtes Mißverständnis, den Künstler mit der Kunst, die Handelnden mit den Erfindenden zu verwechseln, die Imagination mit der Tat. Allerdings beschäftigt der Fall Rammstein neben den Musikzeitschriften, neuerdings auch die Illustrierten und Stadtmagazine. Erst Kopfschütteln, dann Ratlosigkeit oder mildes Amüsement. Was ist nur dran an dem Ensemble aus Ost-Berlin und Schwerin? Ein Jugend-Phänomen? Spaß am Sadomasochismus? Die neue Lust am Obskuranten? Der Sound sozialen Abstiegs? Der Beat der Krise? Nicht unwahrscheinlich, dass die Depressionen des ausgehenden Jahrtausends, die Unüberschaubarkeit und Ausweglosigkeit der postindustriellen Endzeit solche Entladungen möglich macht. Dabei sind Rammstein keine dumpfen multiplikatoren kollektiven Unbehagens, sie exekutieren auch keinen simplen Zerstörungswillen. Das Spielerische der Rammstein-Welt - das den "Stern" unvermeidlich an "Hollywood" gemahnt, obwohl David Lynch dort gar keinen Zutritt hat (und nicht mehr haben will) - wird selbstredend ignoriert; schlauere Interpreten erkennen immerhin das "Comichafte" der Inszenierung. Und in der Tat: Wir sind ja nicht im Philosophie-Seminar. Obwohl es dort einiges zu diskutieren gäbe. Zumal jetzt, da das zweite Album veröffentlich wird. Angekündigt durch die TOP 3 Gold-Single Engel. Der Titel: Sehnsucht, ganz einfach, ein großes Wort für Gefühle, die mit Sehnen und Süchten jenseits des Heimwehs zusammenhängen. "Ich möchte Deine Träne reiten/ Übers Kinn nach Afrika/ Und zwischen deinen Schenkeln suchen/ Nach dem Schnee vom letzten Jahr." Der ist natürlich nicht mehr da. Man kann sich nicht helfen: Mag ja lachhaft sein, doch besser gelacht hat man selten. Fast beängstigend, wie Rammstein ihre Sprachbilder schöpfen (und woher!), wie die Texte in der Schwebe gehalten werden, immer gerne eine zweite Ebene parat, eine listige Doppelbedeutung, eine finstere Andeutung, einen fiesen Halbsatz. Wie in Bestrafe mich oder Bück dich der Sadomasochismus eine plötzlich auch musikalisch verhandelbare Angelegenheit wird, die der stimulierenden Albernheit von der praktizierende Experten immer berichten! - entspricht. Das Grauen der Lust stets auch eine schwarze Komödie, der Eingang zur Spaß-Hölle. Bedrohlich und bombastisch sind diese Lieder, wenn man sie so nennen darf - wie die synthetischen Streicher grell und schräg irrlichtern, wie der schönste Kitsch - schon in der Single Engel - exekutiert wird, und wie Till Lindemann in Klavier unvermutet wie ein verzärtelter Minnesänger singt, wo sonst geknurrt wird. Das Idyll ist glaubhaft. Aber etwas stimmt im Refrain schon mit der Musik nicht. Und siehe: "Ich goß ihr Blut in das Feuer meiner Wut". Dann kippt der Song in den Abgrund, und die Genre-Bilder werden als Schauer-Tableau wiederholt. Ein fast klassisches Bänkelied, bei dem Täter und Opfer am Ende die Rollen vertauschen: Nun sitzt der Lauschende selbst am Klavier, und sein Spiel beginnt. Das Spiel auf der Klaviatur unserer Ängste und Obsessionen nämlich. Wenn künftig über Rammstein nachgedacht wird, sollte das Archetypische gründlich bedacht werden als das Phänotypische. Unter der Oberfläche einer perfekten Show und attraktiven Budenzaubers schwärt der Brand der Leidenschaften. Rammstein sägen am Urgrund.

English Deepl translation

In the beginning was the terror. Metal and techno in seductive mixture, in addition from Germany. As called the first warnings. The usual vocabulary of terror, the usual denuntziationen. Nevertheless, a decent success. Again and again in the charts, and then the march through, finally at number eight in the album charts, nearly 400,000 records sold, gold status in Germany. In addition, international recognition and countless releases abroad including Italy, Spain, Greece, Sweden, France, Mexico. Performances at the biggest summer festivals in Sweden, Holland, England, Belgium, France... This was the debut of Rammstein, Herzeleid, a sensation with time fuse, an unprecedented success story. In between came David Lynch, came the "Lost Highway", two songs on the fabulous soundtrack next to Bowie's "I'm Deranged". Admiration for the Teutons among the film team. central moments in the film with Rammstein horror romance. Perhaps, speculates one of the prison guards in "Lost Highway", it's all "weird shit". In any case, you can't understand it. But why should we! What's appealing about Lynch's riddles, as about Rammstein's no less enigmatic attacks, is the lure of the uncanny, the eroticism of myth, the force of violence. It is a popular misunderstanding to confuse the artist with the art, the doers with the inventors, the imagination with the deed. However, in addition to the music magazines, the Rammstein case has recently also been occupying the illustrated magazines and city magazines. First head-shaking, then perplexity or mild amusement. What is it about this ensemble from East Berlin and Schwerin? A youth phenomenon ? Fun with sadomasochism ? The new lust for the obscure ? The sound of social decline ? The beat of the crisis ? It is not unlikely that the depression of the end of the millennium, the unmanageability and hopelessness of the post-industrial end time makes such discharges possible. At the same time, Rammstein are no dull multipliers of collective unease, nor do they execute a simple will to destroy. The playfulness of the Rammstein world - which inevitably reminds the "stern" of "Hollywood", although David Lynch has no access there (and no longer wants to) - is naturally ignored; cleverer interpreters at least recognize the "comic" nature of the production. And indeed: We are not in a philosophy seminar. Although there would be a lot to discuss there. Especially now that the second album is released. Announced by the TOP 3 Gold single Engel. The title: Sehnsucht, quite simply, a great word for feelings related to longings and addictions beyond homesickness. "Ich möchte Deine Träne reiten/ Übers Kinn nach Afrika/ Und zwischen deinen Schenkeln suchen/ Nach dem Schnee vom letzten Jahr." It's gone, of course. You can't help yourself: May be laughable, but one has rarely laughed better. It's almost frightening how Rammstein draw their linguistic images (and from where!), how the lyrics are held in abeyance, always happy to have a second level ready, a cunning double meaning, a sinister suggestion, a nasty half-sentence. Like in Bestrafe mich or Bück dich the sadomasochism suddenly becomes a musically negotiable matter, too, corresponding to the stimulating silliness practicing experts always report about! - corresponds. The horror of lust always also a black comedy, the entrance to fun hell. Threatening and bombastic are these songs, if one may call them so - how the synthetic strings are glaringly and obliquely errant, how the most beautiful kitsch - already in the singleEngel - is executed, and how Till Lindemann in Klavier unexpectedly sings like a pampered minstrel where otherwise growls. The idyll is believable. But something is already wrong with the music in the chorus. And see: "Ich goß ihr Blut in das Feuer meiner Wut". Then the song tips into the abyss, and the genre imagery is repeated as a chilling tableau. It's an almost classic pew song, with the perpetrator and victim reversing roles at the end: Now the eavesdropper himself sits at the piano, and his playing begins. Playing on the keyboard of our fears and obsessions, namely. When thinking about Rammstein in the future, the archetypal should be thoroughly considered than the phenotypical. Beneath the surface of a perfect show and attractive budenzaubers the fire of passions festers. Rammstein saw at the primordial ground.

For the release in the USA, the label Slash Records gave promotional sheets out, which had the following info:

English original
Little is known of the six East German men who have ascended to international fame and notoriety under the moniker of Rammstein. There is speculation, for instance, as to whether the band takes its name from the site of an inordinate number of plane crashes in its homeland, or from its more literal translation: A battering ram made of stone. A "ramming stone." Rammstein. As it happens, either would be appropriate. The relentless "Tanzmetall" (figure that one out for yourself, schatze) pulse of the band's sound and the unparalleled pyromania of its live show have accounted in equal measure to Rammstein's meteoric rise to fame in its native Germany. Formed in 1993 by an assemblage of factory-weary proletarians raised in East Berlin and the more remote Schwerin, Rammstein wasted no time in crafting a distinctive voice: The unerring utilitarian synchronicity of Richard Kruspe and Paul Landers' guitars locked with the bolt-tight rhythmic backbone of bassist Oliver Riedel and drummer Christoph Schneider, providing an unshakable foundation. The crowning touches that distinguished Rammstein from...well, anyone were the keyboards of Flake (pronounced flah-keh) and the booming basso profundo poetics of onetime Olympic swimmer Till Lindemann. "Our style came out of knowing exactly what we didn't want," explains Flake. "We didn't want to make American funk music, or punk. That's something we couldn't do at all. We realized we could only make the music we make." Word of Rammstein's "Horror Romanticist" blend of theatre and muzik spread like wildfire. Literally: Lindemann would sing entire songs engulfed in flame from head to toe. This obsession with fire meshed perfectly with the band's driving operatic melodies and dramatically intoned tales of lost love and longing, tragedy and deviance, dominance and submission. "The main thing is love in all its shapes and variations," countered Till Lindemann. Adds Flake, "They are completely normal, romantic lyrics." This was naturally taken to be with a grain of salt, coming from a man who set himself on fire nightly and the colleague who would break fluorescent lighting tubes over his bare chest. However, a passage from any number of Rammstein lyrics would bear out Lindemann's claim. Take, for instance, this rough translation of a snippet from the title track of Rammstein's 1995 debut, Herzeleid (or "Heartache"): "Protect one another from heartache/For short is the time you will have together/For although it may be many years/It will someday seem to have passed like minutes..." (Forgive the somewhat rusty translation). On some level, it all struck a primal and resounding chord with the German populace. Herzeleid built relentlessly on the groundswell created by the band's live reputation, ultimately providing bonafide entry into the European mainstream. Scaling the heights of the German charts (and remaining there until the release of the second Rammstein LP some two years later), the album inadvertently introduced the band to the world outside the Germany/Switzerland/Austria region: When it came time to make a Rammstein video, the band innocently sent copies of Herzeleid to its favorite filmmakers. One responded: David Lynch. While Lynch replied that he was too busy working on Lost Highway to direct a Rammstein video, he had become so enamored with the record that he eventually included two songs from Herzeleid in the film and soundtrack: "Rammstein" and "Heirate Mich" (or "Marry Me"). Herzeleid's increasing success and visibility did not come without a measure of controversy, specifically accusations of Nazism and fascism leveled at Rammstein by the German media. The origin of these allegations is unclear. Some said Herzeleid's cover art—the six members of Rammstein shirtless, buff and shiny against a backdrop of giant yellow flowers—suggested the band members as progenitors of a new master race. "That's complete rubbish," says Flake. "It's just a photo." Stranger still, others decried a similarity between Lindemann's rolling r's and Adolf Hitler's diction (!). Whatever. The fact remains that the band has never penned a political lyric and continues to laugh off such conjecture. "If we were Spanish," says Landers, "Then we wouldn't have to deal with this hassle. If some of the journalists want to stick us in the Nazi corner, we can't help it. It's the same they did with Kraftwerk twenty years ago..." As Rammstein's second album, Sehnsucht (or "Longing"), was released, the band was headlining throughout Europe to crowds of 10,000 to 30,000. Sehnsucht entered the German charts at #1 immediately upon its August release, and came very close to doing to the same in Austria and Switzerland. Within weeks, entries on other countries' charts had Sehnsucht rubbing elbows with Prodigy, Radiohead and the Rolling Stones on Billboard's cumulative Eurochart. By the time you read this, Sehnsucht will have gone double-platinum in Germany, platinum in Switzerland, gold in Austria, and will be ascending the top 100 of Finland, Sweden and Hungary. Rammstein will have also completed a debut U.S. mini-tour, introducing a scaled down version of its pyro-psycho pastiche to a routing suspiciously similar to the Sex Pistols' first American jaunt: Tulsa OK, Texas...concluding not in San Francisco, but in Los Angeles, where the band blew away a capacity crowd of KMFDM and Lords Of Acid fans (Literally and figuratively; there were quite a few explosions lighting up the Hollywood Palladium that night). What's more, this landmark performance had Rammstein merchandise flying out the door—no mean feat for the opening act on a three-band bill— and U.S. rock luminaries including members of the Foo Fighters and Afghan Whigs re-routing their travel itineraries to catch the band's L.A. debut. All this and Rammstein has yet to release a record in the U.S. Sehnsucht will be issued Stateside by February 1998 on Slash Records. Whether or not the drum 'n' bass interludes of the title track, the haunting whistling and eerie children's choir of the German #1 single "Engel" ("Angel"), or the riff-driven techno-metal of "Du Hast" ("You Hate"—also a top 10 hit in Germany) will resonate with an American audience is anyone's guess. One thing, however, is certain: Rammstein will not compromise. Fire codes will be subverted, lyrics will remain in German, videos will continue to push the envelope. Otherwise, it just wouldn't be Rammstein. "We can't help the way we are," says Lindemann. Or as Landers so succinctly puts it: "Rammstein is Rammstein." </poem>

Anniversary Edition

On 15 April 2023, Rammstein released a short teaser to their social media channels, showing the album's various front covers along to the intro of Bück dich. A day later, another teaser was posted, with footage of the band rehearsing Engel on 18 April 1997. The caption of that video announced the "Sehnsucht Anniversary Edition". On 17 April 2023, a third teaser followed, including footage from Live aus Berlin and the announcement, that the pre-order of the anniversary edition would start the next day, 19 April. The Anniversary Edition of Sehnsucht was made available for pre-order around 10 AM CEST.

The Anniversary Edition is scheduled for release on June 9th, 2023.

Besides being remastered, the album features an exclusive new mix of Spiel mit mir, titled "2023 Mix", and a 40 page booklet with previously unreleased photos of Gottfried Helnwein. The album is available in the following formats:

• CD
• LP black
• LP white (exclusive to RammsteinShop and EMP)
• Cassette
• Digital

Promo CDrs

Two promotional CDrs surfaced on Discogs. Their origin and exact content is unknown.

Sehnsucht

The CDr for Sehnsucht was made to promote the 2001 reissue of Sehnsucht. It is dated 3 January 2001 and marked as "For Promotional Use Only - Not For Resale".

Tracklist

Standard album
Sehnsucht - 04:04 Engel - 04:24 Tier - 03:46 Bestrafe mich - 03:36 Du hast - 03:54 Bück dich - 03:21 Spiel mit mir - 04:45 Klavier - 04:22 Alter Mann - 04:22 Eifersucht - 03:35 Küss mich (Fellfrosch) - 03:30

Sehnsucht (Instrumentals)

The CDr for Sehnsucht (Instrumentals) includes instrumental tracks of all songs and was made to promote the 2001 reissue of Sehnsucht. It is dated 23 February 2001 and marked as "For Internal Use Only - Not For Resale". Additionally, a handwritten note *UNMASTERED* is present.

Tracklist

Standard album
Sehnsucht (Instrumental) - 04:04 Engel (Instrumental) - 04:24 Tier (Instrumental) - 03:46 Bestrafe mich (Instrumental) - 03:36 Du hast (Instrumental) - 03:54 Bück dich (Instrumental) - 03:21 Spiel mit mir (Instrumental) - 04:45 Klavier (Instrumental) - 04:22 Alter Mann (Instrumental) - 04:22 Eifersucht (Instrumental) - 03:35 Küss mich (Fellfrosch) (Instrumental) - 03:30

Tracklist

CD / Digital
Sehnsucht - 04:04 Engel - 04:24 Tier - 03:48 Bestrafe mich - 03:39 Du hast - 03:54 Bück dich - 03:21 Spiel mit mir - 04:45 Klavier - 04:22 Alter Mann - 04:22 Eifersucht - 03:35 Küss mich (Fellfrosch) - 03:30

Cassette

Europe 1. Sehnsucht - 04:04 2. Engel - 04:24 3. Tier - 03:47 4. Bestrafe mich - 03:39 5. Du hast - 03:55 6. Bück dich - 03:22 1. Spiel mit mir - 04:46 2. Klavier - 04:24 3. Alter Mann - 04:24 4. Eifersucht - 03:37 5. Küss mich (Fellfrosch) - 03:31 USA 1997 1. Sehnsucht - 04:04 2. Engel - 04:24 3. Tier - 03:47 4. Bestrafe mich - 03:39 5. Du hast - 03:55 6. Bück dich - 03:22 1. Spiel mit mir - 04:46 2. Klavier - 04:24 3. Alter Mann - 04:24 4. Eifersucht - 03:37 5. Küss mich (Fellfrosch) - 03:31 6. Engel (English Version) - 04:25 7. Du hast (English Version) - 03:54 USA 1998 1. Sehnsucht - 04:04 2. Engel - 04:24 3. Tier - 03:47 4. Bestrafe mich - 03:39 5. Du hast - 03:55 6. Bück dich - 03:22 1. Spiel mit mir - 04:46 2. Klavier - 04:24 3. Alter Mann - 04:24 4. Eifersucht - 03:37 5. Küss mich (Fellfrosch) - 03:31 6. Stripped (hidden) - 04:26

Bonus tracks

Poland cassette Only featured on some editions. Till's Polish introduction - 00:05 USA / Japan 1997 Some editions feature these as hidden tracks. Engel (English Version) - 04:25 Du hast (English Version) - 03:54 Germany 1998 Du riechst so gut '98 - 04:24 France XIII Bis Digipak Rammstein (Eskimos & Egypt Radio Edit) - 03:40 Du riechst so gut '98 - 04:24 Du hast (Remix by Clawfinger) - 05:24 USA 1998 Some editions feature this as hidden track. Stripped - 04:26 Australia 1998 / 2001 Stripped - 04:44 Australia 2001 bonus CD same content as the Asche zu Asche single Asche zu Asche - 03:53 Spiel mit mir (Live) - 05:19 Laichzeit (Live) - 05:14 Wollt ihr das Bett in Flammen sehen? (Live) - 05:53 Engel (Live) (Video) - 05:58 Asche zu Asche (Live) (Video) - 03:30 Anniversary Edition Spiel mit mir (2023 Mix)

Vinyl
1. Sehnsucht - 04:04 2. Engel - 04:24 3. Tier - 03:47 1. Bestrafe mich - 03:39 2. Du hast - 03:55 3. Bück dich - 03:22 1. Spiel mit mir - 04:46 2. Klavier - 04:24 3. Alter Mann - 04:24 1. Eifersucht - 03:37 2. Küss mich (Fellfrosch) - 03:31

Promotional cassette
Sehnsucht - 04:04 Engel - 04:24 Tier - 03:47 Bestrafe mich - 03:39 Du hast - 04:24 - Extended version Bück dich - 03:22 Spiel mit mir - 04:46 Klavier - 04:24 Alter Mann - 04:24 Eifersucht - 03:37 Küss mich (Fellfrosch) - 03:31

Translations
Only featured on the XIII Bis edition. Nostalgie Ange Animal Punis moi Tu as Baisse toi Jouez avec moi Piano Vieil homme Jalousie Embrasse moi	Only featured on some editions. Hunger Angel Beast Punish Me You Hate Bend Down Play With Me Piano The Old Man Jealousy Kiss me (Furryfrog)

Formats

Over the years the album was released in many different versions all over the world. This table is showing you the main different versions of the album:

Release	Country		Label	Type		Comment	Bonus content	Cover	Discogs
1997-08-25	Germany		Motor Music	CD	Jewel case	Print on jewel case		All
1997-08-25	Germany		Motor Music	CD	Jewel case	Print on jewel case Black paper in front to censor the artwork		All
1997-08-25	Germany		Motor Music	CD	Digipak			Flake
1997	Germany		Motor Music	CD	Jewel case	Tour edition with t-shirt and sticker Print on jewel case		All
1997	France		XIII Bis	CD	Jewel case	Print on jewel case		All
1997	France		XIII Bis	CD	Digipak	Numbered		Till
1997	France		XIII Bis	CD	Digipak	Numbered glossy digipak		Till
1997	Türkiye		Motor Music	Cassette	Jewel case			Schneider
1997	Mexico		Motor Music	CD	Jewel case		12. Engel (English Version) 13. Du hast (English Version)	Till
1997	Mexico		Motor Music	CD	Jewel case	"Milenium Fase II" o-card	12. Engel (English Version) 13. Du hast (English Version)	Till
1998-01-13	United States		Slash	CD	Jewel case	Has credits for Stripped as track 12 in the booklet	12. Engel (English Version) (hidden) 13. Du hast (English Version) (hidden)	Schneider
1998-01-13	United States		Slash	CD	Jewel case		12. Engel (English Version) 13. Du hast (English Version)	Till
1998-01-13	United States		Slash	Cassette	Jewel case			Schneider
1998-01-13	United States		Slash	Cassette	Jewel case		12. Engel (English Version) (hidden) 13. Du hast (English Version) (hidden)	Schneider
1998-01-13	United States		Slash	Cassette	Jewel case		12. Engel (English Version) 13. Du hast (English Version)	Till
1998-07-01	Japan		Polydor	CD	Jewel case		12. Engel (English Version) - 04:25 13. Du hast (English Version) - 03:54	Schneider
1998	Germany		Motor Music	CD	Jewel case	Print on jewel case	12. Du riechst so gut '98 - 04:24	Flake
1998	France		XIII Bis	CD	Digipak	Numbered	12. Rammstein (Eskimos & Egypt Radio Edit) - 03:40 13. Du riechst so gut '98 - 04:24 14. Du hast (Remix by Clawfinger) - 05:24	Till
1998	United States		Slash	CD	Jewel case		12. Stripped (hidden) - 04:26	Schneider
1998	United States		Slash	Cassette	Jewel case		12. Stripped (hidden)	Schneider
1998	Australia		PolyGram	CD	Jewel case	Print on jewel case	12. Stripped - 04:44	Olli
2001-01-03	United Kingdom		Universal Music Island Records	CD	Plastic sleeve	CDr
2001-02-23	United Kingdom		Universal Music Island Records	CD	Plastic sleeve	Instrumentals CDr
2001	Australia		PolyGram	CD	Jewel case	Sticker on jewel case	12. Stripped - 04:44 CD 2: Asche zu Asche single	Olli
2001	Germany		Universal Music	CD	Jewel case	Print on jewel case Partially English lyrics in the booklet		All
2015-12-04	Europe		Universal Music	Vinyl	Gatefold	As part of the XXI box set	Remastered	Flake
2017-12-08	Europe		Universal Music	Vinyl	Gatefold	Standalone release	Remastered	Flake
2021-10-29	Europe		Universal Music	CD	Digipak			Flake
Unknown	South Korea		Slash	Cassette	Jewel case	Golden "Sehnsucht" print on the cover		Till

Trivia

• Sehnsucht was the debut album of the band in the US. Herzeleid was released 10 months later.
• The French jewel case version of the album has French translations of all song titles in the tracklist and French lyrics translations for Engel and Du hast on the inside of the inlay.
• All French versions of the album incorrectly write Spielt mit mir in the tracklist.
• Polish cassettes of the album included a short Polish introduction to the album, spoken by Till.

Hallo! Cześć jesteśmy Rammstein, pozdrawiamy całą Polskę i życzymy wielu miłych wrażeń w słuchaniu naszej nowej płyty pod tytułem "Sehnsucht".
Hello! Hi, we are Rammstein. We're greeting all the Polish and we wish you a lot of nice experiences while listening to our new album called "Sehnsucht".

• There are at least two versions of the cassette tape. One containing the spoken intro and another one where it is not present, but the silence before the first song is as long as if it was there.
• The stock photos for the artwork were shot at a beach in Miami, USA and Saint Martin, French West Indies.
• The booklet shows single pictures of each band member. The photos were taken by Gottfried Helnwein in his castle in 1996. Each band member's face is painted white with various devices attached to it. The instruments used are surgical tools from the original collection of famous German surgeon Ferdinand Sauerbruch (1874-1951), who was head of the surgical department at the Berlin hospital Charité from 1928 to 1949. While the surgical tools are antique, Paul Landers seems to have a lung retractor in his mouth, Richard Kruspe appears to have trachea retractors in front of his eyes, Christoph Schneider seems to have some kind of spreader attached to his mouth, and the masks that Till Lindemann and Flake Lorenz are wearing could possibly have been used for anaesthesia or for breathing in the pressure chamber Sauerbruch developed.
• The trachea retractor "glasses" worn by Till were also used on the album cover of "Blackout" by the Scorpions.
• Gottfried Helnwein is selling art prints of the artwork's photographs through his online store.

Certifications

The certified units are based on the minimum need of sales to receive the award.

Certification	Date	Units	Country
Platinum (2x)	2004	160,000	Switzerland
Platinum	1998-09-29		Austria
Platinum	2001-07-10		Canada
Platinum	1997	500,000	Germany
Platinum	1999-07-01	1,000,000	USA
Platinum	1997	50,000	Switzerland
Gold	1998-01-15		Austria
Gold	1998-11-30		Canada
Gold	1997	250,00	Germany
Gold	1998-09-02		USA
Silver	2013-07-22	60,000	UK

Covers

• 

  Christoph Schneider
• 

  Till Lindemann
• 

  Christian Lorenz
• 

  Oliver Riedel
• 

  Paul Landers
• 

  Richard Kruspe

Gallery

• 

  Standard booklet
• 

  Japanese booklet, printed in grey
• 

  USA booklet, printed in white
• 

  German digipack
• 

  Australian bonus CD
• 

  Japanese OBI strip
• 

  Japanese inlay
• 

  Australian inlay
• 

  Du riechst so gut '98 inlay
• 

  Album advertising #1
• 

  Album advertising #2
• 

  Album advertising #3
• 

  Album advertising #4
• 

  Album turning
  platinum advertising
• 

  Slash Records promo sheet #1
• 

  Slash Records promo sheet #2

Credits

Music & Lyrics by RAMMSTEIN
except [Sehnsucht] & [Stripped]
Music by RAMMSTEIN/Orgasm Death Gimmick
Lyrics by RAMMSTEIN
Produced by Jacob Hellner with RAMMSTEIN
Mixed by Ronald Prent
Programming by RAMMSTEIN
Additional Programming by Marc Stagg
Female Voice by Bobo

[STRIPPED]
Written by Martin Gore and Published by EMI
Blackwood Music Inc. (BMI)/EMI Music Puglishing
Ltd. (PRS)/Grabbing Hands Music (PRS)
Mastered by Bjorn Engelmann at The Cutting Room, Stockholm
Taken from the compilation "For The Masses". 1998
1500 Records.

Portrait Photography by Gottfried Hellnwein
Landscape by Premium Stock Photography
Sleeve Design by Dirk Rudolph
All Songs published by BMG/Ufa
Management: Emanuel Fialik

Contact & Merchandising:
PILGRIM
Postfach 540 101
10042 Berlin

RAMMSTEIN im Internet:
http://www.rammstein.de

Motor im Internet:
http://www.motor.de

RAMMSTEIN would like to thank the following companies for their support:
Music Man, ESP, Mesa-Boogie and Shure