Das Model
Encyclopedia
"Das Model" is a song recorded by the electro-pop 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
. It is one of the band's most accessible and melodic songs.
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 #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 #1 in February 1982 and spent a total of 21 weeks in the top 75 of the UK singles charts.
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
: "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 honor to present you with the new collection of Rammstein" – 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
.
. 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 Lorenz stated it was a difficult song to put across live (http://herzeleid.com/en/press/2000-12_flake_chat)
Enhanced CD
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 The Cardigans
, Terrorvision
(with Die Cheerleader), Carter USM
, Canasta
, The Divine Comedy
, Electric Six
, Yat-Kha
, Balanescu Quartet
, Hikashu
, Ride
, Chris Whitley
, Supernaut
, 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 Aeternus & the Ensemble of Shadows (sung in Latin, and released under the title 'Modela Est') as well as a French version by Canadian electro pop duo Lola Dutronic. Adrian Edmondson
's folk
band the Bad Shepherds
covered the song on their debut album Yan, Tyan, Tethera, Methera! released in 2009. 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
.
Kraftwerk
Kraftwerk is an influential electronic music band from Düsseldorf, Germany. The group was formed by Ralf Hütter and Florian Schneider in 1970, and was fronted by them until Schneider's departure in 2008...
in 1978; written by musicians Ralf Hütter
Ralf Hütter
Ralf Hütter is the lead singer, keyboardist, and reportedly leader of the electronic-music band Kraftwerk. Since the departure of Florian Schneider in 2008, he is also the group's sole remaining founding member....
and Karl Bartos
Karl Bartos
Karl Bartos was, between 1975 and 1990, along with Wolfgang Flür, an electronic percussionist in the electronic-music group Kraftwerk. He was originally recruited to play on its US "Autobahn" tour...
, with artist Emil Schult
Emil Schult
Emil Schult is a German painter, poet and musician.He is most famous for his collaborations with the electronic music band Kraftwerk. He has created most of their sleeve designs since 1973...
collaborating on the lyrics. It is featured on the album, Die Mensch-Maschine
The Man-Machine
The Man-Machine is the seventh studio album by German electronic band Kraftwerk, released in May 1978. It contains the song "The Model" which was a chart-topping single in the UK in 1982....
; English version title: The Man-Machine
The Man-Machine
The Man-Machine is the seventh studio album by German electronic band Kraftwerk, released in May 1978. It contains the song "The Model" which was a chart-topping single in the UK in 1982....
. It is one of the band's most accessible and melodic songs.
First released as a 7" single in Germany (B-side: "Neonlicht"), under its English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
translation the song was eventually included on the B-side of the "Computer Love" single released in July 1981, which reached #36 in the UK charts. When radio DJs started playing the B-side, EMI
EMI
The EMI Group, also known as EMI Music or simply EMI, is a multinational music company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the fourth-largest business group and family of record labels in the recording industry and one of the "big four" record companies. EMI Group also has a major...
re-issued the single in December 1981 – apparently against the band's wishes – with "The Model" as the A-side. It reached #1 in February 1982 and spent a total of 21 weeks in the top 75 of the UK singles charts.
Chart performance
| Chart (1978) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Dutch GfK GfK The GfK Group, established in 1934 as Gesellschaft für Konsumforschung is Germany's largest market research institute, and the fourth largest market research organisation in the world, after Nielsen Company, Kantar Group, and IMS Health... chart |
43 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot Dance Club Play Hot Dance Club Play The Hot Dance Club Songs chart is a weekly national survey of the songs that are most popular in U.S. dance clubs... |
39 |
| Chart (1982) | Peak position |
| German Singles Chart | 7 |
| Dutch GfK GfK The GfK Group, established in 1934 as Gesellschaft für Konsumforschung is Germany's largest market research institute, and the fourth largest market research organisation in the world, after Nielsen Company, Kantar Group, and IMS Health... chart |
41 |
| Irish Singles Chart Irish Singles Chart The Irish Singles Chart is Ireland's music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by the Irish Recorded Music Association and compiled on behalf of the IRMA by Chart-Track. Chart rankings are based on sales, which are compiled through over-the-counter retail data captured... |
4 |
| UK Singles Chart UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ... |
1 |
Rammstein version
German industrial metalIndustrial metal
Industrial metal is a musical genre that draws from industrial music and many different types of heavy metal, using repeating metal guitar riffs, sampling, synthesizer or sequencer lines, and distorted vocals. Founding industrial metal acts include Ministry, Godflesh, and KMFDM.Industrial metal's...
band Rammstein
Rammstein
Rammstein is a German Neue Deutsche Härte band from Berlin, formed in 1994. The band consists of members Till Lindemann , Richard Z. Kruspe , Paul H. Landers , Oliver "Ollie" Riedel , Christoph "Doom" Schneider and Christian "Flake" Lorenz...
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
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
phrase spoken by film editor Mathilde Bonnefoy
Mathilde Bonnefoy
Mathilde Bonnefoy is a film editor and director who was nominated for an ACE Eddie Award for the editing of the film Run Lola Run ....
: "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 honor to present you with the new collection of Rammstein" – 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
Sehnsucht (Rammstein album)
-Chart positions:- Personnel :*Till Lindemann – Vocals*Richard Z. Kruspe – Lead guitars, backing vocals*Paul Landers – Rhythm guitars*Oliver Riedel – Bass guitar*Christoph Schneider – Drums*Christian "Flake" Lorenz – Keyboards*Bobo – Additional female vocals...
recording sessions. In the special version of "Alter Mann", Bobo (Christiane Hebold) sings alongside Till Lindemann
Till Lindemann
Till Lindemann is a German musician, actor and poet who is the frontman for the German Neue Deutsche Härte band Rammstein.-Biography:...
in the chorus. Also included is the computer game "Asche zu Asche
Asche zu Asche
"Asche zu Asche" is a single by the German band Rammstein, from their first studio album, Herzeleid. The single was included as a "Bonus CD" for the re-released Australian Tour Edition of Sehnsucht, and as a separate CD Single. It contains the 1995 album version of "Asche zu Asche", and five live...
" for Microsoft Windows
Microsoft Windows
Microsoft Windows is a series of operating systems produced by Microsoft.Microsoft introduced an operating environment named Windows on November 20, 1985 as an add-on to MS-DOS in response to the growing interest in graphical user interfaces . Microsoft Windows came to dominate the world's personal...
.
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 TourFamily Values Tour
The Family Values Tour was created by the band Korn in 1998 to be an annual rock & rap tour.The tour began in 1998 and would take the year off in 2000, due to heavy competition from other tours, such as the Anger Management Tour and the Summer Sanitarium Tour. After a four year hiatus, the Family...
. 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 Lorenz stated it was a difficult song to put across live (http://herzeleid.com/en/press/2000-12_flake_chat)
Track listings
Promo CD- Germany: Motor Music / 569 029-2
Enhanced CD
- Germany: Motor Music / 569 029-2
- Das Modell was rereleased in 2010 as a digital download, but the videogame is currently not available for download.
Chart performance
| Chart (1997/1998) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| German Singles Chart | 5 |
| Austrian Singles Chart | 18 |
| Swedish Singles Chart | 41 |
Other cover versions
The song was first covered by SnakefingerSnakefinger
Philip Charles Lithman , who performed under the stage name Snakefinger, was an English musician, singer and songwriter. A multi-instrumentalist, he was best known for his guitar and violin work and his collaborations with The Residents.-History:Lithman was born in Tooting, South London, and came...
on his debut LP Chewing Hides the Sound
Chewing Hides the Sound
Chewing Hides The Sound was Snakefinger's first full-length album, released by Ralph Records in 1979. The record is co-produced with The Residents, who also co-wrote many of the songs...
in 1979. Noise rock
Noise rock
Noise rock describes a style of post-punk rock music that became prominent in the 1980s. Noise rock makes use of the traditional instrumentation and iconography of rock, but incorporates atonality and especially dissonance, and also frequently discards usual songwriting conventions.-Style:Noise...
pioneers Big Black
Big Black
Big Black was an American punk rock band from Evanston, Illinois, active from 1981 to 1987. Founded by singer and guitarist Steve Albini, the band's initial lineup also included guitarist Santiago Durango and bassist Jeff Pezzati, both of Naked Raygun...
covered the song on their 1987 album Songs About Fucking
Songs About Fucking
Songs About Fucking is the second and final album by the noise rock band Big Black. It placed 54th on Pitchfork Media's 'Top 100 Albums of the 1980s'. Included are covers of Kraftwerk's "The Model" and Cheap Trick's "He's a Whore".-Production:...
. It has also been covered by The Cardigans
The Cardigans
The Cardigans are a Swedish rock band formed in the town of Jönköping in October 1992.Their debut album Emmerdale gave them a solid base in their home country and enjoyed some success abroad, especially in Japan. It was not until their second album Life that an international reputation was secured...
, Terrorvision
Terrorvision
Terrorvision are an English rock band. They were formed in 1987 in Keighley, and initially disbanded in 2001...
(with Die Cheerleader), Carter USM
Carter USM
Carter the Unstoppable Sex Machine is a British indie rock band formed in 1988 by singer Jim "Jim Bob" Morrison and guitarist Les "Fruitbat" Carter. They made their name with a distinctive style of power pop, fusing samples, sequenced basses and drum machines with rock 'n' roll guitars and...
, Canasta
Canasta (band)
Ned Raggett of Allmusic wrote that on this album the band "display both an ambition and a sense of range that any number of early 21st century American groups described in similar terms would be wise to follow"...
, The Divine Comedy
The Divine Comedy (band)
The Divine Comedy are a chamber pop band from Ireland, fronted by Neil Hannon. Formed in 1989, Hannon has been the only constant member of the group, playing, in some instances, all of the non-orchestral instrumentation bar drums. To date, ten studio albums have been released under the Divine...
, Electric Six
Electric Six
Electric Six is a six-piece metro Detroit-based band that plays what has been described as a brand of rock music infused with elements of "garage, disco, punk, new wave, and metal." The band met recognition in 2003 with the singles "Danger! High Voltage" and "Gay Bar", and subsequently recorded...
, Yat-Kha
Yat-Kha
Yat-Kha is a band from Tuva, led by vocalist/guitarist Albert Kuvezin. Their music is a mixture of Tuvan traditional music and rock, featuring Kuvezin's distinctive kargyraa throat singing style, the kanzat kargyraa.-Biography:...
, Balanescu Quartet
Balanescu Quartet
The Balanescu Quartet is an avant-garde string quartet founded in 1987 by Alexander Bălănescu that achieved fame through the release of several complex cover versions of songs by German experimental electronic music band Kraftwerk on their album "Possessed"....
, Hikashu
Hikashu
Hikashu are a renowned Japanese underground "avant-pop" collective led by pseudo-Kabuki vocalist, Makigami Koichi, known for their highly experimental music...
, Ride
Ride (band)
Ride were a British alternative rock band that formed in 1988 in Oxford, England, consisting of Andy Bell, Mark Gardener, Laurence "Loz" Colbert, and Steve Queralt. The band were initially part of the "shoegazing" scene. Following the break-up of the band in 1996, members moved on to various other...
, Chris Whitley
Chris Whitley
Christopher Becker Whitley was an American blues singer-songwriter and guitarist.Whitley changed his sound frequently, and achieved modest mainstream success while maintaining a small but devoted following...
, Supernaut
Supernaut (Serbian band)
- 1990s :Having performed as DDT, formed in 1989 by former Šarlo Akrobata member Ivan Vdović "VD" , with Srđan Marković "Đile" and Miodrag Stojanović "Čeza" , the band changed the name to Supernaut, after Vdović's death in 1992...
, Aviador Dro
Aviador Dro
Aviador Dro is an electronic band from Spain that formed in Madrid in 1979 with influences such as Gary Numan, Devo and Kraftwerk. They were part of the Movida Madrileña...
, Eläkeläiset
Eläkeläiset
Eläkeläiset are a Finnish humppa band founded in 1993. They specialise in humppa and jenkka music and have been successful in Germany, Finland and elsewhere....
and Zoot Woman
Zoot Woman
Zoot Woman are a British electronic music band consisting of Adam Blake, Johnny Blake and Stuart Price.Known for their live shows, the group has gained a worldwide following. With the album Living In A Magazine Zoot Woman established themselves on the music scene.Credited by many within the...
, Scala & Kolacny Brothers
Scala & Kolacny Brothers
Scala & Kolacny Brothers is a Belgian women's choir, conducted by Stijn Kolacny and arranged and accompanied by Steven Kolacny on the piano. Formed in 1996 and winning the Belgian 'Choir of the Year'-contest in 2000, they have made five studio albums, starting with On The Rocks in 2002.Most songs...
, Russian experimental surf rock band Messer Chups
Messer Chups
Messer Chups is an experimental band from St.Petersburg, Russia. The band was founded by Oleg Gitarkin who had previously performed with Oleg Kostrow under the name of Messer für Frau Müller. Messer Chups is often considered a "spin-off" band of Messer für Frau Müller...
, Demolition Group, Wunderkind, the Dutch band Treble Spankers, Fink
Fink (music)
Fink, AKA Fin Greenall, is an English singer, songwriter, guitarist, producer and DJ from St. Ives, currently based in Brighton. Since 2006, the name Fink has also referred to the recording and touring trio fronted by Greenall himself, completed by Guy Whittaker and Tim Thornton . Fink is signed...
, English folk band Tickled Pink, Sopor Aeternus & the Ensemble of Shadows (sung in Latin, and released under the title 'Modela Est') as well as a French version by Canadian electro pop duo Lola Dutronic. Adrian Edmondson
Adrian Edmondson
Adrian Charles "Ade" Edmondson is an English comedian. He is probably best known for his comedic roles in the television series The Young Ones and Bottom , for which he also wrote together with his long-time collaboration partner Rik Mayall.-Early life:Edmondson, the second of four children, was...
's folk
Folk music
Folk music is an English term encompassing both traditional folk music and contemporary folk music. The term originated in the 19th century. Traditional folk music has been defined in several ways: as music transmitted by mouth, as music of the lower classes, and as music with unknown composers....
band the Bad Shepherds
The Bad Shepherds
The Bad Shepherds are a British folk band formed by the comedian Adrian Edmondson in 2008. They play punk songs with traditional folk instruments...
covered the song on their debut album Yan, Tyan, Tethera, Methera! released in 2009. Brazilian singer Seu Jorge
Seu Jorge
Seu Jorge is a Brazilian musician, singer/songwriter and actor. Born Jorge Mário da Silva, he was raised in a favela in the city of Belford Roxo in the Baixada Fluminense region of Rio de Janeiro state. He is considered by his fans a renewer of Brazilian pop samba...
covered the song on his 2010 covers album "Seu Jorge and Almaz", and so did Tangerine Dream
Tangerine Dream
Tangerine Dream is a German electronic music group founded in 1967 by Edgar Froese. The band has undergone many personnel changes over the years, with Froese being the only continuous member...
in their 2010 album Under Cover - Chapter One
Under Cover - Chapter One (Tangerine Dream album)
Under Cover - Chapter One is an album by electronic group Tangerine Dream, which was released in December of 2010. The idea for the album is said to have started in 2008 in Los Angeles. The band was touring in the west coast area at the time, and their promoter jokingly told the band they should...
.