Keine Macht für Niemand
Encyclopedia
Keine Macht für Niemand (No Power for Nobody) is the name of both the second album and best-known song by the band Ton Steine Scherben
. The double album
, released in 1972
, is also sometimes called "die Weiße" ("the white one") in reference to its simple cover with a white background and black text.
The album as a whole, as well as the song Keine Macht für Niemand heavily criticised social and political ills. The lyrics call for resistance against the extant system. In Die letzte Schlacht gewinnen wir ("We [will] win the final battle"), the demand for a replacement of the present capitalist system
is very clear. The phrase "No power for nobody" is a slogan
ised interpretation of anarchy
. When the album was released, Rio Reiser and R.P.S. Lanrue had still yet to adopt their stage name
s.
, the phrase came from an anarchist publication called Germania. Similarly, the song "Macht kaputt, was euch kaputt macht" also has a title in the same vein. In Germany, even 35 years after the album's release, the phrase will appear on banners and posters produced in the leftist scene, or as graffiti
; the song's lyrics call to "write the slogan onto every wall."
After the 2005 election
, Der Spiegel
used the phrase on the cover in reaction to the election results.
Ton Steine Scherben
Ton Steine Scherben was one of the first and most influential German language rock bands of the 1970s and early 1980s. Well-known for the highly political and emotional lyrics of vocalist Rio Reiser, they became a musical mouthpiece of new left movements, such as the squatting movement, during...
. The double album
Double album
A double album is an audio album which spans two units of the primary medium in which it is sold, typically records and compact discs....
, released in 1972
1972 in music
-Events:*January 17 – Highway 51 South in Memphis, Tennessee is renamed "Elvis Presley Boulevard"*January 20 – The début of Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon at The Dome, Brighton, is halted by technical difficulties,...
, is also sometimes called "die Weiße" ("the white one") in reference to its simple cover with a white background and black text.
The album as a whole, as well as the song Keine Macht für Niemand heavily criticised social and political ills. The lyrics call for resistance against the extant system. In Die letzte Schlacht gewinnen wir ("We [will] win the final battle"), the demand for a replacement of the present capitalist system
Capitalism
Capitalism is an economic system that became dominant in the Western world following the demise of feudalism. There is no consensus on the precise definition nor on how the term should be used as a historical category...
is very clear. The phrase "No power for nobody" is a slogan
Slogan
A slogan is a memorable motto or phrase used in a political, commercial, religious and other context as a repetitive expression of an idea or purpose. The word slogan is derived from slogorn which was an Anglicisation of the Scottish Gaelic sluagh-ghairm . Slogans vary from the written and the...
ised interpretation of anarchy
Anarchy
Anarchy , has more than one colloquial definition. In the United States, the term "anarchy" typically is meant to refer to a society which lacks publicly recognized government or violently enforced political authority...
. When the album was released, Rio Reiser and R.P.S. Lanrue had still yet to adopt their stage name
Stage name
A stage name, also called a showbiz name or screen name, is a pseudonym used by performers and entertainers such as actors, wrestlers, comedians, and musicians.-Motivation to use a stage name:...
s.
Use as a slogan
According to Rio ReiserRio Reiser
Rio Reiser , was a German rock musician and singer of the famous rock group Ton Steine Scherben. He was born Ralph Christian Möbius in Berlin and died at the age of 46 in the little German town of Fresenhagen. Rio Reiser was politically active during his whole life...
, the phrase came from an anarchist publication called Germania. Similarly, the song "Macht kaputt, was euch kaputt macht" also has a title in the same vein. In Germany, even 35 years after the album's release, the phrase will appear on banners and posters produced in the leftist scene, or as graffiti
Graffiti
Graffiti is the name for images or lettering scratched, scrawled, painted or marked in any manner on property....
; the song's lyrics call to "write the slogan onto every wall."
After the 2005 election
German federal election, 2005
German federal elections took place on 18 September 2005 to elect the members of the 16th German Bundestag, the federal parliament of Germany. They became necessary after a motion of confidence in Chancellor Gerhard Schröder failed on 1 July...
, Der Spiegel
Der Spiegel
Der Spiegel is a German weekly news magazine published in Hamburg. It is one of Europe's largest publications of its kind, with a weekly circulation of more than one million.-Overview:...
used the phrase on the cover in reaction to the election results.
Titel
- Wir müssen hier raus! (Ralph Möbius, Ralph Steitz) - 5:21
- Feierabend (Möbius, Steitz) - 4:41
- Die letzte Schlacht gewinnen wir (Möbius, Steitz) - 4:18
- Paul Panzers Blues (Nikel Pallat, Möbius) - 6:41
- Menschenjäger (Möbius, Steitz) - 4:18
- Allein machen sie Dich ein (Möbius, Steitz) - 4:41
- Schritt für Schritt ins Paradies (Möbius, Steitz) - 6:52
- Der Traum ist aus (Möbius) - 9:24
- Mensch Meier (Möbius, Steitz) - 3:43
- Rauch-Haus-SongRauch-Haus-SongThe Rauch-Haus-Song of the West Berlin band Ton Steine Scherben thematizes thesquatting of the former Bethanien-Krankenhaus from the sight of the squatters. The title reflects on the circumstance, that the squatters renamed the house „Georg-von-Rauch-Haus“ after Georg von Rauch who was shot by the...
(Möbius) - 3:59 - Keine Macht für Niemand (Möbius, Steitz) - 4:08
- Komm schlaf bei mir (Möbius) - 4:02
Lineup
- Ralph Möbius - Vocals, GuitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
, KeyboardKeyboard instrumentA keyboard instrument is a musical instrument which is played using a musical keyboard. The most common of these is the piano. Other widely used keyboard instruments include organs of various types as well as other mechanical, electromechanical and electronic instruments... - Ralph Steitz - Guitar, Drums, backup vocals
- Kai Sichtermann - Bass guitarBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
, BanjoBanjoIn the 1830s Sweeney became the first white man to play the banjo on stage. His version of the instrument replaced the gourd with a drum-like sound box and included four full-length strings alongside a short fifth-string. There is no proof, however, that Sweeney invented either innovation. This new...
, backup vocals - Nikel Pallat - vocals, backup vocals
- Jörg Schlotterer - FluteWestern concert fluteThe Western concert flute is a transverse woodwind instrument made of metal or wood. It is the most common variant of the flute. A musician who plays the flute is called a flautist, flutist, or flute player....
, backup vocals - Angie Olbrich - Backup vocals
- Anna Schimany - Backup vocals
- Olaf Lietzau - Drums
- Jochen Petersen - SaxophoneSaxophoneThe saxophone is a conical-bore transposing musical instrument that is a member of the woodwind family. Saxophones are usually made of brass and played with a single-reed mouthpiece similar to that of the clarinet. The saxophone was invented by the Belgian instrument maker Adolphe Sax in 1846...
- Klaus Schulz - Cowbell
- Gaby Borowski & Rauch-Haus-Chor - Backup vocals
- Klaus Freudigmann - Sound
- Gert Möbius - Cover
External links
- http://www.riolyrics.de/tontraeger/id:4 - Alle Texte des Albums Keine Macht für Niemand
- http://www.riolyrics.de/umwelt/id:2 - zum Einfluss der Parole Keine Macht für Niemand