Opium fürs Volk
Encyclopedia
Opium fürs Volk is the seventh studio album
by the German
punk
band Die Toten Hosen
. Although it's not considered a concept album
, it has a central theme of religion
(exemplified by the intro "Vaterunser", "Die zehn Gebote" and "Paradies"). It's regarded as one of the best DTH albums.http://www.dietotenhosen.de/en/veroeffentlichungen_backkatalog_remastered_opium_fuers_volk.phphttp://www.dietotenhosen.de/alldieganzenjahre_freunde_jon.php The title is derived from a common misquotation of Karl Marx
, who called religion the Opium of the People
- Opium des Volkes.
"
1996: "Paradies"
1996: "Bonnie & Clyde"
1996: "Zehn kleine Jägermeister
"
Studio album
A studio album is an album made up of tracks recorded in the controlled environment of a recording studio. A studio album contains newly written and recorded or previously unreleased or remixed material, distinguishing itself from a compilation or reissue album of previously recorded material, or...
by the German
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
punk
Punk rock
Punk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...
band Die Toten Hosen
Die Toten Hosen
Die Toten Hosen is a German punk band from Düsseldorf. They have enjoyed decades-long mass appeal in Germany.The band's name literally means "The Dead Pants" in English, although the phrase "tote Hose" is a German expression meaning "nothing going on" or "boring"...
. Although it's not considered a concept album
Concept album
In music, a concept album is an album that is "unified by a theme, which can be instrumental, compositional, narrative, or lyrical." Commonly, concept albums tend to incorporate preconceived musical or lyrical ideas rather than being improvised or composed in the studio, with all songs contributing...
, it has a central theme of religion
Religion
Religion is a collection of cultural systems, belief systems, and worldviews that establishes symbols that relate humanity to spirituality and, sometimes, to moral values. Many religions have narratives, symbols, traditions and sacred histories that are intended to give meaning to life or to...
(exemplified by the intro "Vaterunser", "Die zehn Gebote" and "Paradies"). It's regarded as one of the best DTH albums.http://www.dietotenhosen.de/en/veroeffentlichungen_backkatalog_remastered_opium_fuers_volk.phphttp://www.dietotenhosen.de/alldieganzenjahre_freunde_jon.php The title is derived from a common misquotation of Karl Marx
Karl Marx
Karl Heinrich Marx was a German philosopher, economist, sociologist, historian, journalist, and revolutionary socialist. His ideas played a significant role in the development of social science and the socialist political movement...
, who called religion the Opium of the People
Opium of the People
"Religion is the opium of the people" is one of the most frequently paraphrased statements of Karl Marx. It was translated from the German original, "Die Religion .....
- Opium des Volkes.
Track listing
- "Vaterunser" (Our Father) (Traditional) − 1:10
- "Mensch" (ManHumanHumans are the only living species in the Homo genus...
) (von Holst/Frege) − 4:08 - "Die Fliege" (The flyFlyTrue flies are insects of the order Diptera . They possess a pair of wings on the mesothorax and a pair of halteres, derived from the hind wings, on the metathorax...
) (Frege/Frege) − 1:54 - "Die zehn Gebote" (The ten commandmentsTen CommandmentsThe Ten Commandments, also known as the Decalogue , are a set of biblical principles relating to ethics and worship, which play a fundamental role in Judaism and most forms of Christianity. They include instructions to worship only God and to keep the Sabbath, and prohibitions against idolatry,...
) (Rohde/Frege) − 4:04 - "Böser Wolf" (roughly Big Bad WolfBig Bad WolfThe Big Bad Wolf is a term used to describe a fictional wolf who appears in several precautionary folkloric stories, including some of Aesop's Fables and Grimm's Fairy Tales.-Interpretations:...
) (von Holst/Frege) − 4:02 - "Nichts bleibt für die EwigkeitNichts bleibt für die Ewigkeit"Nichts bleibt für die Ewigkeit" is a song by Die Toten Hosen. It's the first single and the sixth track from the album Opium fürs Volk....
" (Nothing stays for infinity) (von Holst, Frege/Müller, von Holst, Frege) − 4:10 - "Ewig währt am längsten (Dub)" (lit. Forever lasts the longest; a pun on Ehrlich währt am längsten [roughly Honesty is the best policy]) (Meurer/Müller, von Holst, Frege) − 2:54
- "Und so weiter" (And so on) (Rohde/Frege, Müller) − 1:40
- "Bonnie & Clyde" (Breitkopf/Frege) − 3:30
- "Der Froschkönig" (The frog king) (Breitkopf/Frege) − 3:47
- "XTC" (Meurer/Frege) − 4:16
- "Lügen" (Lies) (von Holst/Frege) − 4:12
- "Paradies" (ParadiseParadiseParadise is a place in which existence is positive, harmonious and timeless. It is conceptually a counter-image of the miseries of human civilization, and in paradise there is only peace, prosperity, and happiness. Paradise is a place of contentment, but it is not necessarily a land of luxury and...
) (Frege/Frege) − 4:08 - "Und wir leben" (And we're living) (Meurer/Frege) − 3:50
- "Er denkt, sie denkt" (He thinks, she thinks) (Frege/Frege) − 4:34
- "Seelentherapie" (Soul therapy) (Breitkopf/Frege) − 5:13
- "Viva la Revolution" (Breitkopf/Frege) − 4:46
- "Zehn kleine JägermeisterZehn kleine Jägermeister"Zehn kleine Jägermeister" is a song by Die Toten Hosen. It's the fourth single and the eighteenth track from the album Opium fürs Volk...
" (roughly Ten little hunters/JägermeisterJägermeisterJägermeister is a German 70-proof digestif made with 56 different herbs and spices. It is the flagship product of Mast-Jägermeister SE, headquartered in Wolfenbüttel, south of Braunschweig, Lower Saxony, Germany.- History :...
s) (Rohde/Müller, Frege) − 4:45
2007 remastered anniversary edition bonus tracks
- "Fliegen" (Flying) (Frege/Frege) – 4:28 (from "Pushed AgainPushed Again"Pushed Again" is a song by Die Toten Hosen. It is the only single and the fifth track from the album Crash-Landing.The song is about being tormented by somebody and trying to get this somebody off the narrator's back.-Music video:...
")
- "Prominentenpsychose" (Celebrity psychosis) (Frege/Frege) – 3:14 (from "Nichts bleibt für die EwigkeitNichts bleibt für die Ewigkeit"Nichts bleibt für die Ewigkeit" is a song by Die Toten Hosen. It's the first single and the sixth track from the album Opium fürs Volk....
")
- "Herzglück harte Welle" (roughly Heartluck strong wave) (Rohde/Frege) – 1:57 (from "Bonnie & Clyde")
Singles
1995: "Nichts bleibt für die EwigkeitNichts bleibt für die Ewigkeit
"Nichts bleibt für die Ewigkeit" is a song by Die Toten Hosen. It's the first single and the sixth track from the album Opium fürs Volk....
"
1996: "Paradies"
1996: "Bonnie & Clyde"
1996: "Zehn kleine Jägermeister
Zehn kleine Jägermeister
"Zehn kleine Jägermeister" is a song by Die Toten Hosen. It's the fourth single and the eighteenth track from the album Opium fürs Volk...
"
Demos
One unreleased demo from the album surfaced in 2007 with the re-release of Auf dem Kreuzzug ins Glück.- "KitschKitschKitsch is a form of art that is considered an inferior, tasteless copy of an extant style of art or a worthless imitation of art of recognized value. The concept is associated with the deliberate use of elements that may be thought of as cultural icons while making cheap mass-produced objects that...
" (Breitkopf/Frege) – 3:53
Personnel
- Campino - vocals
- Andreas von Holst - 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...
- Michael Breitkopf - 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...
- Andreas Meurer - bassBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
- Wolfgang Rohde - drums
Charts
| Year | Country | Position |
|---|---|---|
| 1996 | Germany Germany Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate... |
1 |
| 1996 | Switzerland Switzerland Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition.... |
2 |
| 1996 | Austria Austria Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the... |
3 |