Rosenrot (song)
Encyclopedia
"Rosenrot" is a song and single from the album of the same name
by the German band Rammstein
.
The "Rosenrot" track was highly anticipated by fans of Rammstein
, as it was first hailed in February 2004 to be the first single from the band's fourth studio album, Reise, Reise
(the song "Mein Teil
" took the honour instead).
In the end, "Rosenrot" didn't even make the tracklist of Reise, Reise, a move that the band's management claimed "left them speechless."
The lyrics contain elements from Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
's poem "Heidenröslein
" (while his poem "Erlkönig" similarly inspired the Reise, Reise track, "Dalai Lama"), and the story "Schneeweißchen und Rosenrot
," from the Brothers Grimm
. Till also seldom uses his trademark curling of 'R's in the song.
The single was released in Germany on December 16, 2005.
The song features riffs used previously in "Stein um Stein".
. The main story of the video shows the band's vocalist Till Lindemann
falling in love with one of the local girls, whom he met during a celebratory feast. At her request, he enters her house and murders her parents. As he leaves the house, he smiles to the girl and she smiles back briefly, before crying out, at which the villagers rush upon Till from the darkness and beat him. They tie him up and burn him on a stake
; Till's fellow monks and his lover participate in the execution by throwing burning brands onto the woodpile. The girl in the video is portrayed by Romanian model Cătălina Lavric, who was 14 at the time of shooting.
The plot mirrors the song's lyrics: in both the video and the song, a man is asked to commit a self-destructive yet pointless act by his lover, and dies in the attempt while she is unharmed. In the video the man commits murder and is executed; in the song he attempts to retrieve a rose from a mountain, and falls to his death.
Throughout the video footage is shown of the band flagellating
themselves with whips. The priests, Till in particular, are seen to be in emotional torment as the people of the village they visit are infused with emotional or physical pleasure; the townsfolk are often seen drinking and dancing. The stricter priests feel love, lust, and gluttony, and they are seen whipping themselves with knotted ropes as penance
. The irony of this is that once one of the priests has come to terms with his love and feels no guilt, he is killed for the murders he committed. Similar irony is seen in the video for "Ich will
", where a bank robbery is rewarded by media attention; hypocritical justice is a common theme in Rammstein's videos.
The video shows some references to Jesus Christ:
Rosenrot
Rosenrot is the fifth album by German Neue Deutsche Härte band Rammstein. It was released on October 28, 2005 in Germany, December 6, 2005 in Canada, and March 28, 2006 in the United States. A limited edition with a bonus DVD is also available...
by the German 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...
.
The "Rosenrot" track was highly anticipated by fans of 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...
, as it was first hailed in February 2004 to be the first single from the band's fourth studio album, Reise, Reise
Reise, Reise
Reise, Reise is Neue Deutsche Härte band Rammstein's fourth studio album. It was released on 27 September 2004 in Germany and followed shortly by its release across Europe. It was released in North America on 16 November 2004...
(the song "Mein Teil
Mein Teil
"Mein Teil" is the first single by the German industrial metal band Rammstein from their fourth album Reise, Reise. The song is inspired by the case of Armin Meiwes and Bernd Jürgen Armando Brandes. In March 2001, in Rotenburg an der Fulda, the two men aged in their 40s met each other, cut off and...
" took the honour instead).
In the end, "Rosenrot" didn't even make the tracklist of Reise, Reise, a move that the band's management claimed "left them speechless."
The lyrics contain elements from Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe was a German writer, pictorial artist, biologist, theoretical physicist, and polymath. He is considered the supreme genius of modern German literature. His works span the fields of poetry, drama, prose, philosophy, and science. His Faust has been called the greatest long...
's poem "Heidenröslein
Heidenröslein
"Heidenröslein" or "Heideröslein" is a poem by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, published in 1799. It was written in 1771 during Goethe's stay in Strasbourg when he was in love with Friederike Brion, to whom the poem is addressed...
" (while his poem "Erlkönig" similarly inspired the Reise, Reise track, "Dalai Lama"), and the story "Schneeweißchen und Rosenrot
Snow-White and Rose-Red
Snow-White and Rose-Red is a German fairy tale. In the seventeenth century Charles Perrault was the first to write it down, but the best-known version is the one collected by the Brothers Grimm as tale number 161....
," from the Brothers Grimm
Brothers Grimm
The Brothers Grimm , Jacob Grimm and Wilhelm Grimm , were German academics, linguists, cultural researchers, and authors who collected folklore and published several collections of it as Grimm's Fairy Tales, which became very popular...
. Till also seldom uses his trademark curling of 'R's in the song.
The single was released in Germany on December 16, 2005.
The song features riffs used previously in "Stein um Stein".
Video
The video portrays the band as traveling monks from different religious orders who have come to a small village apparently situated in Zarnesti (nearby Brasov), RomaniaRomania
Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeastern Europe, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea...
. The main story of the video shows the band's vocalist 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:...
falling in love with one of the local girls, whom he met during a celebratory feast. At her request, he enters her house and murders her parents. As he leaves the house, he smiles to the girl and she smiles back briefly, before crying out, at which the villagers rush upon Till from the darkness and beat him. They tie him up and burn him on a stake
Execution by burning
Death by burning is death brought about by combustion. As a form of capital punishment, burning has a long history as a method in crimes such as treason, heresy, and witchcraft....
; Till's fellow monks and his lover participate in the execution by throwing burning brands onto the woodpile. The girl in the video is portrayed by Romanian model Cătălina Lavric, who was 14 at the time of shooting.
The plot mirrors the song's lyrics: in both the video and the song, a man is asked to commit a self-destructive yet pointless act by his lover, and dies in the attempt while she is unharmed. In the video the man commits murder and is executed; in the song he attempts to retrieve a rose from a mountain, and falls to his death.
Throughout the video footage is shown of the band flagellating
Flagellant
Flagellants are practitioners of an extreme form of mortification of their own flesh by whipping it with various instruments.- History :Flagellantism was a 13th and 14th centuries movement, consisting of radicals in the Catholic Church. It began as a militant pilgrimage and was later condemned by...
themselves with whips. The priests, Till in particular, are seen to be in emotional torment as the people of the village they visit are infused with emotional or physical pleasure; the townsfolk are often seen drinking and dancing. The stricter priests feel love, lust, and gluttony, and they are seen whipping themselves with knotted ropes as penance
Penance
Penance is repentance of sins as well as the proper name of the Roman Catholic, Orthodox Christian, and Anglican Sacrament of Penance and Reconciliation/Confession. It also plays a part in non-sacramental confession among Lutherans and other Protestants...
. The irony of this is that once one of the priests has come to terms with his love and feels no guilt, he is killed for the murders he committed. Similar irony is seen in the video for "Ich will
Ich will
"Ich will" is a single by Rammstein. It was originally released in Germany on September 10, 2001. Since it was released the day before the September 11, 2001 attacks, many channels did not air the music video...
", where a bank robbery is rewarded by media attention; hypocritical justice is a common theme in Rammstein's videos.
The video shows some references to Jesus Christ:
- FlagellationFlagellation of ChristThe Flagellation of Christ, sometimes known as Christ at the Column or the Scourging at the Pillar, is a scene from the Passion of Christ very frequently shown in Christian art, in cycles of the Passion or the larger subject of the Life of Christ. It is the fourth station of the modern alternate...
was experienced by Jesus Christ as well, before His crucifixionCrucifixionCrucifixion is an ancient method of painful execution in which the condemned person is tied or nailed to a large wooden cross and left to hang until dead...
. - StigmataStigmataStigmata are bodily marks, sores, or sensations of pain in locations corresponding to the crucifixion wounds of Jesus, such as the hands and feet...
was shown on the monk'sMonkA monk is a person who practices religious asceticism, living either alone or with any number of monks, while always maintaining some degree of physical separation from those not sharing the same purpose...
hands, given by his lover by thornsThorns, spines, and pricklesIn botanical morphology, thorns, spines, and prickles are hard structures with sharp, or at least pointed, ends. In spite of this common feature, they differ in their growth and development on the plant; they are modified versions of different plant organs, stems, stipules, leaf veins, or hairs...
of a roseRoseA rose is a woody perennial of the genus Rosa, within the family Rosaceae. There are over 100 species. They form a group of erect shrubs, and climbing or trailing plants, with stems that are often armed with sharp prickles. Flowers are large and showy, in colours ranging from white through yellows...
. - A reference to Jesus' crucifixion was shown, when the monk was burned on a stake.
Tracklisting
- Rosenrot (Single Edit) - 3:47
- Rosenrot (The Tweaker Remix) by Chris Vrenna - 4:34
- Rosenrot (Northern Lite Remix) by Northern Lite - 4:45
- Rosenrot (3am At Cosy Remix) by Jagz KoonerJagz KoonerJagz Kooner is a UK born producer who has worked with Radio 4, Manic Street Preachers, Primal Scream for whom he co-produced their well-known cover version of the song 'Some Velvet Morning' sung this time by the model Kate Moss, Garbage and Infadels...
- 4:50- Two 2-track CD's were released, featuring slightly different tracklists:
- "Rosenrot (Single Edit)" and "Rosenrot (Northern Lite Remix)"
- "Rosenrot (Single Version)" and "Rosenrot (Northern Lite Remix)"
- Two 2-track CD's were released, featuring slightly different tracklists: