"Hier kommt Alex" (''Here comes

Alex Alex is a given name. Similar names are Alexander, Alexandra, Alexey or Alexis. People Multiple * Alex Brown (disambiguation), multiple people * Alex Cook (disambiguation), multiple people * Alex Forsyth (disambiguation), multiple people * Al ...

'') is a song by German punk band

Die Toten Hosen Die Toten Hosen are a German punk rock band from Düsseldorf. The name is taken from the German slang idiom ''tote Hose'' (literally "dead trousers"), which means "nothing happening"; "boring". The band has had an important success through th ...

. It is the first single and the first track from the album ''

Ein kleines bisschen Horrorschau ''Ein kleines bisschen Horrorschau'' ("A little bit of horrorshow") (subtitled: ''Die Lieder aus Clockwork Orange und andere schmutzige Melodien'' The songs from Clockwork Orange and other dirty melodies" is the sixth LP by Die Toten Hosen, re ...

''. The song in concept introduces Alex, who is the central character on the

concept album A concept album is an album whose tracks hold a larger purpose or meaning collectively than they do individually. This is typically achieved through a single central narrative or theme, which can be instrumental, compositional, or lyrical. Som ...

, a reference to

, the protagonist of Anthony Burgess' novel ''

A Clockwork Orange ''A Clockwork Orange'' may refer to: * ''A Clockwork Orange'' (novel), a 1962 novel by Anthony Burgess ** ''A Clockwork Orange'' (film), a 1971 film directed by Stanley Kubrick based on the novel *** ''A Clockwork Orange'' (soundtrack), the film ...

''. "Hier kommt Alex" is structurally and musically similar to the last track from the album, "Bye, Bye Alex".

Music video

The video was directed by Walter Knofel.

Inclusions in video games

The song appears as a bonus track in the game '' Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock''. It is also available as downloadable content for ''

Guitar Hero World Tour ''Guitar Hero World Tour'' is a 2008 rhythm game developed by Neversoft and published by Activision. It is the fourth main installment and the sixth overall installment in the Guitar Hero, ''Guitar Hero'' series. The game was launched in North A ...

''. It is included in the

Europe Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...

an release of the game ''

Rock Band ''Rock Band'' is a series of rhythm games first released in 2007 and developed by Harmonix. Based on their previous development work from the Guitar Hero, ''Guitar Hero'' series, the main ''Rock Band'' games have players use game controllers mod ...

'', and as a downloadable track on the

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, p ...

version. Due to licensing issues, the song was taken down from DLC services in 2013. The song was available for re-download in ''

Rock Band 4 ''Rock Band 4'' is a 2015 rhythm game developed and published by Harmonix. The game was initially distributed by Mad Catz, who also developed new instrument controllers for the game, for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One on October 6, 2015. Performanc ...

'' for those who purchased it prior to this date.

Cover versions

The song has been covered by many artists, among them

Samsas Traum Samsas Traum ("Samsa's Dream") is a German band fronted by Alexander Kaschte. Their music consists of elements of gothic metal, symphonic metal, industrial metal, black metal and cantastoria. The name is derived from the protagonist Gregor Sams ...

on ''Endstation.Eden'', Gatos Sucios on ''Punto limite'', Thomas Baldischwyler for the compilation ''Pudel Produkte 8'', Sonnenbrandt,

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. They have released five studio albums (in multiple languages), starting with ''On the Rocks'' in, 200 ...

on the album ''Grenzenlos''. British punk band

UK Subs U.K. Subs are an English punk rock band, among the earliest in the first wave of British punk. Formed in 1976, the mainstay of the band has been vocalist Charlie Harper, originally a singer in Britain's R&B scene. One of the first hardcore pu ...

covered it in English as "Here Comes Alex". In 2020, German medieval rock band

Feuerschwanz Feuerschwanz (German for "fire tail") is a German medieval metal band founded in 2004 in Erlangen. History 2003–2013: Formation and early years Peter Henrici, a bassist for the band ''Merlons Lichter'' at the time, originally had the idea ...

covered the song with a medieval composition. Czech rock band

Tři sestry Tři sestry (Czech for "three sisters") is a Czech punk band formed in 1985 in Prague. Some of their later material has fallen into a more general rock genre, and they have also dabbled in hardcore punk. The band experienced the peak of their po ...

covered the song as ''Já jsem Aleš'' (''I am Aleš''). According to an interview,

Die Ärzte (; ) is a German rock band from Berlin. It consists of guitarist Farin Urlaub, drummer Bela B and bass player Rodrigo González (musician), Rodrigo González. All three write and perform their songs. The band has released 14 studio albums. ...

had spontaneously played the song on a benefit concert to attract more crowd, because people were leaving after a bad band.

Track listing

# "Hier kommt Alex" (Meurer/Frege) – 3:53 # "Achterbahn" (''

Roller coaster A roller coaster is a type of list of amusement rides, amusement ride employing a form of elevated Railway track, railroad track that carries passengers on a roller coaster train, train through tight turns, steep slopes, and other elements, usua ...

'') (Rohde/Frege) − 3:35 # "Zum Chef (Später Dank)" (''To the boss (Later gratitude)'') (von Holst/Frege) – 2:10 # "Jo singt (Das Wort zum Sonntag)" (''Jo singt (The word to Sunday)'') (von Holst/Frege) – 0:46 # "Liebeslied" (''Love song'') (Breitkopf/Frege) – 3:50

Charts

The Return of Alex

There's also an

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Culture, language and peoples * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England * ''English'', an Amish ter ...

version of the song, titled "The Return of Alex". This was released as a promo single for UK from the all-English album '' Love, Peace & Money''.

Music video

The video was directed by René Eller and shows the band performing in a black-and-white TV-set.

Track listing

# "The Return of Alex" (Meurer/Frege, Dangerfield) − 4:29 # "So Long - Good Bye" − 3:13 (English version of "Schönen Gruß, auf Wiederseh'n") # "

I Fought the Law "I Fought the Law" is a song written by Sonny Curtis of the Crickets and popularized by a cover by the Bobby Fuller Four, becoming a top-ten hit for the band in 1966. Their version of the song was ranked No. 175 on the ''Rolling Stone'' li ...

" (

Sonny Curtis Sonny Curtis (born May 9, 1937) is an American singer and songwriter. Known for his collaborations with Buddy Holly, he was a member of the Crickets and continued with the band after Holly's death. Curtis's best known compositions include " Wa ...

) − 2:35 (

The Crickets The Crickets were an American rock and roll band from Lubbock, Texas, formed by singer-songwriter Buddy Holly in January 1957. Their first hit record, "That'll Be the Day", released in May 1957, peaked at number three on the ''Billboard'' Top ...

cover)

In popular culture

*Professional darts player

Dave Chisnall David Chisnall (born 12 September 1980) is an English professional darts player who competes in Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) events, where he is currently ranked world number twelve; he reached a peak ranking of world number five in ...

uses this version for his walk on in PDC European Tour Events.

2005 unplugged version

"Hier kommt Alex" was also released as a single from the 2005

unplugged Unplugged may refer to: *Acoustic music, music not produced through electronic means * "Unplugged" (B.A.P song), 2014 * "Unplugged" (''Modern Family''), a 2010 episode of ''Modern Family'' Albums and EPs * ''Unplugged'' (5'nizza album), 2002 * '' ...

album '' Nur zu Besuch: Unplugged im Wiener Burgtheater''. The song is introduced with the first bars of the second movement of

Beethoven Ludwig van Beethoven (baptised 17 December 177026 March 1827) was a German composer and pianist. He is one of the most revered figures in the history of Western music; his works rank among the most performed of the classical music repertoire ...

Symphony No. 9 Symphony No. 9 most commonly refers to: * Symphony No. 9 (Beethoven) in D minor (Op. 125, ''Choral'') by Ludwig van Beethoven, 1822–24 * Symphony No. 9 (Dvořák) in E minor (Op. 95, B. 178, ''From the New World'') by Antonín Dvořák, 1893 ...

Music video

The video contains live footage.

Track listing

# "Hier kommt Alex" (Meurer/Frege) − 4:08 # "

Was zählt "Was zählt" (''What counts'') is a song by Die Toten Hosen. It's the first single and the third track from the album ''Auswärtsspiel''. The song is an ode to love ("Wenn nur die Liebe zählt" - ''When only love matters''), as it describes, how ...

" (''What counts'') (Breitkopf, von Holst/Frege) − 4:04 # "

You'll Never Walk Alone "You'll Never Walk Alone" is a show tune from the 1945 Rodgers and Hammerstein musical '' Carousel''. In the second act of the musical, Nettie Fowler, the cousin of the protagonist Julie Jordan, sings "You'll Never Walk Alone" to comfort and e ...

" (Rodgers/Hammerstein) − 2:45

Charts

References

{{authority control Songs about fictional male characters 1988 singles 2005 singles Die Toten Hosen songs Songs written by Campino (singer) Songs written by Andreas von Holst Music based on novels 1988 songs Works based on A Clockwork Orange