"Radio" is a song by German

Neue Deutsche Härte (; "New German Hardness", sometimes abbreviated as NDH), also known as dance-metal, is a crossover style drawing from Neue Deutsche Welle, alternative metal, groove metal, electro-industrial and techno. It developed in Germany and Austria d ...

band

Rammstein Rammstein (, "ramming stone") is a German band formed in Berlin in 1994. The band's lineup—consisting of lead vocalist Till Lindemann, lead guitarist Richard Kruspe, rhythm guitarist Paul Landers, bassist Oliver Riedel, drummer Christoph ...

. It was released as the second single from the band's untitled seventh studio album on 26 April 2019. Lyrically, the song addresses the cultural situation of the

German Democratic Republic East Germany, officially known as the German Democratic Republic (GDR), was a country in Central Europe from Foundation of East Germany, its formation on 7 October 1949 until German reunification, its reunification with West Germany (FRG) on ...

, in which secretly listening to western radio stations and their music, which were deemed illegal by the East German government, was a way to escape the political restrictions. ''

Metal Hammer ''Metal Hammer'' is a heavy metal music magazine and website founded in 1983, published in the United Kingdom by Future, with other language editions published by different companies available in numerous other countries. ''Metal Hammer'' featu ...

'' stated the song's riff may have been influenced by " Love Like Blood", by

Killing Joke Killing Joke were an English rock music, rock band formed in Notting Hill, London, in 1979 by Jaz Coleman (vocals, keyboards), Paul Ferguson (drums), Geordie Walker (guitar) and Youth (musician), Youth (bass). Their first album, ''Killing Joke ...

Music video

The video, which is almost entirely black and white, was released online on 26 April 2019 at 11:00

CET CET or cet may refer to: Places * Cet, Albania * Cet, standard astronomical abbreviation for the constellation Cetus * Colchester Town railway station (National Rail code CET), in Colchester, England Arts, entertainment, and media * Comcast En ...

following a 26-second black and white preview for the video two days prior, containing

Kraftwerk Kraftwerk (, ) is a Germany, German Electronic music, electronic band formed in Düsseldorf in 1970 by Ralf Hütter and Florian Schneider. Widely considered innovators and pioneers of electronic music, Kraftwerk was among the first successful a ...

and

Klaus Nomi Klaus Sperber (January 24, 1944 – August 6, 1983), known professionally as Klaus Nomi, was a German countertenor noted for his wide vocal range and an unusual, otherworldly stage persona. In the 1970s, Nomi immersed himself in the East Villag ...

references. On selected radio stations the song premiered on 25 April 2019 at 21:00 CET, while the video was shown exclusively on the wall of a house - without sound - in Berlin. The video was directed by Jörn Heitmann. The video opens with a radio announcement (absent in the album version) that says "Achtung, Achtung. Hier ist Berlin Königs Wusterhausen und der Deutsche Kurzwellensender. Wir senden Tanzmusik", which translates as "Attention, Attention. This is Berlin Königs Wusterhausen and the German shortwave transmitter. We're broadcasting dance music".

Königs Wusterhausen Königs Wusterhausen (; , ) is a town in the Dahme-Spreewald district of the state of Brandenburg in Germany a few kilometers outside Berlin. Geography Geographical location Königs Wusterhausen – locally known as "KW" () or "KWh" ()– lie ...

is the site where the first German radio transmitter was built, in 1920. In 1933, it was seized by the

Nazi regime Nazi Germany, officially known as the German Reich and later the Greater German Reich, was the German state between 1933 and 1945, when Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party controlled the country, transforming it into a totalitarian dictat ...

in order to broadcast propaganda. After the

Reunification of Germany German reunification () was the process of re-establishing Germany as a single sovereign state, which began on 9 November 1989 and culminated on 3 October 1990 with the dissolution of the German Democratic Republic and the integration of i ...

, it became a museum. It depicts the band dressed up in tuxedos from various decades (with the notable exception of bassist Oliver Riedel who wears a black turtleneck sweater like a 50's

Beatnik Beatniks were members of a social movement in the mid-20th century, who subscribed to an anti- materialistic lifestyle. They rejected the conformity and consumerism of mainstream American culture and expressed themselves through various forms ...

and performs barefoot) at a radio performance set roughly in the 1920s. During the final chorus, the performance is set to be shut down by a police squad but it is revealed that the band members are holograms and thus unaffected by the use of violent force. The performance scenes are intercut with scenes of citizens being obsessed with their radios to a manic degree as well as riots demanding free and open airwaves, echoing the lyrical themes of the song.

Track listing

Charts

Certifications

Release history

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Radio (Rammstein song) 2019 singles Songs in German Rammstein songs Songs written by Till Lindemann Songs written by Paul Landers Songs written by Richard Z. Kruspe Songs written by Christian Lorenz Songs written by Oliver Riedel Songs written by Christoph Schneider