View from the Back
Ramblings of a retiree in France
Song Lyric Sunday #14
I really like that Jim Adams of Song Lyric Sunday Challenge gives us plenty of notice about each Sunday’s prompts. Today it’s Yes/No. As always, it took me a while to think of an appropriate song but eventually I chose a track from Kraftwerk though, as they’re a German band, it’s Ja/Nein!
Kraftwerk (German: Power Station) were formed in Düsseldorf in 1970 by Ralf Hütter and Florian Schneider. Widely considered as innovators and pioneers of electronic music, they were among the first successful acts to popularise the genre. The group began as part of Germany’s experimental krautrock scene in the early 1970s before fully embracing electronic instrumentation.
On commercially successful albums such as Autobahn (1974), Trans-Europe Express (1977), The Man-Machine (1978), and Computer World (1981), Kraftwerk developed a self-described robotic pop style that combined electronic music with pop melodies, sparse arrangements, and repetitive rhythms, while adopting a stylised image including matching suits.
The band’s work has influenced a diverse range of artists and many genres of modern music. In 2014, the Recording Academy honoured Kraftwerk with a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award. They later won the Grammy Award for Best Dance/Electronic Album with their live album 3-D The Catalogue (2017).
My chosen track Sex Object (German: Sex Objekt) comes from Electric Café, the band’s ninth studio album, originally released in 1986. In October 2009 it was re-released under its original working title, Techno Pop. The initial 1986 Electric Café came in versions sung in English and German, as well as a limited Edición Española release, featuring versions of Techno Pop and Sex Object with only Spanish lyrics. It was the first Kraftwerk LP to be created using predominantly digital musical instruments, although the finished product was still recorded onto analogue master tapes.
The album is somewhat infamous for taking the band almost half a decade to produce. Work is said to have begun as early as 1982 (with the working titles of Technicolor and then Techno Pop), but the project was delayed for several reasons: Ralf Hütter suffered a cycling accident in June 1982, there were concerns within the band that the production quality of the album was not sufficiently cutting-edge, and more generally Hütter had become more focused on cycling than on the band’s activities. The album, mastered by Bob Ludwig, finally saw release in 1986.
Lyrics: Sex Object
Ja! Ja! Ja!
Nein! Nein! Nein!
Ich bin nicht dein Sex Objekt
Zweigefühl so ganz direkt
Ich bin nicht Dein Sex Objekt
Deine Tricks sind fast perfekt
Ich bin nicht Dein Sex Objekt
Do machst mich an und gehst dann weg
Ja!
Vielleicht
Ja!
Vielleicht
Warum? Warum?
Doch!
Nein!
Warum? Warum?
Doch!
(Spanish: No! Yes! Maybe Perhaps Yes)
No… si, si quieres
No… si, si quieres
Por que? No. Quizas.
Por que? No. A lo mejor.
Source: http://www.lyricfind.com
Songwriters: Karl Bartos / Ralf Huetter / Florian Schneider Esleben
Sex Object lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc
Challenge Rules
- Post the lyrics to the song of your choice, whether it fits the theme or not. If it does not fit, then please explain why you chose this song.
- Please try to include the songwriter(s) – it’s a good idea to give credit where credit is due.
- Make sure you also credit the singer/band and if you desire you can provide a link to where you found the lyrics.
- Link to the YouTube video, or pull it into your post so others can listen to the song.
- Ping back to Jim’s post or place your link in his comments section.
- Read at least one other person’s blog, so we can all share new and fantastic music and create amazing new blogging friends in the process.
- Feel free to suggest future prompts.
- Most of all, have fun and enjoy the music.
View from the Back 
Wow, I haven’t listened to Kraftwerk in ages. Thank you for reminding me to add them to my playlist. They were an influence on one of my favorite artists, David Bowie, especially during his German years in the late 1970s.
Cheers!
Richard
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Pleasure Richard
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Very different Sheree, but I really like it.
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Thanks Jim
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Kraftwerk had such a unique sound💖
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Indeed they did. Thanks for dropping by.
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You just gotta love Kraftwerk. 💖💖💖
VVN
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Indeed
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Awesome! I don’t know a lot about this band!
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😎
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