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Post by carpentersgermany on Mar 16, 2008 9:00:29 GMT -5
I recently remembered the German intellectual Indie-Popband Erdmöbel. They made a concept album where they recorded German versions of No1 hits from 1965-2001 like "What's new XXXXX Cat", "Whiter shade of pale" or "Alone again, natually". The first single they released back in 2005 was "Nah bei Dir ((They long to be) Close to You)". I never knew what to think about it and I still don't know, but I'm curious to read your opinions on the song. Though I think it might be difficult, because what is really special about this version are the lyrics. It's a strange mix of one-to-one translation and whole new passages but always referring to the original words. If some of you are interested I'd like to post a translation here. Bacharach really liked their version of his song, so Erdmöbel are the first band after a long time that got the permission to release a German version of his super hit. Erdmöbel themselves say "Really close to the Carpenters yet still 1000 miles apart from them, we wanted to pay tribute to a great song". www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wrn83iNJtZcSo, I'm so much looking forward to read your statements and will work on a translation.. |
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Post by GoodOldDreams on Mar 16, 2008 13:20:21 GMT -5
Hi carpentersgermany,
Can I try translating from the German lyrics to English?
Sag mir wo, komm all die Tiere her, die tun, als ob nichts wär?
Tell me where all the animals come from, as if from nowhere?
So wie ich, wünschen sie sich,
Just like me they want to be
Nah bei dir
Close to you
Und wieso streckt sich hier jeden Haus, Pfutze, Strauch, nach dir aus?
And why every house, puddle and [Strauch] here reach out after you?
So wie ich, wünschen sie sich,
Just like me they want (to be)
Nah bei dir
Close to you
Der Wind geht dir durchs Haar, der Mond nicht unter
The wind goes through your hair, the moon not set
Und die Sonne bleibt an ihrer aller schönsten Stelle stehn.
And the sun stays on your most beautiful stars
Das ganze Universum will sich mal in deinen Augen spiegeln sehn.
The whole universe will reflect in your eyes
Und warum wird es jetzt nebelig?
And why is it now foggy?
Die Wolken sind wie ich.
The clouds are like me
Unendlich wünschen sie sich
Forever they wish (to be)
Nah bei dir
Close to you
Der Wind geht dir durchs Haar, der Mond nicht unter
The wind goes through your hair, the moon not set
Und die Sonne bleibt an ihrer aller schönsten Stelle stehn.
And the sun stays on your most beautiful stars
Das ganze Universum will sich mal in deinen Augen spiegeln sehn.
The whole universe will reflect in your eyes
Und warum wird es jetzt nebelig?
And why is it now foggy?
Die Wolken sind wie ich.
The clouds are like me
Unendlich wünschen sie sich
Forever they wish (to be)
Nah bei dir
Close to you
Unendlich wünschen sie sich
Forever they wish (to be)
Ahhhhahahahah Nah bei dir
Ahhhhahahahah Close to you
Ahhhhahahahah Nah bei dir
Ahhhhahahahah Close to you
Ahhhhahahahah Nah bei dir
Ahhhhahahahah Close to you
Ahhhhahahahah Nah bei dir
Ahhhhahahahah Close to you
Ahhhhahahahah Nah bei dir
Ahhhhahahahah Close to you
Carpentersgermany, please let me know how this translation can be improved. Thanks!
Ed
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Post by carpentersgermany on Mar 16, 2008 15:10:35 GMT -5
Ed, I'm really impressed by your German! My compliments to you!!! You said "Although I studied German for several years during my junior high and high school years, my fluency with the language is no where near your mastery of English." Now I know that you absolutely did hide your light under a bushel! There are just a few passages that I'd like to vary slightly.. Sag mir wo, komm all die Tiere her, die tun, als ob nichts wär? Tell me where all the animals come from, that all act as if nothing had happened? So wie ich, wünschen sie sich, Just like me they want to be Nah bei dir Close to you Und wieso streckt sich hier jedes Haus, Pfutze, Strauch, nach dir aus? And why every house, puddle, shrub here reach out after you? So wie ich, wünschen sie sich, Just like me they want (to be) Nah bei dir Close to you Der Wind geht dir durchs Haar, der Mond nicht unter The wind goes through your hair, the moon not set Und die Sonne bleibt an ihrer aller schönsten Stelle stehn. And the sun stays at her most beautiful positionDas ganze Universum will sich mal in deinen Augen spiegeln sehn. The whole universe wants to see itself dazzling in your eyes at one point.Und warum wird es jetzt nebelig? And why is it now foggy? Die Wolken sind wie ich. The clouds are like me Unendlich wünschen sie sich Forever they wish (to be) Nah bei dir Close to you Der Wind geht dir durchs Haar, der Mond nicht unter The wind goes through your hair, the moon not set Und die Sonne bleibt an ihrer aller schönsten Stelle stehn. And the sun stays at her most beautiful position Das ganze Universum will sich mal in deinen Augen spiegeln sehn. The whole universe wants to see itself dazzling in your eyes at one point. Und warum wird es jetzt nebelig? And why is it now foggy? Die Wolken sind wie ich. The clouds are like me Unendlich wünschen sie sich Forever they wish (to be) Nah bei dir Close to you Unendlich wünschen sie sich Forever they wish (to be) Ahhhhahahahah Nah bei dir Ahhhhahahahah Close to you Ahhhhahahahah Nah bei dir Ahhhhahahahah Close to you Ahhhhahahahah Nah bei dir Ahhhhahahahah Close to you Ahhhhahahahah Nah bei dir Ahhhhahahahah Close to you Ahhhhahahahah Nah bei dir Ahhhhahahahah Close to you You did a great job. I'm absolutely amazed!!!  Did you know the song before?? P.S.: It seems kind of strange to translate a text that has been translated from English to German, back to English again..  |
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Post by Rick Henry on Mar 16, 2008 20:05:04 GMT -5
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Post by GoodOldDreams on Mar 17, 2008 1:52:42 GMT -5
Carpentersgermany,
Thanks for your feedback on my translation. It has been a while since I got to practice German. (I should have remembered that "Stelle" is the word for "stars" in Italian, and "Sterne" is the word for "stars" in German. I think the original lyrics in English got me thinking about the meaning in Italian. I was not familiar with some of the other words, especially the conjugated verbs.)
I have never heard of this group or this song until today, and it is interesting to notice the changes to the lyrics in the German version so that the rhymes and syllables would better fit the music.
I wish the people in the video were presented in a more playful and fun way like those in the very creative video for Erdmöbel's "Aus meinem Kopf" because they looked too serious. However, it was a nice surprise to see all the train passengers singing at the end together!
What do you think of this song and video?
Ed
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Post by Ming on Mar 17, 2008 11:39:20 GMT -5
I think the writer of this song is excellent. It is very difficult to maintain the meaning of a song when it is translated into another language, but s/he is very successful. The song is pleasant to the ears too. I like it. Thank you for posting.
Ming
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Post by carpentersgermany on Mar 17, 2008 12:02:18 GMT -5
First I have to say, that I'm surprised about the more or less positive resonance. I still don't know really what to think about the song. There are things I do not like and things I really appreciate. I'm not that much a friend of the German Singer/Songwriter Groups like Erdmöbel for several reasons. The most important reason is that voice of the singer is always very important to me, something those groups do not really care about -for good reasons. But that's just my personal sense of taste. What I also do not like about those groups is their attitude, always kind of unsmiling and dead serious. But Ed, I also liked the part where the passengers were singing together. By the way, I f you like to practice a little German again, I'd like to recommend the German band Blumfeld to you. Perfect combination of wonderful music and really intelligent lyrics: "Tausend Tränen tief" www.youtube.com/watch?v=nHgBsUMJ8W8(not only the song is outstanding, but also the video, starring Helmut Berger one of my favourite actors of all times) "Neuer Morgen" www.youtube.com/watch?v=XVnPqGdbyUg(gorgeous but heartbreaking!) What I really liked about "Nah bei Dir", is that you can feel that they worked on the song with a lot of love and respect for the original. The German lyrics sound somehow strange sometimes, but always keep the spirit of the original alive. I think thats really an achievement. I thought that this might get lost with the re-translation, so Ming I'm very happy that you felt the effort of the writer, too! |
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Post by Rick Henry on Mar 17, 2008 22:05:53 GMT -5
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Post by carpentersgermany on Mar 18, 2008 16:34:32 GMT -5
Hey Rick, I'm happy to hear you liked the Blumfeld songs, they are my favourite German Band.
Unfortunately they stopped making records, same as Cousteau, I think.
The songs are kind of gloomy but I really liked them.
Thank you for posting!
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Post by GoodOldDreams on Mar 19, 2008 1:54:24 GMT -5
First I have to say, that I'm surprised about the more or less positive resonance. I still don't know really what to think about the song. There are things I do not like and things I really appreciate. I'm not that much a friend of the German Singer/Songwriter Groups like Erdmöbel for several reasons. The most important reason is that voice of the singer is always very important to me, something those groups do not really care about -for good reasons. But that's just my personal sense of taste. What I also do not like about those groups is their attitude, always kind of unsmiling and dead serious. But Ed, I also liked the part where the passengers were singing together. By the way, I f you like to practice a little German again, I'd like to recommend the German band Blumfeld to you. Perfect combination of wonderful music and really intelligent lyrics: "Tausend Tränen tief" www.youtube.com/watch?v=nHgBsUMJ8W8(not only the song is outstanding, but also the video, starring Helmut Berger one of my favourite actors of all times) "Neuer Morgen" www.youtube.com/watch?v=XVnPqGdbyUg(gorgeous but heartbreaking!) What I really liked about "Nah bei Dir", is that you can feel that they worked on the song with a lot of love and respect for the original. The German lyrics sound somehow strange sometimes, but always keep the spirit of the original alive. I think thats really an achievement. I thought that this might get lost with the re-translation, so Ming I'm very happy that you felt the effort of the writer, too! CG, Thanks for your recommendation of Blumfeld's work. The group's inspiration by Franz Kafka's existentialist view of the world reminds me of some of the great European literature I enjoyed as a questioning youth of philosophy. i like Jochen Distelmeyer's soft, gentle vocals, the profound lyrics and beautiful melodic accompaniment. "Tausend Tränen tief" and "Neuer Morgen" are truly exemplary songs. I am trying to figure out the full translation of these songs to understand every nuance and meaning correctly. Ed |
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Post by Rick Henry on Mar 19, 2008 9:57:21 GMT -5
Hey Rick, I'm happy to hear you liked the Blumfeld songs, they are my favourite German Band. Unfortunately they stopped making records, same as Cousteau, I think. The songs are kind of gloomy but I really liked them. Thank you for posting! |
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Post by carpentersgermany on Mar 19, 2008 13:01:26 GMT -5
First I have to say, that I'm surprised about the more or less positive resonance. I still don't know really what to think about the song. There are things I do not like and things I really appreciate. I'm not that much a friend of the German Singer/Songwriter Groups like Erdmöbel for several reasons. The most important reason is that voice of the singer is always very important to me, something those groups do not really care about -for good reasons. But that's just my personal sense of taste. What I also do not like about those groups is their attitude, always kind of unsmiling and dead serious. But Ed, I also liked the part where the passengers were singing together. By the way, I f you like to practice a little German again, I'd like to recommend the German band Blumfeld to you. Perfect combination of wonderful music and really intelligent lyrics: "Tausend Tränen tief" www.youtube.com/watch?v=nHgBsUMJ8W8(not only the song is outstanding, but also the video, starring Helmut Berger one of my favourite actors of all times) "Neuer Morgen" www.youtube.com/watch?v=XVnPqGdbyUg(gorgeous but heartbreaking!) What I really liked about "Nah bei Dir", is that you can feel that they worked on the song with a lot of love and respect for the original. The German lyrics sound somehow strange sometimes, but always keep the spirit of the original alive. I think thats really an achievement. I thought that this might get lost with the re-translation, so Ming I'm very happy that you felt the effort of the writer, too! CG, Thanks for your recommendation of Blumfeld's work. The group's inspiration by Franz Kafka's existentialist view of the world reminds me of some of the great European literature I enjoyed as a questioning youth of philosophy. i like Jochen Distelmeyer's soft, gentle vocals, the profound lyrics and beautiful melodic accompaniment. "Tausend Tränen tief" and "Neuer Morgen" are truly exemplary songs. I am trying to figure out the full translation of these songs to understand every nuance and meaning correctly. Ed Great to hear that you're interested in European Literature. I have a Bachelor Degree in Comparative Literature, but in the last months I somehow neglected to occupy myself with great literature. I love to hear that you enjoyed listening to Blumfelds music. If you have any questions concerning the lyrics, please ask me and I'd like to try to help you. Though I have to say it's very hard to fully understand Jochen Distelmeyers really complex texts even for a native speaker. |
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Post by carpentersgermany on Mar 19, 2008 13:20:55 GMT -5
Hey Rick, I'm happy to hear you liked the Blumfeld songs, they are my favourite German Band. Unfortunately they stopped making records, same as Cousteau, I think. The songs are kind of gloomy but I really liked them. Thank you for posting! Rick, thank you for the link to Liam's MySpace site. I did not know that he's working on a solo record. You mentioned something that I really do appreciate about your forum, like I already wrote in Tim's Corner. The people here seem to be quite open-minded, so you're able to find similar interests beyond Carpenters. But it came onto my mind that, besides the things in common, it's also truly remarkable that a group of people,coming from different parts of the world, different generations and totally different cultural backgrounds share the love for one group. I think that's definitely a special quality of the Carpenters. I wonder if the reason for this "phenomenon" is their variety (everyone has a different thing he likes about them) or if it's one special thing about them, that's kind of a link between all of us or maybe a combination.. Even if I don't have an answer to that question (maybe one of you has), one thing is for sure: it feels so good to be here.. |
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Post by Rick Henry on Mar 19, 2008 14:02:35 GMT -5
Rick, thank you for the link to Liam's MySpace site. I did not know that he's working on a solo record. You mentioned something that I really do appreciate about your forum, like I already wrote in Tim's Corner. The people here seem to be quite open-minded, so you're able to find responding interests beyond Carpenters. But it came onto my mind that, besides the things in common, it's also truly remarkable that a group of people,coming from different parts of the world, different generations and totally different cultural backgrounds share the love for one group. I think that's definitely a special quality of the Carpenters. I wonder if the reason for this "phenomenon" is their variety (everyone has a different thing he likes about them) or if it's one special thing about them, that's kind of a link between all of us or maybe a combination.. Even if I don't have an answer to that question (maybe one of you has), one thing is for sure: it feels so good to be here.. |
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Post by carpentersgermany on Mar 19, 2008 14:54:44 GMT -5
Rick, thank you for the link to Liam's MySpace site. I did not know that he's working on a solo record. You mentioned something that I really do appreciate about your forum, like I already wrote in Tim's Corner. The people here seem to be quite open-minded, so you're able to find responding interests beyond Carpenters. But it came onto my mind that, besides the things in common, it's also truly remarkable that a group of people,coming from different parts of the world, different generations and totally different cultural backgrounds share the love for one group. I think that's definitely a special quality of the Carpenters. I wonder if the reason for this "phenomenon" is their variety (everyone has a different thing he likes about them) or if it's one special thing about them, that's kind of a link between all of us or maybe a combination.. Even if I don't have an answer to that question (maybe one of you has), one thing is for sure: it feels so good to be here.. Yes, most probably this is it: "ONE LOVE" for Karen and her voice and "TWO SIDES" (at least) on the rest of it.. As I said before: I like to share both, the common consent and the controversial point of views (without them it would be boring and we could not learn from each other) with all of you!  |
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Post by Rick Henry on Mar 20, 2008 9:30:31 GMT -5
Yes, most probably this is it: "ONE LOVE" for Karen and her voice and "TWO SIDES" (at least) on the rest of it.. As I said before: I like to share both, the common consent and the controversial point of views (without them it would be boring and we could not learn from each other) with all of you! |
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Post by carpentersgermany on Mar 20, 2008 20:13:35 GMT -5
Are there really people leaving this forum because of the sometimes controversial discussions?! Why? Do they feel offended just because someone has a different point of view?
I think that's a real shame. No one should be offended by such things, I have the most controversial discussions with my closest friends and family members, those who I love from the bottom of my heart.
I think it's really important to get to know different opinions because it helps you to check your own perspective on things. Sometimes you have to reconsider things. No one knows the whole truth..
Of course everyone has his really strong convictions and should defend them, stand behind them.
But I never felt this would be impossible here. Even if you don't agree, the manners stay polite. That is of course very important..
And in the and, like we said earlier we all share one love for the Carpenters, this should be a quite solid ground, I think..
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Post by Rick Henry on Mar 20, 2008 22:40:56 GMT -5
Are there really people leaving this forum because of the sometimes controversial discussions?! Why? Do they feel offended just because someone has a different point of view? I think that's a real shame. No one should be offended by such things, I have the most controversial discussions with my closest friends and family members, those who I love from the bottom of my heart. I think it's really important to get to know different opinions because it helps you to check your own perspective on things. Sometimes you have to reconsider things. No one knows the whole truth.. Of course everyone has his really strong convictions and should defend them, stand behind them. But I never felt this would be impossible here. Even if you don't agree, the manners stay polite. That is of course very important.. And in the and, like we said earlier we all share one love for the Carpenters, this should be a quite solid ground, I think.. |
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