Mein Teil
Encyclopedia
"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 cooked Brandes' penis and consumed it together. Afterwards, Meiwes killed Brandes—with Brandes' consent—and ate his remains. As a result, Meiwes was sentenced to eight-and-a-half years in jail for manslaughter
, but was later charged with murder and sentenced to life imprisonment. A prominent phrase in the song is "Denn du bist was du isst und ihr wisst was es ist" ("Because you are what you eat and you (plural) know what it is").
According to Rammstein's bassist Oliver Riedel
, the song came about after "one of our members brought a newspaper to rehearsal and it had a story about the cannibal guy in it. We were fascinated, shocked and amused at the same time." Vocalist Till Lindemann
stated, "It's so sick that it becomes fascinating and there just has to be a song about it".
"Mein Teil" attracted controversy in Germany; the media dubbed it the "Kannibalensong" (cannibal song), which helped to boost it to second place in the German music charts after its release in early August 2004. Remixes of the song were done by Arthur Baker
and the Pet Shop Boys
.
At the beginning of the song in the video, the phrase "Suche gut gebauten Achtzehn- bis Dreißigjährigen zum Schlachten – Der Metzgermeister" ("Looking for a well built 18 to 30 year old to be slaughtered - The Master Butcher") is spoken, voiced by Ollie
, although the album version of the song does not have this beginning. The quote is taken from an online post by Armin Meiwes.
"Mein Teil" was nominated for Best Metal Performance at the 48th Grammy Awards, but lost to Slipknot
's Before I Forget.
appears in the pot, with metal cylinders attached to his arms and legs, and plays the keyboard during the song. After the second chorus, Till takes a flamethrower and roasts the bottom of the pot, "cooking" Flake. Flake escapes from the pot and starts running around the stage with flames erupting from his arms and legs, while chased by a knife-wielding Till. When asked about what it is like to perform this, Flake said: "It's fine. It is only pain. Although you can't breathe in because then you will inhale the flames and die." Due to all of the theatrical performance, the song usually extended to 6 or 7 minutes when played live. It was played at every concert of the Reise, Reise tour, but was dropped on the Liebe ist fur Alle Da tour, a move which irritated many fans. However, it returned to playlist for the Latin American leg of the tour in 2010, the Auckland and Perth legs of the Big Day Out festival and the South African leg of the tour in 2011, all replacing "Ich tu dir weh
".
dressed as Armin Meiwes
's mother, Till
being fellated
by an angel before he eats her wings and kills her; Flake
performing ballet in a hallucinatory state; Paul
shaking, screaming violently and wandering around the set in a frantic and crazed state; Richard violently fighting with his doppelgänger
; Ollie
writhing on the floor in painful spasms with his skin covered in white powder; the whole band (excluding Schneider) fighting in a mudpit; and five of the band members crawling out of the Deutsche Oper U-Bahn
(subway) station while held on leashes carried by Doom Schneider
.
3" CD Single
2 x 12" Vinyl Single (limited to 1000 copies)
Single (music)
In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...
by the German
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
industrial metal
Industrial metal
Industrial metal is a musical genre that draws from industrial music and many different types of heavy metal, using repeating metal guitar riffs, sampling, synthesizer or sequencer lines, and distorted vocals. Founding industrial metal acts include Ministry, Godflesh, and KMFDM.Industrial metal's...
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...
from their fourth 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 is inspired by the case of Armin Meiwes
Armin Meiwes
Armin Meiwes is a German man who achieved international notoriety for killing and eating a voluntary victim whom he had found via the Internet. After Meiwes and the victim jointly attempted to eat the victim's severed penis, Meiwes killed his victim and proceeded to eat a large amount of his flesh...
and Bernd Jürgen Armando Brandes. In March 2001, in Rotenburg an der Fulda
Rotenburg an der Fulda
Rotenburg an der Fulda is a town in Hersfeld-Rotenburg district in northeastern Hesse, Germany lying, as the name says, on the river Fulda.- Geography :- Location :...
, the two men aged in their 40s met each other, cut off and cooked Brandes' penis and consumed it together. Afterwards, Meiwes killed Brandes—with Brandes' consent—and ate his remains. As a result, Meiwes was sentenced to eight-and-a-half years in jail for manslaughter
Manslaughter
Manslaughter is a legal term for the killing of a human being, in a manner considered by law as less culpable than murder. The distinction between murder and manslaughter is said to have first been made by the Ancient Athenian lawmaker Dracon in the 7th century BC.The law generally differentiates...
, but was later charged with murder and sentenced to life imprisonment. A prominent phrase in the song is "Denn du bist was du isst und ihr wisst was es ist" ("Because you are what you eat and you (plural) know what it is").
According to Rammstein's bassist Oliver Riedel
Oliver Riedel
Oliver "Ollie" Riedel is a German musician, notable for being the bassist for the German Neue Deutsche Härte band Rammstein.-Early years:...
, the song came about after "one of our members brought a newspaper to rehearsal and it had a story about the cannibal guy in it. We were fascinated, shocked and amused at the same time." 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:...
stated, "It's so sick that it becomes fascinating and there just has to be a song about it".
"Mein Teil" attracted controversy in Germany; the media dubbed it the "Kannibalensong" (cannibal song), which helped to boost it to second place in the German music charts after its release in early August 2004. Remixes of the song were done by Arthur Baker
Arthur Baker (musician)
Arthur Baker is an American record producer and DJ best known for his work with hip hop artists like Afrika Bambaataa, Planet Patrol, and the British group New Order.-Early career:...
and the Pet Shop Boys
Pet Shop Boys
Pet Shop Boys are an English electronic dance music duo, consisting of Neil Tennant, who provides main vocals, keyboards and occasional guitar, and Chris Lowe on keyboards....
.
At the beginning of the song in the video, the phrase "Suche gut gebauten Achtzehn- bis Dreißigjährigen zum Schlachten – Der Metzgermeister" ("Looking for a well built 18 to 30 year old to be slaughtered - The Master Butcher") is spoken, voiced by Ollie
Oliver Riedel
Oliver "Ollie" Riedel is a German musician, notable for being the bassist for the German Neue Deutsche Härte band Rammstein.-Early years:...
, although the album version of the song does not have this beginning. The quote is taken from an online post by Armin Meiwes.
"Mein Teil" was nominated for Best Metal Performance at the 48th Grammy Awards, but lost to Slipknot
Slipknot (band)
Slipknot is an American heavy metal band from Des Moines, Iowa. Formed in 1995, the group was founded by percussionist Shawn Crahan and bassist Paul Gray...
's Before I Forget.
Live history
It debuted in three consecutive concerts for members of the fan club, in October 2004. This song is one of the most notable live performances of the 2004–2005 Reise, Reise tour. From the central backstage access, Till Lindemann appears pulling a giant cooking pot. He is dressed as a blood-stained chef holding a microphone with a large butcher's knife attached to the end. Keyboardist Christian "Flake" LorenzChristian Lorenz
Christian "Flake" Lorenz is a German musician, notable as the keyboardist for the Neue Deutsche Härte band Rammstein. He is also known for his role in the band Feeling B.-Early years:...
appears in the pot, with metal cylinders attached to his arms and legs, and plays the keyboard during the song. After the second chorus, Till takes a flamethrower and roasts the bottom of the pot, "cooking" Flake. Flake escapes from the pot and starts running around the stage with flames erupting from his arms and legs, while chased by a knife-wielding Till. When asked about what it is like to perform this, Flake said: "It's fine. It is only pain. Although you can't breathe in because then you will inhale the flames and die." Due to all of the theatrical performance, the song usually extended to 6 or 7 minutes when played live. It was played at every concert of the Reise, Reise tour, but was dropped on the Liebe ist fur Alle Da tour, a move which irritated many fans. However, it returned to playlist for the Latin American leg of the tour in 2010, the Auckland and Perth legs of the Big Day Out festival and the South African leg of the tour in 2011, all replacing "Ich tu dir weh
Ich tu dir weh
"Ich tu dir Weh" is the second single from the 2009 album Liebe ist für alle da by the German band Rammstein. Mainly because of the sado-masochistic content of this song, the album was placed on the "index" maintained by the German Bundesprüfstelle für jugendgefährdende Medien...
".
Music video
The controversy over Mein Teil prompted MTV Germany to restrict the airing of the music video to after 11 PM. The video shows a cross dressed Doom SchneiderChristoph Schneider
Christoph "Doom" Schneider is a German musician. He is the drummer of the German Neue Deutsche Härte band Rammstein.-Early life:...
dressed as Armin Meiwes
Armin Meiwes
Armin Meiwes is a German man who achieved international notoriety for killing and eating a voluntary victim whom he had found via the Internet. After Meiwes and the victim jointly attempted to eat the victim's severed penis, Meiwes killed his victim and proceeded to eat a large amount of his flesh...
's mother, Till
Till Lindemann
Till Lindemann is a German musician, actor and poet who is the frontman for the German Neue Deutsche Härte band Rammstein.-Biography:...
being fellated
Fellatio
Fellatio is an act of oral stimulation of a male's penis by a sexual partner. It involves the stimulation of the penis by the use of the mouth, tongue, or throat. The person who performs fellatio can be referred to as the giving partner, and the other person is the receiving partner...
by an angel before he eats her wings and kills her; Flake
Christian Lorenz
Christian "Flake" Lorenz is a German musician, notable as the keyboardist for the Neue Deutsche Härte band Rammstein. He is also known for his role in the band Feeling B.-Early years:...
performing ballet in a hallucinatory state; Paul
Paul Landers
Paul H. Landers is a German musician, notable as rhythm guitarist for the Neue Deutsche Härte band Rammstein.-Early life:...
shaking, screaming violently and wandering around the set in a frantic and crazed state; Richard violently fighting with his doppelgänger
Doppelgänger
In fiction and folklore, a doppelgänger is a paranormal double of a living person, typically representing evil or misfortune...
; Ollie
Oliver Riedel
Oliver "Ollie" Riedel is a German musician, notable for being the bassist for the German Neue Deutsche Härte band Rammstein.-Early years:...
writhing on the floor in painful spasms with his skin covered in white powder; the whole band (excluding Schneider) fighting in a mudpit; and five of the band members crawling out of the Deutsche Oper U-Bahn
Deutsche Oper (Berlin U-Bahn)
Deutsche Oper is a station of the Berlin U-Bahn located in the Charlottenburg district on the line. It is named after the Deutsche Oper Berlin.-Overview:...
(subway) station while held on leashes carried by Doom Schneider
Christoph Schneider
Christoph "Doom" Schneider is a German musician. He is the drummer of the German Neue Deutsche Härte band Rammstein.-Early life:...
.
Charts
| Chart (2004) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Austrian Singles Chart | 6 |
| Danish Singles Chart Tracklisten Tracklisten is a Danish top 40 record chart that is presented every Thursday midnight at .The weekly Danish Singles Chart also known as Track Top-40 combines the 40 best selling tracks from legal music downloads and the sales of music singles on either CD or vinyl... |
6 |
| Finnish Singles Chart | 2 |
| French Singles Chart Syndicat National de l'Edition Phonographique The Syndicat national de l'édition phonographique is the inter-professional organization which protects the interests of the French record industry... |
28 |
| German Singles Chart Media Control Charts The official music charts in Germany are gathered and published by the company Media Control GfK International on behalf of Bundesverband Musikindustrie... |
2 |
| Swedish Singles Chart Sverigetopplistan Sverigetopplistan, earlier known as Topplistan and Hitlistan and other names, is since October 2007 the Swedish national record chart, based on sales data from Swedish Recording Industry Association .... |
8 |
| Swiss Singles Chart Swiss Music Charts The Swiss Music Charts are Switzerland's main music sales charts. The charts are a record of the highest-selling singles and albums in various genres in Switzerland.The Swiss Charts include:* Singles Top 75... |
11 |
| UK Rock Chart UK Rock Chart The UK Rock Chart usually refers to the Top 40 Rock Singles and the Top 40 Rock Albums Chart compiled by the Official Charts Company from physical record sales in British retail outlets with larger than average genrespecific sales.... |
1 |
| UK Singles Chart UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ... |
61 |
Track listing
5" CD Single- Mein Teil (Single Version) – 4:23
- Mein Teil (You Are What You Eat Edit) Remix by Pet Shop BoysPet Shop BoysPet Shop Boys are an English electronic dance music duo, consisting of Neil Tennant, who provides main vocals, keyboards and occasional guitar, and Chris Lowe on keyboards....
– 4:07 - Mein Teil (Return to New York Buffet Mix) Remix by Arthur BakerArthur Baker (musician)Arthur Baker is an American record producer and DJ best known for his work with hip hop artists like Afrika Bambaataa, Planet Patrol, and the British group New Order.-Early career:...
– 7:22 - Mein Teil (There Are No Guitars on This Mix) Remix by Pet Shop BoysPet Shop BoysPet Shop Boys are an English electronic dance music duo, consisting of Neil Tennant, who provides main vocals, keyboards and occasional guitar, and Chris Lowe on keyboards....
– 7:20- The Australian edition also features the Mein Teil video.
3" CD Single
- Mein Teil (Single Version) – 4:23
- Mein Teil (You Are What You Eat Edit) Remix by Pet Shop BoysPet Shop BoysPet Shop Boys are an English electronic dance music duo, consisting of Neil Tennant, who provides main vocals, keyboards and occasional guitar, and Chris Lowe on keyboards....
– 4:07- Also released as a 2-track 5" CD single.
2 x 12" Vinyl Single (limited to 1000 copies)
- Mein Teil (You Are What You Eat Mix) Remix by Pet Shop BoysPet Shop BoysPet Shop Boys are an English electronic dance music duo, consisting of Neil Tennant, who provides main vocals, keyboards and occasional guitar, and Chris Lowe on keyboards....
– 6:45 - Mein Teil (You Are What You Eat Instrumental Mix) Remix by Pet Shop BoysPet Shop BoysPet Shop Boys are an English electronic dance music duo, consisting of Neil Tennant, who provides main vocals, keyboards and occasional guitar, and Chris Lowe on keyboards....
– 7:00 - Mein Teil (The Return to New York Buffet Mix) Remix by Arthur BakerArthur Baker (musician)Arthur Baker is an American record producer and DJ best known for his work with hip hop artists like Afrika Bambaataa, Planet Patrol, and the British group New Order.-Early career:...
– 7:22 - Mein Teil (The Return to New York Buffet Instrumental Mix) Remix by Arthur BakerArthur Baker (musician)Arthur Baker is an American record producer and DJ best known for his work with hip hop artists like Afrika Bambaataa, Planet Patrol, and the British group New Order.-Early career:...
– 7:23