When Angela Merkel (67) says goodbye with a big tattoo on Thursday, the song "You forgot the color film" by Nina Hagen (66) will play. Last but not least, the artist herself thought that was a joke at first, as she announced on Facebook.
On Sunday, Nina Hagen wrote: "... I also noticed that our wife, Chancellor, is said to have wanted the song 'You forgot the color film' from the old GDR for her farewell ceremony, among other things." In brackets she added: "What I think is a fake report, although I can see that even the news had reported..." In addition to Hagen, the songs "For me it should rain red roses" by Hildegard Knef and the ecumenical hymn "Great God, we praise you".
Songwriter, a convicted sex offender
The explanation for Hagen's incredulity is not Merkel's taste in music, but the background of the song. "It's a song with lyrics by Kurt Demmler, but that Kurt Demmler was an East German 'state poet' with special privileges and later a sex offender convicted of systematic child abuse who committed suicide in prison... I hope she will know."
Demmler was charged again in 2008 after being fined eight years earlier for child sex abuse. In his last criminal case, he was accused of sexual abuse of children in more than 200 cases. He committed suicide the night before the second day of the trial.
Hagen himself continues to play the song: "No, I'm not distancing myself from the song, but I won't hide from the facts and I won't pretend that they don't exist." She also makes it clear that it hurts that Demmler "hanged himself in custody in Moabit prison and made his escape without a word."
Keyboarder was a role model for "Micha"
The singer also shared the exact background of how the song came about in a long post on Tuesday. Among other things, it tells how Hagen came to the band Automobil, how she and keyboardist Michael Heubach came together, how Demmler was probably inspired by him to write the lyrics and how quickly the song blossomed into a big hit.
