AnnenMayKantereit — “Ein Engel mit Raucherlunge”

AsyaAzieva

Very rarely have I been wholly entranced by foreign music.

The reason for this is simple: it’s foreign music. Music from abroad, while often delightful to members of other cultures, is rarely enjoyed by Americans because it does not appeal to our unique culture and traditions. It is all the more surprising and marvelous when an artist or a band from another country is able to captivate us at a level that is equivalent to or surpasses our enjoyment of American music.

AnnenMayKantereit is one of those bands, mostly because of the amazingly unique voice of its lead singer, Henning May. May’s deep, raspy, baritone voice is captivatingly rough in a way that is somehow not grating or painful, but rather lovely and compelling. Without May’s voice leading the band, I fear the ensemble may have faded into the realm of obscurity, unable to make  a name for itself in the modern German music scene.

Owsnitzki

I first came across AnnenMayKantereit in my German 003 class, where my teacher, Herr Hoffman, played their song “Oft Gefragt” in order to help us improve our listening comprehension skills. Upon hearing the song for the first time, I was intrigued, and upon going back to my dorm I decided to listen to the rest of the band’s repertoire. What I found blew me away.

The first song I listened to after “Oft Gefragt” was entitled “Barfuß am Klavier“ which literally translates to “Barefoot at the Piano.”

The song left me feeling somber and reflective, and I was instantly inspired to replay it. In the chorus of the song, May sings:

“Und ich sitz schon wieder

Barfuß am Klavier

Ich träume Liebeslieder

Und sing dabei von dir.”

These lyrics translate to, “And I sit once again, barefoot at the piano. I dream of love songs, in which I sing of you.” The song goes on to detail the story of a lover separated from his significant other. The lover is saddened by the ending of his relationship, and laments the fact that he is no longer with his significant other.

Even though I wasn’t able to understand some parts of the song, the emotion May conveys through his singing makes up for my lack of verbal comprehension. I understand the lover’s feelings through the tone of the song, the passion in May’s voice, and the dreary, depressing video background. This song was able to make me feel something unique, special, and surprisingly deep, even though I wasn’t able to fully understand it. AnnenMayKantereit’s music appeals to my human nature and emotions, not just to my verbal understanding, and this is why their music is able to have such an impact outside of German-speaking countries.

As I explored some more of AnnenMayKantereit’s videos, I came across a comment that I feel adequately describes the nature of May’s uniquely captivating voice. The comment stated, roughly, “Henning klingt wie ein Engel mit Raucherlunge,” which when translated means “Henning sounds like an angel with smokers lungs.” I laughed aloud at the comment, but also recognized how true it was. May’s voice is so deep, raspy, rough, and coarse; and yet, he doesn’t sing metal, hard rock, or some other type of music befitting his uniquely coarse voice. Instead, Henning sings love songs; his voice draws out feelings of desire, passion, longing, somberness, and other emotions. People with Henning’s vocal type do not normally sing these types of songs, which is part of what makes AnnenMayKantereit stand out among the crowd. Their unique sound, tone, and music content draws in fans from around the world, and the skill of their amazingly talented front man allows their music to touch the hearts and minds of foreigners who do not understand the German language.

 

Works Cited

AsyaAzieva. “AnnenMayKantereit.” Pinterest, Pinterest, 2017, https://www.pinterest.com/pin/685673111987254017/?l=t.

Owsnitzki, Roland. “Henning May.” Sputnik, IMAGO-STOCK, https://www.sputnik.de/news/musiknews/annenmaykantereit-wanda-streit-100.html.