Today’s Repeat Rotation Video is from a German band I’ve recently begun to like. Called Söhne Mannheims or ‘Sons of Mannheim’, they’re a pop, soul, hip hop band, with a very diverse yet distinctive sound that’s also usually quite political.
The song I’m listening to today is Söhne Mannheims ‘Und wenn ein Lied‘, a distinctly less political song, which, even if you don’t understand a word of German, you can tell from the way the music feels, it is an incredibly romantic song.
As for the lyrics of ‘Und wenn ein Lied‘ in English? How about starting off with these?
And when a song leaves my lips
It’s only to convey love to you
Through the night and the thickest branchwood
So that you know no fearsTell a little piece of truth
Look how the desert lives
Create a little bit of serenity
And look how the veil lifts
A desert made of cement and asphalt
But it lives and opens a gap
Which shows you new things
Shows that the old things will vanish
Even if your pain reaches
Up to the sky
You’ll find the rest of the lyrics of the song, along with the German version, at Lyrics Translate. And yes, they are beautiful.
What’s interesting about Söhne Mannheims also is they’re no teeny tiny weenie band. Söhne Mannheims currently has 14 members, many of whom have been with the band since it was founded back in 1995.
Frontman, however, is Xavier Naidoo, a German R&B singer who critics speak of as one of the best Germany has ever seen.
If you’re interested to hear more of the band, they currently have eight albums out, all of which are superb.
Meanwhile, listen to Söhne Mannheims singing ‘Und wenn ein Lied’ below. Lovely, isn’t it?