Mensch (album)
Mensch, released in 2002, is the 20th music release by prominent German rock/pop artist Herbert Grönemeyer. Mensch ("Human") is Grönemeyer's 11th full-length album of original compositions. The title track "Mensch" became Grönemeyer's first number-one single in Germany. The mood of the album reflects the then recent death of his wife and one of his older brothers in the same week, and is rich with poetic imagery. The songs range from rock to ballads. The richness of the imagery and language, as well as the use of creative word play, can make the lyrics difficult to interpret by listeners who are not fluent in German. In Mensch Grönemeyer reflects on his own humanity as it relates to feeling loss. The song "Der Weg" in particular focuses on memories of his wife and the love they shared.
The full-length album was released in three versions:
The compact disc and the Super Audio CD (CD layer and high-resolution SACD stereo sections) contain a hidden track after about fifteen minutes of silence at the end of the last song. The album is almost entirely in German, with the hidden track in English.
Mensch was a huge success in Germany, Austria and Switzerland and sold nearly 4 million copies, making it the best-selling German-language record of all time, also being certified wih 21 x Gold in Germany.[1]
Track listing
- "Mensch" – 4:01
- "Neuland" – 3:43
- "Der Weg" – 4:18
- "Viertel Vor" – 4:23
- "Lache, wenn es nicht zum Weinen reicht" – 4:42
- "Unbewohnt" – 5:04
- "Dort und hier" – 2:33
- "Blick zurück" – 5:54
- "Kein Pokal" – 4:32
- "Zum Meer" – 5:45
- "Demo (letzter Tag)" – 3:26
Charts and certifications
Chart positions
Certifications
Singles
Year |
Title |
Chart positions |
Certifications |
AT [2] |
CH [13] |
DE [21] |
2002 |
"Mensch" |
1 |
2 |
1 |
|
"Der Weg" |
14 |
35 |
12 |
|
2003 |
"Demo (Letzter Tag)" |
53 |
— |
36 |
|
"Zum Meer" |
— |
— |
81 |
|
See also
References
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