Germany has amazing music bands. From hip-hop to punk rock and from heavy metal to folk – the selection is huge!
Listening to German music is a wonderful way to improve your German language skills.
How will German music bands help you learn German?
Music can help you improve your listening skills and increase your vocabulary. Moreover, it's a fun way to learn, especially if you haven't looked up from your 'smart' books in a long time. To achieve this, you need to develop a skill called active listening.
Active listening means listening (to the German bands in question) with a specific purpose. You need to pay serious attention to exactly what they are saying in the lyrics and try to understand the message that is conveyed.
Often this is achieved by comparing what is sung with the lyrics of the song in front of you on the screen. This way you can simultaneously sing along and take notes about sentence structure, adding new words to your vocabulary.
Listening to music is a great way to learn and will help you get used to German pronunciation. So start using active listening while listening to the bands in the list we have prepared for you below.
These are 8 different German bands that excel in different musical styles and genres. There's also a little history for each band, so you can understand their philosophy better. That way, if you already have German-speaking friends, you'll be able to discuss these bands with them.
Die Fantastischen Vier
German hip-hop can be of great help when learning the language! The lyrics are well-suited to rapping and the strong beats needed for great rap. There's also an electronic mix in the background, which is not characteristic of, for example, American rap.
Die Fantastischen Vier (The Fantastic Four) is a German hip-hop group that has been at the top of the genre in the country for a long time. Their first full rap album entirely in German was released in the distant year of 1991.
Although hip-hop can be quite challenging to listen to, especially for beginners, Die Fantastischen Vier have some accessible and relatively easy to listen to (and understand) pieces. Their vacation song "Tag am Meer" (Day at the Sea) is rapped slowly and clearly so you can grasp it. We recommend listening to it together with the lyrics, which you can find HERE.
If you want to continue with an even bigger challenge, you can also listen to "Zusammen" ("Together"). This song was a TV song for the 2018 FIFA World Cup.
Wir Sind Helden
Wir Sind Helden ('We Are Heroes') is a punk rock band that started its journey in Berlin. The band's vocalist is Judith Holofernes, who is considered a true vocal talent in Germany.
With the 'Heroes' it won't be 'that easy' for you. The lyrics can prove to be a serious test, especially with Judith's accent, which is sometimes a bit difficult to understand. But if you want to improve your German listening skills, this is the right band for you!
We recommend you start with their song "Nur Ein Wort" ('Just One Word'). It goes along with the lyrics (as you'll find out yourself from the video). The song will help you follow Judith more easily and will improve your vocabulary. Plus, it's a super melodic and playful song that you'll be humming long after.
Die Toten Hosen
Die Toten Hosen ('The Dead Trousers') are a punk band from Düsseldorf. They gained fame back in the 80s during the punk movement in Germany.
This is one of the most successful German punk groups that took the world by storm during that period. In Germany you'll hardly find a person (at least over 25 years old) who can't sing at least one of their songs.
Some of their pieces are slow and melodic, which makes them ideal for beginner learners. You don't need to be a fan of Johnny Rotten's screams to understand what they're about.
"Tage wie diese" is a cool song to start with. It talks about collective joy and the reluctance for it to end. The lyrics are easy to follow and contain many words that are used in everyday life.
Rammstein
Rammstein hardly need an introduction. It is among the most famous German rock bands with a huge army of fans all over the world, regardless of whether they speak German or not.
The lyrics of their songs are quite easy, which is perfect for our purpose. Moreover, they are free for interpretation and with many potential meanings, so people can find their own sense in their songs. This is wonderful for German learners because they will be able to learn some easy words and ideas. At the same time they will see how they can be interpreted in different ways.
We recommend you start with "Ich Will" ('I Want'), which is an easy song to follow and one of the band's 'most decent' (for the whole family :) ) hits. Here's also the lyrics to the song.
Another Rammstein song that is suitable for active listening is "Amerika". An amazing piece about the influence of the USA on the world. The song is easy to follow because it also contains English text, and overall the lyrics are easy to understand.
TO BE CONTINUED…