"Hier kommt Alex" (''Here comes

Alex Alex is a given name. It can refer to a shortened version of Alexander, Alexandra, Alexis. People Multiple *Alex Brown (disambiguation), multiple people * Alex Gordon (disambiguation), multiple people *Alex Harris (disambiguation), multiple pe ...

'') is a song by German punk band

Die Toten Hosen Die Toten Hosen (literally "The Dead Trousers", figuratively "The Deadbeats") is a German punk rock band from Düsseldorf. History The current members of Die Toten Hosen are Campino (Andreas Frege), Kuddel (Andreas von Holst), Vom (Stephe ...

. It is the first single and the first track from the album ''

Ein kleines bisschen Horrorschau ''Ein kleines bisschen Horrorschau'' ("A little bit of horrorshow") (subtitled: ''Die Lieder aus Clockwork Orange und andere schmutzige Melodien'' The songs from Clockwork Orange and other dirty melodies" is the sixth LP by Die Toten Hosen, relea ...

''. The song in concept introduces Alex, who is the central character on the

concept album A concept album is an album whose tracks hold a larger purpose or meaning collectively than they do individually. This is typically achieved through a single central narrative or theme, which can be instrumental, compositional, or lyrical. Som ...

, a reference to ''Alex DeLarge'', from the book ''

A Clockwork Orange ''A Clockwork Orange'' may refer to: * ''A Clockwork Orange'' (novel), a 1962 novel by Anthony Burgess ** ''A Clockwork Orange'' (film), a 1971 film directed by Stanley Kubrick based on the novel *** ''A Clockwork Orange'' (soundtrack), the film ...

''. "Hier kommt Alex" is structurally and musically similar to the last track from the album, "Bye, Bye Alex".

Music video

The video was directed by Walter Knofel.

Inclusions in video games

The song appears as a bonus track in the game '' Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock''. It is also available as downloadable content for ''

Guitar Hero World Tour ''Guitar Hero World Tour'' (initially referred to as ''Guitar Hero IV'' or ''Guitar Hero IV: World Tour'') is a music rhythm video game developed by Neversoft and published by Activision. It is the fourth main installment in the ''Guitar Hero'' ...

''. It is included in the

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...

an release of the game ''

Rock Band A rock band or pop band is a small musical ensemble that performs rock music, pop music, or a related genre. A four-piece band is the most common configuration in rock and pop music. In the early years, the configuration was typically two guita ...

'', and as a downloadable track on the

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

version. Due to licensing issues, the song was taken down from DLC services in 2013. The song was available for re-download in ''

Rock Band 4 ''Rock Band 4'' is a 2015 music video game developed and published by Harmonix. ''Rock Band 4'' allows players to simulate the playing of music across many different decades and genres using instrument controllers that mimic playing lead and bas ...

'' for those who purchased it prior to this date.

Cover versions

The song has been covered by many artists, among them

Samsas Traum Samsas Traum ("Samsa's Dream") is a German rock band fronted by Alexander Kaschte. Their music consists of elements of symphonic metal, Neue Deutsche Härte, black metal and cantastoria. The name is derived from the protagonist Gregor Samsa in ...

on ''Endstation.Eden'', Gatos Sucios on ''Punto limite'', Thomas Baldischwyler for the compilation ''Pudel Produkte 8'', Sonnenbrandt,

Scala & Kolacny Brothers Scala & Kolacny Brothers is a Belgian women's choir conducted by Stijn Kolacny, and arranged and accompanied by Steven Kolacny on the piano. They have made five studio albums (in multiple languages) starting with ''On The Rocks'' in 2002. Most ...

on the album ''Grenzenlos''. British punk band UK Subs covered it in English as "Here Comes Alex". In 2020, German medieval rock band

Feuerschwanz Feuerschwanz (German for 'fire tail') is a German Medieval metal band founded in 2004 in Erlangen. History 2003 - 2013: Formation and Early Years Peter Henrici, a bassist for the band ''Merlons Lichter'' at the time, originally had the idea ...

covered the song with a medieval composition. According to an interview, Die Ärzte had spontaneously played the song on a benefit concert to attract more crowd, because people were leaving after a bad band.

Track listing

# "Hier kommt Alex" (Meurer/Frege) – 3:53 # "Achterbahn" (''

Roller coaster A roller coaster, or rollercoaster, is a type of amusement ride that employs a form of elevated railroad track designed with tight turns, steep slopes, and sometimes inversions. Passengers ride along the track in open cars, and the rides are o ...

'') (Rohde/Frege) − 3:35 # "Zum Chef (Später Dank)" (''To the boss (Later gratitude)'') (von Holst/Frege) – 2:10 # "Jo singt (Das Wort zum Sonntag)" (''Jo singt (The word to Sunday)'') (von Holst/Frege) – 0:46 # "Liebeslied" (''Love song'') (Breitkopf/Frege) – 3:50

Charts

The Return of Alex

There's also an

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

version of the song, titled "The Return of Alex". This was released as a promo single for UK from the all-English album '' Love, Peace & Money''.

Music video

The video was directed by René Eller and shows the band performing in a black-and-white TV-set.

Track listing

# "The Return of Alex" (Meurer/Frege, Dangerfield) − 4:29 # "So Long - Good Bye" − 3:13 (English version of "Schönen Gruß, auf Wiederseh'n") # " I Fought the Law" (

Sonny Curtis Sonny Curtis (born May 9, 1937) is an American singer and songwriter. Known for his collaborations with Buddy Holly, he was a member of the Crickets and continued with the band after Holly's death. Curtis's best known compositions include "Walk ...

) − 2:35 ( The Crickets cover)

In popular culture

*Professional darts player Dave Chisnall uses this version for his walk on in PDC European Tour Events.

2005 unplugged version

"Hier kommt Alex" was also released as a single from the 2005 unplugged album '' Nur zu Besuch: Unplugged im Wiener Burgtheater''. The song is introduced with the first bars of the second movement of

Beethoven Ludwig van Beethoven (baptised 17 December 177026 March 1827) was a German composer and pianist. Beethoven remains one of the most admired composers in the history of Western music; his works rank amongst the most performed of the classical ...

's Symphony No. 9.

Music video

The video contains live footage.

Track listing

# "Hier kommt Alex" (Meurer/Frege) − 4:08 # "

Was zählt "Was zählt" (''What counts'') is a song by Die Toten Hosen. It's the first single and the third track from the album ''Auswärtsspiel''. The song is an ode to love ("Wenn nur die Liebe zählt" - ''When only love matters''), as it describes, how ...

" (''What counts'') (Breitkopf, von Holst/Frege) − 4:04 # " You'll Never Walk Alone" (Rodgers/Hammerstein) − 2:45

Charts

References

{{authority control Songs about fictional male characters 1988 singles 2005 singles Die Toten Hosen songs Songs written by Campino (singer) Songs written by Andreas von Holst Music based on novels 1988 songs