"Links 2 3 4" (also spelled "Links 2-3-4"; English: "Left 2 3 4") is a song by German Neue Deutsche Härte band

Rammstein Rammstein (, "ramming stone") is a German Neue Deutsche Härte band formed in Berlin in 1994. The band's lineup—consisting of lead vocalist Till Lindemann, lead guitarist Richard Kruspe, rhythm guitarist Paul Landers, bassist Oliver Riedel, ...

. It was released as the second single from their third studio album, '' Mutter'', on 14 May 2001. It is a politically charged song, taking aim at early allegations of

Nazism Nazism ( ; german: Nazismus), the common name in English for National Socialism (german: Nationalsozialismus, ), is the far-right totalitarian political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) i ...

against the band by revealing that they are politically

left-wing Left-wing politics describes the range of political ideologies that support and seek to achieve social equality and egalitarianism, often in opposition to social hierarchy. Left-wing politics typically involve a concern for those in soci ...

. The song was a top 40 hit in Germany, Austria, and Finland.

Composition

The lyrics were written in response to allegations of

fascism Fascism is a far-right, authoritarian, ultra-nationalist political ideology and movement,: "extreme militaristic nationalism, contempt for electoral democracy and political and cultural liberalism, a belief in natural social hierarchy an ...

directed at the band. The chorus states "they want my heart on the right, but when I look down, it beats on the left", implying they are on the left of the

political spectrum A political spectrum is a system to characterize and classify different political positions in relation to one another. These positions sit upon one or more geometric axes that represent independent political dimensions. The expressions politi ...

. The refrain “Links, Zwo Drei Fier” (“Left, Two Three Four”) is an allusion to the

revolutionary song Revolutionary songs are political songs that advocate or praise revolutions. They are used to boost morale, as well as for political propaganda or agitation. Amongst the most well-known revolutionary songs are "La Marseillaise" and "The Internatio ...

Einheitsfrontlied The "Einheitsfrontlied" (German for "United Front Song") is one of the most famous songs of the German labour movement. It was written by Bertolt Brecht and composed by Hanns Eisler. The best-known rendition was sung by Ernst Busch. History A ...

'', written by Bertolt Brecht for the Communist Party of Germany in the 1930s and re-popularized by

Hannes Wader Hannes Wader (born Hans Eckard Wader on 23 June 1942) is a German singer-songwriter (" Liedermacher"). He has been an important figure in German leftist circles since the 1970s, with his songs covering such themes as socialist and communist resis ...

in the

German Democratic Republic German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) ** Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **G ...

.laut.de , Laut.de – Rammstein: Das Herz schlägt links, oder?
/ref> The song uses an alternate pronunciation of the German two, using ''zwo'' (pronounced ''tsvoo'') rather than ''zwei'' (''tsvy''). "Zwo" is more commonly used within the

German military The ''Bundeswehr'' (, meaning literally: ''Federal Defence'') is the armed forces of the Federal Republic of Germany. The ''Bundeswehr'' is divided into a military part (armed forces or ''Streitkräfte'') and a civil part, the military part con ...

, or in the Austrian dialect, and this song presents a strong, militaristic theme, 'left – two – three – four' being a common drill instructor's cadence to keep a marching formation in step.

Music video

The music video for the song uses CGI to depict an

ant Ants are eusocial insects of the family Formicidae and, along with the related wasps and bees, belong to the order Hymenoptera. Ants evolved from vespoid wasp ancestors in the Cretaceous period. More than 13,800 of an estimated total of ...

colony In modern parlance, a colony is a territory subject to a form of foreign rule. Though dominated by the foreign colonizers, colonies remain separate from the administration of the original country of the colonizers, the '' metropolitan state' ...

, representing leftists, attacking

beetle Beetles are insects that form the order Coleoptera (), in the superorder Endopterygota. Their front pair of wings are hardened into wing-cases, elytra, distinguishing them from most other insects. The Coleoptera, with about 400,000 describ ...

s, representing Nazis. The ants in the video are shown doing human-like tasks such as playing football, watching television, and dancing. The band can be seen playing on a movie theater screen, a modified version of their logo with two crossed hammers is shown. During the movie theater scene the beetles attack, killing members of the anti colony. One ant is seen watching what the monstrous beetles are doing. The same ant then goes underground to rally the other ants and kill the beetles which symbolizes how the left may crush the right if they work together.

Live story

The song debuted live in April 2000 on a concert just for members of the fan club. Then it was called simply "Links" and had some minor differences compared to the final version released in '' Mutter''. It was also played during some concerts of

Big Day Out The Big Day Out (BDO) was an annual music festival that was held in five Australian cities: Sydney, Melbourne, Gold Coast, Adelaide, and Perth, as well as Auckland, New Zealand. The festival was held during summer, typically in January of eac ...

2001. When played live, it usually extends to almost five minutes because of added instrumentals. Since its debut, it has been played in virtually every Rammstein concert, exceptions being most of the shows in Big Day Out 2001 and three consecutive concerts exclusively for members of the Fan Area in October 2004.

Track listing

The single has a B-side of "Halleluja", a track frequently performed live by the band during the Mutter Tour. An early version of it is also available on the Limited Edition release of '' Mutter'', as well as the Japanese edition and

Resident Evil Soundtrack ''Resident Evil'' is an action horror film series based on the Japanese video game franchise by Capcom. The German studio Constantin Film bought the rights to adapt the series in January 1997. In 2000, Paul W. S. Anderson was announced as wr ...

. A DVD version of "Links 2 3 4" contains the audio tracks, as well as a video portion with the official music video, its

making-of In cinema, behind-the-scenes (BTS), also known as the making-of, the set, or on the set, is a type of documentary film that features the production of a film or television program. This is often referred to as the EPK (electronic press kit) vid ...

documentary and a photo gallery. Both videos were subsequently re-released on the Lichtspielhaus DVD.

Maxi-CD

# "Links 2 3 4" – 3:43 # "Halleluja" – 3:46 # "Links 2 3 4 (

Clawfinger Clawfinger is a Swedish rap metal band from Stockholm. The group is known for aggressive but melodic music and tackling political and anti-racist themes in their songs. History Origins: 1989–1991 The band's origin dates back to mid-1989, w ...

Geradeaus Remix)" – 4:28 # "Links 2 3 4 ( Westbam Technolectro Mix)" – 5:58 # "Links 2 3 4 ( Westbam

Hard Rock Cafe Hard Rock Cafe, Inc. is a British-based multinational chain of theme restaurants, memorabilia shops, casinos and museums founded in 1971 by Isaac Tigrett and Peter Morton in London. In 1979, the cafe began covering its walls with rock and r ...

Bonus Mix)" – 3:43 * The 2-track CD features "Links 2 3 4" and "Halleluja"

DVD maxi single

Audio section # "Links 2 3 4" – 3:43 # "Halleluja" – 3:46 # "Links 2 3 4 (

Geradeaus Remix)" – 4:28 # "Links 2 3 4 ( Westbam Technolectro Mix)" – 5:58 # "Links 2 3 4 ( Westbam

Bonus Mix)" – 3:43 Video section # "Links 2 3 4 (Video)" – 3:37 # "Links 2 3 4 (Making of)" – 10:11 # Photo gallery

Chart performance

References

{{authority control 2001 singles German-language songs Rammstein songs Songs against racism and xenophobia 2000 songs Songs written by Richard Z. Kruspe Songs written by Paul Landers Songs written by Till Lindemann Songs written by Christian Lorenz Songs written by Oliver Riedel Songs written by Christoph Schneider Anti-fascist music