Wir sind Helden (, German for "We are heroes") was a German
pop rock band that was established in 2000 in
Hamburg and based in
Berlin. The band was composed of lead singer and guitarist
Judith Holofernes
Judith Holfelder-Roy (''née'' Holfelder-von der Tann; born 12 November 1976), known by her stage name Judith Holofernes, is a German singer, guitarist, songwriter and author.
She was the lead singer of Wir sind Helden, the German pop rock band ...
, drummer Pola Roy, bassist Mark Tavassol and keyboardist/guitarist Jean-Michel Tourette.
Wir sind Helden's breakthrough came in 2002 with the release of the song "
Guten Tag
“Guten Tag” is a 2002 song by German band Wir sind Helden. It was first released on an EP of the same title in 2002 and one year later as the first single of their debut album ''Die Reklamation''. It was composed by Jean-Michel Tourette, Judi ...
", even though the band did not yet have a recording contract. The ensuing debut album, ''
Die Reklamation
''Die Reklamation'' (German: ''The Complaint'') is the debut studio album by German band Wir sind Helden, released on 7 July 2003 by Labels, a subsidiary of EMI. It sold over 800,000 copies in Germany and reached four times Platinum. The album fol ...
'', reached No. 2 in the German charts and sold over half a million copies. Over the rest of the decade, the band released the albums ''
Von hier an blind
''Von hier an blind'' (German for ''Blind from here on'') is the second album by Wir sind Helden, released on 4 April 2005 in Germany. The album entered the German top 100 album charts at #1 on 18 April and remained in the top 10 for twenty weeks ...
'', ''
Soundso
''Soundso'' ( en, So and So) is the third studio album by the German band Wir sind Helden. The first glimpse of this album could be caught when the band released the single "Endlich ein Grund zur Panik", which had a video clip featuring the band ...
'' and ''
Bring mich nach Hause
''Bring mich nach Hause'' ( en, Take Me Home) is the fourth studio album by the German band Wir sind Helden, released on 27 August 2010. It was preceded by the release of its first single, "Alles" on 20 August. On 21 August, Wir sind Helden bega ...
'', all of which peaked at No. 1 or No. 2 in the German and Austrian charts.
Wir sind Helden's music shows influences from the
Neue Deutsche Welle, especially in the debut album ''Die Reklamation''. The band's music is also characterized by
social commentary in songs such as "Guten Tag" and "Müssen nur wollen". In April 2012, the band informed its fans that it was going on indefinite hiatus.
History
2000–2002: Early years
Prior to the formation of Wir sind Helden, singer-songwriter and guitarist
Judith Holofernes
Judith Holfelder-Roy (''née'' Holfelder-von der Tann; born 12 November 1976), known by her stage name Judith Holofernes, is a German singer, guitarist, songwriter and author.
She was the lead singer of Wir sind Helden, the German pop rock band ...
was performing in
Berlin clubs as a solo artist and had self-released the
EP ''Kamikazefliege'' (1999). The band was founded in 2000 after she met drummer Pola Roy and keyboardist/guitarist Jean-Michel Tourette at a pop music workshop in
Hamburg. Soon thereafter, Mark Tavassol joined the band as bassist.
["laut.de-Biographie – Wir Sind Helden"](_blank)
(in German). ''laut.de''. Retrieved 26 July 2015.
The idea behind using the word "Helden" (which means "heroes") in the band name was to reclaim the word for the antiheroes ("''Der Begriff 'Helden' wird jetzt so inflationär benutzt. Wir wollten ihn zurückhaben für die Antihelden.''" English: "The term 'heroes' is so inflated now. We want it back for the anti-heroes.").
In addition, the band name was also inspired by German band Die Helden, which was the first band Holofernes saw performing live, and by the song "
Heroes" by English singer
David Bowie, whom Holofernes has cited as a role model for the band.
In 2002, Wir sind Helden self-released the EP ''Guten Tag''. Despite the band's lack of recording contract, the title song was played by German radio stations and its music video was aired on the rotation of
MTV Germany. The band consequently attracted the attention of several record companies and then signed with Labels, an
EMI label.
[Rüther, Tobias]
"Guten Tag, ich bin ein Popstar"
(in German). ''Der Tagesspiegel''. 27 May 2003. The growing interest in the band also led to Holofernes being invited to appear on ''
Die Harald Schmidt Show'', a late-night talk show on German television.
[Thomann, Jörg]
"Hymnen der Verweigerung"
(in German). ''Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung''. 17 July 2003.
2003–2004: ''Die Reklamation''
Wir sind Helden's debut single, "
Guten Tag
“Guten Tag” is a 2002 song by German band Wir sind Helden. It was first released on an EP of the same title in 2002 and one year later as the first single of their debut album ''Die Reklamation''. It was composed by Jean-Michel Tourette, Judi ...
", was released in February 2003, and the follow-up single was "Müssen nur wollen", released in May 2003.
The criticisms of modern-day life in both songs (the former relating to consumerism and the latter concerning the pressure to achieve) brought the band to the attention of newspaper culture sections. Both singles entered the
German singles chart, where they reached No. 53 and No. 57, respectively.
The two singles were followed by Wir sind Helden's debut album, ''
Die Reklamation
''Die Reklamation'' (German: ''The Complaint'') is the debut studio album by German band Wir sind Helden, released on 7 July 2003 by Labels, a subsidiary of EMI. It sold over 800,000 copies in Germany and reached four times Platinum. The album fol ...
'', which was released in July 2003.
In addition to uptempo, punk-influenced songs such as the previously released "Guten Tag" and "Müssen nur wollen", the album also includes melancholic songs such as "Die Zeit heilt alle Wunder" and "Du erkennst mich nicht wieder".
["Guten Tag! – Wir sind Helden (SynthiePunkPop)"](_blank)
(in German). ''AMBOSS-Mag''. Retrieved 26 July 2015.
German news website ''
Spiegel Online'' declared that Wir sind Helden's sound reconciled the good sides of
New Wave and
Neue Deutsche Welle with the modern era, and it named ''Die Reklamation'' as one of the most important CDs of 2003. In his review of the album, Stefan Friedrich of music magazine ''laut.de'' described Holofornes as the woman currently writing the most intelligent, witty and beautiful German song lyrics.
''Die Reklamation'' entered the
German albums chart at No. 6 before peaking at No. 2 and eventually selling over 500,000 copies.
At the 2004
ECHO music awards, Wir sind Helden was the recipient of three awards.
[Lippitz, Ulf]
"Echo 2004: Fast ein neues Nipplegate"
(in German). ''SPIEGEL ONLINE''. 7 March 2004.
2005–2006: ''Von hier an blind''
Released in April 2005, Wir sind Helden's second album, ''
Von hier an blind
''Von hier an blind'' (German for ''Blind from here on'') is the second album by Wir sind Helden, released on 4 April 2005 in Germany. The album entered the German top 100 album charts at #1 on 18 April and remained in the top 10 for twenty weeks ...
'', saw the band become more introspective and less political compared to ''Die Reklamation''. Speaking in an interview, Holofernes stated that the album was concerned with asking what was it deep inside that prevented happiness ("''Ich habe mich gefragt, was mich tief im Inneren davon abhält, glücklich zu sein''").
In comparison with ''Die Reklamation'', ''Von hier an blind'' gives less prominence to keyboard sounds and Neue Deutsche Welle influences. The album also includes the
swing
Swing or swinging may refer to:
Apparatus
* Swing (seat), a hanging seat that swings back and forth
* Pendulum, an object that swings
* Russian swing, a swing-like circus apparatus
* Sex swing, a type of harness for sexual intercourse
* Swing rid ...
number "Gekommen um zu bleiben", which Wir sind Helden performed with a live orchestra at the 2005 ECHO music awards.
''Von hier an blind'' went straight to the top of the German albums chart and stayed in the top 10 for twenty weeks. The album also charted at No. 1 in Austria. Two singles from the album, "Gekommen um zu bleiben" and "Nur ein Wort", were both top 30 hits in the German singles chart.
Later in 2005, Wir sind Helden was one of the headliners at German rock music festival
Rock am Ring
The (German for "Rock at the Ring") and ("Rock in the Park") festivals are two simultaneous rock music festivals held annually. While ''Rock am Ring'' takes place at the Nürburgring race track, ''Rock im Park'' takes place at the Zeppelinfeld ...
and was one of the acts performing in Berlin as part of the series of
Live 8
Live 8 was a string of benefit concerts that took place on 2 July 2005, in the G8 states and in South Africa. They were timed to precede the G8 conference and summit held at the Gleneagles Hotel in Auchterarder, Scotland, from 6–8 July 2005 ...
concerts. The following year, Holofernes and Roy married and started a family.
2007–2009: ''Soundso''
The third album by Wir sind Helden, ''
Soundso
''Soundso'' ( en, So and So) is the third studio album by the German band Wir sind Helden. The first glimpse of this album could be caught when the band released the single "Endlich ein Grund zur Panik", which had a video clip featuring the band ...
'', was released in May 2007 and reached No. 2 in both the German and Austrian albums charts. Speaking in an interview, Tavassol explained that the common theme of the album was that of distribution of roles, individuality, and personalities within the various roles ("''Es gibt dabei einen roten Faden, das ist das Thema Rollenverteilung, Individualität und letztendlich Persönlichkeiten in den verschiedenen Rollen''").
[Murr, Lilo]
"Ein Doktor spielt den Bass"
(in German). ''Augsburger Allgemeine''. 27 March 2008.
''Soundso'' saw a development in Wir Helden's sound, with Neue Deutsche Welle influences reduced to a minimum
[Winkler, Thomas]
(in German). ''SPIEGEL ONLINE''. 22 May 2007. and the incorporation of further musical elements such as horns,
glam guitars
[Poppe, Ralf]
(in German). ''WESTZEIT''. 3 June 2007. and virtual orchestras.
The album also saw the introduction of "musical humour" to the band's music: according to Tourette, duophonic guitars and synthesized saxophones were used because of their cheesiness and charm ("''Zweistimmige Gitarren einzusetzen, ist im deutschen Pop genauso verpönt, wie synthetische Saxofone zuzulassen. Wir haben jetzt beides auf dem Album, weil sie schön cheesy klingen, aber Charme haben''").
The first single released from ''Soundso'' was "Endlich ein Grund zur Panik", a hectic synthpop song with a swing and ska climax backing up the choruses.
[Volkmann, Linus]
"Soundso – Wir Sind Helden"
(in German). ''Intro''. 21 May 2007. While polarizing fans, the single went to No. 34 in the German charts.
2010–2011: ''Bring mich nach Hause''
After three years away from the spotlight, Wir sind Helden returned in August 2010 with ''
Bring mich nach Hause
''Bring mich nach Hause'' ( en, Take Me Home) is the fourth studio album by the German band Wir sind Helden, released on 27 August 2010. It was preceded by the release of its first single, "Alles" on 20 August. On 21 August, Wir sind Helden bega ...
'', the band's fourth album. The band had by then signed to
Sony Music following the break-up of Labels.
[Hung, Steffen]
"INTERVIEW MIT WIR SIND HELDEN"
(in German). hitparade.ch. Retrieved 26 July 2015. In addition, Wir sind Helden had parted ways with Patrik Majer, who had produced the band's previous three albums, with the new album being produced by English producer Ian Davenport.
For the recording of ''Bring mich nach Hause'', Wir sind Helden strived to use real instruments over synthesizers.
[Reuther, Birgit]
(in German). ''Hamburger Abendblatt''. 9 August 2010. Additional instruments which can be heard on the album include the accordion, oud, banjo and glockenspiel. In addition, bassist Jörg Holdinghausen from German band
Tele was involved in recording the album as guest musician and vocalist.
Speaking in an interview, Holofernes stated that ''Bring mich nach Hause'' had both a melancholic side and a euphoric side, and cited "Alles" as the song which best embodied these two sides.
"Alles" was the first single released from the album and reached No. 36 in the German singles chart. The album itself went to No. 1 in Germany and Austria.
2012: Indefinite hiatus
On 4 April 2012, it was announced on the official Wir sind Helden website that the band was going on an indefinite hiatus. The band members cited the distance between their home cities, the demands of their family lives, "signs of wear and tear", and the feeling of an increasingly impossible undertaking ("''...so haben wir trotz numeroser echter Kinder, dreier Heimatstädte und diverser Abnutzungserscheinungen festgehalten an einem immer unmöglicher werdenden Unterfangen...''"). In February 2014, Holofernes released her first post-Wir sind Helden solo album, ''Ein leichtes Schwert''.
Musical style
Wir sind Helden has been referred to as a pop band
or pop rock band
in the German press. In an interview at the time of the release of ''Die Reklamation'', Roy acknowledged that the band's music had Neue Deutsche Welle influences and added that it contained
indie rock as well. He further stated that Holofernes's song writing was influenced by
Elvis Costello
Declan Patrick MacManus Order of the British Empire, OBE (born 25 August 1954), known professionally as Elvis Costello, is an English singer-songwriter and record producer. He has won multiple awards in his career, including a Grammy Award in ...
,
Bob Dylan and
Rio Reiser.
International activities
Wir sind Helden held two back-to-back concerts in
London, England in 2005, playing in front of 500 fans on each occasion. Two years later, the band returned to London to perform at the
Institute of Contemporary Arts as part of the
2007 iTunes Festival. Other foreign countries in which the band gave live performances include Austria, Belgium, France, Luxembourg, the Netherlands and Switzerland.
In 2007, the
iTunes Store launched its series of "iTunes Foreign Exchange" singles, where two artists from countries with different languages are paired up to cover each other's music. The first single released features American band
+44 and Wir sind Helden, with the former providing an English cover of "Guten Tag" and the latter doing a German cover of the +44 song "
When Your Heart Stops Beating". The original versions of the songs are also included in the single.
Video game company
EA Sports used the Wir sind Helden songs "Guten Tag" and "Endlich ein Grund zur Panik" for the soundtracks of its
association football games. The songs appear on ''
FIFA Football 2004'' and ''
FIFA 08'', respectively.
Two Wir sind Helden compilation albums were released outside Germany: ''
Sa Itte Miyo
''さあ、いってみよう'' (romanised: ''Sa Itte Miyo'') is the fifth album, and second compilation album by Wir sind Helden, released on 14 May 2008 in Japan. The album consisted of a number of tracks from their first three albums ('' Die R ...
'', which was released in Japan, and "
Wir sind Helden", which was released in France. For these albums, some songs were re-recorded in Japanese or French.
Band members
*
Judith Holofernes
Judith Holfelder-Roy (''née'' Holfelder-von der Tann; born 12 November 1976), known by her stage name Judith Holofernes, is a German singer, guitarist, songwriter and author.
She was the lead singer of Wir sind Helden, the German pop rock band ...
(real name: Judith Holfelder von der Tann)
– lead vocals, guitar
* Pola Roy (real name: Sebastian Roy)
– drums
* Mark Tavassol – bass
* Jean-Michel Tourette (real name: Jens Eckhoff)
– keyboards, guitar
Discography
Studio albums
Note: ''Die Reklamation'', ''Von hier an blind'' and ''Soundso'' were also each released as a limited edition album with bonus DVD. ''Bring mich nach Hause'' was also released as an unplugged album.
Compilation albums
Singles
Other releases
*''Guten Tag'' (2002) – 5-track
EP independently released, 3000 copies produced
*''iTunes Foreign Exchange #1'' (2007) – single available from iTunes
*''iTunes Festival: London 2007'' (2007) – 6-track EP available from iTunes
*''Live @ Rockpalast'' (2012) – live video album
Awards
*
ECHO
** 2004: National Newcomer Prize (from Deutsche Phono-Akademie), National Newcomer Prize (from radio vote), National Newcomer Video (for "Müssen nur wollen")
** 2006: Group of the Year (National)
*
Eins Live Krone (radio station award)
** 2003: Best Newcomer
** 2004: Best Live Act
** 2005: Best Album (for ''Von hier an blind'')
*
European Border Breakers Award
** 2005: Awarded for ''Die Reklamation''
" Border Breakers : awards for European debut albums with the highest sales in other EU countries: Damien Rice in 2nd place"
''finfacts''. 24 January 2005.
Notes
References
Further reading
*Wir sind Helden (2007). ''Liederbuch. Muss das so?'' (in German). Bosworth Music. .
*Wir sind Helden (2008). ''Informationen zu Touren und anderen Einzelteilen'' (in German). Fischer Taschenbuch Verlag. .
External links
*
*
Wir sind Helden lyrics with English translations
{{Authority control
2000 establishments in Germany
2012 disestablishments in Germany
Echo (music award) winners
Geek rock groups
German indie rock groups
German rock music groups
Musical groups disestablished in 2012
Musical groups established in 2000
Musical groups from Berlin