Learning German with JBO

CDH and I are trying to increase our German language skills. I have a reasonabl grasp on the grammar, but I need to seriously increase my vocab, so we try to listen to a lot of German metal and translate the lyrics. I’ve been listening to Subway to Sally quite obsessively for awhile, but I’ve recently switched to JBO.

Who are JBO? Well, JBO (“James Blast Orchester”) are a heavy metal band from Erlangen, Germany, and one of our Wacken German friends first introduced us to them. We sauntered up to the show, not sure what to expect, but certainly not this rowdy crowd of drunk Germans dancing away, splashing tall jugs of beer over each other. I was accosted by some mad bastard who, through hand gestures, poor english (his) and poor German (mine), somehow managed to convey the fact he thought I was beautiful, which is always nice to hear. Upon seeing I had no drink, he forced all of his friends to pour a little of their beer into a cup, until he could hand me a full cup of beer, and then gave me a hug, called another friend on his cellphone, and said “I stand with most beautiful woman, but my english … is crap!” I gave him a hug and he

My friend Jonowar was right up the front, and another German with poor English was next to him, trying to explain why JBO were so awesome. “This song is great!” He said to Johnowar. “You must head your bang!” Head Your Bang became our catchphrase for the whole trip.

So, yes, JBO. They started off as a joke band, parodying popular english songs by changing the lyrics into German and using german / english puns and common translation mistakes to make the lyrics humorous. I love them beause you need a decent knowledge of both English and German to get the jokes, and it’s such a delightfully German humour, too.

JBO

Their original name was “James Blast Orchester” but they shortened this to J.B.O. in June 1996 after James Last (a big name in German big band) threatened legal action. The Patrizier brewery of Nuremberg have also threatened to sue J.B.O. for slander. The band have since changed references to “Patrizier Bier” in their lyrics to “Pariser Bier” (Parisian beer / Condom beer).

Since 2000, they’ve been writing a few more original songs, but they still produce many parodies, which they call Blöedsinn – an intentional misspelling of “Blödsinn,” which means “nonsense” or “stupidity” in German).

So, would you like to learn some German with JBO? Here are some of my favorites:

Head Bang Boing

This song makes me smile SO much. You should have seen the crowd at Wacken go mental when they played this. It’s a parody of Manu Chao’s “Bongo Boing”. Head Bang Boing Lyrics.

Ejaculatio Praecox

Even though I can’t stand Nirvana, I think this is great. Ejaculatio Praecox lyrics.

JBO – JBO

Manowar’s “Carry On”. JBO Lyrics.

JBO – Noch ein Meister

I love Mike Oldfield, and this AWESOME parody of “Shadow on the Wall” where they sounds a little like sheep, cracks me up. Mostly in English.

JBO Symphonie der verstopfung

Megadeth cover, translating into, I believe, “Symphony of Constipation”. Symphony der verstopfung Lyrics.

JBO – wir sind die champignons

Yes, it’s a queen cover, and yes, it’s about mushrooms. We Are the Champignons lyrics.

JBO – reigning Blood

A bad Wacken vid of another favorite – “It’s Raining Men” with the word “Men” replaced with “Blood”.

I couldn’t find many english translations of the lyrics, but if you’re interested, ask a German friend to explain them :)

Head Your Bang!