#TuneTuesday #Tearjerker bonus entry:
Austrians most likely already know why.
German speakers will know why if they listen to it.
Non German speakers might be confused.
This song is sad, really really sad. Sometimes I can't even listen to it.
🎵 Komm, großer schwarzer Vogel by Ludwig Hirsch
💿 Komm, großer schwarzer Vogel, 1979
▶️ https://song.link/i/1442767712
[This guest post was written by @derthomas about number 107 on The List. The album was also submitted by @derthomas.]
In 1978, Ludwig Hirsch has seen enough. He needed a creative outlet for all the misery he has seen living in Vienna, Austria in the 70s.
What most people usually don’t know about Vienna is that it has a very morbid culture. Death is omnipresent, garnished with sweet Viennese pastries. Ludwig Hirsch was an observer like no other and there was a lot to observe – he saw the tragic and brutal stories of dreary everyday life.
And he was a storyteller like no other.
The stories on Dunkelgraue Lieder are dark. It is a singer-songwriter album with black metal lyrics.
…A malignant old grandma who admires Hitler because he gave her a Mutterkreuz. She would later choke on her dentures while driving a go-cart in the Wiener Prater (an amusement park).
…A dead man rotting in his grave waiting for the worms. He is cold and is hoping for the tears of the grieving to warm him a bit and to shy away the worms…
…A lovely old man (Herr Haslinger) who is looking after the small park in his neighbourhood, and who kills little children.
…An overweight boy who is bullied by everyone except by his mother, who would stuff him with food.
…A village idiot who is lynched because he is blamed for a stillbirth.
Like much of Hirsch’s work, the album is mainly characterised by guitar and ‘bittersweet’ string arrangements underpinning the lyrics.
Ludwig Hirsch released numerous albums following Dunkelgraue Lieder and became one of the most important artists in Austrian pop culture. In his follow-up album, he has a song called “Komm, großer schwarzer Vogel” (come, big black bird). It is a children’s poem that expresses the wishes of a sick girl. She wants a black bird to take her away and fly her to a new world where she will be happy.
Ludwig Hirsch suffered from lung cancer. He was waiting for the big black bird on the hospital window. He flew away with the bird.
https://1001otheralbums.com/2024/11/01/ludwig-hirsch-dunkelgraue-lieder-1979-austria/
#1001OtherAlbums #1970s #Austria #chanson #folk #LudwigHirsch #singerSongwriter #spokenWord
4/4
Of course I can't talk about #LudwigHirsch without mentioning "Komm, großer schwarzer Vogel"
https://song.link/y/kcN1FOjUKjg
The song was not allowed to be played on radios past 9PM.
Around 10 years ago, Ludwig Hirsch died after a long battle with cancer. He ended his life on his terms, almost in the exact same way as he described it in "Komm, großer schwarzer Vogel"
I'm gonna stop here now.
3/n
Oh, and here we have a very uplifting typical Viennese melody.
The song is "Der Herr Haslinger"
https://song.link/y/75_kuyzT91c
Herr Haslinger is nice to everyone. He takes care of the flowers in the park.
Herr Haslinger also likes children.
Herr Haslinger also kills children.
2/n
This is "I lieg am Ruckn" (I lay on my back)
https://song.link/y/qKBxLDYE8Xc
It is about a dead person lying in his coffin and his thoughts.
He is hoping for tears that would warm him and drive away the worms.
But that doesn't help, the worms crawl into his brain.
That's pretty Death Metal, right?
You wanna know what Ludwig Hirsch is all about?
No? I'm gonna tell you anyhow 🧵
This is "Die Omama" (grannyy).
https://song.link/y/AYKwfqryufo
Sounds uplifting had somewhat happy, right?
Well, it is about a Nazi granny who would beat her grandchild with a wooden spoon.
But don't you worry, she choked on her third teeth in an amusement park.
#LudwigHirsch #DunkelgraueLieder
1/n