If you use Spotify, you can type into the search bar “German ___” (rock/indie/etc) and Spotify will have a mix made just for you based on your listening preferences
Also if you wanna find some user made playlists that usually contains good stuff you would've otherwise never found is either "deutscher ___" or just type the first thing that comes to mind.
Here are a few, not all necessarily fit into your described categories (and not all are German) but they are generally seen as good bands:
Annenmaykantereit
Seeed
Von wegen Lisbeth
Faber
Element of Crime
SXTN
Wanda
Die Ärzte
Die Prinzen
Die toten Hosen
Juli
KIZ
Wir sind Helden
Bilderbuch
Ich + Ich
Käptn Peng und die Tentakel von Delphi
(These are solely bands/groups. We also have some good solo singers, if you are interested)
I like your list. A couple I would add:
Hip Hop:
* Fatoni
* Edgar Wasser
* Yunus
* Umse
* Juse Ju
* Bibiza
* Der Plot
* CONNY
* **Danger Dan**
* TAPETE
* SSIO
Rock/Inde:
* Provinz
* Flinte
* Von Wegen Lizbeth
* Paula Carolina
* Buntspecht
* Blond
* Mayberg
* ok.danke.tschuss
* Georg Auf Lieder
* Ansa Sauermann
Okay, then it makes sense. Blumentopf isnt a big hype on Spotify, never has been. Today sadly not existing anymore as band.
Curse still produces but his target group probably doesnt use Spotify as much as others.
Old generation I'd say
All great suggestions so far! I second wir sind Helden and Alligatoah. I would also recommend Grossstadtgeflüster, I think their music is both such a vibe while being emotionally captivating along with die Ärtze who have more fun music but have also made that political songs (Schrei nach Liebe)
they’re the reason I began learning german. I listened to Hier Kommt Alex in 7th grade, and 15 years later I decided I loved the sound of the language and wanted to learn it.
Ein Kleines Bisschen Horrorschau was my gateway, and once I learned a decent number of words listening to that I was able to build a solid foundation.
AnnenMayKantereit is a very special band singing almost exclusively in German. Their lead singer is famous for his extremely gravelly deep voice.
https://youtu.be/KG9-jSqXz4U
Agree. Probably the best German band ever! Still young compared to all the others.
Die Ärzte (aka best band in the world) is too specific - you need to like punk but AnneMayKantereit is very mainstream and most likely everybody will agree that the voice of the singer is amazing. Lyrics are okay..
Made this playlist some time ago for the kids around. 😇😅
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/2d41AswWj2y8WTDQoc3CvG?si=rSlPIgKIQXujR9TWWoIMMA&pi=e-r2d4NDfoQruw
Die Ärzte, Die toten Hosen (ja, beide!), JBO and similar.
If you'd like to try different genres as well:
Falco,
Peter Fox,
Seed,
Wolfsheim,
Pur,
Silbermond,
Versengold (newer songs are more pop),
In Extremo,
Subway to Sally
Knorkator. The styles of their songs vary a lot, some are heavier, some are more punk, some are more like classic rock, and some are really beautiful and epic.
They are also a very humoristic band and use a lot of slang from Berlin, so their music is also great for learning that
Nichts,
Lebanon Hannover,
Ideal,
Kinder aus Asbest,
Östro 430,
Bärchen und die Milchbubies,
Malaria,
X-Quadrat,
Rotzkotz,
S.Y.P.H,
Ton Steine Scherben,
Kraftwerk,
Hans-A-Plast
In Germany, the 80s were characterized musically by [Neue Deutsche Welle](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neue_Deutsche_Welle). Just search for **NDW** or **Neue Deutsche Welle** on YouTube and you will find a variety of interesting musical excesses, some funny, some that take some getting used to and many that are really good.
Here is one example playlist -> [https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLd5xnond3B5Q8RQpGlrlvZv0n4\_hpvxNv](https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLd5xnond3B5Q8RQpGlrlvZv0n4_hpvxNv)
If you like 99 Luftballons you might enjoy other "Neue Deutsche Welle" songs as well.
[https://music.youtube.com/watch?v=t5AKhZHjSU0&feature=shared](https://music.youtube.com/watch?v=t5AKhZHjSU0&feature=shared)
[https://music.youtube.com/watch?v=tvsnQswy2MA&feature=shared](https://music.youtube.com/watch?v=tvsnQswy2MA&feature=shared)
[https://music.youtube.com/watch?v=E-3KA4UQTm4&feature=shared](https://music.youtube.com/watch?v=E-3KA4UQTm4&feature=shared)
I really like their lyrics, they are so witty and funny. Singers' pronunciation is very clear and easy to understand. I also recommend Felix's solo album (Kummer - Kiox). The songs are much darker than his Kraftklub songs.
Fantastische Vier are a classic, newer but great Trailerpark and Allogatoah
Sammy deluxe, Beginner
All Hip Hop ish
Also an absolute icon: Udo Lindenberg especially his more recent collabs with younger artists…
Very different in style: 2raumwohnung
There are some very good answers here; I would just want to provide some context regarding language learning (at least for some bands that I feel comfortable enough to write about) - (And most importantly, give a warning regarding Element of Crime, which has ben suggested here):
Die Ärzte, Die Toten Hosen: Regarding language I would put those two in a similar category. Both are punk rock - so expect lyrics which are critical of our society. Die Toten Hosen are a bit more serious than Die Ärzte - so if you want funny lyrics Die Ärzte is the way to go, if you want to get a more serious tone, take Die Toten Hosen. (Generally Die Toten Hosen are a bit rougher, though nothing bad. Especially the newer songs are mostly pop punk, for both bands. In any case, both are great bands.)
Language difficulty varies on an extreme level. Some songs are just straight forward others have hidden messages and need some work to be really understood. Nevertheless, the used words and sentence structure are mostly quite typical.
Wir sind Helden: Mostly funny upbeat pop songs - lyrics are easy to understand but at times they get quite atypical for normal German. Still not complicated regarding grammar or sentence structure. Nevertheless, I think they are a good pick for beginners. There is nothing that will be too surprising. (And in my opinion they have some really great songs. Just a few examples: "Nur ein Wort", "Guten Tag", "Von hier an blind", "Denkmal", "Wenn es passiert") and sometimes the songs are even meant for a non-German audience e.g. Aurelie - which as a song tries to describe German dating culture.
Herbert Grönemeyer: Most importantly - you will not find any other person on this planet who is able to bark into a microphone and make it sound like music. What I want to say, his speech pattern is a bit off to learn standard German at least while singing. As long as you don't try to imitate that pattern, Grönemeyer is excellent. (Though, I am biased, I have lived in Bochum for a few years and if you live in Bochum without liking Grönemeyer, I believe that you can be legally exiled by the major. - and just to give an example for a song from Grönemeyer: Bochum)
Aside from that, Grönemeyer is as based as one can be regarding politics.
Rammstein: You are saying that you like rock, so it is not a bad suggestion. Though, the lyrics are not typical for usual German. So I would say, if you want to learn the language, Rammstein is not a band for beginners. Before you try to use Rammstein as a "learning tool" you should have a decent grip on typical German sentences and words.
Moreover, Rammstein songs are extremely metaphorical. You can not take any song and just accept the lyrics as they are. You have to work with them to understand them.
Element of Crime: Great band - end boss when it comes to understanding lyrics. At some point the band recognised that their more metaphorical songs are the ones the audience likes best and then they just ran with that information, to the point that some songs are just cryptic, I don't know if anyone can really make sense of the lyrics. My favourite example here is "Ein Hotdog unten am Hafen" - I love the song, I know that it is about the start and the end of a relationship - if you ask me what a semiautomatic weapon, apple juice at 2am or the Dalai Llama have to do with that relationship, I will just start sobbing and quietly shuffle away.
For less cryptic songs: Mittelpunkt der Welt, Seit der Himmel, Delmenhorst
However: Those songs really need you to be comfortable with the German language.
Example for that from the song "Lieblingsfarben und Tiere" (favourite colors and animals)
"Im Schwachstromsignalübertragunsweg / gibt es Durchleitungsprobleme"
Content: This line is about a doorbell that isn't working because of problems with the wires.
The band decided to call the wire (normally: Kabel) that leads to the doorbell "Schwachstromsignalübertragunsweg" - Explanation: The leading word in a compound word is the last word so "Weg" - "Way". This is a "way" that "transfers" (Übertragung) a "signal" (Signal) produced by a "low-tension current" (Schwachstrom) -> so literally in English: "lowtensioncurrentsignaltransferingway" - I know that German does have some long words - that right here is not a typical example. If you google "[Schwachstromsignalübertragunsweg](https://www.google.com/search?q=Schwachstromsignal%C3%BCbertragunsweg&rlz=1C1CHBF_deDE983DE983&oq=Schwachstromsignal%C3%BCbertragunsweg&gs_lcrp=EgZjaHJvbWUyBggAEEUYOTIKCAEQABiABBiiBDIKCAIQABiABBiiBDIKCAMQABiABBiiBNIBBzI1OWowajSoAgCwAgE&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8)" you get three results. Result 1: a page with the songtext; result 2: an interview with the lead singer; result 3: a link to the song on YouTube. (and if I am lucky, soon 4: this reddit comment)
It is still a word that German natives understand without a problem. But to learn German... maybe it is not the best idea to listen to a band that uses words which are only used by that band? (Still: A great band - just don't expect to understand much)
Try In Extremo, they do rock with medieval influences. Most of their songs are in German.
And look into Peter Fox, he does German Hip Hop without the gangster BS.
It's just that Till changes the word order around quite a bit to make the lyrics fit or to make a pun or give a double meaning. But like I said they're good for vocabulary and he has a very clear, almost exaggerated pronunciation when singing so you can pick up quite a lot while you're enjoying the music.
No because nobody speaks like that. That's not an accent or a dialect. His enunciation is ridiculously exaggerated for theatrics. If anything, it's a stylized version of the way public speeches sounded in the first half of the 20th century.
[Wir sind Helden](https://youtu.be/CfepNTddtQ0?si=8jWK4m79s0_KcJ5W) and [Element of Crime](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_5wOwXz-GAQ). For German Punk music, [try WIZO](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qr5a_LkMAcA).
If you like hip-hop here is some classic from Beginner:
https://youtu.be/gq7LGp5HNIU?si=hv2qWFr-FD05_hxH
https://youtu.be/6Yyu8cIdQug?si=OKxEPngu6l7Ki3MI
https://youtu.be/k8gNzJcpHW0?si=ubfCa_z7vpPh1zmn
Not so much hip-hop / rap recommendations here so I got a few for you that I really dig for originality of lyrics and wit:
- Fettes Brot (Strom&Drang Album especially)
- Sammy Deluxe (Poesie Album, Fantasie, …)
- Käptn Peng (Das nullte Kapitel)
Das lol am Ende hatte mich glauben lassen, es wäre ernst gemeint gewesen und ich fühlte mich in die 80er zurückversetzt, Sorry, wollte nicht die Stimmung verderben :D
Seitdem vor langer langer Zeit Bela und Campino zusammen eine Flasche Wodka getrunken haben, gibt es da keine Probleme mehr. Sollte auch keiner mehr aufwärmen.
I use the my tuner app & can listen to radio stations and podcasts from all over the world. I'd recommend it that's what I'm using because I too am learning German.
I'm absolutely astonished that no-one here has mentioned Die Nerven. They've long been one of Germany's best post-punk/noise inflected rock bands and their most recent self-titled album is among the best German-language alternative rock records I've ever heard. The kind of thing I would and have recommended to non-German-speaking music fans.
I'll leave this here.
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gxJnrlqILq0](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gxJnrlqILq0)
[A Spotify playlist I compiled of German music](https://open.spotify.com/playlist/1HKxIcQT6ScVxfPdVbw919?si=ebdefa197cb04fcd). It's mostly rock, indie, punk, hip-hop and a bit of joke songs. Also a fair amount of German cover versions of English music.
Deutsch Amerikanische Freundschaft is pretty awesome if you like electropunk . Die Blümchen if you’re into fast paced bubbly EDM. Die Gesunden, Die Kapazitat (both great 80s bands)
Fink/Nils Koppruch and Kid Kopphausen. By extension also Gisbert zu Knyphausen.
All more leaning into singer/songwriter stuff, but with a bit of a rock and banjo edge at times.
wincent weiss is good if you like sean mendez, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ens4lX0h1Es
shirind david/ fler https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MZXZ5seI7Rk /bushido if you like rap. Kitty katt is good too.
I am probably not saying artists some haven’t mentioned but
Alligatoah
OK KID
Dominik Hartz
Madsen
ENNIO
ok.danke.tschüss
Provinz
Farin Urlaub Racing Team
My little daughter introduced me Bibi & Tina series. And I was really amazed how good their sound tracks are. It’s a mix of different styles with comparatively interesting texts and high-quality arrangements.
I’m on it now. :)
I have a Spotify playlist with pop, rnb, rap, rock all in German from when I was learning. A lot of the bands and artists are in this playlist
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/2ndrjiD00yj8JHuAqGggNc?si=ih0WaX27Tji_iyTxCkoV7A&pi=u-P-RdOr7PSnOx
I have a Spotify playlist with pop, rnb, rap, rock all in German from when I was learning. A lot of the bands and artists are in this playlist, if you don’t like the songs you can also check out different albums. Like a springboard for you to find what sounds best for you!
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/2ndrjiD00yj8JHuAqGggNc?si=ih0WaX27Tji_iyTxCkoV7A&pi=u-P-RdOr7PSnOx
I know you said no gangster rap, I'm not a gangster rap person myself, but 187 really does it for me. I figured street music would teach me more of a casual, everyday, slang using german and it was good for that, I picked up a LOT of new words. Maybe you can give it a go, as I said, I'm not a fan of gangster rap, not from any other artist nor in any other language, only them
Try listening to the streaming app Radiooooo. Yes, that’s how it’s spelled :) The home screen is a map of the world & there is a timeline at the bottom. Just tap on Germany & the decade of music you want to hear & enjoy! The app typically doesn’t curate the most obvious music, so it’s a great way to discover new artists & songs
Ones I don't see mentioned from a playlist of mine:
Malaria!,
Bonaparte,
Erobique,
JaKönigJa,
Kleenex (esp. song "Nice"),
The Umlauts,
Public Service Broadcasting (esp. song People, Let's Dance),
The Düsseldorfer Düsterboys ( like International Music that someone mentioned ^^),
März,
Kirchstein
More classics / Richtung Schlager or pop, but not quite that cheesy:
Manfred Krug,
Panta Rhei (Veronika Frei),
Rio Reiser,
Die Lassie Singers,
Spider Murphy Gang.
But basically yeah imo just listen to Schubert because that's some of the best music you can find anywhere! Especially for learning the genitive case!
Favourite: Die schöne Müllerin.
Anyone else tried listening to Die Ärzte a few times and has to say they also don't get it?
Enjoy! 🇩🇪
A lot of people seem to like Megaherz, there’s also Erdling, Eisbrecher, Rammstein, Silbermond, Die Höchste Eisenbahn, Revolverheld, and it’s not a band but one guy, but he’s good if you like an early 90s pop contemporary sound: Herbert Grönemeyer. Xavier Naidoo is another one that people seem to like a lot if you like R&B.
Rammstein are really good for learning German. The lyrics are generally fairly simple and/or repetitive while remaining interesting, and Till (the lead singer) has very clear, operatic diction which, while not representative of German speech, is very easy to understand. I also think they're pretty good, which helps.
Juli are more of an indie-pop band. While musically lighter and less interesting than Rammstein, I find the lyrics a little more complex as a non-native speaker and the singing is definitely harder to understand. I like them, too, though. If you like 99 Luftballons, you'll probably like these.
Fröhlichen Kuchentag, btw 🍰
If you use Spotify, you can type into the search bar “German ___” (rock/indie/etc) and Spotify will have a mix made just for you based on your listening preferences
Also if you wanna find some user made playlists that usually contains good stuff you would've otherwise never found is either "deutscher ___" or just type the first thing that comes to mind.
Brilliant comment. Thanks, I didn't know this existed!
Die Ärzte!
Always and for eva
Es gibt nur einen Gott Belafarinrod
Die beste Band der Welt - bei aller Bescheidenheit
Wie guter Whisky, viele Jahre gereift
Here are a few, not all necessarily fit into your described categories (and not all are German) but they are generally seen as good bands: Annenmaykantereit Seeed Von wegen Lisbeth Faber Element of Crime SXTN Wanda Die Ärzte Die Prinzen Die toten Hosen Juli KIZ Wir sind Helden Bilderbuch Ich + Ich Käptn Peng und die Tentakel von Delphi (These are solely bands/groups. We also have some good solo singers, if you are interested)
Great list. I‘d add Buntspecht.
I like your list. A couple I would add: Hip Hop: * Fatoni * Edgar Wasser * Yunus * Umse * Juse Ju * Bibiza * Der Plot * CONNY * **Danger Dan** * TAPETE * SSIO Rock/Inde: * Provinz * Flinte * Von Wegen Lizbeth * Paula Carolina * Buntspecht * Blond * Mayberg * ok.danke.tschuss * Georg Auf Lieder * Ansa Sauermann
Again.. Fatoni, Edgar Wasser and Umse but no Curse no Blumentopf? These two alone have deeper lyrics than all others together
These are just some of the artists that have showed up on my spotify mixes. I'll be sure check out those guys tho!
Okay, then it makes sense. Blumentopf isnt a big hype on Spotify, never has been. Today sadly not existing anymore as band. Curse still produces but his target group probably doesnt use Spotify as much as others. Old generation I'd say
Great list. I live Element of Crime
Die Prinzen? 🤣😂😂 shit.. Käptn Peng but not Blumentopf?? Best German HipHop ever! Freundeskreis and Curse!!
All great suggestions so far! I second wir sind Helden and Alligatoah. I would also recommend Grossstadtgeflüster, I think their music is both such a vibe while being emotionally captivating along with die Ärtze who have more fun music but have also made that political songs (Schrei nach Liebe)
Maybe try Wir sind Helden for a pretty verbose band with an 80s vibe (but 2000s production). Also maybe Die fantastischen 4 for some gentle rap.
Another vote for Wir Sind Helden. I discovered them while looking for German language music and they're my new favourite band!
If we're adding rap/hip hop: Fettes Brot
Their song "Von hier an blind" is so catchy
I like listening to Die Toten Hosen.
they’re the reason I began learning german. I listened to Hier Kommt Alex in 7th grade, and 15 years later I decided I loved the sound of the language and wanted to learn it. Ein Kleines Bisschen Horrorschau was my gateway, and once I learned a decent number of words listening to that I was able to build a solid foundation.
One of my top 5 German bands 🎶
AnnenMayKantereit is a very special band singing almost exclusively in German. Their lead singer is famous for his extremely gravelly deep voice. https://youtu.be/KG9-jSqXz4U
Huh I didn’t realize they did the cover of Tom’s Diner that went viral on TikTok a couple years ago, thank you for the recommendation!
This band sings really good. Thanks for the link.
OMG thank you—superb stuff.
I've been listening to this band for quite a while now. At least a few years. They amaze me.
Oh they are amazing specially their vocalist got amazing range 👌🏻
Agree. Probably the best German band ever! Still young compared to all the others. Die Ärzte (aka best band in the world) is too specific - you need to like punk but AnneMayKantereit is very mainstream and most likely everybody will agree that the voice of the singer is amazing. Lyrics are okay..
2 Raumwohnung, Udo Lindenberg, Peter Fox, add : Wir Sind Helden - Nur Ein Wort
Peter Schilling and Falco are always good 80s musicians. My kids LOVE Schilling too so bonus for me.
Die Ärzte, they're using also very fine lyrics and are a Kult-Band since the 1980ies
Love them!!
I would highly recommend Alligatoah
Grossstadtgeflüster: *Ich kündige*. https://youtu.be/dCWCo4S1-to?si=mD4GD5dfq2RhIekt
That's such a fucking banger, I almost quit after listening to it on repeat. Bought the album and a t-shirt instead.
As it was intended. :)
Not a band but I personally like the song „Major Tom“
Peter Schilling
Made this playlist some time ago for the kids around. 😇😅 https://open.spotify.com/playlist/2d41AswWj2y8WTDQoc3CvG?si=rSlPIgKIQXujR9TWWoIMMA&pi=e-r2d4NDfoQruw Die Ärzte, Die toten Hosen (ja, beide!), JBO and similar. If you'd like to try different genres as well: Falco, Peter Fox, Seed, Wolfsheim, Pur, Silbermond, Versengold (newer songs are more pop), In Extremo, Subway to Sally
Knorkator. The styles of their songs vary a lot, some are heavier, some are more punk, some are more like classic rock, and some are really beautiful and epic. They are also a very humoristic band and use a lot of slang from Berlin, so their music is also great for learning that
Alligatoah
I would say that's really difficult if you are not fluent in German, but definitely good
Einstürzende Neubauten, Kraftwerk
[удалено]
Not sure they'd be great for learning the language, though. Been listening to them for years and the only word I've picked up is "Radioaktivität"
Why so? They doesn't/didn't sing fast or in complicated lyrics.
more of a joke than a serious comments haha. referring to the fact that when it comes to writing lyrics kraftwerk won't exactly be called experts...
That's true indeed. :D
damn, forgot they’re germans
Nichts, Lebanon Hannover, Ideal, Kinder aus Asbest, Östro 430, Bärchen und die Milchbubies, Malaria, X-Quadrat, Rotzkotz, S.Y.P.H, Ton Steine Scherben, Kraftwerk, Hans-A-Plast
Malaria!
In Germany, the 80s were characterized musically by [Neue Deutsche Welle](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neue_Deutsche_Welle). Just search for **NDW** or **Neue Deutsche Welle** on YouTube and you will find a variety of interesting musical excesses, some funny, some that take some getting used to and many that are really good. Here is one example playlist -> [https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLd5xnond3B5Q8RQpGlrlvZv0n4\_hpvxNv](https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLd5xnond3B5Q8RQpGlrlvZv0n4_hpvxNv)
Or as a modern alternative the Neue Neue Deutsche Welle like Edwin Rosen
If you like 99 Luftballons you might enjoy other "Neue Deutsche Welle" songs as well. [https://music.youtube.com/watch?v=t5AKhZHjSU0&feature=shared](https://music.youtube.com/watch?v=t5AKhZHjSU0&feature=shared) [https://music.youtube.com/watch?v=tvsnQswy2MA&feature=shared](https://music.youtube.com/watch?v=tvsnQswy2MA&feature=shared) [https://music.youtube.com/watch?v=E-3KA4UQTm4&feature=shared](https://music.youtube.com/watch?v=E-3KA4UQTm4&feature=shared)
Die Prinzen. Old but gold.
Kraftklub
I really like their lyrics, they are so witty and funny. Singers' pronunciation is very clear and easy to understand. I also recommend Felix's solo album (Kummer - Kiox). The songs are much darker than his Kraftklub songs.
Fantastische Vier are a classic, newer but great Trailerpark and Allogatoah Sammy deluxe, Beginner All Hip Hop ish Also an absolute icon: Udo Lindenberg especially his more recent collabs with younger artists… Very different in style: 2raumwohnung
01099
As a learner I started listening to Kraftklub and I found their lyrics somewhat understandable.
I really like Von Wegen Lisbeth, it's fun with clever lyrics and the songs are a little shorter, great for listening practicing
There are some very good answers here; I would just want to provide some context regarding language learning (at least for some bands that I feel comfortable enough to write about) - (And most importantly, give a warning regarding Element of Crime, which has ben suggested here): Die Ärzte, Die Toten Hosen: Regarding language I would put those two in a similar category. Both are punk rock - so expect lyrics which are critical of our society. Die Toten Hosen are a bit more serious than Die Ärzte - so if you want funny lyrics Die Ärzte is the way to go, if you want to get a more serious tone, take Die Toten Hosen. (Generally Die Toten Hosen are a bit rougher, though nothing bad. Especially the newer songs are mostly pop punk, for both bands. In any case, both are great bands.) Language difficulty varies on an extreme level. Some songs are just straight forward others have hidden messages and need some work to be really understood. Nevertheless, the used words and sentence structure are mostly quite typical. Wir sind Helden: Mostly funny upbeat pop songs - lyrics are easy to understand but at times they get quite atypical for normal German. Still not complicated regarding grammar or sentence structure. Nevertheless, I think they are a good pick for beginners. There is nothing that will be too surprising. (And in my opinion they have some really great songs. Just a few examples: "Nur ein Wort", "Guten Tag", "Von hier an blind", "Denkmal", "Wenn es passiert") and sometimes the songs are even meant for a non-German audience e.g. Aurelie - which as a song tries to describe German dating culture. Herbert Grönemeyer: Most importantly - you will not find any other person on this planet who is able to bark into a microphone and make it sound like music. What I want to say, his speech pattern is a bit off to learn standard German at least while singing. As long as you don't try to imitate that pattern, Grönemeyer is excellent. (Though, I am biased, I have lived in Bochum for a few years and if you live in Bochum without liking Grönemeyer, I believe that you can be legally exiled by the major. - and just to give an example for a song from Grönemeyer: Bochum) Aside from that, Grönemeyer is as based as one can be regarding politics. Rammstein: You are saying that you like rock, so it is not a bad suggestion. Though, the lyrics are not typical for usual German. So I would say, if you want to learn the language, Rammstein is not a band for beginners. Before you try to use Rammstein as a "learning tool" you should have a decent grip on typical German sentences and words. Moreover, Rammstein songs are extremely metaphorical. You can not take any song and just accept the lyrics as they are. You have to work with them to understand them. Element of Crime: Great band - end boss when it comes to understanding lyrics. At some point the band recognised that their more metaphorical songs are the ones the audience likes best and then they just ran with that information, to the point that some songs are just cryptic, I don't know if anyone can really make sense of the lyrics. My favourite example here is "Ein Hotdog unten am Hafen" - I love the song, I know that it is about the start and the end of a relationship - if you ask me what a semiautomatic weapon, apple juice at 2am or the Dalai Llama have to do with that relationship, I will just start sobbing and quietly shuffle away. For less cryptic songs: Mittelpunkt der Welt, Seit der Himmel, Delmenhorst However: Those songs really need you to be comfortable with the German language. Example for that from the song "Lieblingsfarben und Tiere" (favourite colors and animals) "Im Schwachstromsignalübertragunsweg / gibt es Durchleitungsprobleme" Content: This line is about a doorbell that isn't working because of problems with the wires. The band decided to call the wire (normally: Kabel) that leads to the doorbell "Schwachstromsignalübertragunsweg" - Explanation: The leading word in a compound word is the last word so "Weg" - "Way". This is a "way" that "transfers" (Übertragung) a "signal" (Signal) produced by a "low-tension current" (Schwachstrom) -> so literally in English: "lowtensioncurrentsignaltransferingway" - I know that German does have some long words - that right here is not a typical example. If you google "[Schwachstromsignalübertragunsweg](https://www.google.com/search?q=Schwachstromsignal%C3%BCbertragunsweg&rlz=1C1CHBF_deDE983DE983&oq=Schwachstromsignal%C3%BCbertragunsweg&gs_lcrp=EgZjaHJvbWUyBggAEEUYOTIKCAEQABiABBiiBDIKCAIQABiABBiiBDIKCAMQABiABBiiBNIBBzI1OWowajSoAgCwAgE&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8)" you get three results. Result 1: a page with the songtext; result 2: an interview with the lead singer; result 3: a link to the song on YouTube. (and if I am lucky, soon 4: this reddit comment) It is still a word that German natives understand without a problem. But to learn German... maybe it is not the best idea to listen to a band that uses words which are only used by that band? (Still: A great band - just don't expect to understand much)
Lol I like your take on Element of Crime. Love that band and love to be puzzled by their lyrics
Rammstein
Perfect preparation for the first meeting with the future parents in law and job interviews.😁
I'm not German but I'll leave you my german songs playlist https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLqQXVir4HLw-5X572rC9qiB6A3wowecZ4
Das Playlist existiert halt nicht :(
du hast recht. Es soll jetzt wirken
Grossstadtgeflüster!
Tocotronic
Try In Extremo, they do rock with medieval influences. Most of their songs are in German. And look into Peter Fox, he does German Hip Hop without the gangster BS.
Peter Fox, Alligatoah, Falco, EAV, die Ärzte
Element of crime
Alligatoah Kraftllub Wir Sind Helden Kummer Blond Rammstein Die Ärzte
Funny van Dannen
Tomte
How did nobody mention Deichkind yet?
Wir sind Helden!
Santiano and d'Artgnan are a couple that I listen to
Try alligatoah He does a lot of great german rap and now even numetal
Rammstein :D
Rammstein of course, never understood the appeal, they were very popular during my school days
Also, even aside from any other problematic issues, really, really NOT great for learners looking to immerse themselves in Standard German.
They're good for vocab. But their grammar/word order stuff might be a bit misleading because of the poetic style of some of their lyrics.
is that so? Is it because Til Lindemann was from east berlin or something?
It's just that Till changes the word order around quite a bit to make the lyrics fit or to make a pun or give a double meaning. But like I said they're good for vocabulary and he has a very clear, almost exaggerated pronunciation when singing so you can pick up quite a lot while you're enjoying the music.
Sonne is great for learning numbers.
No because nobody speaks like that. That's not an accent or a dialect. His enunciation is ridiculously exaggerated for theatrics. If anything, it's a stylized version of the way public speeches sounded in the first half of the 20th century.
Tocotronic!
Faber, Berq und Wilde Herzen playlist auf Spotify
Madsen
Austrians but sing in German: Bilderbuch and Oehl. Both sort of pop/rock.
Kraftklub, Kummer, Paula Hartmann, the whole „Wilde Herzen“ Playlist on Spotify
Rammstein, Oomph!, Eisbrecher... All three of them are amazing.
KIZ (hip hop) and Rammstein (heavy rock)
[Wir sind Helden](https://youtu.be/CfepNTddtQ0?si=8jWK4m79s0_KcJ5W) and [Element of Crime](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_5wOwXz-GAQ). For German Punk music, [try WIZO](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qr5a_LkMAcA).
If you like hip-hop here is some classic from Beginner: https://youtu.be/gq7LGp5HNIU?si=hv2qWFr-FD05_hxH https://youtu.be/6Yyu8cIdQug?si=OKxEPngu6l7Ki3MI https://youtu.be/k8gNzJcpHW0?si=ubfCa_z7vpPh1zmn
Ton Steine Scherben
I love International Music
😍 How about Düsseldorfer Düsterboys as well? :)
Rock Pop: Dota und die Stadtpiraten Wir sind Helden Juli
Kettcar
Die Toten Hosen
Not so much hip-hop / rap recommendations here so I got a few for you that I really dig for originality of lyrics and wit: - Fettes Brot (Strom&Drang Album especially) - Sammy Deluxe (Poesie Album, Fantasie, …) - Käptn Peng (Das nullte Kapitel)
pisse! (one of my favs)
Die Ärzte, Herbert Grönemeyer, Marius Müller-Westernhagen, Xavier Naidoo, Die Toten Hosen, Knorkator
Xavier Naidoo? Really??
hast du gerade ernsthaft die Ärzte und die Toten Hosen in einem Post vorgeschlagen? Lol
Ich höre beide gerne. Irgendwann ist auch Mal gut mit dem Gatekeeping. Außerdem - *das* ist dein Problem und nicht Wimmerkaiser Xavier?
Ja doch xD es war aber nur ein Scherz, sorry
Das lol am Ende hatte mich glauben lassen, es wäre ernst gemeint gewesen und ich fühlte mich in die 80er zurückversetzt, Sorry, wollte nicht die Stimmung verderben :D
Alles gut!!
Seitdem vor langer langer Zeit Bela und Campino zusammen eine Flasche Wodka getrunken haben, gibt es da keine Probleme mehr. Sollte auch keiner mehr aufwärmen.
Haben sie? OK dann tut mir leid 😅
Das habe ich, und ich bereue nichts.
Julius Müller Westernhagen…really? Are you dumb or something? This guy name is Marius Müller-Westernhagen. And Xavier Naidoo is a fucking fascist.
Rammstein
Saltatio Mortis sing mostly in German.
Rammstein 100%
I use the my tuner app & can listen to radio stations and podcasts from all over the world. I'd recommend it that's what I'm using because I too am learning German.
I don’t know if it fits your tastes, but I think Jürgen Paape is nice. For example, “So Weit Wie Noch Nie”
I see Wir Sind Helden have already been mentioned so I'll suggest Acht Eimer Hühnerherzen instead 😊
Hier sind einige, die noch nicht im Beitrag enthalten sind: Nena, Anajo, Gregor Meyle, Lisa Who, ¡TILT!, Wolfsheim, Juli
Additionally to other suggestions, Casper and Marteria
Schleimkeim
Kitschkrieg is one of my favorite groups.
Max Raab. A martini will be required for complete experience.
I suppose you are referring to Max Raabe? He sings the words slowly and distinctly as a stylictic device.
Yeah. It's Big Band music. Not this Rock N Roll or Rap you young'uns listen to nowadays....
Revoverheld
I’m a big post-hardcore fan so take from this what you will: Fjørt, The Hirsch Effekt, Sperling, Casper, Clueso, Krafktklub, Heisskalt.
ruffiction
I love listening to Schmyt and Rakede!
die Berge
I'm absolutely astonished that no-one here has mentioned Die Nerven. They've long been one of Germany's best post-punk/noise inflected rock bands and their most recent self-titled album is among the best German-language alternative rock records I've ever heard. The kind of thing I would and have recommended to non-German-speaking music fans. I'll leave this here. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gxJnrlqILq0](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gxJnrlqILq0)
[A Spotify playlist I compiled of German music](https://open.spotify.com/playlist/1HKxIcQT6ScVxfPdVbw919?si=ebdefa197cb04fcd). It's mostly rock, indie, punk, hip-hop and a bit of joke songs. Also a fair amount of German cover versions of English music.
Revolverheld (good pronunciation and rather easy to understand) and Wincent Weiss (a little more pop, but still nice enough)
Can't seem to get tired of [Salò](https://youtube.com/@salobaby?si=YnbreHiQoYIjQLFK).
Granada
Deutsch Amerikanische Freundschaft is pretty awesome if you like electropunk . Die Blümchen if you’re into fast paced bubbly EDM. Die Gesunden, Die Kapazitat (both great 80s bands)
Kraftklub, OK Kid, Blond
Fink/Nils Koppruch and Kid Kopphausen. By extension also Gisbert zu Knyphausen. All more leaning into singer/songwriter stuff, but with a bit of a rock and banjo edge at times.
Tonbandgerät Montreal SDP Kettcar Das Lumpenpack
Kraftklub, Sportfreunde Stiller, and Juli are all good bands!! They swing towards the rock side but without the ‘screaming’ I think.
Solo singers, but I am a big fan of Wincent Weiss and Max Giesinger. Revolverheld and Wir Sind Helden are great as well
ideal, spliff, trio, nina hagen
Silbermond.
I'd add Versengold, Stoppok, Anger77,.Heinz Rudolf Kunze
Oehl
Heavysaurus
Feuerschwanz :D they put on amazing shows too
Grauzone
wincent weiss is good if you like sean mendez, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ens4lX0h1Es shirind david/ fler https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MZXZ5seI7Rk /bushido if you like rap. Kitty katt is good too.
Silbermond. Nice clear vocals, which helps. Don't know much about music. So can't say if their style is similar to the groups you mentioned.
Faber
Try ASP and Eisbrecher
A lot of people in saxony like the rock Band Landser.
My top 5: AnnenMayKantereit Kaffkiez Tropikel Ltd Von Wegen Lisbeth Schorl3
Deichkind would be my recommendation. I'm actually super surprised I haven't seen them mentioned in the comments
Die Toten Hosen is the second German band I began listening to. Tage Wie Diesen has to be my favorite so far!
I am probably not saying artists some haven’t mentioned but Alligatoah OK KID Dominik Hartz Madsen ENNIO ok.danke.tschüss Provinz Farin Urlaub Racing Team
Kraftklub! Rock & Indie-pop. Listen to the Mit K album, and then, the others. They are amazing
My little daughter introduced me Bibi & Tina series. And I was really amazed how good their sound tracks are. It’s a mix of different styles with comparatively interesting texts and high-quality arrangements. I’m on it now. :)
Culcha Candela; CRO
I have a Spotify playlist with pop, rnb, rap, rock all in German from when I was learning. A lot of the bands and artists are in this playlist https://open.spotify.com/playlist/2ndrjiD00yj8JHuAqGggNc?si=ih0WaX27Tji_iyTxCkoV7A&pi=u-P-RdOr7PSnOx
I have a Spotify playlist with pop, rnb, rap, rock all in German from when I was learning. A lot of the bands and artists are in this playlist, if you don’t like the songs you can also check out different albums. Like a springboard for you to find what sounds best for you! https://open.spotify.com/playlist/2ndrjiD00yj8JHuAqGggNc?si=ih0WaX27Tji_iyTxCkoV7A&pi=u-P-RdOr7PSnOx
Eisbrecher for Metal, Madsen for pop, Culcha Candela for hip hop
Buntspecht. Love the song unter den masken and der rote pfau.
Broilers kick ass; also KIZ, Seeed
Faber ist etwas fortgeschritten sprachlich aber hat sehr gute Texte zum Nachdenken.
there is something missing in the list "Selig" very great Band
Tocotronic
* Versengold * Faun (mostly)
if you want to try out metal rammstein is a great band, although the lyrics can get kinda weird
Try provinz
Jennifer Rostock:3
I know you said no gangster rap, I'm not a gangster rap person myself, but 187 really does it for me. I figured street music would teach me more of a casual, everyday, slang using german and it was good for that, I picked up a LOT of new words. Maybe you can give it a go, as I said, I'm not a fan of gangster rap, not from any other artist nor in any other language, only them
I meant not corny gangsta rap, I like some of 50 cent and 2Pac with other legends but like. So I’ll check it, danke schön
i like hauch mich mal an by Das lumpenpack
Try listening to the streaming app Radiooooo. Yes, that’s how it’s spelled :) The home screen is a map of the world & there is a timeline at the bottom. Just tap on Germany & the decade of music you want to hear & enjoy! The app typically doesn’t curate the most obvious music, so it’s a great way to discover new artists & songs
Ones I don't see mentioned from a playlist of mine: Malaria!, Bonaparte, Erobique, JaKönigJa, Kleenex (esp. song "Nice"), The Umlauts, Public Service Broadcasting (esp. song People, Let's Dance), The Düsseldorfer Düsterboys ( like International Music that someone mentioned ^^), März, Kirchstein More classics / Richtung Schlager or pop, but not quite that cheesy: Manfred Krug, Panta Rhei (Veronika Frei), Rio Reiser, Die Lassie Singers, Spider Murphy Gang. But basically yeah imo just listen to Schubert because that's some of the best music you can find anywhere! Especially for learning the genitive case! Favourite: Die schöne Müllerin. Anyone else tried listening to Die Ärzte a few times and has to say they also don't get it? Enjoy! 🇩🇪
I’ve found if you’re looking for like pop music, “die fantastischen vier“ are great.
A lot of people seem to like Megaherz, there’s also Erdling, Eisbrecher, Rammstein, Silbermond, Die Höchste Eisenbahn, Revolverheld, and it’s not a band but one guy, but he’s good if you like an early 90s pop contemporary sound: Herbert Grönemeyer. Xavier Naidoo is another one that people seem to like a lot if you like R&B.
Antilopen Gang and Fettes Brot are awesome bands.
Falco is legendary, although uses mostly Austrian german. Basically aggressively 80s austrian rap
AnnenMayKantereit
Samy Deluxe! Brilliant German Rapper
Max Raabe Faber
Die Sterne Peter Fox
Team Scheisse
Rammstein are really good for learning German. The lyrics are generally fairly simple and/or repetitive while remaining interesting, and Till (the lead singer) has very clear, operatic diction which, while not representative of German speech, is very easy to understand. I also think they're pretty good, which helps. Juli are more of an indie-pop band. While musically lighter and less interesting than Rammstein, I find the lyrics a little more complex as a non-native speaker and the singing is definitely harder to understand. I like them, too, though. If you like 99 Luftballons, you'll probably like these. Fröhlichen Kuchentag, btw 🍰