Each year, a few songs come out that I really like musically. Of those, there may be one or two that I also like lyrically. But even then, there are few songs that, on first listen, immediately make it onto my list of the great songs of all time.
This, from the 2007 Scorpions album "Humanity: Hour 1," is one of those songs.
It's no surprise that it's musically good - the "teutonic tenors" have been putting out albums for 35 years now (yes, really) and have made a lot of very catchy rock songs.
It
is a surprise that it's lyrically good, because, well, the Scorpions have always been known for relatively fluffy lyrics, and not anything too deep or intellectual... and this song isn't an exception.
But for once, working with writer-producer Desmond Child, and Eric Bazilian of Philly band the Hooters, they wound up with lyrics that are simple yet powerful, just like the ideas they express.
Wikipedia says the song is about the decline of humanity as a whole - an indictment of things like wars, dereliction of our dominion over the earth, inattention to "the least of you" as they starve, and so on - but the lyrics can just as easily be read as referring to the loss of humanity in individuals as a personal trait (which of course cumulatively results in the decline of humanity as a whole). I can think of people I'd dedicate this song to... and I'm sure there are those who would dedicate it to me!
And so, it lands (deservedly, I think) on my list of the greatest songs of all time.
You can listen to a streaming version of the song, along with other tracks from the album, on the
Scorpions official MySpace page, and
AOL Music has the video (after a commercial).
The lyrics:
Humanity
Auf wiedersehen, it's time to say goodbye
The party's over; as the laughter dies, an angel cries
Humanity
It's au revoir to your insanity
You sold your soul to feed your vanity, your fantasies and lies
You're a drop in the rain, just a number, not a name
And you don't see it; you don't believe it
At the end of the day, you're a needle in the hay
You signed and sealed it, and now you gotta deal with it
Humanity, humanity, goodbye, goodbye
Be on your way
Adios amigo there's a price to pay
For all the egotistic games you played
The world you made is gone
You're a drop in the rain, just a number, not a name
And you don't see it; you don't believe it
At the end of the day, you're a needle in the hay
You signed and sealed it, and now you gotta deal with it
Humanity, humanity, goodbye, goodbye
Run and hide; there's fire in the sky
Stay inside; the water's gonna rise and pull you under
In your eyes I'm staring at the end of time
Nothing can change us; no one can save us from ourselves
You're a drop in the rain, just a number, not a name
And you don't see it; you don't believe it
At the end of the day, you're a needle in the hay
You signed and sealed it, and now you gotta deal with it
Humanity, humanity, humanity... goodbye, goodbye, goodbye, goodbye.
