Do you ever get sick of the music in your iTunes library or your Spotify? Feel like trying something new? Feel like listening to rad music in another language that you don't understand? ...Maybe? Okay, maybe not. But these first few songs are in English so you really have no excuse. Maybe you'll get hooked in, and my plan to make everyone learn German will have succeeded! ...Wait, what? No, that's not my plan at all, I just like good music. Believe me!

Do you like pop music? Try Madsen or Cro. Do you like metal? Try KMFDM or Rammstein. Gothic rock? ASP or Blutengel. Punk? Die Ärzte. There's something for (almost) everyone!

I also made sure to give you all links to the original lyrics and English translations, so you will be able to tell what the song is about, and might even learn some new vocabulary.

So without further ado... die musik.

1. KMFDM - Risen

Lyrics and English translation.

A 2002 metal song in English with poetic lyrics. It's one of my favorite songs, so I had to put it in here.

KMFDM is a German industrial metal band founded in 1984 in Hamburg, and they are still around. Their name is an acronym that comes from a grammatically incorrect splicing of words that, were it grammatically correct, would translate to "No pity for the majority." (Read the Wikipedia bit on that here.)

2. ASP - Me

Lyrics and English translation.

A gothic song in English, released in 2005.

ASP is a German gothic rock band formed in 1999 in Frankfurt am Main, and they are still around. Their name is pronounced as one word, like the snake, and comes from the band leader's name, Alexander Spreng.

3. Adel Tawil - Lieder (Lieder = songs)

Lyrics and English translation.

A catchy 2013 pop song that mentions American songs that were inspirational to Adel Tawil.

Adel Tawil is a German pop singer, songwriter and producer. He is also part of the German pop duo Ich + Ich.

4. Ich + Ich - Vom Selben Stern (From the same star)

Lyrics and English translation.

A sweet song about kindred spirits that came out in 2007.

Ich + Ich (pronounced "Ich und ich," literally: "I and I") is a German pop duo consisting of Adel Tawil and Annette Humpe, formed in 2004.

5. Cro - Traum (Traum = Dream)

Lyrics and English translation.

Cro also made an English version! It’s not as good in my humble opinion, but at least you can tell what he’s talking about if you’re not so knowledgeable of the German language.

Lyrics for the English version.

A 2014 pop song about a girl. The official video is really funny. It shows two guys in a game show trying to win a girl's heart.

Cro is a German rapper, singer, producer and designer who officially began his music career in 2006. He describes his music and a mixture of pop and rap, which he calls "raop," and he never takes off his panda mask.

6. Madsen - Goodbye Logik (Goodbye Logic)

Lyrics and English translation.

A 2006 pop song about throwing logic out the window and following your heart.

Madsen is a German rock band formed in 2004. Three of the band members are brothers with the surname Madsen, hence their name.

Note: these lyrics don’t include the chorus, so I did my best to translate that part myself.

Chorus:

Goodbye Logik//Goodbye logic

Alles kommt anders als geplant//Everything comes/happens differently than planned

Goodbye Logik//Goodbye logic

Mein Herz besiegt meinen Verstand//My heart beats/wins over my mind/reasoning

Goodbye Logik//Goodbye logic

Es ist nichts mehr wie es war//It is no longer how it was/It is nothing like how it was

Goodbye Logik//Goodbye logic

Mein Herz besiegt meinen Verstand/My heart beats/wins over my mind/reasoning

7. Madsen - Lass Die Musik An (Turn Up the Music/Crank Up the Music)

Lyrics and English translation.

A 2012 pop song about music and living in the moment.

8. Blutengel - Reich Mir Die Hand (Give Me Your Hand)

Lyrics and English translation.

A gothic song with a really catchy chorus.

Blutengel ("blood angel") is a German darkwave group founded by Chris Pohl in 1999. Pohl is in three other bands and often writes about the gothic themes of death, romance and the supernatural.

9. Eisbrecher - Ohne Dich (Without You)

Lyrics and English translation.

A sad song about missing someone you love.

Eisbrecher ("icebreaker") is a Neue Deutsche Härte band formed in 2003.

10. Die Ärzte - Junge (The Doctors - Boy or Son)

Lyrics and English translation.

A funny pop-punk song about a boy’s parents lamenting over his bleak future.

Die Ärzte ("the doctors") is a pretty famous German punk band from Berlin. They've been around since 1982 but had a hiatus from 1989-1992.

11. Oomph! - Augen Auf (Eyes Open/Open Your Eyes)

Lyrics and English translation.

Second version of lyrics and English translation.

Oomph! is a Neue Deutsche Härte band formed in Wolfsburg, Germany in 1989. They were the pioneers of the Neue Deutsche Härte style movement, and they are still around.

Oomph!'s first single, which was a #1 hit in Germany in 2004, describes a creepy version of hide and seek.

12. Oomph! - Gott ist ein Popstar (God is a Pop star)

Lyrics and English translation.

I'll let you decide for yourself on this one. The lyrics are a bit over-the-top, but that keeps things interesting.

Hope you enjoyed some German lieder! If you actually watched all of these, congrats. That takes real effort. Have a cookie.