Outgoing German Chancellor Angela Merkel, has issued one last epic request to prove once and for all that there will never be another leader like her.
For her leaving ceremony scheduled later this week, Merkel has asked that a song by punk rocker Nina Hagen be played.
Afforded a military farewell outside Germany’s ministry of defence, it is customary for departing German leaders to select three songs to accompany the ceremony. But Merkel’s wish for the military marching band to perform a rendition of Hagen’s 1974 punk anthem ‘You Forgot The Colour Film’ has stunned many and delighted more.
Widely considered the Godmother of Punk, Hagen reached the top of the East German charts in 1974. Pitchfork’s review of her 1982 album NunSexMonkRock describes Hagen as “an incomparable performer, a new mother, an activist, a clown, a disciple of Christ, a true believer in UFOs, and without question, a star.” Some excellent clarity behind Merkel’s patent affinity with the artist.
Two hundred guests are set to attend the event, with other song selections issued by Merkel including ‘Fur mich soll’s rote Rosen regnen‘ (It Should Rain Red Roses For Me) by another popular German singer, Hildegard Knef, as well as the Christian anthem ‘Großer Gott, wir loben dich.
Merkel has served 16 years as the German Chancellor and throughout her time in the role she’s been considered the most influential European leader of the 21st century, and a steady defender of democratic values through a turbulent period of history.