Pussy (Rammstein song) explained

Pussy
Cover:pussy_Cover.jpg
Type:single
Artist:Rammstein
Album:Liebe ist für alle da
B-Side:Rammlied
Released:18 September 2009
Studio:Sonoma Mountain Recording Estate
Genre:
Length:
  • 4:00
  • 3:48
Label:
Producer:
Prev Title:Mann gegen Mann
Prev Year:2006
Next Title:Ich tu dir weh
Next Year:2010

"Pussy" is a song by German Neue Deutsche Härte band Rammstein. It was released as the lead single from the band's sixth studio album, Liebe ist für alle da (2009) on 18 September 2009. The song was released with a controversial and sexually explicit music video in which the band members, portrayed by body-doubles during some of the close ups of specific body parts, are seen having sex with women.[1]

The first promotional video for the single was released online on 16 September 2009 at the Gauntlet.[2] The video also confirmed the new album title.

"Pussy" was Rammstein's first number one single in Germany. The song was remixed by Scooter, a fellow German artist, and the remix later appeared on the "Ich tu dir weh" single. It was the first Rammstein song to be released after their three-year hiatus.

Music video

The video was directed by Jonas Åkerlund and released online on 16 September 2009. The video features the band playing the song wearing leather outfits, interspersed with six hardcore pornographic videos featuring each of the band members as a different stereotypical pornographic character: Till as the playboy, Christoph as the CEO, Paul as the cowboy, Oliver as Mr. Pain (a BDSM fetishist), Richard as the party boy, and Flake as the shemale. Each scene features a band member engaging in foreplay with a different woman, and the scenes become more explicit as the video progresses until they engage into unsimulated sexual intercourse with graphic nudity. However, some body doubles were used. At the end of the video, the band members ejaculate.

Legal issues

On April 28, 2021, the former coordinator for the Arkhangelsk offices of anti-corruption politician Alexei Navalny, Andrei Borovikov was sentenced to 2.5 years for sharing the music video on VKontakte back in 2014.[3] [4] However, the charges were only issued six years after the initial posting and only then after the original post had been deleted and only seen by two of his closest friends. He was charged with breaking Article 242(3)(b), "production and distribution of pornography," a charge which is disputed to be politically motivated. Natalia Zviagina, the director of Amnesty International's Moscow office, described the charges as "utterly absurd" and clearly politically motivated.[5] Previously, in September 2019 he was sentenced to 400 hours of community service over his involvement with peaceful, anti-landfill demonstrations, a violation of Article 212.1.[6]

Lyrics

The lyrics are partially in English and deal with sex tourism with lines like "Alleine in das Ausland fahren" ("drive alone to a foreign country") and "I can't get laid in Germany". A mention of the Autobahn and the seemingly nonsensical line "Reise, Reise, Fahrvergnügen" are a reference to appearances of German culture in American commercialism (the latter from a Volkswagen advertising campaign, the former from one of Rammstein's own previous albums). Together, these aspects of the song create a contrast between the sexual mores of German society and that of America.

Live performances

"Pussy" debuted live, as most of Rammstein's songs, during fan exclusive concerts held in Berlin in October 2009. "Pussy" was the last song of the main set of the Liebe ist für alle da tour, and continues to be in the Made in Germany tour. The song was dropped from the setlist in the middle of the 2023 leg of the Rammstein Stadium Tour due to sexual assault allegations against singer Till Lindemann.[7]

Track listings

CD
Vinyl

Versions

Single version[8] TracksNotes
Limited edition digipak single2 tracksCD+poster combo
Limited edition hand-numbered single2 tracks12" vinyl
Limited edition etch-numbered singlePussy

Release history

CountryDate
Europe18 September 2009
United States22 September 2009

Charts

Weekly charts

Chart (2009)Peak
position
Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)[9] 4
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[10] 34
Denmark (Tracklisten)[11] 37
Eurochart Hot 100[12] 6
Finnish Singles Chart[13] 1
French Singles Chart[14] 13
German Singles Chart[15] 1
Netherlands (Single Top 100)[16] 18
Norway (VG-Lista)[17] 16
Swedish Singles Chart[18] 22
Swiss Singles Chart[19] 12
UK Singles Chart[20] 95
UK Rock Chart[21] 2

Year-end charts

Notes and References

  1. Web site: RAMMSTEIN Guitarist On Filming 'Pussy' Video - "It Was Really Fun; Our Drummer's Girlfriend Came To The Set And He Ended Up Sending Her Home". bravewords.com. 10 January 2015.
  2. Web site: Rammstein releases video for Pussy. 16 September 2009. The Gauntlet. 10 January 2015. 14 February 2013. https://web.archive.org/web/20130214003449/http://www.thegauntlet.com/article/307/16877/Rammstein-releases-video-for-Pussy.html. dead.
  3. Web site: Navalny Ally Sentenced to 2.5 Years in Prison for Reposting Music Video. 29 April 2021.
  4. Web site: Russia: Navalny supporter faces three years in jail over sharing of Rammstein video . 28 April 2021 . Amnesty International . 3 May 2021.
  5. News: Russia: Navalny supporter faces three years in jail over sharing of Rammstein video. The Moscow Times.
  6. Web site: Russia: Navalny supporter faces three years in jail over sharing of Rammstein video. 2021-07-26. www.amnesty.org. 28 April 2021. en.
  7. Maija Alander (23 June 2023). "Rammsteiniin kohdistuvien syytösten ketju on herättänyt keskustelun, jota rockmusiikin maailma ei voi enää paeta" (in finnish). Helsingin Sanomat. Retrieved 23 June 2023.
  8. Web site: Affenknecht – Pussy single. 2009-09-08. affenknecht.com. https://web.archive.org/web/20091109234348/http://en.affenknecht.com/rammstein-singles/pussy/. 2009-11-09. dead.
  9. Web site: Rammstein - Pussy - austriancharts.at. https://web.archive.org/web/20110531202216/http://www.austriancharts.at/showitem.asp?interpret=Rammstein&titel=Pussy&cat=s. dead. May 31, 2011. May 31, 2011.
  10. https://www.ultratop.be/nl/song/970ca/Rammstein-Pussy?interpret=Rammstein&titel=Pussy&cat=s
  11. Web site: danishcharts.dk - Rammstein - Pussy. July 8, 2011.
  12. Charts. Billboard. 10 January 2015.
  13. Web site: Sivua ei löydy | YLEX | yle.fi. https://archive.today/20120629093302/http://www.yle.fi/lista/listat/tuote.php?id=9608 . dead . 2012-06-29 .
  14. Web site: MCM - La chaîne 100% mec . MCM . 10 January 2015 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20091014224413/http://www.mcm.net/programmes/top50/ . 14 October 2009 .
  15. Web site: MusikWoche - News - Charts KW 41: Madonna und Rammstein vorn. Mediabiz.de. 10 January 2015. 19 April 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20170419101151/http://www.mediabiz.de/musik/news/charts-kw-41-madonna-und-rammstein-vorn/280182. dead.
  16. Web site: Dutchcharts.nl - Rammstein - Pussy. https://web.archive.org/web/20121022061927/http://dutchcharts.nl/showitem.asp?interpret=Rammstein&titel=Pussy&cat=s . dead . 2012-10-22 .
  17. Web site: norwegiancharts.com - Rammstein - Pussy. https://web.archive.org/web/20121102095838/http://norwegiancharts.com/showitem.asp?interpret=Rammstein&titel=Pussy&cat=s. dead. November 2, 2012. November 2, 2012.
  18. Web site: Sverigetopplistan - Sveriges Officiella Topplista. Sverigetopplistan.se. 10 January 2015.
  19. Web site: Rammstein - Pussy. swisscharts.com. 2019-09-16. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20100209174252/http://swisscharts.com/showitem.asp?interpret=Rammstein&titel=Pussy&cat=s. 2010-02-09.
  20. Web site: The Official UK Charts Company: TOP 100 SINGLES CHART. theofficialcharts.com. 2019-09-16. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20090314045850/http://www.theofficialcharts.com/top40_singles.php. 2009-03-14.
  21. Web site: BBC - Radio 1 - Chart Show - Rock Singles. 2009-09-30. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20090629052348/http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio1/chart/rocksingles.shtml. 2009-06-29.
  22. Web site: Offizielle Single Top 100 - Musik Charts | MTV Germany . May 26, 2010 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20100125020024/http://www.mtv.de/charts/Single_Jahrescharts_2009 . January 25, 2010 . MTV Germany .