Sehnsucht (Rammstein album) explained

Sehnsucht
Type:	studio
Artist:	Rammstein
Cover:	Rammstein_-_Sehnsucht.jpg
Caption:	One of six different cover arts for the album, with this one featuring Till Lindemann
Released:	22 August 1997
Recorded:	November 1996 – July 1997
Studio:	Temple (St. Paul's Bay)
Genre:	Neue Deutsche Härte industrial metal
Length:	43:51
Label:	Motor
Producer:	Jacob Hellner Rammstein
Prev Title:	Herzeleid
Prev Year:	1995
Next Title:	Live aus Berlin
Next Year:	1999

Sehnsucht (pronounced as /de/; "Desire" or "Longing") is the second studio album by German Neue Deutsche Härte band Rammstein. It was released on 22 August 1997, through Motor Music in Europe and Slash Records in the United States. It is the only album entirely in German to be certified platinum by the RIAA in the US. The album peaked at No. 1 on the Austrian and German charts.

In 2020, Metal Hammer included it in their list of Top 10 1997 Albums.^[1]

Cover art

The album booklet folds out to reveal six different covers, one for each band member (each photo depicting the member with vintage medical / surgical instruments). The cover most commonly seen shows Christoph Schneider with a barbed-wire-laced worn as an oral gag and his eyes rolled back into his head. The cover art was created by Austrian artist Gottfried Helnwein,^[2] who also created the cover for the Scorpions' Blackout album, which the Sehnsucht cover resembles.

Track listing

Special editions

Multiple special editions of Sehnsucht were released, offering different bonus tracks:

• The following songs as tracks 12 and 13 for the North American and Japanese releases:
  • "Engel (English Version)"
  • "Du hast (English Version)"
  • These songs are also included on micro-cassettes, and may be hidden tracks on certain editions.
• "Du riechst so gut '98" as track 12. A version also includes the video for "Du riechst so gut '98".
• Polish cassettes included a short Polish introduction to the album, spoken by Till.
• A limited edition release in Europe features 14 tracks:
  • "Rammstein (Eskimos & Egypt Radio Edit)"
  • "Du riechst so gut '98"
  • "Du hast (Remix by Clawfinger)"
• "Stripped" as a twelfth track, which may be included on the micro-cassette version and/or be included as a hidden track.
• "Stripped" as a twelfth track and the "Asche zu Asche" single as a second CD. The "Asche zu Asche" single may be included on the first CD to make a total of 18 tracks.
• A 2001 Australian Tour Edition, which had "Stripped" as a twelfth track, and a second CD with the "Asche zu Asche" single as the first track, followed by five live songs.

Anniversary Edition

On 15 April 2023, Rammstein released a short teaser to their social media channels, showing the album's various front covers along to the intro of Bück dich. A day later, another teaser was posted, with footage of the band rehearsing Engel on 18 April 1997. The caption of that video announced the "Sehnsucht Anniversary Edition". On 17 April 2023, a third teaser followed, including footage from Live aus Berlin and the announcement, that the pre-order of the anniversary edition would start the next day, 19 April.

The Anniversary Edition was scheduled for release on 9 June 2023.

Besides being remastered, the album features an exclusive new mix of Spiel mit mir, titled "2023 Mix", and a 40 page booklet with previously unreleased photos of Gottfried Helnwein.

Personnel

Rammstein^[3]

• Till Lindemann – lead vocals
• Richard Kruspe – lead guitar, backing vocals
• Paul Landers – rhythm guitar, backing vocals
• Oliver Riedel – bass, backing vocals (track 1)
• Christian "Flake" Lorenz – keyboards
• Christoph Schneider – drums

Guest vocals^[3]

• Bobo – vocals on "Engel"

Production^[3]

• Björn Engelmann – mastering
• Emanuel Fialik – management
• Jacob Hellner – producer
• Gottfried Helnwein – photography, portrait photography
• Ronald Prent – mixing
• Dirk Rudolph – cover design, sleeve design
• Mark Stagg – programming

Charts

Weekly charts

Weekly chart performance for Sehnsucht! Chart (1997–2023)! Peak
position

Canada Top Albums/CDs (RPM)^[4]	25
Europe (European Top 100 Albums)^[5]	7
Lithuanian Albums (AGATA)^[6]	7
Norwegian Albums (VG-lista)^[7]	23

Year-end charts

Chart (1997)!scope="col"

Position
Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)^[8]	16
Europe (European Top 100 Albums)^[9]	53
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)^[10]	6
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)^[11]	40
Chart (1998)	Position
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)^[12]	40
US Billboard 200^[13]	161

Notes and References

1. Web site: The Top 10 best albums of 1997 . . . 5 August 2020 . 31 July 2020.
2. Web site: Rammstein Album "Sehnsucht" was Released with Six Different Covers by Gottfried Helnwein . Helnwein Music . 22 July 1997 . 15 February 2009 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20120225132628/http://www.helnwein-music.com/article280.html . 25 February 2012 .
3. Web site: [{{AllMusic|class=album|id=sehnsucht-mw0000031603/credits|pure_url=yes}} Sehnsucht credits]. AllMusic . All Media Guide (Rovi) . 19 May 2016.
4. Web site: Top RPM Albums: Issue 4744. 17 July 2013 . RPM. December 4, 2023.
5. Eurochart Top 100 Albums - September 13, 1997. Music & Media. 14. 37. 13. September 13, 1997. November 18, 2021.
6. Web site: 2023 21-os savaitės klausomiausi (Top 100). AGATA. lt. 26 May 2023. 26 May 2023.
7. Web site: Album 2022 uke 30. no. topplista.no. 29 July 2022. 5 August 2022.
8. Web site: Jahreshitparade Alben 1997. austriancharts.at. 8 July 2020.
9. Web site: Year in Focus. Music & Media. 7. 27 December 1997. November 18, 2021.
10. Web site: Top 100 Album-Jahrescharts. de. GfK Entertainment. 8 September 2016.
11. Web site: Schweizer Jahreshitparade 1997. hitparade.ch. 8 July 2020.
12. Web site: Top 100 Album-Jahrescharts. de. GfK Entertainment. 8 September 2016.
13. Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 1998. Billboard. 23 March 2021.