? (Nena album)
1984 studio album by Nena
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? (Fragezeichen) (German for "Question mark") is the second album by German pop rock band Nena and the third studio album to feature its lead singer, Gabriele "Nena" Kerner. It was released on 27 January 1984, just a few months before the band's first international album 99 Luftballons, which contains songs from their debut album Nena (1983) and this album, some of them re-recorded with English lyrics.
- Spliff Studio, West Berlin
- A&R Studios, New York City
| ? (Fragezeichen) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 27 January 1984 | |||
| Recorded | October–December 1983 | |||
| Studios |
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| Genres | Neue Deutsche Welle, pop rock, pop | |||
| Length | 42:16 | |||
| Language | German | |||
| Label | CBS | |||
| Producers | Reinhold Heil, Manfred Praeker | |||
| Nena chronology | ||||
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| Singles from ? (Fragezeichen) | ||||
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Like its self-titled predecessor, this album was produced by Reinhold Heil and Manne Praeker of Spliff.[2]
Title track
The album's title track was co-written by Nena and the band's keyboard player Jörn-Uwe Fahrenkrog-Petersen and is so called since, having written the song, Nena was unable to settle on a title and so indicated its spot in the band's live set list with a question mark.[3] It reached No. 3 in the German charts in 1983.[4] The lyrics – written by Nena – comprise the thoughts of someone racked by indecisiveness ("Today I'm coming, today I'm also going... Perhaps I'll stay, yesterday that wasn't for me, today I need endless love") but still adamant that they know what's best for them ("No-one can tell me what is best... and who is best... because I know exactly").[5] The song is a mainstay of Nena's live concerts and seems to be particularly popular with female fans although it is not uncommon for Nena to interrupt her performance of the song, apparently to laugh at the absurdity of the lyrics.[6] In the middle of the version recorded for the 2004 album Nena Live Nena she says, "I felt so small when I wrote this".
Like most of the band's greatest hits, "? (Fragezeichen)" was anglicised for the international album 99 Luftballons and then updated for the Nena feat. Nena album, which reignited Nena's solo career in 2002.
Track listing
Side A contains tracks 1 to 6 and Side B contains tracks 7 to 12.
| No. | Title | Lyrics | Music | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Rette mich" (Rescue Me) | Carlo Karges | Karges | 3:17 |
| 2. | "? (Fragezeichen)" (Question Mark) | Nena Kerner | Jörn-Uwe Fahrenkrog-Petersen | 4:28 |
| 3. | "Das Land der Elefanten" (The Land of the Elephants) | Karges, Fahrenkrog | Fahrenkrog | 3:42 |
| 4. | "Unerkannt durchs Märchenland" (Unrecognized Through Fairyland) | Kerner | Jürgen Dehmel | 3:21 |
| 5. | "Küss mich wach" (Kiss Me Awake) | Rolf Brendel | Brendel | 2:43 |
| 6. | "Lass mich dein Pirat sein" (Let Me Be Your Pirate) | Brendel | Kerner, Brendel | 4:51 |
| 7. | "Ich häng' an dir" (I'm Hangin' on You) | Kerner | Fahrenkrog | 4:13 |
| 8. | "Sois bienvenu" (French: Welcome) | Brendel | Fahrenkrog | 3:22 |
| 9. | "Keine Antwort" (No Answer) | Karges | Dehmel | 3:18 |
| 10. | "Der Bus is' schon weg" (The Bus Has Already Left) | Karges | Karges | 0:15 |
| 11. | "Es regnet" (It's Raining) | Karges | Karges | 4:45 |
| 12. | "Der Anfang vom Ende" (The Beginning of the End) | Kerner | Kerner | 3:53 |
| Total length: | 42:16 | |||
Personnel
Credits adapted from Allmusic[7] and Discogs.[2]
Nena
- Nena Kerner – main vocals, arrangement
- Jörn-Uwe Fahrenkrog-Petersen – keyboard, backing vocals, lead vocals on track 3
- Carlo Karges – guitar, backing vocals
- Jürgen Dehmel – bass
- Rolf Brendel – drums, percussion
"? (Fragezeichen)" and "Lass mich dein Pirat sein"
- David Sanborn – saxophone
- Ollie Cotton – engineering
- Stanley Wallace – engineering
Technical personnel
- Imre Sereg – engineering (on all tracks, except "? (Fragezeichen)" and "Lass mich dein Pirat sein")
- Manfred "Manne" Praeker – production
- Reinhold Heil – engineer (on all tracks, except "? (Fragezeichen)" and "Lass mich dein Pirat sein"), production
- Jim Rakete – cover design
- Roman Stolz – cover design
- Rico Sonderegger – mastering
Charts
| Chart (1984) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Austrian Albums Chart[8] | 1 |
| Dutch Albums Chart[9] | 2 |
| German Albums Chart[10] | 1 |
| Norwegian Albums Chart[11] | 17 |
| Swedish Albums Chart[12] | 11 |
| Swiss Albums Chart[13] | 1 |
Certifications and sales
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| Germany (BVMI)[14] | Platinum | 500,000^ |
| Netherlands (NVPI)[15] | Gold | 50,000^ |
|
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. | ||
Release history
| Region | Year | Label | Format | Catalog |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| West Germany | 1984 | CBS | LP | CBS 25 870 |
| Bertelsmann | CBSCL 40383-2 (Club edition) | |||
| Netherlands | CBS | CBS 25 870 | ||
| Yugoslavia | CBS, Suzy | |||
| West Germany | CBS | cassette | CBS 40–25870 | |
| CD | CDCBS 25870 | |||
| Japan | Epic/Sony | 35.8P-55 | ||
| Yugoslavia | CBS, Suzy | cassette | CBS 40–25870 | |
| Europe | 1993 | Columbia | CD | COL 47365 2 (reissue) |
| Germany | 1998 | COL 47365 9 (reissue) |