Links 2 3 4

"Links 2 3 4" (English: "Left 2 3 4") is a song by German Neue Deutsche Härte band Rammstein. It was released as the second single from their third studio album, Mutter (2001), on 14 May 2001. It is a politically charged song, taking aim at early allegations of Nazism against the band by insinuating that they reside on the left side of the political spectrum instead. The song was a top-40 hit in Germany, Austria, and Finland.

"Links 2 3 4"
Single by Rammstein
from the album Mutter
B-side
  • "Halleluja"
  • remixes
Released14 May 2001
RecordedMay and June 2000
StudioMiraval (Correns, France)
Genre
Length3:36
LabelMotor
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
Rammstein singles chronology
"Sonne"
(2001)		 "Links 2 3 4"
(2001)		 "Ich will"
(2001)

Composition

The lyrics were written in response to allegations of fascism/Nazism directed at the band. In the song, they say "my heart beats to the left, 2-3-4", insinuating they are on the left of the political spectrum.[1] The refrain is an allusion to the revolutionary song Einheitsfrontlied, written by Bertolt Brecht for the Communist Party of Germany in the 1930s and re-popularized by Hannes Wader in the German Democratic Republic.[2]

The song uses an alternate pronunciation of the German two, using zwo (pronounced tsvoo) rather than zwei (tsvy). "Zwo" is more commonly used within the German military, or in the Austrian dialect, and this song presents a strong, militaristic theme, 'left – two – three – four' being a common drill instructor's cadence to keep a marching formation in step.

Music video

The music video for the song uses CGI produced by M.A.R.K.13™ to portray the struggle of an ant-colony against attacking beetles. The ants in the video are doing human-like tasks such as playing football, watching television, and dancing. During the video, the band can be seen playing on a movie theater screen. Also a Rammstein logo can be seen with two crossed hammers which symbolize the Communist proletariat working party.

During the movie theater scene the beetles attack, killing many ants. The beetles symbolize Nazism and the ant-colony symbolizes Communism. One ant is seen watching what the monstrous beetles are doing. The same ant then goes underground to rally the other ants and kill the beetles which symbolizes how the Left may crush the Right if they work together. There is also a right hand belonging to a body lying near a grave with a cross on it, covered by ants near the end of the video (symbolizing the defeat of the Right hand parties).

Live story

The song debuted live in April 2000 on a concert just for members of the fan club. Then it was called simply "Links" and had some minor differences compared to the final version released in Mutter. It was also played during some concerts of Big Day Out 2001. When played live, it usually extends to almost five minutes because of added instrumentals. Since its debut, it has been played in virtually every Rammstein concert, exceptions being most of the shows in Big Day Out 2001 and three consecutive concerts exclusively for members of the Fan Area in October 2004.

Track listing

The single has a B-side of "Halleluja", a track frequently performed live by the band during The Mutter Tour. An early version of it is also available on the Limited Edition release of Mutter, as well as the Japanese edition and Resident Evil Soundtrack.

A DVD version of "Links 2 3 4" contains the audio tracks, as well as a video portion with the official music video, its making-of documentary and a photo gallery. Both videos were subsequently re-released on the Lichtspielhaus DVD.

Maxi-CD
  1. "Links 2 3 4" – 3:43
  2. "Halleluja" – 3:46
  3. "Links 2 3 4 (Clawfinger Geradeaus Remix)" – 4:28
  4. "Links 2 3 4 (Westbam Technolectro Mix)" – 5:58
  5. "Links 2 3 4 (Westbam Hard Rock Cafe Bonus Mix)" – 3:43
  • The 2-track CD features Links 2-3-4 and Halleluja.

DVD maxi single

Audio section

  1. "Links 2 3 4" – 3:43
  2. "Halleluja" – 3:46
  3. "Links 2 3 4 (Clawfinger Geradeaus Remix)" – 4:28
  4. "Links 2 3 4 (Westbam Technolectro Mix)" – 5:58
  5. "Links 2 3 4 (Westbam Hard Rock Cafe Bonus Mix)" – 3:43.

Video section

  1. "Links 2 3 4 (Video)" – 3:37
  2. "Links 2 3 4 (Making of)" – 10:11
  3. Photo gallery.

Chart performance
Chart (2001) Peak
position
Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)[3] 33
Finland (Suomen virallinen lista)[4] 15
Germany (Official German Charts)[5] 26
Netherlands (Single Top 100)[6] 60
Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[7] 65
gollark: No.
gollark: It's Turing-complete and everything!
gollark: And now `WHY`lang isn't an actual language?
gollark: Anyway, now do you believe that compiled != fast?
gollark: u iz silly potato.

References
  1. Serba, John (22 July 2001). "Operatic Vocals, Industrial Rhythms Mix For a Sound Distinctly ... German". Grand Rapids Press. p. B6.
  2. laut.de | Laut.de – Rammstein: Das Herz schlägt links, oder?
  3. "Austriancharts.at – Rammstein – Links 2 3 4" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Retrieved 9 May 2020.
  4. "Rammstein: Links 2 3 4" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland. Retrieved 9 May 2020.
  5. "Offiziellecharts.de – Rammstein – Links 2 3 4". GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 9 May 2020.
  6. "Dutchcharts.nl – Rammstein – Links 2 3 4" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved 9 May 2020.
  7. "Swisscharts.com – Rammstein – Links 2 3 4". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved 9 May 2020.
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