Meaning of “Du Hast” by Rammstein

The original version of Rammstein’s “Du Hast” is entirely in German. However, due to the success it has experienced abroad, it also has an official English version. But the English version is not a literal translation of the original. That being said, the official English version and the literal translation by and large have the exact same meanings.

The term “du hast” is what is referred to as a homophone in that in German, it sounds the same as “du haast”, despite the two terms having different meaning. In other words, du hast, as in the title of this track, translates to “you have”. While du hasst, its homophone, means “you hate”. And while the track is indeed entitled “du hast”, this homophonic wordplay was intentional. In fact while the German is translated as “you have”, the English version specifically states “you hate”.

In Conclusion

All in all, this song is based on the singer’s vow not to get married to the woman he is apparently in a relationship with. This is because this woman ‘hates’ him. As such, when he is presented with typical marriage-related questions such as will he ‘be faithful all his days’, “love her even in bad days” and be with her “until death does you part”, his answer is an emphatic and repeated “no”.

As such, the literal German translation of “Du Hast” reads to the effect of ‘you have asked me and I said nothing’, implying that when pressed about marriage by this woman, the singer did not respond.  Meanwhile the English version goes, “you hate me to say, and I did not obey.”  In other words, the English version is a lot more forthright in terms of relaying the sentiments apparently felt between these two lovers, which is one of mutual dislike. However, they are still seemingly in a relationship active enough for the question of marriage to come up in the first place.

When the question of matrimony comes up, the singer emphatically states a desire not to marry his girlfriend. This is what this song is all about.

Facts about “Du hast”

“Du hast” can be found on Rammstein’s second studio project which is titled “Sehnsucht”. It was actually released in July 1997 as the album’s second single, following “Engel“.

Both “Du hast” and “Engel” were the only singles produced by “Sehnsucht”. Both singles immensely helped the album reach number 1 in the album charts in Germany and Austria. The album was also certified platinum in the United States. It actually holds the distinction of being the first German language album to achieve such feat.

The song itself was also a huge success in Germany and globally. For example, it reached a peak position of #5 in Germany. It was also a top-10 hit in Austria and Canada. Furthermore, it managed to reach top 20 on America’s Mainstream Rock Songs charts. In the UK, it also managed to gain chart status on the UK Singles Chart.

More about the “Du Hast” Hit Makers

German heavy metal band Rammstein, was formed in 1994. The following musicians have been the band’s lineup since its formation:

• Lead vocalist, Till Lindemann
• Rhythm guitarist, Paul Landers
• Drummer, Christoph Schneider
• Keyboardist, Christian Flake Lorenz
• Lead guitarist, Richard Kruspe
• Bassist, Oliver Riedel

Rammstein rose to popularity following the release of their debut 1995 album titled Herzeleid accompanied by live performances. Herzeleid eventually climbed up to number 6 on German charts. They gained even more success with the release of their second album in 1997, titled Sehnsucht which topped the charts in Germany. The album’s success resulted in a four-year-long worldwide tour with massively successful singles such as Du hast and Engel. In 2001, the band signed a deal with major record label, Universal Music and released their album, Mutter.

Between 2004 and 2009, the band released several hit singles including Sonne, Amerika, Mein Teil, Benzin, P***y among others, with each reaching number two and number one on German Music charts respectively. After going on a recording hiatus for a number of years, the band returned with the track, Deutschland in 2019. They subsequently released an untitled studio album which hit number one on the charts of fourteen different countries. 

Rammstein is renowned as one of the first German bands to produce music within the Neue Deutsche Harte genre. Over the years, the band has received a generally positive reception for their music style.

The “Sehnsucht” Album on which “Du Hast” can be found

Sehnsucht is the title of Rammstein’s second studio album. Motor Music and Slash Records in Europe and the United States released the album on August 22, 1997. It was jointly produced by Jacob Hellner and Rammstein.

It is the only album, as of this writing, composed entirely in German that has been certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America.

For weeks and months after its release, the album topped the charts of Austria and Germany at number 1.

The members of Rammstein wrote all the songs on the album, with the exception of Tier, which was co-written with the German musician Jurgen Engler and title-track Sehnsucht which was also co-written with Orgasm Death Gimmick. German singer, Bobo contributed vocals to Engel, the second track on the album. The album officially contains eleven tracks, including “Du Hast”.

The band also released a limited edition in Europe for commercial purposes. This edition included three additional tracks.

The album has six distinct covers, a photo of each of the members with some sort of uncanny facial wear. The most popular cover is that of Till Lindemann with bent forks for sunglasses and an egg lifter covering his lower face like a muzzle. Gottfried Helnwein created the cover art for the album.

In 2020, the popular Metal Hammer magazine added it to its list of Top Ten albums of 1997.