A far‑right politician in Germany used schlager icon Heino in election advertising without his consent. Heino is now demanding compensation for pain and suffering.
Heino's trademarks are his immaculate blond side‑part and his black sunglasses (worn, incidentally, to disguise an eye condition called exophthalmos). But above all, it is his music: German language folk songs about love, homeland and an idealized German world sung in a deep voice with a typically Teutonic rolled "R" — that is what made his career, for a lifetime.
However, this also made him a controversial figure. On October 22, 2005, the Süddeutsche Zeitung newspaper wrote the following: "Germany is a divided country — also in its attitude toward Heino. Some love him; others despise him." German music: From 'Schlager' to 'Deutschrap' To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video Heinz Georg Kramm — Heino's real name — has always been a subject of controversy, not least because of his choice of songs.
When, in 2018, he presented the Minister for Homeland Affairs of the federal state of North Rhine-Westphalia with an album that also featured songs that had been sung by the notorious Schutzstaffel (SS), a major paramilitary organization in Nazi Germany, this sparked a major uproar in the media. Heino defended himself and was quoted by the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung at the time as saying: "The songs themselves cannot be held responsible if they are instrumentalized." In 1998, public broadcaster Südwestrundfunk 's "Report Mainz" program reported that a right-wing extremist publishing house was distributing a cassette of songs recorded by Heino — recordings that were originally produced by the label EMI-Electrola. When questioned about the matter, Heino told the journalist that he had been entirely unaware of the publishing house's involvement in the distribution.
National anthem controversy Heino's recording of the German national anthem — "Das Lied der Deutschen" ("The Song of the Germans") — was a particularly sensitive issue. He sang all three of its verses and released it as a record in 1977. However, the first two verses of this traditional song have been frowned upon in Germany ever since Adolf Hitler 's Nazi dictatorship, although they are not banned in Germany.
The first verse begins: "Deutschland, Deutschland über alles, über alles in der Welt." ("Germany, Germany above all, above all in the world.") Following the twelve years of National Socialist terror from 1933 to 1945 under the dictator, Adolf Hitler, and German aggression in World War II, the verses expressing grandiose visions of German supremacy are no longer seen as appropriate for postwar German society.
Only the song's third verse is recognized today as text of Germany's national anthem: "Einigkeit und Recht und Freiheit..." ("Unity and justice and freedom..."). These are the words sung at official events, football matches and ceremonies.
In a newspaper interview with the Frankfurter Rundschau in 2001, Heino himself recounted that the then-Chancellor Willy Brandt took offense at his recording of the "Deutschlandlied" in all three of its verses.
"Willy Brandt broke with me," Heino admitted.
Heino refuses to be co-opted by the far right Despite his controversial choice of songs, Heino never wanted to be politically co‑opted, In the interview quoted above he also spoke about far‑right fans from the neo‑Nazi or skinhead scene: "I hate brown bald heads." Brown was the color of the Nazi Party uniforms.
And now Heino is defending himself in court against being appropriated by a politician from Alternative for Germany , the AfD.
The little-known regional AfD politician Felix Teichner from the state of Brandenburg , had posted election advertising for his party on social media. His post read: "On Sunday, Heino would vote for Felix." Heino is now taking action against that. His manager stated on his behalf: "This is an outrage, and it goes too far." He added that Heino has already spoken out publicly against the AfD, and that it is unacceptable for the party to use him for campaign purposes.
The AfD politician consequently signed a cease and desist declaration. However, that does not go far enough for Heino: He is considering a claim for damages.
The case has generated headlines in Germany, especially because the AfD has been rising in the polls for months. That is why political scientist Niklas Ferch of Justus Liebig University in Giessen does not believe the current scandal will cause any serious damage.
"Within its core electorate, the AfD does not lose support over such legal defeats; rather, they reinforce the party's classic populist narrative of criticizing the elites," Ferch said in an interview with DW.
Politicians adorning themselves with a pop star's name without permission is unusual — but the overlap between pop and politics is not.
"Pop and politics operate partly in the same business," explained Ferch. "In both spheres of society, it is about power — in politics just as much as in entertainment, especially on stage." What Ferch finds interesting about the Heino case is that Heino's schlager music generally has a rather reactionary reputation: Schlager generally labors under the suspicion of being — at the very least — escapist, if not outright reactionary. After all, it caters to specific idealized images of home and homeland and nostalgically celebrates the "good old days." "It is all the more remarkable, then, that Heino has taken legal action against the AfD," Ferch said.
How much of a neo-Nazi party is the German AfD?
To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video Do pop stars profit from political statements?
When pop stars take action against political appropriation, they risk harming their public image. Claims for damages are often followed by accusations that they simply want to make more money. However, political scientist Ferch views Heino's clear statement against the AfD as an economic risk for the artist.
"Those who appeal to all segments of mainstream society, especially, do not gain anything by taking a political stance," he told DW. "You potentially alienate audiences you previously had. That will certainly be reflected in sales figures, whether for concert tickets or streaming." On his Instagram account, Heino has already faced intense anger from some of his fans: "Withdraw the lawsuit," some have posted, or: "Heino must need money." The artist himself refuses to engage in further discussions about the case on Instagram.
This article has been translated from German.
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