Song of the Week #10: "Deine Nähe tut mir weh" by Revolverheld
Song of the Week #10 is "Deine Nähe tut mir weh" by Revolverheld.
When I first did this song of the week thing back in 2017, I wanted to avoid repeating artists. However, that immediately proved a futile endeavor. I have written about the German band Revolverheld no less than three times on this blog before now: check out my posts on "Das kann uns keiner nehmen", "Ich lass für dich das Licht an", and "Bands deiner Jugend". All three are from the 2013 album Immer in Bewegung, and the song I discuss today—"Deine Nähe tut mir weh"—comes from the same album. In my view, Immer in Bewegung is quite the masterpiece within German pop music, and there is not a single song on the album I dislike. I got into Revolverheld after one of my German instructors in my freshman year of college introduced me to them.
"Deine Nähe tut mir weh" is in German. The title of the song means "your closeness hurts me". The song starts with a slow kick drum beat accompanied by a single note in the background, likely played on a string instrument like a cello. I love the voice of Johannes Strate, the frontman and singer of Revolverheld. The first verse proceeds as follows.
Ich kenne jeden deiner Atemzüge, (I know your every breath)
Nichts an dir ist fremd. (Nothing about you is unfamiliar)
Es gibt wohl niemanden, (There is probably no one)
Der dein Leben besser kennt. (Who knows your life better)
Damals an diesen heißen Sommertagen (Back then in those hot summer days)
Ließen wir uns vom Bootssteg treiben, (We let ourselves drift from the dock)
Und wir hab' uns geschworen, (And we swore to each other)
Ewig Freunde zu bleiben. (We would stay friends forever)
"Deine Nähe tut mir weh" is a ballad about an old childhood friend. In keeping with the theme of the Immer in Bewegung album, the first verse evokes nostalgia for long-lost days of old, just like "Bands deiner Jugend" and "Das kann uns keiner nehmen". Right after the first verse ends, the singer mutters, "Spucke Hand drauf," which means, "Spit hand on it". The two kids seal their promise to remain friends forever by spitting on their hands and shaking.
Was wäre wohl aus uns geworden? (What would have become of us?)
Den Kindern aus dem hohen Norden, (Of the kids from way up north?)
Den besten Freunden, seit ich denken kann? (Of the closest friends I can think of?)
Die Jahre sind ins Land gezogen. (The years have passed)
Ich hab' mich immer mehr belogen, (I have constantly lied to myself)
Weil ich nie die richtigen Worte fand. (Because I have never found the right words)
The pre-chorus marks a turning point in the song. Whereas the first verse happily recalled good times from days gone by, the pre-chorus laments the passage of time and the persistent denial of the singer's true feelings for the person he is singing about. The chorus is short and simple and proceeds as follows.
Deine Nähe tut mir weh, (Your closeness hurts me)
Weil ich in uns einfach mehr seh, als wir beide sind. (Because I simply see more in us than we are)
Deine Nähe tut mir weh, (Your closeness hurts me)
Weil ich in uns beiden mehr seh. (Because I see more in us both)
Indeed, this song is about having feelings for a childhood friend that you've known for years, but you've kept those feelings bottled up and internalized. Perhaps you like the way things are now, and you don't want to make things awkward. Perhaps you're scared of rejection. Either way, it hurts to be around this person because of the thought that you two could be more than you currently are. Your familiarity, your closeness with this person is precisely what makes the situation so painful.
Den Sommer in den Achtzigern, (That summer in the eighties)
Den hab' ich nie vergessen. (I have never forgotten that summer)
Wir haben beide so viel erlebt, (We have both experienced so much)
Und treffen uns freitags zum Essen. (And we meet every Friday to eat together)
Du bist immer noch das Mädchen von damals, (You are still the same girl from back then)
Mit den Sommersprossen im Gesicht. (With the freckles on your face)
Du erzählt von großen Abenteuern, (You tell of great adventures)
Und lachst viel wenn du sprichst. (And laugh a lot when you speak)
The second verse continues the childhood nostalgia of the first verse, but it feels much more bittersweet in the context of the chorus. It is clear that these two have been through so much together, and on the surface, the two have an amazing friendship. Deep down, however, it is still painful for the singer to be around this person. And thus, the chorus repeats.
Deine Nähe tut mir weh, (Your closeness hurts me)
Weil ich in uns einfach mehr seh, als wir beide sind. (Because I simply see more in us than we are)
Deine Nähe tut mir weh, (Your closeness hurts me)
Weil ich in uns beiden mehr seh. (Because I see more in us both)
The trope of falling in unrequited love with a childhood friend is a popular plot device across different kinds of media. See this TVTropes entry for "Childhood Friend Romance". In particular, I've seen it more than a few times in anime: for example, the character Tsubaki in the series Your Lie in April or the character Anaru in the series Anohana: The Flower We Saw That Day. There is an anime I watched late last year called Waiting in the Summer (also known as Ano Natsu de Matteru) that is absolutely filled to the brim with this trope: Mio likes Tetsurou, who likes Kanna, who likes Kaito, who likes Ichika, who likes Kaito back. Almost all of them were friends since childhood, if I recall correctly. (Heh, I do not typically watch these sorts of romcom animes, but Your Lie in April and Anohana are both quite popular, and I watched Ano Natsu de Matteru because Porter Robinson, one of my favorite musicians, included an audio sample from the anime in his 2014 single "Flicker", one of my favorite tracks of his.) Perhaps the German song "Deine Nähe tut mir weh" could be the anthem for this trope.