Die toten Hosen - Zurück zum Glück (2004)

Die toten Hosen are Germany's most popular and commercially successful punk rock band. The quintet from Dusseldorf was formed back in 1982 and achieved critical acclaim with its inspired fifth studio album Ein kleines bisschen Horrorschau that went all the way to the third position in the German album charts. The band has never slowed down since then and its last six studio albums have all peaked in the German album charts. The quintet combines a few light-hearted party anthems with socially, politically and culturally inspired songs on the pulse of time. This is why the band's music has been playing at parties throughout different generations for about three decades now but is also being appreciated by more intellectual, philosphical and even religious audiences. It isn't unusual to see entire families attend the band's popular concerts from the rebellious teenager to the wise grand-father.

Zurück zum Glück is the first album I have owned of this band. My father unexpectedly brought it home for me when I was fifteen years old. Even though I started to appreciate other types of music back then, I have listened to this album by my musical childhood heroes on numerous occasions and am still occasionally listening to this record nowadays as it has aged very well. Zurück zum Glück is actually a play on words. It could mean ''back to happiness'' but also ''fortunately back''. The former is a reference to overcoming contemporary challenges to prepare for a brighter future as expressed in the actual title song. The latter is a tongue in cheek reference to the fact that the punk rock veterans aren't slowing down and always coming back for more.

This album really exemplifies everything this band stands for. The record features intellectually challenging lyrics underlined by punchy punk rock stylistics as witnessed in the strong title track ''Zurück zum Glück''. The band also flirts with heavier sounds as powerful opener ''Kopf oder Zahl'' that talks about the band's return in style might qualify as alternative metal track. The band also offers a few genuine surprises such as the nervous orchestral track ''Die Behauptung'' that deals with inflammatory statements and its consequences which is even more valid in times of social media madness nowadays than it was one and a half decades ago. ''Herz brennt'' on the other side is rather stripped-down and focuses on melancholic guitar melodies anf melodramatic vocals singing about the difficult decline of a romantic relationship. ''Freunde'' is a beautiful ode to friendship being the one element that doesn't change in a world that is evolving faster than ever before. The band also offers a few light-hearted tunes such as ''Walkampf'' which is a play on words that could mean ''election campaign'' or ''whale struggle''. When everyone expected the band to write a song about political propaganda, the quintet actually delivered a humorous tune about a man trying to push a whale back into the ocean in a nightmare.

Zurück zum Glück is a record that was on its pulse of time fifteen years ago and that has aged so well that it's even more relevant today than it was back then. Environment, politics and societies might have changed negatively but values such as friendship are things we can always hold on to. Travel back fifteen years in time and realize that some things haven't changed as much as one would believe in a globalized world. This album is an excellent introduction to the punk rock veterans and might be one of the band's most underrated albums.