Mensch (album)

Mensch
Studio album by Herbert Grönemeyer
Released	August 30, 2002
Genre	Rock
Label	Grönland (EMI)
Herbert Grönemeyer chronology
Stand Der Dinge (2001) Mensch (2002) 12 (2007)

Mensch, released in 2002, is the 20th music release by prominent German rock/pop artist Herbert Grönemeyer. Mensch ("Human") is Grönemeyer's 11th full-length album of original compositions. The title track Mensch became Grönemeyer's first number-one single in Germany. The mood of the album reflects the recent death of both his wife and one of his older brothers within the same week, and is rich with poetic imagery. The songs range from rock to ballads. The richness of the imagery and language, as well as the use of creative word play, can make the lyrics difficult to interpret by listeners who are not fluent in German. In Mensch Grönemeyer reflects on his own humanity as it relates to feeling loss. The song Der Weg in particular focuses on memories of his wife and the love they shared.

The full-length album was released in three different versions:

• a copy-protected CD
• a 12" vinyl LP album
• a hybrid Super Audio CD, containing standard Compact Disc stereo, Super Audio CD high-resolution stereo, and Super Audio CD high-resolution multi-channel audio content.

Both the Compact Disc and the Super Audio CD (CD layer and high-resolution SACD stereo sections) contain a hidden track after about fifteen minutes of silence at the end of the last song. The album is almost entirely in German, with the hidden track in English. The Album has been a huge success in Germany, Austria and Switzerland and sold nearly 4 million copies, making it one of the best-selling German-language records of all time. Being certified 21 x Gold in Germany, it is the best-selling album of all time in that region.^[1]

Track listing

1. "Mensch" – 4:01
2. "Neuland" – 3:43
3. "Der Weg" – 4:18
4. "Viertel Vor" – 4:23
5. "Lache, wenn es nicht zum Weinen reicht" – 4:42
6. "Unbewohnt" – 5:04
7. "Dort und hier" – 2:33
8. "Blick zurück" – 5:54
9. "Kein Pokal" – 4:32
10. "Zum Meer" – 5:45
11. "Demo (letzter Tag)" – 3:26

Certifications

1. Europe - 3x Platinum (3,000,000 copies)

See also

• List of best-selling albums in Germany

References

1. ^ "Highest Gold Platinum certifications". International Federation of the Phonographic Industry. http://www.musikindustrie.de/fileadmin/piclib/presse/Dokumente_zum_Download/Gold_Platin_Hoechstverleihungen_Stand_100621.pdf. Retrieved 2010-07-24.