"Hier kommt Alex" (Here comes Alex) is a song by German punk band Die Toten Hosen. It is the first single and the first track from the album Ein kleines bisschen Horrorschau. The song in concept introduces Alex, who is the central character on the concept album, a reference to Alex DeLarge, from the book A Clockwork Orange.
"Hier kommt Alex" | ||||
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Single by Die Toten Hosen | ||||
from the album Ein kleines bisschen Horrorschau | ||||
Released | 1988 | |||
Genre | Punk rock | |||
Length | 3:53 | |||
Label | Totenkopf | |||
Songwriter(s) | Andreas Frege Andreas Meurer | |||
Die Toten Hosen singles chronology | ||||
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"Hier kommt Alex" is structurally and musically similar to the last track from the album, "Bye, Bye Alex".
The video was directed by Walter Knofel.
The song appears as a bonus track in the game Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock. It is also available as downloadable content for Guitar Hero World Tour.
It is included in the European release of the game Rock Band, and as a downloadable track on the American version. Due to licensing issues, the song was taken down from DLC services in 2013.[1] The song was available for re-download in Rock Band 4 for those who purchased it prior to this date.
The song has been covered by many artists, among them Samsas Traum on Endstation.Eden, Gatos Sucios on Punto limite, Thomas Baldischwyler for the compilation Pudel Produkte 8, Sonnenbrandt, Scala & Kolacny Brothers on the album Grenzenlos. British punk band UK Subs covered it in English as "Here Comes Alex". In 2020, German medieval rock band Feuerschwanz covered the song with a medieval composition.[2]
According to an interview, Die Ärzte had spontaneously played the song on a benefit concert to attract more crowd, because people were leaving after a bad band.[3]
Year | Country | Position |
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1988 | West Germany (Official German Charts)[4] | 32 |
"The Return of Alex" | ||||
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Single by Die Toten Hosen | ||||
from the album Love, Peace & Money | ||||
Released | 1994 | |||
Genre | Punk rock | |||
Length | 4:29 | |||
Label | Virgin Records | |||
Songwriter(s) | Andreas Frege Andreas Meurer Matt Dangerfield | |||
Die Toten Hosen singles chronology | ||||
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There's also an English version of the song, titled "The Return of Alex". This was released as a promo single for UK from the all-English album Love, Peace & Money.
The video was directed by René Eller and shows the band performing in a black-and-white TV-set.
"Hier kommt Alex (unplugged)" | ||||
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Single by Die Toten Hosen | ||||
from the album Nur zu Besuch: Unplugged im Wiener Burgtheater | ||||
Released | 9 December 2005 | |||
Genre | Punk rock, acoustic rock | |||
Length | 4:08 | |||
Label | JKP | |||
Songwriter(s) | Andreas Frege Andreas Meurer Hans Steingen | |||
Die Toten Hosen singles chronology | ||||
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"Hier kommt Alex" was also released as a single from the 2005 unplugged album Nur zu Besuch: Unplugged im Wiener Burgtheater. The song is introduced with the first bars of the second movement of Beethoven's Symphony No. 9.
The video contains live footage.
Year | Country | Position |
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2005 | Germany (Official German Charts)[5] | 46 |
2005 | Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)[6] | 57 |
2005 | Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[7] | 53 |
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