Whats with the Friggin Umlauts?!

Message Bookmarked

Bookmark Removed

What is it with Metal/Hard Rock singers and the Umlaut? Don't they realize it changes the pronunciation of the word?
I'm not well versed in German, but doesn't the umlaut in Mötorhead change the pronunciation to MHAWRTERHEAD? (Which sounds like a small town in Wales famous for making concrete underwear, but I digress.)
And wouldn't Mötley Crüe actually Mhawrtrey Crahwree? (Which sounds like the dock in Mhwarterhead where they ship the concrete underwear around the world to be made in "abstract birdbaths".)

― Lord Custos 2.0 beta, Monday, 20 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

If Dave Barry were here right now, I'm sure he'd remark "The Friggin' Umlauts would be a great name for a band."

― Lord Custos 2.0 beta, Monday, 20 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

mötorhead = mertorhead, viz a v.posh way to say it (in the uk)
mötley crüe = mertley criuwuh

― mark s, Monday, 20 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

The umlaut goes over the second 'o' in Motorhead actually.

― Andy, Monday, 20 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

= moterhead = what everyone says anyway!! (it's over the t in motorhome)

― mark s, Monday, 20 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Ŧħäňĸś, Mäřķ.

― ńäbïşĉõ¨¨, Monday, 20 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Ü|\/||_ÄÜtZ ÄR3 KÖÖL, YÖ

― |\|ÖRMÄ|\| PHÄY, Monday, 20 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Yeah, but they look cool, maaaaaaaan.

Actually beyond the Crue, Motorhead (and Spinal Tap....over the 'n'), who else sports'em?

― Alex in NYC, Monday, 20 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

In the movie Can't Hardly Wait, the band is called Loveburger and they have umlauts over their vowels. The lead singer wears a cravat, he's pretty styling.

― Ally, Monday, 20 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

those two dots aren't exclusive to german. they are present in other languages and have different effects on the vowels they are placed over.

― di, Monday, 20 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Ümläüts = dëvïl hörns! Düdë!

― Sean Carruthers, Tuesday, 21 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

It's the Haagen Dazs man!

― cuba libre (nathalie), Tuesday, 21 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Blue Oyster Cult was the 1st band to use the meaningless umlaut. It was Richard Meltzer's idea, apparently - i guess it was just supposed to fit in w/ their pseudo-nazi-biker-s&m image.

― unknown, Tuesday, 21 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Well, what about «Rinôçerôse then?

But indeed, Motörhead, Benümb, Mütiilation (yes, the double i)...isn't that because already another bands exist with the same name and they're trying to avoid lawsuits? Is there a "Motorhead"?

― Siegbran Hetteson, Tuesday, 21 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

you're the metal expert - you tell us!

(i think the answer is no, by the way)

― michael, Tuesday, 21 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

There's also Benümb and Mütiilation (yes, with 2 i's).

― Siegbran Hetteson, Tuesday, 21 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

What about «Rinôçerôse then?

― Siegbran Hetteson, Tuesday, 21 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

And don't forget John Mendolson's (sp?) imaginary band, the Dreadful Umlauts. (I wonder where the umlauts were supposed to go?)

― Christine "Green Leafy Dragon" Indigo, Tuesday, 21 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

You're right. The umlauts go over the second "o" in Motörhead. So does that mean its pronounced Mor-hroawr-read?

― Lord Custos 2.0 beta, Tuesday, 21 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

richard meltzer be thou my god!! (ok he is already)

― mark "the s stands for dierasis" s, Tuesday, 21 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

I present the Ümlaüts

― cuba libre (nathalie), Tuesday, 21 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Three years ago, Motley Crue was coming to play at Idaho Falls' Civic Auditorium. Local conservative-types were upset that such a controversial band was playing in our dear hometown and sought to prevent this. However, many wanted to see the boys rock the Civic! The local paper asked me to write a jokey features story about the controversy, which I did. I also wrote up about eight different sidebars and included a paper doll Motley Crue fan. All was published, including the doll, to my surprise. One of the sidebars was a list of "fictional buttrock band names" including Too Many Umlauts, with umlauts over every vowel. I was quite the kidder, but those were different times.

Of course, Motley Crue was a sort of gateway drug for the Civic. Since then, Cheap Trick played and some other band. I got to interview them but I can't remember their name. Sheesh! But mark the day when Marilyn Manson decides Idaho Falls is an ideal touring spot...they'll ship him off to Pocatello or (hehe) Blackfoot South. No one wants that scrawny makkuppuped man about these parts.

― 1 1 2 3 5, Tuesday, 21 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

one month passes...

ni som inte kan svenska lär inte fatta något av detta men ni lär ju se att jag använder å ä ö

ö does not sound like "hawr" in swedish, so fakk it

― jävla åsne rövar, Friday, 19 July 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

three years pass...

Wikipedia on the umlaut in heavy metal:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heavy-metal_umlaut

One quote from the article to entice you to click the link:

At one Mötley Crüe performance in Germany, the entire audience started chanting "Mertley Crew-e"

― ratty, Wednesday, 8 February 2006 21:43 (twenty years ago)

Fact: in Germany, the Big Mac is called Big Mäc.

― The Vintner's Lipogram (OleM), Thursday, 9 February 2006 08:57 (twenty years ago)

In China they spit on the streets. It's a crazy world.

― Siegbran (eofor), Thursday, 9 February 2006 09:11 (twenty years ago)

"In france, they kiss on Main Street"

But, there is no "Main Street" in France. So ner.

― mark grout (mark grout), Thursday, 9 February 2006 09:39 (twenty years ago)

Why, what did Mike Skinner ever do to them?

(xpost)

― StanM (StanM), Thursday, 9 February 2006 09:54 (twenty years ago)

What about Björk? Is she not heavy metal enough.

― Tuomas (Tuomas), Thursday, 9 February 2006 10:30 (twenty years ago)

Maxïmo Park too. Emphasises the 'i' sound there.

― Cracks (Crackity), Thursday, 9 February 2006 21:29 (twenty years ago)

Amo Düüüüüüül!

― Baaderonixx, born again in Xixax (baaderonixx), Thursday, 9 February 2006 22:19 (twenty years ago)

You must be logged in to post. Please either login here, or if you are not registered, you may register here.