ALFIE MORGAN, Ich bin so faul, 1968

Ich bin so faul (I´m so lazy) is a song that praises laziness. Surprisingly up-to-date, its Sirtaki rhythm and melody makes it sounds like a conservative parody of the Greek crisis. If anything, the Greek people had to work harder than any other European nations in recent years, while the obedient Germans, wo caused the crisis through massive wage cuts and overblown exports, eat up all the bullshit lies of the mainstream propaganda machine. Hopefully the brave Greek government will prevail. If not, the entire European leftist project is at stake. Capitalists are already shitting their pants, as is evident in their recent hysteria.

Ich bin so faul is not a parody. It expresses a genuine pleasure to be lazy. I love work, too. I work for a couple of hours every day. I might not earn much, but I´m happy, because I love what I do. But what´s wrong with being lazy, anyway? What we need today, is more laziness! With Capitalist rule unchallenged for decades and everybody brainwashed into believing there is no alternative, I can´t think of a more political statement. Work is  our collective obsession. In the last two years, two of my friends committed suicide because of burnout/depression, and ensuing unemployment. Both felt worthless without a job. To me those tragedies are still unacceptable and I directly blame the Capitalist ideology.

No information on Alfie Morgan, apart from the liner notes stating that he appeared in “various films in France, Austria and England” and that” his friends Omar Sharif and Michel Polnareff persuaded him to record his German début single”.

The tiny Citycord label, located in Hamburg-Sasel, was founded by Manfred Dulau and Joe Moser in 1966. Moser also co-wrote  “Morgen ist ein neuer Tag”. The music to Ich bin so faul (Ya Du travail) was written by young Janco Nilovic, later a composer of library music, with lyrics by Ernst Bader. Bader, both a Christian and a Socialist, wrote countless songs for stars like Freddy Quinn, Udo Jürgens, Catarina Valente, Nana Mouskouri, Adamo and most of the German lyrics to the songs of Charles Aznavour. Despite of his wealth, he lived a very modest life, giving most of his money away. He donated to the radical-leftist APO-Press, financed the St. Pauli Museum, that is still in existence today, and guaranteed in his will, that the tenants of his condominiums had life-long habitation rights at a low rent. Photographer Günter Zint, was a friend of Ernst Bader for forty years. When Bader died in 1999, he held his obituary.

Anyway, I love the unabashed praise of the virtues of laziness in this song…

ALFIE MORGAN, Ich bin so faul, 1968

Der Tag ist heiß,/ heiß weht der Föhn/ Oh, ich bin so faul/ Ach, ist das schön/ Die Andern ackern und schaffen für sich,/ aber keiner ist froh und zufrieden wie ich./ Wenn sie sagen, ich mach´ alles völlig verkehrt,/ich finde, auch mein Leben ist was wert./ Oh, ich bewund´re den emsigen Boss,/ ganz bestimmt fällt dem Mann das Geld nicht in den Schoß,/aber ich schau´ auf blühende Felder hinaus/ und ich ruh´ mich aus./Der Tag ist heiß,/ heiß weht der Föhn/ Oh, ich bin so faul/ Ach, ist das schön./ Da schlendert froh mit verliebtem Gesang,/ schon mein Mädchen am Morgen die Strasse entlang/ und sie setzt sich zu mir dann mit fröhlichem Blick./ Und dann träumen wir beide vom großen Glück./ Für dauren Küsse, da brauch´ ich kein Geld./ Wir geniessen mit offenen Augen die Welt./ Wenn die ander´n sich plagen, dann träumen wir süß/ wie im Paradies./ Der Tag ist heiß,/ heißweht der Föhn/ Oh, ich bin so faul/ Ach, ist das schön

ALFIE MORGAN, Morgen ist ein neuer Tag, 1968

Morgen ist ein neuer Tag is a German cover version of Gene Stridel´s northern soul classic Tomorrow Is Another Day on the Atlantic label.