Helreich (song)

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Cover art of the Vittmarker single of "Helreich" by Tenji Sa Reta
Cover art of the Vittmarker single of Helreich by Tenji Sa Reta

Helreich is a song written and performed by the Sokokan band Tenji Sa Reta released in 7690. The song was originally used in an episode of the TV series MEPA-12X and as such released on a soundtrack album in Sokoku. To celebrate the third season of the series, an international release Unsafe at any speed was released in about two dozen countries around the world, including this song. It was released as a single in Vittmark where it reached #2 in the sales charge. In Sokoku it ony reached #8. Both were unique results, since it was the highest charting song from any band from Sokoku in Vittmark today, and the only song on Stoldic that ever made the sales list in Sokoku.

Background

The band Tenji Sa Reta is a cultural project based in Kyusigai but backed by the Kakuri community. They were asked to write a song for the popular TV-series MEPA-12X, which came with recording and releasing support from the Cultural Secretariat.

Composition and recording

The basic outline of the song was composed by bass player Nagare Miko and guitarist Atarashi Kumo, as a result of a jam session between the two. Drummer Taki Ando completed the music with bombastic synthesizer parts. The melody for the lyrics was written by Ando and vocalist Matsunoki Aya, but part of the lyrics were written by external parts since none of the band members manages Stoldic.

The song is an unusual one for this hard rock punk band, both in style and use of language. It was Aya's idea to do a large part of the lyrics in Stoldic since that was the language used by the settlers in the TV-series. She wanted to convey an overly nostalgic and evenly much misplaced nostalgia among the fictional colonists from Helreich with the music fitting the alien setting.

A demo for the song was recorded in the basement studio of Hotel Exemplar Mirei, with Nubugaru MP Sven Tömse as guest vocalist. His appearance was only meant for the demo version, but in the end it was this demo version that got released.

Lyrics

You cried a lot, separated in spirit, but united in heart
We have been together for a very long time
But your breath is cold


The heart is on fire

Wanting to love and condemn you
Helreich, your breath is cold
So young and yet so old


I never wanted to leave you

One can love you and want to hate you
Your love is a blessing and a curse


My heart is on fire

Wanting to love and condemn you
Helreich, your breath is cold
So young and yet so old

Release and reception

The band originally wanted to release the song under a different band name, since it was stylistically so different from the rest of their repertoire. The Kakuri community leadership however urged them to do it under their own name. It was only during the broadcast of the first episode of the third season that the band learned that the production team had used the demo version of the son. That same version now had to be used at the soundtrack album and worldwide compilation as well.

Both the episode and the song received positive reviews, but for many people this was the first time they heard the band at all so they were unaware of the atypical nature of the song. It was released as a single in Sokoku and reached #8 in the sales charts after four weeks, the first ever song with lyrics in Stoldish that achieved this, After the international airing and release of "Unsafe at any speed" the band received a lot of attention, with most people unable to believe the band actually was from Sokoku. In Vittmark Helreich was the second single to be released from that compilation album. After 5 weeks it reached #2 in the sales charts, the first Top 10 achievement by any band from Sokoku. The song received airplay in a dozen more countries.

Contribution controversy

It was only after the track peaked in the Sokokan charts that it was revealed that the unlisted guest vocalist was no other than the Sokokan MP Sven Tömse (Suwen Tumse), who was the only person available at the Hotel Exemplar Mirei to deliver the spoken word parts in Stoldic with a fittingly dark bariton voice during the recording of the demo version. Since this demo version was used in the episode, it caused some controversy. Tömse was not registered as a performing artist, which is a requirement to be part of a production that is (partially) sponsored by the Cultural Secretariat. An inquiry was started by the secretariat's arbitrator, but apart from a mistake in the production of the TV series and the non-inclusion of one of the contributors, no obvious breach of secretariat protocol could be proved. Tömse received permission afterwards and started a private fund for supporting registered artists, to which the secretariat contributes.

Music video

The music video accompanying the song mainly shows footage from the TV-series, even from other episodes. The band members have been mixed in occasionally, posing as extra crew members, lip syncing the lyrics. All the members use lines originally sung by Aya or rapped by Tömse, creating a detached atmosphere.

Contributors

  • Atarashi Kumo (composition: music melody and arrangements; performance: guitars, backing vocals)
  • Nagare Miko (composition: music melody and arrangements; performance: bass guitar, backing vocals)
  • Matsunoki Aya (composition: melody, lyrics; performance: vocals)
  • Taki Ando (composition: music melody and arrangements; performance: drums, keyboards, synthesizer, sampler, backing vocals; production: mixing)
  • Doutsugo Hyoujun (composition: lyrics)
  • Iodhan Åberg (performance: synthesizer, sampler; production: recording, mixing)
  • Ogawa Ryou (production: recording, mixing)
  • Sven Tömse (performance: vocals)