This song is a cover of Depeche Mode – Stripped, which was released in 1986 as part of Depeche Mode’s album Black Celebration.

The title “Stripped” is arguably about seeing someone metaphorically as opposed to physically naked. It’s about seeing someone’s vulnerable side, beneath the surface of their personality, their private thoughts and their innermost desires.

The music video for this song, which can be seen below, was seen as highly controversial as it was made up of footage from Leni Riefenstahl’s documentary film Olympia (1938)). This film documented the 1936 Berlin Olympics, hosted by Nazi Germany. Riefenstahl herself was well liked by the Nazi Party and worked closely with them, she received unparalleled financial and practical support. As a consequence, Olympia has split the opinion of critics. Some see the film as art, as it captures the feats of athletes in groundbreaking and stylish ways, while others see the film as a piece of propaganda, designed to advance Nazi ideology.

For a German band like Rammstein to draw on a Nazi film is therefore quite the statement. Rammstein have said in previous interviews that they are broadly speaking a leftwing band so the use of Olympia footage should not be seen as an expression of neo-Nazism.

What can be said, however, is that combination of music and visuals in the video is striking. It reminds us of how intelligently Riefenstahl edited her films, for a moment the viewer is transfixed and absorbed despite the controversial nature of the video’s content. In this way, Rammstein might be advancing a commentary on beauty: beauty tempts, beauty deceives, beauty is never innocent. In “Stripped” Rammstein aim to see what lies underneath this beautiful surface.