Angstlos is the second solo (and fourth overall) studio album by German singer Nina Hagen. It was released on August 19th 1983 by CBS Records. The English version of the album entitled Fearless was released in November 1983. Produced by Giorgio Moroder and Keith Forsey, the album was a major musical departure from her previous mostly new wave material. Unlike her experimental album NunSexMonkRock (1982), Fearless is a dance-pop album with influence of disco. It also incorporates other genres such as hip hop.

Angstlos / Fearless
Studio album by
ReleasedAugust 19, 1983 (1983-08-19) / November 1983 (1983-11)
Recorded1982
Genre
Length
  • 41:37 (US Version)
  • 37:01 (German Version)
LabelCBS
Producer
Nina Hagen chronology
NunSexMonkRock
(1982)
Angstlos / Fearless
(1983)
In Ekstasy / In Ekstase
(1985)
Singles from Angstlos / Fearless
  1. "Zarah"
    Released: 1983
  2. "New York New York"
    Released: 1983
  3. "The Change"
    Released: 1984
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[1]

Upon its release, Fearless received generally mixed reviews from music critics. While some praised her new musical direction, others were critical towards her newly adopted disco sound. Commercially, the album noted a moderate success. It was Hagen's second album to chart in the United States, where it peaked at number 151 on the Billboard 200. In Germany, it reached number twenty-four and also charted in other countries, such as Austria, Netherlands, and New Zealand.

Two singles from the album were released. The lead single "New York New York" was successful in American dance charts, peaking at number nine on the Billboard Hot Dance Club Songs. "Zarah", a cover of Zarah Leander's song "Ich weiss, es wird einmal ein Wunder geschehen", was released as the album's second single. It was also successful in the United States where it peaked at number forty-five on the Dance Club Songs chart.

The album is also notable for the song "What It Is", which was written by Flea and Anthony Kiedis of the Red Hot Chili Peppers. The song was released nearly a year before the band released their 1984 debut album. The Chili Peppers also recorded a demo version of the song around the same time as Hagen recorded her version and it can be found on their 1994 Out in L.A. album.

Track listing

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Fearless
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."New York New York"
  • Nina Hagen
  • Steve Schiff
  • Karl Rucker
5:16
2."My Sensation"
  • Hagen
  • Schiff
4:04
3."Flying Saucers"
  • Hagen
  • Rucker
3:11
4."I Love Paul"
  • Hagen
  • Rucker
3:50
5."The Change"
  • Hagen
  • Rucker
4:40
6."Silent Love"
  • Hagen
  • Schiff
4:07
7."What It Is"4:18
8."T.V. Snooze"
  • Hagen
  • Schiff
  • Michael Dorian
3:58
9."Springtime in Paris"
  • Hagen
  • Schiff
3:35
10."Zarah"4:38
Total length:41:37
Angstlos
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."New York / N.Y."
  • Nina Hagen
  • Steve Schiff
  • Karl Rucker
4:59
2."Was es ist"4:19
3."Lorelei"
  • Hagen
  • Rucker
  • Juliana Grigorova
2:35
4."Zarah (Ich weiss, es wird einmal ein Wunder geschehen)"5:02
5."Frühling in Paris"
  • Hagen
  • Schiff
3:35
6."I Love Paul"
  • Hagen
  • Rucker
3:50
7."My Sensation"
  • Hagen
  • Schiff
4:03
8."Newsflash"
  • Hagen
  • Schiff
  • Michael Dorian
3:58
9."The Change"
  • Hagen
  • Rucker
4:40
Total length:37:01

Personnel

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Charts

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Chart (1984) Peak
position
Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)[2] 11
Canada Top Albums/CDs (RPM)[3] 68
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[4] 24
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[5] 40
New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[6] 47
US Billboard 200[7] 151

References

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  1. ^ Carpenter, Bil. "Fearless - Nina Hagen". AllMusic. All Media Network. Retrieved October 3, 2011.
  2. ^ "Austriancharts.at – Nina Hagen – Angstlos" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved April 9, 2016.
  3. ^ "Top RPM Albums: Issue 3122". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved March 14, 2021.
  4. ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Nina Hagen – Angstlos" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved April 9, 2016.
  5. ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – Nina Hagen – Angstlos" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved April 9, 2016.
  6. ^ "Charts.nz – Nina Hagen – Fearless". Hung Medien. Retrieved April 9, 2016.
  7. ^ "Nina Hagen Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved April 9, 2016.
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