Line #76 Music/KlausNomi


1	[[quoteright:340:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/cfc7f8c306782e519a414f997bb83e56.jpg]]
2
3	->''"Total eclipse\
4	It's a total eclipse\
5	It's a total eclipse of the sun\
6	Can't come to grips with the total eclipse\
7	Just a slip of the lips and you're done"''
8	-->-- "'''Total Eclipse'''"
9
10	''Klaus Nomi'' [[JustForFun/DescribeTopicHere is]]...
11
12	Well,
13
14	[[MindScrew Um.]]
15
16	[[ShapedLikeItself He just is.]]
17
18	Klaus Nomi (born Klaus Sperber, January 24, 1944 – August 6, 1983) was a falsetto DarkCabaret / {{New Wave\|Music}} cover singer, performance artist, and pastry chef who rose to fame in the 1970's. Raised in UsefulNotes/{{Germany}} (and coming from ''outer space''), he started out singing operatic arias in vaudeville shows before becoming one of the most lauded New Wave talents of the era. Sadly, he became a victim of ExecutiveMeddling, and eventually lost control over most of his music. Even more tragic was his early death at age 39 from AIDS, being one of the first celebrities to die from the disease.
19
20	He cited Music/ElvisPresley and Maria Callas as his biggest influences, and it shows -- his cover songs are a delicate balance between rock and opera, with a strong New Wave vibe. He appeared on ''Urgh! A Music War.'' where he performed his SignatureSong, "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yuSrsGzhD9U Total Eclipse]]" (which was covered by Music/NinaHagen). He also worked with Music/DavidBowie (as a backup singer for Bowie's first ''Series/SaturdayNightLive'' appearance in 1979), and they inspired each other's wardrobes for a short while.
21
22	Klaus Nomi still has a massive fanbase, and is considered by many to be one of New Wave's most defining and unique voices.
23
24	The only person to even come close to his brand of "post-modern theatricality" is Music/LadyGaga, who cites him as an influence. It shows.
25
26	...And he sang ''[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8vXR5gjRMPk The Wizard Of Oz.]]''
27	----
28	!!Discography:
29
30	* ''Music/{{Klaus Nomi\|Album}}'' (1981)
31	* ''Music/SimpleMan'' (1982)
32	----
33
34	!! The works of Klaus Nomi contain examples of the following tropes:
35
36	* AfterTheEnd: "Total Eclipse" and "After the Fall" both deal with the apocalypse. The main difference is the first song just decides to accept the end of Earth and dance before it happens, while the second song sings that life will go on somehow.
37	* AnonymousBand: Initially, Klaus's band all wore black and ski masks to avoid distracting the audience from Klaus's theatrics. Then they realized it wasn't a problem.
38	** Averted for the ''Urgh!'' performance, which featured a band in weird white outfits, much to the original band's disgust.
39	* AntiLoveSong: "You Don't Own Me."
40	* [[TenorBoy Countertenor Boy]]: Nomi didn't just put up a funny voice: He was actually trained as a countertenor singer.
41	* CoverVersion: Many. "Lightning Strikes," originally by Lou Christie (Christie was so impressed by Klaus's version of "Lightning Strikes" that he wanted to work on a space opera with Klaus), "The Twist," originally by Hank Ballard and the Midnighters (and popularized by Chubby Checker), "You Don't Own Me," originally by Music/LesleyGore, "Just One Look," originally by Doris Troy, "Falling in Love Again," originally by Creator/MarleneDietrich, "Can't Help Falling in Love," originally by Music/ElvisPresley, "I Feel Love," originally by Music/DonnaSummer. "Ding Dong the Witch is Dead," originally from ''Film/TheWizardOfOz.'' And the opera songs.
42	* TheCoverChangesTheGender: Averted with "You Don't Own Me:" "''Don't say I can't play with other BOYS!''" It makes sense, considering that Nomi was gay.
43	* TheEndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt: "Total Eclipse," about a nuclear disaster taking place, but Nomi invites everybody to just sing and dance a final time.
44	* EpicInstrumentalOpener: "From Beyond," "High Wire," and "Fanfare."
45	* FakeOutFadeOut: "Samson and Delilah (Aria)" seems to end, but then a space rocket sound is heard, after which the song closes for real.
46	* GenreBusting: Klaus is... Pop music covering opera performance art with heavy reliance on synthesizers? Let's just say it's New Wave.
47	* GratuitousFrench: "Samson and Delilah (Aria)" and "Enchante."
48	* HeyLetsPutOnAShow: After his first performance at the New Wave Vaudeville, Ann Magnuson asked ''people who didn't even know Klaus'' to start a band for him.
49	* IconicOutfit: His tuxedo suit, big black tie, white make-up, black lipstick, and hair stuck up straight.
50	* IncrediblyLongNote: "The Cold Song" ends with one.
51	* IndecipherableLyrics: The ''Za Bakdaz'' album.
52	* LastNoteNightmare: "Samson and Delilah (Aria)" ends with a UFO takeoff.
53	** He does this ''twice in a row'' on his first album. The otherwise calm "Nomi Chant" becomes a ScareChord in its last second, and his rendition of the aria "Mon Coeur c'ouvre a ta Voix" from ''Samson and Delilah'' ends with what can only be described as him getting back in his space ship and taking off. [[ItMakesSenseInContext It makes sense in his live shows.]]
54	* MysticalHighCollar: In his late career, Nomi ditched his iconic tuxedo and started wearing Renaissance-inspired clothing with high collars and ruffs. This added to the otherworldly nature of his performances, especially given that he was often performing Renaissance music, but it also allowed him to hide the lesions of the Kaposi's sarcoma that would kill him.
55	* {{New Wave\|Music}}: The genre he's most closely associated with.
56	* {{Opera}}: He was a countertenor and thus could sing quite high.
57	* [[OneWomanWail One Countertenor Wail]]: "From Beyond" and its reprise, "Return."
58	* PowerBallad: {{New Wave\|Music}} PowerBallad!
59	* ProtestSong: "You Don't Own Me," a Lesley Gore cover, where the protagonist sings about how his lover doesn't have to right to rule him.
60	* {{Pun}}: Several instances of Nomi/Know me.
61	* RearrangeTheSong: Nomi covered songs, both from pop and classical music, in ways that sound extremely bizarre and otherworldly.
62	* RevolvingDoorBand: The original band is not the album band is not the ''Urgh!'' band.
63	* RhymingWithItself: "Total Eclipse:"
64	--> ''Total eclipse! It's a total eclipse!''
65	* {{Rockumentary}}: ''The Nomi Song.''
66	* ScareChord: "Nomi Chant" ends with one.
67	* SelfTitledAlbum: His debut album, ''Music/{{Klaus Nomi\|Album}}''.
68	* SequelSong: one way to interpret "After The Fall" in relation to "Total Eclipse".
69	* SongOfSongTitles: In "After the Fall" from ''Music/SimpleMan:''
70	--> ''So I told you about the total eclipse now, but still it caught you unawared...''
71	* TheSongRemainsTheSame: Despite his tendency to RearrangeTheSong, the opera pieces are left basically untouched.
72	* StageNames: He's really Klaus Sperber.
73	* TheSomethingSong: "Nomi Song" and "The Cold Song."
74	* TitleTrack: "Simple Man" from ''Music/SimpleMan'' and "Za Bakdaz" from the never-finished project he worked on before his death.
75	* TouchedByVorlons: He pretended to be from outer space in his lyrics. Not that odd considering he was once a back-up singer for Music/DavidBowie.
76	* WordSaladLyrics: "Cre Spoda, "Za Bakdaz," and most of that album, really. Also, the album version of the ''Samson and Delilah'' aria isn't actually French.

Context Music / KlausNomi