Across the oceans in my mind / Across the skies I left behind / A land of opportunity / A land to fill my destiny
Emigrate is an industrial metal project formed by German guitarist Richard Z. Kruspe in 2005, in order to have an outlet for his need for artistic control that was causing conflict within Rammstein. In his own words, "Emigrate was formed to balance myself out to cure myself to go back to Rammstein and be back at the top of my game." Emigrate isn't so much a band with a steady lineup, but a collective title for Richard's work with his friends and guest artists (such as Jonathan Davis, Peaches, Cardinal Copia, and Marilyn Manson, among others).
Discography:
- Emigrate (2007)
- Silent So Long (2014)
- A Million Degrees (2018)
- The Persistence of Memory (2021)
Tropes:
- Alternate Music Video: “You Are So Beautiful” has two versions—the album version, which depicts Richard as a negligent father, and the acoustic version, in which he sings directly to and dances with his daughter.
-
Distanced from Current Events: The Silent So Long version of "Hypothetical" features vocals from Marilyn Manson. Given the severity of the current allegations against him, the song was re-released on The Persistence of Memory with Richard's vocals. - Doting Parent: Three of Emigrate's songs were written for Richard's daughters—”Babe” for Khira Li; “Rainbow” and “You Are So Beautiful” for Maxime.
- Friendship Song: “Let's Go” is a duet between Richard and Till Lindemann, describing the early days of their friendship in East Germany. The two also performed a duet of “Always on My Mind.” Yes. The Elvis one. “We Are Together” was described by Richard as a love letter to Rammstein.
- I Am the Band: Emigrate can best be described as “Richard Kruspe and Friends.”
- Intercourse with You: Several songs, but especially “Get Down” and “Hypothetical.”
- Location Song: “New York City.”
- Love Is a Drug: “Eyes Fade Away” compares a toxic relationship to drug addiction, with lines such as “if I could only drain you from my veins.”
- Multilingual Song: Richard's verse and the choruses of “Let's Go” are in English; Till's verse is in German.
- Protest Song: “War” is a commentary on the commodification of armed conflict by the media.We keep the cameras rolling
So we can televise
All that we've been controlling
To keep you mesmerized - Shout-Out: One of the albums is named after Salvador Dalí's "The Persistence of Memory".
- What Could Have Been: Richard has stated that David Bowie, Chester Bennington from Linkin Park, and Chris Cornell were all in various stages of agreeing to appear on Emigrate tracks at the time of their deaths.
