An Analysis of Emotional and Religious Meaning in  Classical German Schläger Songs

Yessa Amandha Eka Putri; Lucky Herliawan Y.A; Dani Hendra

doi:10.63922/ijevss.v5i03.3938

Yessa Amandha Eka Putri Pendidikan Bahasa Jerman, Fakultas Pendidikan Bahasa dan Sastra, Universitas Pendidikan Indonesia
Lucky Herliawan Y.A Pendidikan Bahasa Jerman, Fakultas Pendidikan Bahasa dan Sastra, Universitas Pendidikan Indonesia
Dani Hendra Pendidikan Bahasa Jerman, Fakultas Pendidikan Bahasa dan Sastra, Universitas Pendidikan Indonesia

DOI: https://doi.org/10.63922/ijevss.v5i03.3938

Keywords: emotional meaning, religiosity, classic German Schlager, valence–arousal, song lyric analysis

Abstract

This study aims to analyze the representation of emotional meaning and implicit religious meaning in the lyrics of classic German Schlager songs. The research is motivated by the view that song lyrics not only function as entertainment, but also as a medium to convey emotional experiences, spiritual reflections, and human life values. The objects of the study consist of five classic German Schlager songs, namely Über den Wolken by Reinhard Mey, Griechischer Wein by Udo Jürgens, Junge, komm bald wieder by Freddy Quinn, Mama by Heintje, and Der letzte Walzer by Peter Alexander. This study uses a qualitative descriptive method with a content analysis approach. The research data are excerpts from song lyrics that contain emotional and religious elements. The analysis was carried out using James A. Russell's valence–arousal theory (1980) to identify types of emotions and Charles Glock Glock and Rodney Stark Stark's theory of religiosity (1965) to analyze the dimensions of religiosity represented in the song lyrics. The results of this study indicate that classic German Schlager songs represent various human emotions, such as hope, longing, nostalgia, loneliness, sadness, happiness, fear, affection, relief, and grief. These emotions are represented through simple symbols related to everyday life, such as home, mother, letters, dance, and freedom. Furthermore, this study found that the religious meanings in the songs are not explicitly represented through formal religious symbols, but rather through spiritual reflection, family affection, hope, the search for the meaning of life, and interpersonal relationships. The most dominant dimensions of religiosity were experiential and consequential, as most of the lyrics describe inner experiences, self-reflection, and compassionate behavior towards others. This study concludes that classic German Schlager songs function not only as entertainment but also as a medium for emotional expression and spiritual reflection. Through song lyrics, human emotional experiences are deeply represented and closely related to life values and religiosity.

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