Retrospective Nico

She hugged her plaything softly
Broke it in pieces then
And felt a longing still
But knew not what it meant

Since she was alone
And her hair so blond
And as red as wine her kiss
Whoever drank that wine would
Never again feel bliss

The "Lied vom einsamen Mädchen" (Song of the Lonesome Girl) was written and performed by Nico for her last album "Camera Obscura" in 1985, three years before she died. Childhood, longing, longing for death, loneliness, love and pain are the recurring themes in her life and art.
Nico was a model, an actress and a musician. While she considered modeling the job that paid her bills, and largely played herself in her film roles instead of putting her acting skills to the test, she took to songwriting and singing as her true means of artistic expression. Nico's music had a bearing on the Dark Wave, Gothic, Punk, Ambient and Pop scenes. Solo artists such as Björk, Patti Smith or Cat Power found an inspiration in Nico's uncompromising style and her idiosyncratic songs, which often tilt from sweetness to a tragic tone and back again.

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