"Ohne dich" (Without you) is a power ballad by German band Rammstein from the album Reise, Reise. It is seen as expressing mourning over the loss of a loved person. It was released as the third single from the album on 22 November 2004 in Germany, Switzerland and Austria. Other countries' releases followed up from that date. It follows a slow, even romantic ballad style. The central motif is 'Without you, I cannot be, without you..., With you, I am also alone, without you...'

The single includes as its 6th track the so-called beta version of what should have been part of Mutter. Indeed, Ohne dich was planned for Mutter, but then dismissed. Both versions, the current and the beta version, are very similar. Much of the instrumentation is the same for both versions, except the beta version has heavier drums and added electronic sounds while in the Reise, Reise version, the strings and oboe are more visible and Lindemann's voice is softer.

Video

The video was filmed in the Kaun Valley and on the Pitz Valley glacier in Tyrol, Austria. It shows the band climbing in the mountains when Rammstein's vocalist Till Lindemann falls and gets badly hurt. The song then ends and there is a quiet minute as the band sits in the tent and Till, with gangrene eating away at his injured leg, longingly watches up on a mountain peak. The music starts again as the band starts to climb the mountain, carrying Till on their shoulders. In the end, they reach the mountain peak, Till takes a look around and dies with a satisfied smile.

Live story

The song debuted live in its beta version in 2000, in a concert just for members of the fan club After that, it was dropped during the 2001-2002 Mutter tour. It returned to the setlists for the 2004-2005 Reise, Reise tour, in which it was played in almost every concert, exceptions being festivals. Usually, sparks would rain over Till Lindemann during the final chorus. In those of the live shows that Apocalyptica was the support act, they played the cellos in the song.

Track listing

1. Ohne dich (Album Edit)
2. Ohne dich (Mina Harker's Version - Remix by Laibach)
3. Ohne dich (Sacred Mix - Remix by Sven Helbig)
4. Ohne dich ( Schiller Mix)
5. Ohne dich (Under Byen Remix)
6. Ohne dich (Beta Version)

Trivia

The song was recently covered by Slovenian industrial band Laibach.

• Web's Boulevard - Rammstein and pop culture (Brazil)