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Nico

From HitStory, the pop encyclopedia of School of Rock · Artist

Nico, born Christa Päffgen, was a German singer, songwriter, actress and model. She was born in Cologne in 1938 and grew up during and after the Second World War, partly in Berlin. As a teenager she became a fashion model. Later she worked in Paris and New York, where she took acting lessons and appeared in films such as Federico Fellini's La Dolce Vita (1960) and Andy Warhol's Chelsea Girls (1966).

Music and breakthrough

Through Warhol, who managed the group, she became the singer of The Velvet Underground. On the debut The Velvet Underground & Nico (1967), with Warhol's banana on the sleeve, she sings three songs: Femme Fatale, All Tomorrow's Parties and I'll Be Your Mirror. One critic described her voice as half goddess, half icicle. That same year she made the solo album Chelsea Girl, with songs by Bob Dylan and Tim Hardin, among others, but she was unhappy with the orchestral arrangements.

Influence

Encouraged by Jim Morrison, she began writing her own songs, built around the harmonium, a small pump organ that became her trademark. The Marble Index (1968), arranged by John Cale, sounds dark and is influenced by classical music. Desertshore (1970) and The End... (1974) followed. With her dark clothes and severe appearance she anticipated gothic rock. Artists such as Siouxsie and the Banshees, The Cure, Morrissey and Björk were influenced by her. In 1988 she fell off her bicycle on Ibiza; she died of a brain haemorrhage, aged 49.

Listening

Listening tip. In All Tomorrow's Parties, listen to Nico's voice: heavy, flat and almost without vibrato, with a German accent. Notice the piano that keeps repeating the same hard chords, which gives the song something compelling.

Discography

Studio albums

In School of Rock

The chapters, maps and magazine stories of School of Rock are currently available in Dutch only.

See also

Categories: Artists