Loads of the classical canon were actually given their current names by others later. For instance, Beethoven called the Moonlight Sonata “New File 7.md” during his lifetime.
this post was submitted on 25 Jun 2025
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Sadly, Falco's Rock Me Amadeus came out several years before this revelation. I wonder what additional color would have been added to the song had it been known beforehand.
Leck mich im Arsch translates to Lick Me in the Ass. Not Kiss My Ass.
Conveying meaning vs matching words from a dictionary.
I don't know enough about German, or the time, or anything...
But the meaning of "kiss my ass" in English conveys that you're telling someone to fuck off. You're not interested in what they have to say. It's a dismissal.
"Lick my ass", can ALSO mean that, but it can ALSO be an invitation to a specific sexual act.
Was Mozart merely saying fuck off, was he saying fuck off WITH sexual innuendo, or was he communicating a literal proposition for sexual acts? Was it intentionally ambiguous between the 2nd and 3rd case?
If it was the first, then I think the English translation of "kiss my ass", but for all other cases I'd expect "lick" better captures the intention in English
It's almost certainly Mozart saying "fuck off".
Love it. Thanks!
I can tell you that today it just means fuck off
It means fuck off.
There are conflicting accounts of the recovered music, with differing original lyrics, some implying the idiomatic meaning "kiss my ass," and others the more literal analingus.
I prefer the version by Insane Clown Posse, with the immortal lyrics "Mozart / Dope for the most part / Respected / 'Cause he knows art..."