Iconic Nazi Song Yanked From iTunes as Apple Turns Red

Apple needed to "edit" its iTunes

assortment--quickly.

Executives at Apple--yes, the American multinational corporation that designs and markets consumer electronics, computer software and personal computers--must've turned redder than the fruit after realizing that its iTunes assortment included a famous Third Reich marching anthem, Horst Wessel Lied.

Any customer could download the tune, which is actually a crime in Germany as are many relics from the Nazi era, including the swastika and anything that is seen as glorifying Hitler’s regime; in the case of Nazi songs, it is illegal even to publish lyrics.

The song is named after a university drop-out who became a member of Hitler's brown-shirted storm troopers, who was murdered at the age of 22 when a Communist shot him during a street brawl, which were common at that place and time in history: Germany in the 1920s.

The Nazi Wessel was killed at age

22 in a street brawl with Communists.

Before his death he had written the lyrics for a song about the Nazis’ struggle for power. Nazi propaganda minister Joseph Goebbels rewrote the lyrics and turned Wessel into a martyr and his song into iconic marching music. The piece is also known as Die Fahne hoch, or The Flag Up High.

Apple said the song has been taken off iTunes, along with another album of Nazi music, called SS Protection Squad (probably a poor translation of the German name). Other Nazi tunes supposedly remain in the assortment, according to published reports.

Amazon removed the Horst Wessel song from its site on Wednesday.

Here are the lyrics to the song, translated into English:

The flag on high! The ranks close tightly!

SA marches with calm, firm steps.

Comrades shot by Red Front and reactionaries

March in spirit within our ranks.

Clear the streets for the brownshirts,

Clear the streets for the stormtroopers!

Already millions, upon seeing the swastika, are filled with hope

The day of freedom and bread is dawning!

The call has sounded for the last time

We all stand ready for the fight!

Soon Hitler's flags will fly over all streets.

Our bondage will only last a short time more!