The divide between Communist East Germany and the democratic Western World is illustrated in the numerous cultural references included in the song's lyrics; they underline the idea that Hedwig is living in the Communist world where dictators and violence are the norm, while across the wall, Luther (and the American food products, fashion items and technological advancements) represents the American Dream.

References in the song

• Sugar daddy - a slang term for an older (usually richer) man who courts a much younger partner (in this case, a young boy).
• Licorice drops - a sweet made from licorice.
• Jelly roll - a rolled sponge cake with jam (usually strawberry) between the layers of the roll.
• Blackstrap molasses - sugar syrup or treacle after the third boiling, still mostly made up of sugar but with hefty helpings of calcium, magnesium, and iron.
• Orange blossom honey bear - referring to the common appearance of honey in a bear-shaped container. Orange blossom is one of many varieties of commercially sold honey. In the song the term is used as a term of endearment.
• Versace blue jeans - jeans made by the clothing designer Versace, whose clients include Elton John.
• The disco-dancing jetset in Milan and Rome - references to the Italian cities of Milan and Rome, considered to be two of the fashion capitals of the world.
• A blitzkrieg on the roll - Blitzkrieg is a German military term meaning 'lightning war' and referring to a fast and heavy bombardment.
• Waterpik - Waterpik Technologies, an American company set up in 1962 to sell dental, shower and swimming pool gadgets.
• Cuisinart - Cuisinart is a brand of food processing products.
• A hypoallergenic dog - a dog to which humans will not be allergic; for example of a breed such as the Afghan Hound or the Schnauzer, which do not shed their hairs. However, see also the Allerca page for recent developments in hypoallergenic pets.
• The Lillian Vernon catalogue - a catalogue of fashion accessories sent out by the Lillian Vernon Corporation.
• Ermine stole - a type of shawl made from the fur of the stoat.
• Venus on a chocolate clam shell rising on a sea of marshmallow foam - Venus was the Roman goddess of love, who is famously depicted in The Birth of Venus as rising from the sea on a clam shell.
• Erich Honecker - the German Communist politician who led East Germany between 1971 and 1989.
• Helmut Kohl - the Chancellor of Germany between 1982 and 1998.
• The Ukraine - a country in eastern Europe.
• The Rhone - one of Europe's major rivers.
• Sweet home über alles - a play between "Sweet Home Alabama" and Deutschland über alles, German for 'Germany before everything else', and is a paraphrase of the first line of Das Lied der Deutschen, The Song of the Germans, part of which is used as the German national anthem.

See also

• The sixth season episode of The Simpsons, "Homer: Bad Man"
• Gummy bears
• Sugar Daddy