Music Inspired by the Berlin Wall

With the recent 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall in mind, we've been taking a look back at some of the more memorable songs that were either inspired by or later dedicated to the infamous Cold War creation. Here's what we've found:

"99 Luftballons" by Nena: This song was conceived when Carlo Karges, Nena's guitarist, saw a bunch of balloons released at a Rolling Stones concert in Berlin and wondered what would happen if they crossed over the Wall into East Germany. The German-language song, later recorded in English, is one of the highest-charting foreign-language songs ever on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, peaking at #2.

"Nikita" by Elton John: The video for this 1985 ballad about star-crossed lovers depicts Sir Elton repeatedly crossing an East Berlin checkpoint to romance a beautiful Soviet border guard named "Nikita."  Interestingly, it was Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev who originally gave the order to build the Berlin Wall.

"Heresy" by Rush: The lyrics are unequivocally about the fall of the Iron Curtain and the Berlin Wall: ""All across that dull gray world from Moscow to Berlin...walls go tumbling in..."

"Holidays in the Sun" by The Sex Pistols: One of the last singles recorded by the band before their breakup (and eventual reunion). Interesting quote from Johnny Rotten: "I loved Berlin. I loved the wall and the insanity of the place. The communists looked in on the circus atmosphere of West Berlin, which never went to sleep, and that would be their impression of the West."

"Looking for Freedom" by David Hasselhoff: It's well known that the 'Hoff is bigger in Germany than he ever was in the U.S. (which is actually saying a lot). But few may remember at this point that "Looking for Freedom" was #1 in Germany for eight weeks in 1989 and became an unofficial soundtrack to the fall of the Wall. In fact, Hasselhoff performed the song at a huge New Year's celebration at the Brandenburg Gate only a few weeks later.

"Wind of Change" by Scorpions: This is one of the most recognizable songs celebrating the destruction of the Berlin Wall and more generally the fall of communist regimes throughout Central and Eastern Europe. Not surprisingly, the song was and still is massively popular in Germany, home of the Scorpions.

The Wall by Pink Floyd: The album wasn't actually inspired by the Berlin Wall—it's a reference to Roger Waters' desire to create a metaphorical "wall" between him and his fans. However, Waters famously organized a mega-concert performance of this iconic rock opera in Berlin several months after the Wall came down and released The Wall—Live in Berlin in September 1990.

Comments

[John Politis]

What about "West of the Wall," by Miss Toni Fisher, her second highest charting song from when I was in high school.

[Wall built upon sorrow
One day you will end
Hearts true to each other
Will not break
They will not bend
In our hour of sadness
How clearly we can see
Tomorrow's gladness
Free, free, free, free........]