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Music enhances our journeys, passes time, and provides entertainment. In Berlin, a city with over 300 train stations and panoramic views from the overhead S-Bahn, a fully-equipped smartphone or MP3 player can transform a simple commute into a cinematic experience with accompanying music.
I possess a larger number of records connected to Berlin compared to any other city. I cannot help but think that the city needs a central hub or main location where all the different influences converge – a musical equivalent of the impressive Berlin Hauptbahnhof, which was established in 2006 and serves as a significant representation of reunification.
Which performers would be featured?
If you were a child growing up in the 1970s, it would be simple to focus solely on David Bowie. However, Berlin’s rich music history goes beyond just one artist. The city was once a notable stop on the German classical music scene. In fact, the Schauspielhaus, now known as Konzerthaus Berlin, hosted the premiere of Weber’s Der Freischütz in 1821, which is regarded as the first romantic German opera.
The Berlin Philharmonic was established in 1882 and is located at the unique and unconventional Philharmonie Berlin, which resembles a tent. In 1913, the orchestra’s inaugural recording of Wagner’s Parsifal was led by Alfred Hertz. The audio quality is impacted by the basic technology used at the time; the musicians were tightly packed into a small room to ensure they were close enough to a large recording horn.
The center of government for the Weimar Republic was located at the Reichstag, although there is a popular belief that it was actually controlled by the wild and extravagant cabarets and dive bars. However, tourists are often disappointed in their search for this supposed decadence, as it was not as widespread or long-lasting as portrayed. And while some may try to locate the places mentioned in Christopher Isherwood’s novels Mr Norris Changes Trains (1935) and Goodbye to Berlin (1939), it’s important to remember that Isherwood is a skilled fiction writer and not everything in his works should be taken as fact.
In late 1930, Isherwood finally found a permanent residence at Nollendorfstrasse 17 in the Schöneberg area, after relocating multiple times. He lived there with Jean Ross, a British war journalist who inspired the character of Sally Bowles in his works and the musical adaptation, Cabaret.
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During the early 1920s, there were 38 cabarets in Berlin. One of these was called Tingel-Tangel and was located at the Theater des Westens (Kantstrasse 12), where famous performers Marlene Dietrich and Josephine Baker often put on shows. Berlin’s collection of cabaret songs is quite extensive. One of the most well-known is Dietrich’s Ich bin von Kopf bis Fuss auf Liebe eingestellt (Falling in Love Again in English), which she recorded in both languages for the 1930 film The Blue Angel. This film was shot at the Babelsberg film studio in nearby Postdam. Max Hansen, a Danish tenor who founded the Kabarett der Komiker, also recorded several cheeky show songs, such as Meine liebe Lola and War’n Sie schon mal in mich verliebt?, which satirized Hitler as a homosexual.
The Nazis considered a lot of art and culture to be “Entartete” or degenerate. They banned Jewish music. In the 1930s, Hirsch Lewin, a Lithuanian, operated a “Hebrew Bookstore” at Grenadierstrasse 28 (now Almstadtstrasse 10). The building still stands today. He spent the rest of his time recording klezmer songs and releasing them on his Semer label. The Nazis destroyed his shop and many of the recordings, but in 2016, an international group released a collection of these songs on the Berlin-based Piranha label. One of the songs, “Scholem Baith,” is a bold call-and-response piece that rivals any song by Dietrich.
Hitler loved Wagner and hated jazz, experimental music and Romany folk. In studies of Nazi propaganda, an oft-cited song is Swedish-born Zarah Leander’s 1942 hit Ich weiss, es wird einmal ein Wunder gescheh’n (I Know That Someday a Miracle Will happen), recorded at Lindström Studios (Schlesische Strasse 26).
During the time of the Soviet Union, musicians in East Berlin played it safe in order to avoid being censored or facing even worse consequences. One popular genre that was considered safe was German easy listening, also known as schlager. The DDR’s Amiga label, which was approved by the state, produced many albums filled with songs like Ilja Glusgal’s 1950 hit “Nein Nein Nein” – a tune that could easily be imagined playing during a Stasi raid in a dark comedy. The DDR Museum has a vast collection of albums from this era. As the popularity of jazz and big band music declined, schlager became more cheesy and featured more crooners and imitation country and western acts. Some even view it as the precursor to the kitschy and campy performances seen in the Eurovision Song Contest. Despite any criticism, German audiences continue to love schlager; in fact, last year marked the 25th anniversary of the Schlager Nacht event at Berlin’s Mercedes-Benz Arena. This year’s “good mood music” festival will take place on November 16th.
The paths of Lou Reed, David Bowie, and Iggy Pop intersected numerous times throughout their careers. Reed was the first to travel to Berlin, figuratively speaking. His album Berlin from 1973 tells the story of a couple torn apart by drug addiction and violence. The title track creates a moody ambiance reminiscent of a German beer hall and cabaret. Reed described Berlin as the birthplace of German film noir and expressionism, but he also saw the Berlin Wall – now a memorial, museum, and art gallery – as a symbol for a fractured relationship.
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Did the album’s concept serve as inspiration for David Bowie and Iggy Pop to experience the real thing? Bowie himself stated that he traveled to Berlin in order to escape the influence of LA and his cocaine-induced psychosis. The story behind how he created three groundbreaking albums, known as the Berlin Trilogy, is intricate and lengthy. Many songs from Low (1977), “Heroes” (1977), and Lodger (1979) are influenced by the city and the Cold War era in the east. The title track of “Heroes” (also released in German as “Helden”) has become one of Bowie’s most beloved songs, with its depiction of lovers at the wall and the sound of gunshots overhead. Low’s Subterraneans was initially recorded in LA for the film The Man Who Fell to Earth, but was not ultimately used. In an interview with Record Mirror in 1977, Bowie explained that the song was about those left behind in East Berlin after the separation, with the faint jazz saxophones representing their memories of what once was.
Iggy Pop’s 1977 song “The Passenger” from the album “Lust for Life” may have been a satirical statement on his collaboration with David Bowie. Alternatively, it can also be interpreted as a song for a scenic car ride on a “winding ocean drive”. However, according to German photographer and former partner of Pop, Esther Friedman, the song is actually “a tribute to the Berlin S-Bahn”. Pop was a regular rider of the S-Bahn and was often inspired by his daily journeys, particularly the route to Wannsee. The recording of the song took place at Hansa Tonstudio on Köthener Strasse 38, just a few doors down from the Berlin Wall, as shown on this map. This studio also attracted other famous artists such as Depeche Mode, U2, and Boney M.
In 1977, the band Sex Pistols took a short trip to Berlin, which served as inspiration for their energetic song “Holidays in the Sun”. Unlike the romanticized image of lovers kissing by the Berlin Wall, depicted in the song’s opening with the sound of marching boots and the lyrics “A cheap holiday in other people’s misery”, lead singer Johnny Rotten (also known as John Lydon) recalls his love for the city and its chaotic atmosphere. He also comments on the contrast between East and West Berlin, with the communists observing the constant partying and activity of West Berlin.
Nico, who collaborated with Reed on the initial Velvet Underground record, gave her final performance at the Planetarium in West Berlin in June 1988. Originally named Christa Päffgen and raised in Berlin, she worked as a salesperson for underwear at the KaDeWe department store. Nico’s resting place is at the Grunewald-Forst cemetery.
During the 1970s and 80s, Berlin’s underground culture encompassed various forms of do-it-yourself art, squatting activism, and drug use, particularly heroin, with many users gathering at Bahnhof Zoo (as depicted in the 1981 film Christiane F, featuring music by Bowie). Tangerine Dream, a band that experienced frequent lineup changes, was one of the most successful acts to emerge from this scene. They held large concerts in West Berlin and were among the first well-known groups to perform in East Berlin. Their show on January 31, 1980 at the Palast der Republik, the former home of the DDR parliament (now demolished), was heavily bootlegged.
Radical music, attuned to Berlin’s ruinous wasteland, would come from Einstürzende Neubauten, the West Berlin industrial/experimental rock band whose lead singer/screamer is Blixa Bargeld – a key member of both the Bad Seeds and the Birthday Party. Steh auf Berlin (Wake Up Berlin), from their debut album Kollaps, is a classic piece of trash-thrash noise performed on anti-instruments made from scrap metal and building tools.
The New German Wave (NDW) produced catchy synth-pop that was more pleasing to the ear. One of its biggest hits, Nena’s “99 Luftballons,” reached international success with an English version. I can still recall a friend introducing me to a Dutch compilation album titled “Die Neue Deutsche Welle Ist Da Da Da” in 1982, which I saw as the epitome of edgy imported coolness. A lot of the music on the album resembled a faster and more danceable version of Kraftwerk, or at least suitable for the popular skipping dance performed by Andy McCluskey. Some of the top NDW, punk, and metal bands in Berlin were recorded by Harris Johns at his studio, Music Lab Berlin, located at Tempelhofer Ufer 10.
Many establishments have opened and closed, but SO36 in Kreuzberg remains, where bands like Einstürzende Neubauten, Die Toten Hosen, Throbbing Gristle, and the Dead Kennedys caused chaos. However, it is unlikely that Bargeld would make an appearance at the club’s Monday roller disco. The club’s monthly event, Gayhane, known as a “QueerOriental Dancefloor,” is famous.
In 1991, Tresor was one of the pioneer clubs in introducing Detroit techno to the city. It continues to attract renowned DJs. Berghain, another popular club, is located in a previous power station on Karl-Marx-Allee, a significant socialist boulevard. The former Templehof airport, constructed in a blend of modernist and monumental styles favored by the Third Reich, used to hold rave parties. Berlin’s lack of curfew, stemming from West Berlin’s liberal approach to nightlife, makes it a hot spot for techno enthusiasts. DJ Rolando, originally from Detroit, maintains the transatlantic connection with his remix of Expo 2000, paying tribute to Düsseldorf-based Kraftwerk, whose influence on many of the aforementioned artists is well-documented. Ben Klock, a resident at Berghain, produces Subzero, a retro-futuristic track that feels like a train gliding on icy tracks, making it the perfect ending to our S-Bahn journey.
Source: theguardian.com
