European people were tired after two World Wars that mostly happens in the territory of Europe. As a result, they wanted to end up the Cold War peacefully. Pop and rock music had a huge impact on this revolutionary movement, especially in eastern European countries. The secret German police called the Stasi tried to catch an imprisoned the singers and all activists of the punk movement. Luckily, their efforts failed and the main symbol of the Cold War, the Berlin Wall, has been collapsed on November 9, 1989. So, what were the most influential singers and bands of that time, and what songs proved people to forget about the violence and act peacefully?
Nena
She is one of the brightest West German stars of the movement against the Cold War in 1989 and her mega-hit “99 Luftballons” is still easily recognizable by different generations. The lyrics were inspired by the image of balloons floating over the Berlin Wall, which triggered 99 years of war and ruined so many lives. Nena has released many other hits and songs such as “Wunder gescheh’n”, “Und alles dreht sich”, “Willst du mit mir gehn”, and “Du bist gut” got many awards. However, the success of “99 Luftballons” is phenomenal and unbeaten.
Die Ärzte
This punk band from West Berlin was a very active member of the movement. The fourth album “Das ist nicht die ganze Wahrheit” was called the anthem of freedom as the main topics were destroying the system, escaping the current situation, and try to build a new life. The drummer of this band, Bela B, was playing in one hot spot bar at night when the wall has been collapsed and he was arrested by the police. The band made some pauses, but they have reunited in 1993 and are still performing until today.
Kraftwerk
This band worldwide famous for those who love punk and electronic music. They have introduced an avant-garde style in music. The group started as part of West Germany’s experimental krautrock scene in the early 1970s but later invented their own style and included new musical instruments for that time such as drum machines, and vocoders. Many hits were number one in Europe, but the song “Musique Non-Stop” was unbeatable top in the USA for many weeks. Despite all the critic they received, Kraftwerk always said that the courage to be different and seek for differences in life is the key to freedom.
Wolf Biermann
Probably, he was the pioneer and the first musician who found the inner courage to step on a stage in West Berlin and criticize the political situation and government. Wolf Biermann does not belong to punk or pop flows, but he might be called a real artist. In his songs, such as the “Ballade vom preußischen Ikarus” he criticized the government but all that was done in a metaphorical way to be able to talk about imprisoned citizens, illegal wall, and killed people who tried to escape.
