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David Bowie releases Berlin song on birthday

Published: 8 Jan 13 12:36 CET | Print version
Online: http://www.thelocal.de/society/20130108-47205.html

David Bowie celebrated his 66th birthday on Tuesday by releasing an anxiously awaited new song featuring the British music legend reminiscing about his time in Berlin in the 1970s.

Where are We Now? is the first single from Bowie's upcoming album The Next Day, which is expected to be released in March.

The song recalls his stay in West Berlin from 1976 to 1979, when he lived with Iggy Pop and Brian Eno in the city's Schöneberg district and recorded some of his most critically acclaimed work at Hansa Studios near the Berlin Wall.

Bowie, who fled to Germany to escape the copious amounts of cocaine he had been doing in Los Angeles, opens the slow number with lyrics describing his life in West Berlin nearly 40 years ago.

Had to get the train/From Potsdamer Platz
You never knew/That I could do that
Just walking the dead


He continues his trip down musical memory lane by namedropping the seminal West Berlin club Dschungel, which attracted the likes of Nick Cave, Romy Haag, Blixa Bargeld, and Martin Kippenberger, before mentioning the city's famous department store KaDeWe.

Sitting in the Dschungel/On Nürnberger Straße
A man lost in time/Near KaDeWe
Just walking the dead


The man once known as 'The Thin White Duke' ends the song by referencing the bridge where East Germans first breached the Iron Curtain in 1989, the Bösebrücke, also known as Bornholmer Brücke.

Twenty thousand people/Cross Bösebrücke
Fingers are crossed/Just in case
Walking the dead


"Where Are We Now" - David Bowie from Jason Drakeford on Vimeo.



The Local/mry

What do you think? Leave your comment below.


Your comments about this article:

13:41 January 8, 2013 by Dalmation
He came to Berlin in the 70's to escape from drugs? Doesn't sound like a convincing drug treatment program was in place.
18:40 January 8, 2013 by Zlik
Him also did music Neukoln, Me recall.
00:45 January 9, 2013 by ron1amr
David Bowie is a very talented artist so the music is good and he still has a great voice. The song seems reminiscent. When you hear the first bar you know the music is good. Well done David for bringing out good material. The memory of his stay in Germany must be implanted in his brain.
00:28 January 11, 2013 by blackboot11
This is so ironic that in Berlin when I just clicked on your link to see this new Bowie video and his new song that was writen about Berlin, this is the auto message that pops up:

"Leider ist dieses Video, das Musik von SME beinhaltet, in Deutschland nicht verfügbar, da die GEMA die Verlagsrechte hieran nicht eingeräumt hat."

That is so laughable it is almost sickening....
12:04 January 13, 2013 by Dalmation
Yes, I just tried to play this also and GEMA have it blocked. The artist who owns it has provided it himself free of charge so what right could GEMA have to block it. They are depriving him of his right to distribute his own intellectual property. Hopefully he will sue them.
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