Rock icon and living legend David Bowie releases a new album, 'The Next Day,' 12th March after 10 years of artistic silence. It is an album that probably only David Bowie and those working with him on the album, was expecting. The records first single has many similarities with some of Bowie's older recordings.
The Berlin Wall and history ties the new album, and its beautiful first single 'Where Are We Now?,' together with the classic 'Heroes' album and single.
Both singles are about Berlin and the Berlin Wall, but on different levels. On the new single, Bowie sings about Berlin during the Cold War and Berlin today after the Wall has fallen. On the 'Heroes' single, The Thin White Duke sings about a young couple. He got the inspiration from seeing two lovers sitting on a bench by the Berlin Wall. In an 1977 interview, Bowie told that he had wondered why the young couple had chosen to meet on such a unromantic location.
Bowie alters the story on 'Heroes,' now guns are firing over the couples heads: "I, I can remember standing by the wall, And the guns shot over our heads, And we kissed, as though nothing could fall." You wonder, whether the guns are real, and if the couple are trying to cross the Berlin Wall and escape the guards, or if the guns are a symbol of a dying relationship?
Thus, the Berlin Wall was already part of David Bowie's artistic expression in 1977, where the 'Heroes' album and its first single were released. While, Bowie sings about a doomed relationship on 'Heroes,' the young couple still dream that their romance will survive. They act like like heroes, dramatic ceasing the moment; 'kissing like nothing could fall,' and forgetting everything else.
The location is by the Berlin Wall, a symbol of the Cold War and its cruel reality that East- and West Berliners' couldn't travel free and risked getting shot, if they tried to cross the Berlin Wall.
David Bowie sings about the Berlin Wall again on 'Where Are We Now,' but this time from a historical perspective. He mentions locations that were important during the fall of the Berlin Wall, and which became important for our understanding of the Cold War. But, many of the places is also from his personal experiences during his time in Berlin in the 70s, were he lived for a period.
When you look at 'The Next Day' cover the connection with 'Heroes' is evident, as the new front cover is from the 'Heroes' album. On the new cover, the 'Heroes' title has been overwritten and Bowie's face is covered by a white square and 'The Next Day' album title. Could it be symbolic confirmation of the two heroic lovers buried romance and fall of the Wall? Certainly, it raises the single's title question 'Where Are We Now?' We will know, when 'The Next Day' is released 12th March.
The Berlin Wall and history ties the new album, and its beautiful first single 'Where Are We Now?,' together with the classic 'Heroes' album and single.
Both singles are about Berlin and the Berlin Wall, but on different levels. On the new single, Bowie sings about Berlin during the Cold War and Berlin today after the Wall has fallen. On the 'Heroes' single, The Thin White Duke sings about a young couple. He got the inspiration from seeing two lovers sitting on a bench by the Berlin Wall. In an 1977 interview, Bowie told that he had wondered why the young couple had chosen to meet on such a unromantic location.
Bowie alters the story on 'Heroes,' now guns are firing over the couples heads: "I, I can remember standing by the wall, And the guns shot over our heads, And we kissed, as though nothing could fall." You wonder, whether the guns are real, and if the couple are trying to cross the Berlin Wall and escape the guards, or if the guns are a symbol of a dying relationship?
Thus, the Berlin Wall was already part of David Bowie's artistic expression in 1977, where the 'Heroes' album and its first single were released. While, Bowie sings about a doomed relationship on 'Heroes,' the young couple still dream that their romance will survive. They act like like heroes, dramatic ceasing the moment; 'kissing like nothing could fall,' and forgetting everything else.
The location is by the Berlin Wall, a symbol of the Cold War and its cruel reality that East- and West Berliners' couldn't travel free and risked getting shot, if they tried to cross the Berlin Wall.
David Bowie sings about the Berlin Wall again on 'Where Are We Now,' but this time from a historical perspective. He mentions locations that were important during the fall of the Berlin Wall, and which became important for our understanding of the Cold War. But, many of the places is also from his personal experiences during his time in Berlin in the 70s, were he lived for a period.
When you look at 'The Next Day' cover the connection with 'Heroes' is evident, as the new front cover is from the 'Heroes' album. On the new cover, the 'Heroes' title has been overwritten and Bowie's face is covered by a white square and 'The Next Day' album title. Could it be symbolic confirmation of the two heroic lovers buried romance and fall of the Wall? Certainly, it raises the single's title question 'Where Are We Now?' We will know, when 'The Next Day' is released 12th March.
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Check out this preview of David Bowie's new album 'The Next Day' + the latest news on the album, or read this blog.'
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