Thank you Nena, happy 50th birthday!

This evening there was a show for and with Nena on german television celebrating her 50th birthday (although this was actually March 24th, can you believe it???). I enjoyed it a lot but it also brought back some bitter memories. I still remember the morning after her groundbreaking performance in Radio Bremen's Musikladen. Notorious for showing scantily clad girls performing to obscure dutch Disco, the show did not rate too high in our ranks. As there was not much competition in german tv, everybody watched it nevertheless

The morning after August 17, 1982 everybody was talking about that girl in the red leather mini skirt and her astonishing performance. She was absolutely new (although she later often enough showed us her Rolling Stones T-Shirts). Just being there having fun AND singing in german! And later on a lot of success!

I loved the song immediately with this picky synth and obviously proposed angular dance moves. nevertheless there also was this floating synth melody and then her voice. This was the feeling of youth! Everybody liked it, although I, being cool and underground, could not buy her record as it was just a cheap copy of what was happening in the underground with a little more crowd appeal (later more of these copies appeared even in the underground. No wonder they remained unknown). Finally I bought the first album in August 83 on the flea market where I had my own little stand selling stuff I would now like to have back.

As long as the hit singles were dropping from the production line everything was fine. In 84 I think the well dried up. I can not remember a Nena song after that except Wunder geschehen which should become an anthem of german reunification. I think nobody had noticed that song in 89 as Nena's success seemed to be in the past.

I still vividly remember the night of December 23, 1989 when for the first time it was possible to drive from Lichtenberg (BRD) to Salzwedel (DDR) as before just to Lüchow. My two brothers were also there for the holidays and after trimming the tree we and our parents went for a very special journey that had not been possible a few days earlier. Although I am now not sure it was conforming to international rules there were rumours that we could go east on 24.12.89 0:00. We were part of a long line of cars slowly moving eastwards! After we crossed the borderline "hell" broke lose! People banging on the roof cheering loudly and friendly! In Salzwedel we somehow arrived at the "Kulturhaus der Erdgasarbeiter" (Party home of the natural gas workers) if I remember it correctly. This was the local place for events. I cannot remember when my parents went back home but my brothers and I stayed ther till the early hours. I still remember the great feeling of simple joy and fun of that night. We were talking to people of our age who grew up a few kilometers too far east. It was easy to see we did not want the world, just our part of it. In that moment nobody thought of reunification, just the new possibilities of moving as everybody liked and meeting the "enemy".

That night in my brain is linked with Goldkrone (cheap brandy), Karo (cheap cigarettes) and Nena's wonderful song that was played several times "Wunder geschehen". Before that night I was not even sure if Nena was still among us not knowing that she even had a single out... Somehow we made it home with a Taxi from the GDR to the BRD! Unthinkable a few days earlier! Despite all problems that still exist, I am really glad that things developed this way. Therefore I cannot thank God as i Do not think he had enough influence to the thoughts of Michael Gorbatschow. We have to thank him for keeping it could cool even if he could have acted differently!

Listening to Nena's words in her voice that night in Salzwedel still sends shivers down my spine. Even during tonights TV show there were moments I had to sob...

So here it is:

Wunder geschehn

Nena has a great new record out now: more club Disco electronic, very cool at 50!