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Berlin

From HitStory, the pop encyclopedia of School of Rock · Artist

Berlin is an American new wave and synth-pop band from Los Angeles. The group grew out of The Toys, a rock band from Orange County built around the bassist John Crawford, in the late 1970s. The name Berlin had nothing to do with the German city: it was meant to make the band sound European and exotic. The musicians were inspired by Kraftwerk, Devo, Sparks and Giorgio Moroder. In 1979 the singer Terri Nunn joined, through an advertisement.

Music and breakthrough

After a difficult start, the single The Metro took off. With it the band paid for the EP Pleasure Victim (1982), recorded on a tiny budget. It contained Sex (I'm a ...), which some radio stations banned because of its lyrics. The label Geffen then released the record worldwide. Love Life (1984) included No More Words, the first real hit. The biggest success came in 1986: Take My Breath Away for the film Top Gun, written and produced by Giorgio Moroder. The song won an Oscar and a Golden Globe.

Influence

That success was at the same time the end. Part of the band did not consider it a song of their own, because none of them had written it. In 1987 Berlin broke up; ten years later Nunn started again under the name. The band shows how the hit factory of the 1980s worked: a producer with a plan, a film company and a voice that fitted exactly, together good for a worldwide hit.

Listening

Listening tip. Listen to Take My Breath Away. Notice the soft, floating synthesizer sounds and the slow electronic bass line, and the calm, breathy singing of Terri Nunn above them.

Discography

Studio albums

In School of Rock

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Mentioned in other articles

See also

Categories: Artists