The Very Best Songs About Berlin, Germany

Discover the very best songs about Berlin, Germany. Whether you’re traveling there tomorrow or stuck in a Cold War reverie, we have your back. From David Bowie to Pink Floyd, from the Ramones to Leonard Cohen, from Marlene Dietrich to Nena, we’ve gathered the very best songs about Berlin, Germany in one place. Start with our top ten songs about Berlin, and then explore by genre – including new wave and punk, rock, alternative, electronic, pop, standards and even a few singer/songwriter tunes. And there are quite a few songs about a Wall, both before and after it fell down. You’ll find all the best songs about Berlin, Germany right here.

Top 10 songs About Berlin, Germany

1. Holidays In The Sun – The Sex Pistols (iTunes | Amazon) Singer John Lyndon said he loved the excitement of enclosed Berlin, “The communists looked in on the circus atmosphere of West Berlin, which never went to sleep, and that would be their impression of the West”
2. Another Brick In The Wall, Pt. 2 – Pink Floyd (iTunes | Amazon) Not originally written about Berlin, the anti-oppression became a natural euphemism for the Communists in the 80s. It was capped off in 1990 with a live performance at the Berlin Wall
3. 99 Luftballons – Nena (iTunes | Amazon) German band’s 1983 protest song hypothesizes about World War III beginning as the result of 99 innocent balloons drifting into enemy airspace and confusing all radars. See below for Nena’s 1984 English cover
4. Dancing On The (Berlin) Wall – David Lanz (iTunes | Amazon) Tune from a 1990 classical composer is fraught with tension and infused with pomp, fitting the pending changing of the guard or a stroll by the Brandenburg Gate
5. Wind Of Change – The Scorpions (iTunes | Amazon) 1990 English power ballad from German heavy metal band celebrated Glasnost in the USSR and the ending of Eastern Bloc Communist nations harkening the then-emerging end of the Cold War
6. Berlin – Brazilian Girls (iTunes | Amazon) This raucous but musical track both celebrates and spoofs old school Berlin as well casting a love note to its resilient and cultural modern counterpart
7. Bei Mir Bist Du Schön – Ella Fitzgerald (iTunes | Amazon) Subversive American hit, originally recorded in 1937 by another artist, was a German-ified translation from a 1932 Yiddish musical. The jazzy version was also a big hit in Nazi Germany until its Jewish origins became known
8. Kernkraft 400 (Sport Chant Stadium) – Zombie Nation (iTunes | Amazon) Because this list needs some German Techno that everyone didn’t know that they know. “Now is ze time on Sprockets vhen ve dance”
9. Berlin Hi-Fi – Botanica (iTunes | Amazon) This 2006 track has been called “The most overtly 90’s style indie rock song they’ve done to date… a joyous shout-out to Berlin”
10. Berlin – Lou Reed (iTunes | Amazon) Reed’s classically dark and moody song introduced a concept album about two junkies in love, living in Berlin

Want more of the best songs about Berlin, Germany? Check our list below for more favorites, standbys, classics, and a few oddball selections. No matter your musical taste, you can find a sound you like among the best songs about Berlin. Like us on Facebook or check out more top 10 songs for other great cities and destinations.

More Songs About Berlin, Germany

NEW WAVE & PUNK SONGS ABOUT BERLIN

• Neukoln – David Bowie (iTunes | Amazon) Moody instrumental piece written by Bowie and Brian Eno, and named for a Berlin burrough, evokes perceived gloom and oppression of the Cold War
• Born To Die In Berlin – Ramones (iTunes | Amazon) Johnny belts out a punk taunt to his destiny
• It’s a Long Way Back to Germany – Ramones (iTunes | Amazon)
• Summer In Berlin – Alphaville (iTunes | Amazon) Album from West German synthpop/rock group hit the states in 1984, courtesy of Warner
• To Germany with Love – Alphaville (iTunes | Amazon)
• Bear Cage – The Stranglers (iTunes | Amazon) Saving your Deutschmarks and falling in with the Reich are concerns in this satirical 1974 track
• Suburban Berlin – Japan (iTunes| Amazon) 1978 rock track from British band speculates about life in on the other side of the wall in suburban (Communist) Berlin

ROCK SONGS ABOUT BERLIN

• Feel Berlin – The 69 Eyes (iTunes | Amazon) Track from the 2004 gothic German album fits right in with Berlin’s faded and jaded mojo
• Nikita – Elton John (iTunes | Amazon)
• Zoo Station – U2 (iTunes | Amazon) The track that launched U2’s 1991 reinvention was based on a story that Bono heard about WWII bombing releasing animals of the Berlin Zoo, who ran free in the war torn city
• A Great Day For Freedom – Pink Floyd (iTunes | Amazon) Sometimes yearning and having right on your side makes for a better song than a victory lap, but this ballad to the fall of communism is no less sincere
• Berlin – Marillion (iTunes | Amazon) “The mascara’d blonde from the Berliner bar rises at twilight, gets dressed in a daze”

ALTERNATIVE SONGS ABOUT BERLIN

• ÜBerlin – R.E.M. (iTunes | Amazon) Per R.E.M., modern life in Deutschland is pretty much like ever other modern country, plus the U-bahn
• Dichstrudel – The Meatmen (iTunes | Amazon)
• Berlin Wall – Heavenly States (iTunes | Amazon) Rolling Stone called this 2011 track “a majestic rocker featuring the distinctive rasp of Spoon frontman Britt Daniel”
• Road Movie To Berlin – They Might Be Giants (iTunes | Amazon) TMBG’s 1990 track is a satirical love letter to the old Bing Crosby and Bob Hope movies, with a knowing nod to the practicalities of getting into West Berlin
• Kreuzberg – Bloc Party (iTunes | Amazon) British indie rock back sings about modern life in a central district within Berlin’s Mitte, noting the lingering presence of the Wall in this 2007
• Tiergarten – Rufus Wainwright (iTunes | Amazon) Canadian-American singer- songwriter invites you to join him in Berlin’s central park, no matter what the weather
• Berlin – Black Rebel Motorcycle Club (iTunes | Amazon) Jamming rock track from this American groups asks “what happened to the revolution?”
• Berlin – Snow Patrol (iTunes | Amazon) Uplifting melodies conceal a heartfelt but desperate plea, presumably surrounding a kiss in Berlin
• First We Take Manhattan – Leonard Cohen (iTunes | Amazon) Cohen sang his song in 1988, with an ominous and almost hyper militaristic tone to it, evoking and possibly lampooning Nazi or Communist bloc tensions
• First We Take Manhattan – R.E.M. (iTunes | Amazon) Athens, Georgia band’s 1992 cover of Cohen’s distinctive tune
• Tear Me Down – Hedwig and the Angry Itch (Original Cast Recording) (iTunes | Amazon)
• Germany – Sloppy Seconds (iTunes | Amazon)
• Snow In Berlin – Midnight Choir (iTunes | Amazon) A beautiful and poignant melancholy track laments the Cold War and the dulled indifference that emerged from it
• Berlin – Carpark North (iTunes | Amazon) The city as a euphemism for a beat up place and a beat up life
• Berlin By Night – Genepool (iTunes | Amazon) Rocking 2007 tribute to Berlin after dark sounds like mid-80s rock

ELECTRONIC SONGS ABOUT BERLIN

• Bye Bye Berlin – Plastique de Reve (iTunes | Amazon) Instrumental electronic and techno groove from this Berlin-based outfit sets the tone for your modern walk through the transforming city
• Shades of Gray (In East Berlin) – Table of Six (iTunes | Amazon) Mellow 2009 instrumental electronic track makes for a serene accompaniment
• East Berlin (Revisited) – Table of Six (iTunes | Amazon) Electronic Table of Six continues the East Berlin coverage with a folksier take on burrough
• Berlin Trip – Jose Dominguez (iTunes)
• Berlin – Federico Aubele (iTunes | Amazon) Aubele channeled the spirit of Buenos Aires on this track (and album) named for his new home of Berlin, evoking some of the historical ties between the two countries
• Good Morning Berlin – Marc Poppcke (iTunes | Amazon)
• Kreuzberg – Federico Aubele (iTunes | Amazon)

POP SONGS ABOUT BERLIN

• 99 Red Balloons – Nena (iTunes | Amazon) Nena belts out her plea from the top ten list above in English this time. This is probably the version you heard at Skateland
• Dancing In Berlin – Berlin (iTunes | Amazon) 1984 track from American new wave band is an unlikely place for a few soft political jabs
• First We Take Manhattan – Jennifer Warnes (iTunes | Amazon) The original recording of Cohen’s classic, Warnes 1987 version assumed a jazzier showstopper form
• From Paris To Berlin – Infernal (iTunes | Amazon) This English-language 2005 track from a Danish band took Europe by storm
• Je Dis Aime/Ich Sag Liebe – M.I.A. (iTunes | Amazon) M.I.A. belts it out for Berlin in Deutsch in this hip dance electronic track
• Berlin Woman – Rocko Schamoni (iTunes | Amazon) Cheesy German language tribute to the lovely prototypical Berlin woman

STANDARD SONGS ABOUT BERLIN

• (They’ll Be A) Hot Time In The Town Of Berlin – Frank Sinatra (iTunes | Amazon) Frank sings about the the Allies’ plan to roll into the Nazi’s camp and take charge
• Hot Time In The Town Of Berlin – Bing Crosby and the Andrews Sisters (iTunes | Amazon) Crosby and the Andrews fall in line with the Allies’ plan
• Ich Hab Noch Einen Koffer In Berlin – Marlene Dietrich (iTunes | Amazon) Dietrich first sang this classic “I still have a suitcase in Berlin” in 1951, and Ronald Reagan cited its title in his 1987 “Tear down this wall” speech

SINGER/SONGWRITER SONGS ABOUT BERLIN

• Pigeon Flying Over The Berlin Zoo – Ian Anderson (iTunes | Amazon) Zoo cages serve as a euphemism for imprisonment in Berlin in this soulful tune
• Berlin International – Funny Van Dannen (iTunes | Amazon) Van Dannen seems to slay in this German language spoof of international Berlin
• Hallo Berlin – Wise Guys (iTunes | Amazon) Despite the German language, the political snark comes shining through in this peppy, satirical commentary on the state of German politics in the 2000s.

HOLIDAY & CHRISTMAS SONGS ABOUT BERLIN

• Christmas in Berlin – Stefanie Praytor (iTunes)
• Christmas in Berlin – The WiLd EyeS (iTunes | Amazon)
• Christmas in Berlin – Lousy Robot (iTunes | Amazon)

SUGGEST SONGS ABOUT BERLIN, GERMANY

Is there a great, good, or not half-bad song about Berlin or that takes place in Berlin that we missed? Drop us a line and let us know your favorite songs about Berlin, Germany.