From Like A Prayer to the fall of the Wall: Why 1989 was unforgettable
From Like A Prayer to the fall of the Wall: Why 1989 was unforgettable
From Like A Prayer to the fall of the Wall: Why 1989 was unforgettable
Gary Oberholzer
From Like A Prayer to the fall of the Wall: Why 1989 was unforgettable
There are years that simply happen, and then there are years that change the world. 1989 was firmly the latter. It was a year of revolutions, reinvention and remarkable music. As the Berlin Wall came crashing down and the Cold War began drawing to a close, radios around the world were pumping out songs that would become permanent fixtures on playlists for decades to come.
It’s the featured year on this week’s HOT Classic Countdown with Steve Bishop, taking place every Sunday from 12 to 3pm on HOT 102.7FM.
The soundtrack to 1989 was gloriously diverse. Madonna challenged expectations with Like A Prayer, Tina Turner reminded everyone why she was simply The Best, while Roxette exploded onto international charts with The Look.
Meanwhile, Billy Joel managed the impossible by squeezing decades of world history into a single song with We Didn’t Start The Fire — a track that somehow feels even more relevant every year that passes.
Away from the charts, history was unfolding at breathtaking speed.
Millions watched as East and West Berliners celebrated together atop the Berlin Wall in scenes that symbolised the end of an era and the beginning of another.
Across Eastern Europe, governments were falling and democracy was beginning to emerge in places where it had seemed impossible only months before.
Back home in South Africa, change was also in the air. F.W. de Klerk became State President in September, setting in motion reforms that would ultimately lead to the end of apartheid and South Africa’s first democratic elections five years later.
Pop culture was equally unforgettable.
Tim Burton’s Batman became a global phenomenon, complete with Prince’s accompanying soundtrack, while television audiences couldn’t get enough of The Simpsons, which officially debuted as a standalone series in late 1989.
Gamers were witnessing the beginning of something huge too. Nintendo released the Game Boy and suddenly school breaks, car trips and family holidays would never be the same again. If you heard the theme from Tetris, you were instantly transported back to 1989.
Did You Know?
One of the biggest songs featured on this week’s countdown, We Didn’t Start The Fire, originally contained more than 100 historical references scribbled down by Billy Joel while discussing how every generation thinks the world is more complicated than the last. The final version squeezed 118 events, people and cultural moments into just under five minutes — and not a single line repeats.
And if all that wasn’t enough, 1989 also welcomed the birth of a future global superstar: Taylor Swift, who would later name one of her biggest albums after her birth year.
From The Living Years and Eternal Flame to Back To Life and The Best, 1989 delivered a soundtrack worthy of one of history’s most extraordinary years.
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