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Few genres have managed to seize the spirit of the Cold War than Germany’s take on the 1980s’ New Wave with its commercial experiments.

West Germany, circa. 1980. Out of the ashes of the Second World War with the Nazi Party and the polarised politics between capitalism and communism comes a divided country shared by the Western liberal democracies from the west and the Soviet Union from the east. Fringe groups like the Red Army Faction or the National Democratic Party of Germany (now the Homeland) sought to win support over their extremist views be it through electoralism or even violence. The land, having just been tied up together into a nation state from the last century, is now one of the central battlegrounds of the Cold War with all the espionage and nuclear potential there is. That & its capital city just so happens to be on the east, meaning that it also has to be divided in half as well.

Amidst the political fragility and social upheavals come the blossoming youth culture; one that was owed to American exports. Among one of the key external influences were music that included some of the most acclaimed and influential bands at the time like Talking Heads or Television. The New Wave phenomenon that was born out of post-punk seeks to make hip the trending music trends of synth and polyrhythms which, in conjunction with more complex songwriting and production, makes for a peculiar experiment. West Germany itself doesn’t have any cultural hits of any kind as far as I’m aware of. Instead, much of its pop culture workings tend to be more-or-less motivated by virtue of whatever is popping off in the United States at the time; one of the perks of being allied with a superpower.

Enter Neue Deutsche Welle (also known through its abbreviation of NDW). The subgenre/cultural movement rose up as a direct response to New Wave by inheriting its sophisticated instruments and stylish aesthetics. The name itself was coined by DJ Frits Spits on a local radio in 1979 shortly before it was mentioned in print by the local magazine Sounds to describe Deutsch Amerikanische Freundschaft’s newest release. Its name would pick up popularity by journalists like Alfred Hilsberg who highlights the diversity in musicians and figures in it. Many are ardent punkheads who are either secondary school students or are dropouts. Others lean towards their thirties with a full-time job who had nonetheless wanted to make records out of respect to their love for glam rock. This kind of flexibility is best exemplified by the likes of Fehlfarben whose debut, 1980’s Monarchie und Alltag, sees its grooviness be similar to Gangs of Four.

Such a variety meant that there are many approaches and deviations; many artists tend to emphasise the political tension that comes with neighbouring a great ideological opponent while others embrace anti-establishment perspectives. This can lend way to fashion images and styles being made. Chris Wendt highlights the genre’s significance as a major part of the country’s youth culture as being a self-affirmed response to both the ultranationalist fascism from the past few decades and from the surrounding radicalism of communism. With help from Hilsberg, the scene grows in size through local concerts and published articles that talk about the significance of the genre. Thus, Anderssein, the sense of otherness, is the go-to label to crown oneself from the absurdness of real life. This, in turn, forms the closest ideological basis that all of the artists could agree on: “No future”.

Being an exclusively German genre, NDW turns away from its American predecessor in favour of finding its own rhythm to complement the lyrics. Such is notable in the case of Nena, the band led by Gabriele Susanne Kerner whose stage name is the same. The style is rooted in a more conventional pop rock format that would populate much of the genre during the middle of the century. What is interesting in this case is that for Nena, their biggest single, 1983’s ‘99 Luftballons’ happens to stumble upon some complaints regarding its English version. ‘99 Red Balloons’ had been derided by some listeners as having lost its nuances with some stressed syllables coming off as weird or awkward in execution compared to the original. It still sticks well with many listeners however who love its catchy riffs and a handful resonate with the theme of nuclear anxiety over seemingly inconsequential events.

Much like New Wave, it would be the trend that catches the whole West German scene by storm with its plethora of influences and disparate styles. Yet, what is interesting about the subgenre is that compared to its main inspiration, it would come off as being considerably more experimental. The likes of Malaria! and Ideal respectively adopt industrial and reggae into their music to provide a more complex, intense variation that keeps listeners attentive. A handful of other artists like Warning opt to even rely on heavy metal influences to add an alien feeling to its drone-like riffs. Deutsch Amerikanische Freundschaft however comes out on top as one of the key leading names with their post-industrial dance stylistic having helped to popularise a new name: Electronic Body Music (or EBM for short). 

The adamant ethics of independence and Do-It-Yourself that dominates punk culture echoes in NDW. While there are initial comments found in fanzines that suggest that bands would turn offers from major labels down for ideological reasons, others would make use of their success if that allowed their works to become more elaborate. As covered extensively by Jeff Hayton, the rapid growth in the genre’s popularity gives credence for many to get picked up with their once-ample hobby becoming a full-time career. This reaction comes at the risk of many coming off as selling out, exchanging their ethos in exchange for wealth and fame. Financial concerns and difficulty over distributing the revenue meant that many bands were either fractured up in union or have otherwise rejected NDW as an identity. 

The rocky aspects surrounding the genre meant that NDW would eventually die out after the first half of the 1980s. With the anxieties of the Cold War easing a bit with Mikhail Gorbachev’s liberalisation policies and the idea of the nuclear holocaust deterring brinkmanship, liberalising social views permeate within the German youth. Additionally, the over-labelling of the bands with the genre regardless of its style adds to the disillusion of the self-identity of those who thought of such as being promising. Hilsberg lamented at the commercialisation of NDW as being a death-knell to German punk as a source for genuine social change or normalisation. The soul might have died out, but there are some lingering remains of the genre that remain within the German music scene now.

For Nena, their one single has resonated with many listeners outside of their native home country up to this day. ‘99 Luftballons’’s English version was covered by Goldfinger in 2000 with a heightened emphasis on punk influences, garnering 17 millions views on YouTube at the time of writing. Meanwhile, other artists like Sleeping at Last or Kylie Minogue also offered their takes on the song with a positive response from their respective fanbases. Outside of West Germany, it managed to chart at the number two spot in the US, topped many of the European countries like Austria, and reached top 20 in Australia’s year-end 1984 chart. Its impact on pop culture on representing the 1980s is nothing short of astounding, especially with its dissonance between its cynical lyricism of nuclear war and its upbeat instrumentation. The closest possible contender would be Trio’s ‘Da Da Da’ which sees little mention in today’s discussions on nostalgia for the decade.

As for the rest? NDW has unfortunately not made much waves within subsequent European or North American music after its peak. At the surface layer that is. Many of the later genres like EBM, dance-punk, and electroclash owes its conciliatory approach between accessibility and experimentation to NDW’s abrasiveness. Meanwhile, the explosion in German rap during the 2000s saw the name be used to apply to the trending genre. The ultimate legacy of the genre lies ultimately in its emphasis of profound experimentation, social liberation, and political awareness sent out with the music. Throughout the Cold War, many genres have risen out as a form of time capsule to represent the feelings of many listeners back then. Few have enjoyed the relative underground prevalence, let alone commercial, importance that NDW has on its local scene even if it’s only just for a flicker.