History And The Berlin Wall Ties David Bowie's New Album 'The Next Day' To The 'Heroes' Album And Single.

On March the 12th, the living rock icon and legend David Bowie releases an album that probably only was expected by Bowie himself and those working with him on making the record. You might already have heard his first single from the expected album. It is a beautiful song that has many similarities and connections to David Bowie's classic album and single 'Heroes.' The Berlin Wall and history ties the new album, and its beautiful first single 'Where Are We Now?,' together with the classic 'Heroes' album and single. On the new single, The Thin White Duke sings about Berlin today and Berlin and the Berlin Wall during the Cold War.

The Berlin Wall also played an important role in the classic 1977, 'Heroes' single, where David Bowie sings about a young couple that meets at the Berlin Wall. In an interview later that year, Bowie wondered, why the two lovers, sitting on a bench, had met on such an unpleasant location.

Bowie alters the story on 'Heroes,' now guns are firing over the couples heads: "I, I can remember standing by the wall, And the guns shot over our heads, And we kissed, as though nothing could fall." You wonder, whether the guns are real, and if the couple are trying to cross the Berlin Wall and escape the guards, or if the guns are a symbol of a dying relationship? So, there is a certain ambiguity on the track. Thus, the Berlin Wall was already part of David Bowie's artistic expression in 1977, where the 'Heroes' album and its first single were released. 

On 'Where Are We Now,' Bowie returns to the Berlin Wall and reflects on Berlin and the Wall from a historical perspective, and his own time in Berlin in the 70s. The singer refers to locations that were important during the fall of the Berlin Wall, and for our historical understanding of the Berlin Wall and the Cold War.

Looking at the two album covers, the connection between the albums become even more obvious. The front cover from the 'Heroes' album is used on the new album. However, Bowie's face have been replaced with a white square and the album title: 'The Next Day.' Is it the aftermath of the 'Heroes' single or the Fall of the Berlin Wall? We will know more 12th March, where David Bowie's new album is released.

Check out this preview of David Bowie's new album 'The Next Day' + the latest news on the album, or read about David Bowie's 'Heroes.