# Wolf Biermann at 90: Defying East Germany

> Wolf Biermann, the East German singer-songwriter, celebrates 90 years of defying oppression with new album and global freedom messages.
- Title: Wolf Biermann at 90: Defying East Germany · Dw | Shortify
- Summary: Wolf Biermann, the East German singer-songwriter, celebrates 90 years of defying oppression with new album and global freedom messages.
- Keywords: wolf biermann, east germany, 90th birthday, album unterm haar nur himmel, political songs, exile, communism, berlin
- Source: Dw — https://dw.com/en/wolf-biermann-at-90-the-singer-who-defied-east-germany/a-79915297?maca=en-rss-en-all-1573-rdf
- Read time: 1 min
- Topics: wolf biermann, east germany, 90th birthday, album unterm haar nur himmel, political songs, exile, communism, berlin, news, world, politics
## Wolf Biermann's New Album
Wolf Biermann releases his 90th birthday album 'Unterm Haar nur Himmel' with lyrics celebrating freedom.

> Beneath hair lies open sky: a metaphor for inner freedom, independence and imagination.
## Defying East Germany
Wolf Biermann was exiled from East Germany in 1976 after criticizing its regime with political songs.

> I felt like the ground had opened up beneath me. I was overcome with fear, everything went dark.
## Early Life in Hamburg
Born in Hamburg in 1936, Wolf Biermann's father was a Jewish communist resistance fighter arrested by the Gestapo.

> I pressed my face into my mother's soft coat so I could breathe. A sense of security in the midst of the end of the world.
## East Berlin Education
Biermann studied political economy, mathematics and philosophy in East Berlin while working at the Berliner Ensemble.

> My mother had only one goal after those dark years: I was supposed to survive so that I could take revenge for my father's death.
## Exile and Return
Biermann was banned from performing in East Germany in 1965 but allowed to tour West Germany in 1976.

> I was supposed to build communism.
## Political Impact
Biermann's songs inspired protests against East German regime and led to his expulsion from the country.

> The party bosses were torn. They were delighted by this young poet who could play the guitar so beautifully.
## 90th Birthday Plans
Biermann plans to spend his 90th birthday at home in Hamburg with his wife and manager, skipping the party.

> I'm so old and I can feel my strength fading. And I know that the next day I have a major concert at the Berliner Ensemble.
## Burial Plans
Biermann wants to be buried at Berlin's cemetery with famous writers and intellectuals like Bertolt Brecht.

> He still has a thing or two to discuss with them.
## Legacy of Freedom
Biermann's music continues to inspire global movements for freedom and human rights.

> The world's conflicts take different forms in each generation. But it's always the same struggle for freedom.
## Key takeaway

Wolf Biermann releases his 90th birthday album 'Unterm Haar nur Himmel' after being exiled from East Germany for criticizing its regime.