Berlin (band)
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| Berlin | ||
|---|---|---|
| Background information | ||
| Origin | Los Angeles, California, USA | |
| Genre(s) | New Wave | |
| Years active | 1979 - present | |
| Label(s) | Geffen | |
| Associated acts |
The Big F | |
| Members | ||
| Terri Nunn David Diamond Rod Learned John Crawford Matt Reid Ric Olsen |
||
| Former members | ||
| Rob Brill Virginia Macolino |
||
Berlin was an American new wave band featuring lead singer Terri Nunn. Berlin was formed in Orange County, California in 1979. Their first single, "A Matter of Time," was released in 1980 on I.R.S. Records and featured replacement vocalist Virginia Macolino on lead vocals after Nunn had temporarily left the band to pursue an acting career. Their first significant hit was the controversial synth-driven "Sex (I'm A...)" (1982), which was banned by some radio stations due to its graphic lyrics, but it was "Take My Breath Away" (from the movie Top Gun) that became their best-selling single in 1986 and a huge international hit. They had two other hits: "The Metro" and "No More Words", whose subsequent video saw Terri Nunn and bandmates re-enact a Bonnie and Clyde style car chase and shoot-out.
Aside from Nunn, the core members of the band were founding member John Crawford (primary songwriter, bass guitar & Synthesizer), and David Diamond (Synthesizer & guitar). Other members of the band included Ric Olsen (lead guitar), Matt Reid (Synthesizer), Rob Brill (drums: 1982-1987) and Rod Learned (drums: 1979-1982). Berlin officially disbanded in 1987, partly due to the lack of success of their album Count Three and Pray despite its major hit "Take My Breath Away"; and Nunn retained the legal rights to usage of the band's name after legal wranglings with the founding member of the group, John Crawford. Terri Nunn recreated Berlin (with a new lineup of musicians) in 1999.
The classic version of Berlin was featured recently on the VH1 show, Bands Reunited where all members (except for Rob Brill) agreed to not only reunite as friends but as a band. They played one show at The Roxy in California to a sold-out crowd.
Contents |
[edit] Discography
- Information (1980)
- Pleasure Victim (EP) (1982, rereleased on Geffen Records in 1983)
- Love Life (1984) #28 US
- Count Three And Pray (1986)
- Dancing In Berlin (1987)
- Best Of Berlin 1979-1988 (1988)
- Master Series (1997)
- Fall Into Heaven (1999)
- Fall Into Heaven 2 (1999)
- Greatest Hits Remixed (2000)
- LIVE: Sacred & Profane (2000)
- Voyeur (2002)
- 4Play (2005)
[edit] Singles
From Information :
- "A Matter of Time" (1980)
- "Fascination" (1980)
From Pleasure Victim :
- "Tell Me Why" (1981)
- "Sex (I'm A...)" (1982) #62 US
- "The Metro" (1983) #58 US
- "Masquerade" (1983) #82 US
From Love Life :
- "No More Words" (1984) #23 US
- "Now It's My Turn" (1984) #74 US
- "Dancing In Berlin" (1984)
- "Touch" (1985)
From Count Three and Pray :
- "Take My Breath Away" (1986) #1 US, #1 UK, #2 Australia, #4 Austria, #2 France, #3 Germany, #1 Ireland, #5 Italy, #1 Netherlands, #4 Norway, #2 South Africa, #2 Sweden, #2 Switzerland
- "Like Flames" (1986) #82 US, #47 UK, #36 Germany
- "You Don't Know" (1986) #39 UK
- "Pink and Velvet" (1986)
From Voyeur :
- "Blink of an Eye" (2002)
- "With a Touch" (2003)
In the UK, "Take My Breath Away" was re-released twice: in 1988, it charted at #52, and in 1990, it reached #3.
[edit] Trivia
- "No More Words" was also included as the B-side of Madonna's #1 hit of 1985, "Crazy For You". Both songs were part of the soundtrack for the film Vision Quest.
- Terri Nunn has said she was somewhat taken aback by the success of "Take My Breath Away" on Adult Contemporary radio stations, since none of Berlin's singles up to that point had been suitable for AC radio. She is quoted in The Billboard Book of Number One Hits by Fred Bronson as saying that the first radio station she heard playing it was a station her mother listened to. "Take My Breath Away" peaked at #3 on the Billboard AC chart and was the only Berlin single to enter that chart. However, Terri Nunn recorded a duet with Paul Carrack, "Romance," for the soundtrack of the 1989 film Sing, and it reached #14 on the AC chart while missing the pop charts.
- The band also appeared on a Marilyn Manson tribute album, contributing a cover of "The Dope Show"
- Terri Nunn auditioned for the role of Princess Leia Organa in the film "Star Wars."
