Wolf Biermann at 90: The singer who defied East Germany

Wolf Biermann, one of Germany's most influential singer-songwriters, continues to use his music to comment on current world affairs while approaching his 90th birthday. His latest German album, 'Unterm Haar nur Himmel' (Under the hair, only sky), scheduled for release on November 15, 2026, captures his lifelong theme of maintaining inner freedom despite external restrictions. The poetic title reflects his belief that no matter how restrictive circumstances become, a person's spirit can remain boundless.

Born in Hamburg in 1936 when Hitler was already in power, Biermann's early life was marked by tragedy and political activism. His father, a Jewish dockworker and communist resistance fighter, was arrested by the Gestapo when Wolf was just three months old and later murdered at Auschwitz in 1943. The same year, Biermann survived the devastating British and American firestorm that destroyed Hamburg, an experience he later described as having shaped him more than anything else.

Communist ideals and disillusionment

Raised by his mother with communist and anti-fascist ideals, Biermann moved to East Germany in 1953 at age 16, believing in the communist paradise. He studied political economy, mathematics and philosophy in East Berlin and began writing political songs inspired by writers Bertolt Brecht and Heinrich Heine. However, he soon became disillusioned with the reality of life in East Germany and wrote critically about it in his songs.

In 1965, East Germany's ruling Socialist Unity Party imposed a ban on Biermann performing or publishing his work. Despite this, his East Berlin apartment became a gathering place for dissidents. The regime unexpectedly allowed him to travel to West Germany in 1976, where he performed for 7,000 people, mocking the East German regime. The following day, while still in West Germany, he learned via radio that he had been stripped of his right to reside in East Germany.

Exile and continued activism

Biermann's expulsion triggered a rare public protest by East German intellectuals, which the regime met with increased surveillance, professional bans, and imprisonment of critics. 'The SED leadership expected an angry media response from the West. What they hadn't reckoned with was that, for the very first time, a group of respected East German writers and artists would make their protest public,' Biermann wrote. He sank into depression but continued his activism through peace and anti-nuclear movements.

New music and reflections

Now 90, Biermann remains active and outspoken. His recent track 'Moritat von den Liebespaaren' (A Ballad of Lovers) conveys that while no single person can save the world, everyone can contribute to making it better. He mocks political figures like Trump and Putin, criticizes the 'endless war of brotherhood' over Israel, and continues to call for freedom.

For his 90th birthday, Biermann plans to celebrate quietly at home in Hamburg with his wife Pamela, who is also his manager. '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,' he told the German Press Agency (dpa). He has chosen to be buried at Berlin's cemetery where fellow intellectuals Bertolt Brecht, Anna Seghers and Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel rest, saying he still has 'a thing or two to discuss with them.'