Escape From Berlin - meaning?

[Dodfather]

Hi guys

Just wondering if anyone has ever heard Stevie why Doing The Best That I Can has (Escape From Berlin) included in the title? Did she write it in Berlin? Is it about the wall? I've heard her talk about the song in general and the meaning behind the first part of the title but never the second part - any ideas?

[EnchantedKiwi]

She said in an interview I can't remember which, that it the "Escape from Berlin" was just a figure of speech, like trying to emphasize the feeling of getting away from a really dark place.

As far as I know it has no actual connection with Berlin literally, but I guess it was a big topic in 1989 and thats why she used it to explain the feeling of the song

[Nathan]

Originally Posted by EnchantedKiwi

She said in an interview I can't remember which, that it the "Escape from Berlin" was just a figure of speech, like trying to emphasize the feeling of getting away from a really dark place.

As far as I know it has no actual connection with Berlin literally, but I guess it was a big topic in 1989 and thats why she used it to explain the feeling of the song

Interesting.

So funny, I was just drinking some wine, watching that video of her doing this at the piano, and wondering what Escape From Berlin meant, also.

By the way, that DVD was made my Becky and sent to me years ago. So, thanks Beckles.

; )

[ruffian]

I wouldn't be surprised if it had something to do with the whole Julia/Lily thing. Didn't Lillian Hellman smuggle money into Berlin for Julia or something like that?

[RockAlot]

Originally Posted by petep9000

Berlin seemed pretty lively and nice to me, when I went there.

I went there before the wall came down when I was in the service. There were actually soliders on many streets with sub-machine guns. I kid you not, did not feel welcomed at all, I'm sure it is much, much more different now!

[EnchantedKiwi]

This is from the Nicksfix questions


Question 100 - from Jim in Woburn, MA:
Why is Doing the Best I Can subtitled "Escape from Berlin?"

Stevie's answer:

The musical part of the song is kind of scary and it reminded me of having to escape from somewhere.

[johnnystorms]

i thought that FM was touring Europe when the wall came down, hence the "escape from Berlin" reference. of course my memory of the late 80s is about as hazy as Stevie's.

[Matthew]

Well, if it has nothing to do with Berlin, why did she use it? I don´t understand that. It just probably means that Berlin was scary or something. But everything started later in Berlin in 1989, OSOTM was released in Spring, and everything in East Europe happened in autumn.

Berlin is really intersting city, it´s not like the other capitals in Europe. You can somewhere still see the difference between East and West after 21 years. It´s a city of architecture of 20th century, not many historical buildings, so maybe for some people it´s really ugly city. But now it´s a big multicultural city with tons of different people, and it´s famous for its nightlife.

Fleetwood Mac had a concert in June ´88 in Berlin. Then in 2003 and 2009. The last time it was in the former East part. Well acutally, in 2003 too.

Stevie was touring Europe in 1989 when really everything happened in Berlin and also in the whole East Europe. But Stevie stayed in West of course (Stockholm, Rotterdam, Paris, London, Birmingham, Dublin, that´s all).

[Meowi]

Think of Berlin in the war times.