''Songlines'' is a video released by the German band Alphaville in 1989, created during the production of Alphaville's 1989 album ''

The Breathtaking Blue ''The Breathtaking Blue'' is the third album by German synth-pop band Alphaville, released in April 1989. A companion video, ''Songlines'', was released in September 1989. The CD release of this album was one of the first commercial CD+G format ...

''.

Background

Nine directors (or directing teams) from seven countries were each given a different track from ''The Breathtaking Blue'' and asked to make a short movie inspired by the song. The title '

Songlines A songline, also called dreaming track, is one of the paths across the land (or sometimes the sky) within the animist belief systems of the Aboriginal cultures of Australia which mark the route followed by localised "creator-beings" in the Dr ...

' is a reference to the Australian aboriginal belief that "the gods created the world and everything in it by wandering through the desert and calling creation into life through their singing. Till this day, Aborigines follow these songlines, guided by totems which the gods left behind for them". The video collection was re-released in May 2021, as part of the re-release of the album ''The Breathtaking Blue''. Band member

Bernhard Lloyd Bernhard Lloyd (born Bernhard Gössling on 2 June 1960) is a former member and co-founder of the German synth-pop band Alphaville. Before he joined the band, he did not play keyboards – instead, he was previously a club DJ. In 2001, Lloyd al ...

said of the project, "The crazy endeavor to turn the entire album into the film ''Songlines'' actually worked out in a wondrous way. A separate short film for each song, from directors all across the world – a project ahead of its time almost 35 years ago. The treasure of original 35mm film tapes have been recovered, the tapes meticulously restored and digitalized. Now, these films can finally be enjoyed in all of their beauty. It's a completely new experience."

Awards

Christoph Christoph is a male given name and surname. It is a German variant of Christopher. Notable people with the given name Christoph * Christoph Bach (1613–1661), German musician * Christoph Büchel (born 1966), Swiss artist * Christoph Dientzenho ...

Wolfgang Lauenstein Wolfgang Lauenstein (born 20 March 1962 in Hildesheim, West Germany) is a German film director, writer and animator. Biography Lauenstein entered the School of Fine Arts in Hamburg, Germany in 1985. While enrolled at the school Lauenstein, to ...

's video for "Middle of the Riddle" was later retitled ''

Balance Balance or balancing may refer to: Common meanings * Balance (ability) in biomechanics * Balance (accounting) * Balance or weighing scale * Balance as in equality or equilibrium Arts and entertainment Film * ''Balance'' (1983 film), a Bulgaria ...

'' and won in 1990 the

Academy Award The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...

for

Best Animated Short Film The Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film is an award given by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) as part of the annual Academy Awards, or Oscars, since the 5th Academy Awards (with different names), covering the year ...

(albeit with different music).Olivier Cotte (2007) ''Secrets of Oscar-winning animation: Behind the scenes of 13 classic short animations.'' (Making of '"Balance"'') Focal Press.

Track listing

# "For a Million" - 9:21 (directed by

Alexander Kaidanovsky Alexander Leonidovich Kaidanovsky (russian: Алекса́ндр Леони́дович Кайдано́вский; 23 July 1946 — 3 December 1995) was a Soviet and Russian actor and film director. His best known roles are in films such as ''At H ...

U.S.S.R. The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen national ...

) # "

Romeos "Romeos" is the first single from Alphaville's 1989 album ''The Breathtaking Blue''. It was released a month ahead of the album, and was the first single by Alphaville to be released as a CD single, previous singles having preceded the format's r ...

" - 4:58 (directed by Ian Pringle, Australia) # "Middle of the Riddle" - 5:00 (directed by

, F.R.G.) # "Heaven or Hell" - 3:38 (directed by Slobodan Pesic,

Yugoslavia Yugoslavia (; sh-Latn-Cyrl, separator=" / ", Jugoslavija, Југославија ; sl, Jugoslavija ; mk, Југославија ;; rup, Iugoslavia; hu, Jugoszlávia; rue, label=Pannonian Rusyn, Югославия, translit=Juhoslavija ...

) # "Ariana" - 3:49 (directed by Ricky Echolette & Olaf Bessenbacher,

West Berlin West Berlin (german: Berlin (West) or , ) was a political enclave which comprised the western part of Berlin during the years of the Cold War. Although West Berlin was de jure not part of West Germany, lacked any sovereignty, and was under mi ...

) # "She Fades Away" - 5:02 (directed by Mao Kawaguchi, Japan) # "Summer Rain" - 4:14 (directed by

Susanne Bier Susanne Bier (; born 15 April 1960) is a Danish filmmaker. She is best known for her feature films '' Brothers'' (2004), '' After the Wedding'' (2006), ''In a Better World'' (2010), and '' Bird Box'' (2018), and the TV miniseries ''The Night Man ...

Denmark ) , song = ( en, "King Christian stood by the lofty mast") , song_type = National and royal anthem , image_map = EU-Denmark.svg , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of Denmark , establish ...

) # "Mysteries of Love" - 5:02 (directed by

Alex Proyas Alexander Proyas (; Greek: Αλέξανδρος Πρόγιας; born 23 September 1963) is an Australian filmmaker of Greek descent. Proyas is best known for directing the films '' The Crow'' (1994), '' Dark City'' (1998), ''I, Robot'' (2004), ...

, Australia) # "Patricia's Park" - 4:19 (directed by

Godfrey Reggio Godfrey Reggio (born March 29, 1940) is an American director of experimental documentary films. Life Reggio was born in New Orleans, Louisiana to an old and distinguished Louisiana family descended from Francesco M. de Reggio, an Italian noblem ...

U.S.A. The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

) # "Anyway" - 2:56

References

1989 short films Alphaville (band) video albums 1989 video albums Music video compilation albums 1989 compilation albums {{music-video-stub