INTER SOUNDTRACKS | The 1989 Spotify playlist

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— Mar 2nd 2021

5 MIN READING

25 hits from the year of the record Scudetto and more...

It’s time for the second instalment of Inter Soundtracks; after having started with 1998 and the hits from the year of the UEFA Cup victory in Paris, here’s our journey into the events and music from 1989. Yes, the year of the record Scudetto; Trapattoni’s Inter with Matthäus, Serena and Diaz, Nicola Berti, Walter Zenga and Beppe Bergomi. Which songs accompanied that extraordinary Nerazzurri feat?

INTER SOUNDTRACKS 1989: LISTEN TO THE PLAYLIST ON SPOTIFY -> http://spoti.fi/3kDHzjr

The year that changed the world. It’s no real mystery; 1989 will live long in the history as a time of massive upheaval, in which the global balance changed. It left an indelible mark on us all.

It’s certainly easy for your mind to instantly leap to 9 November 1989, the fall of the Berlin Wall. The lifting of the iron curtain, the process of the reunification of Germany and a global movement. It was a year that saw the peaceful revolutions in Eastern Europe and the protests at Tiananmen Square. So much history in a year, in which George H. Bush became the 41st President of the United States.

Football fans, however, remember years by trophy winners, Ballon d’Ors, prizes and matches. As Inter fans, there’s a particularly special number linked to that year: 13. It was the thirteenth Scudetto in the history of the Club. The record setting title: Giovanni Trapattoni’s Inter set a record for a point total in the two-points-per-win era. 58, an unprecedented charge. From Zenga to Berti. From Brehme to Bergomi. From Diaz to Serena. And then there’s him, Lothar Matthäus (his story is in the playlist). Incredible, driving, sensational. What a year 1989 was; on 22 May at San Siro, Maradona’s Napoli were beaten thanks to a free-kick from Lothar.

What songs went along with that glorious spring afternoon? Anna Oxa and Fausto Leali had won the Sanremo Festival with “Ti Lascerò” (I will leave you), beating Toto Cutungo and a duet from Al Bano and Romina Power. It was a year a huge year for Italian music, with the return of Mia Martini to the stage with the unforgettable “Almeno tu nell’Universo” (At least you in the universe). Festivalbar lit up the summer evenings with Gerry Scotti and Susanna Messaggio getting Italian feet moving on the dancefloor. The winner of that edition was Raf with “Ti pretendo”(I demand of you). It was a massive summer, the highlight of which was surely Pink Floyd playing a free concert for 200,000 people in Venice.

It was the summer of the pop-Latin storm caused by “La Lambada”. But also a year for albums that went down in music history. Madonna climbed to the top of every possible chart with Like a Prayer, selling 15 million copies worldwide. Depeche Mode released their single “Personal Jesus” six months before “Violator”, one of the biggest records of all time. But it was also the year that Queen made a massive comeback, in spite of Freddy Mercury’s trouble; “I want it all”, written by Brian May, entered the charts. On 15 April, Guns N’ Roses dropped their single “Patience”.

But the revolution wasn’t limited to just politics and music in 1989. On 13 March, Tim Berners-Lee presented the “World Wide Web. Summary”. The World Wide Web was born and became the principal Internet service. Sticking with the theme of technology, Nintendo’s Game Boy went on sale in 1989 to the delight of the younger generations. In December, The Simpsons also aired for the first time in the US.

1989 was the year of Weir’s masterpiece Dead Poets Society with Robin Williams in the role of Professor John Keating. When Harry met Sally, Tim Burton’s Batman, The Little Mermaid, Born on the Fourth of July and Marrakech Express also all hit cinemas that year. Rainman was the big winner at the Oscars with Dustin Hoffman picking up the award for Best Actor.

And in sport? For us, 1989 is the year of the record Scudetto. The Ballon d’Or went to Marco Van Basten. Talking about champions, Gaetano Scirea tragically died in a car crash at the age of 36. 15 April also saw more tragedy hit the world of sport; 96 people lost their lives at Hillsborough Stadium in Sheffield during the FA Cup semi-final between Liverpool and Nottingham Forest. In cycling, it was the year of the rivalry between Laurent Fignon and Greg Lemond. The Frenchman won the Giro d’Italia while the American won the Tour de France with a lead of just eight seconds and was crowned World Champion as well. In Formula 1, it was the year of Prost, who beat Ayrton Senna.

All that remains is to take a trip through that year; in the playlist, you will find Tina Turner, Elton John, Joe Cocker, Simple Minds, Simply Red, Paul McCartney and many more.