BERLIN (Reuters), Germany’s military honored outgoing Chancellor Angela Merkel on Thursday with the highest ceremony for civilians. They played an eclectic mix that she created and it has fascinated the nation.

In the “Großer Zapfenstreich” ceremony, pared back due to COVID-19 restrictions, the Bundeswehr staff music corps played a hymn, a 1960s song that includes the words “I can’t acquiesce, can’t make do, I still want to win”, and a 1970s punk rock hit.

The hymn “Holy God. We Praise Thy Name” is a reference to Merkel’s Protestant upbringing. The 1960s song “Red Roses Are to Rain for Me” might reflect her young ambitions. Nina Hagen was the first East German musician to perform the rock classic “You Forgot The Colour Film”.

Merkel was born in Hamburg, a northern port city, as the daughter of an evangelical pastor. She grew up in Communist East Germany, before becoming the head of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU), a predominantly Catholic, male party in western Germany.

After 16 years in office, she is due to be succeeded as chancellor https://www.reuters.com/article/us-germany-politics-idAFKBN2I90JS by Social Democrat Olaf Scholz next week.

Merkel is 67 and has many big shoes to go. Merkel, 67, has stepped in to fill many of the big shoes. She led Europe and Germany through numerous crises.

Some critics claim she solved more problems than she managed and left her successor with difficult decisions to make on multiple fronts.