This is a song to make a point about paranoia/hysteria surrounding the issue of war. The song talks about Nena and the listener buying 99 red balloons in a shop and letting them go, for fun. These balloons show up on the radar as unidentified objects and countries think its a nuclear attack.
Hi , she sings of the Keigsminister. That’s where you hear the krieg (war). Luft is air in German . The lyrics for the English version is not a direct translation. Nena is still touring and is still full of energy and pretty! Nice review 😊
Enjoyed the fact that you reacted to both versions. From what I've seen online, the English version was rushed out by the record company, and that was the single that became a big hit in the UK and Canada, but in the US, it was the original German language song that became the hit. The song came about when some of the band went to a Rolling Stones concert, and balloons were released. Guitarist Carlo Karges imagined the balloons going over the Berlin wall, and causing world war 3. Some trivia about the group's name, Nena. Most people pronounce it as you did, "knee-nuh". According to lead singer Gabrielle, that is her nickname. It was given to her when she was a toddler, on a family vacation to Spain, and is the Spanish word for "little girl", which means that it's not pronounced "knee-nuh", but rather "nay-nuh".
I was stationed in Germany in 1982 & 1983. Saw her perform in Nuremberg and met her after the concert. It was a mega hit. Came home to Houston, the next morning my Baby sister was watching MTV and they were playing the English version (which I never heard) but I was singing to the German version since that's all I ever heard. My little sister loved it. And yes I knew that it was a protest song cause we had to go on lockdown several times due to anti war protests. The cold war was something else, Germans could love you and also protest against you being stationed in their country at the same time.
Nena, eine wunderbare, ehrliche Sängerin und von den Medien während Corona verleumdet. Sie durfte nicht mehr auftreten. Ihr Spruch: es geht nicht darum was wir dürfen, sondern was wir mit uns machen lassen.
The song has nothing to do with WW2. It's set in the height of the cold war. In the german version it starts innocent as they buy 99 balloons just for a fun event and let them fly. But they showed on the radar screen of the military and the generals freak out, thinking it was the 'other' side launching planes (NATO and Soviet block) and they launch counter attacks.. and everything goes to hell. The last verse is a time jump after the war, everything is in rubbles and destroyed.. and Nena wanders in the ruins of the city, hinting that the world has come to an end, and finds a single balloon. she let it fly, remembering the fallen and dead, all caused just because of a children's toy The song is a great reminder of the mindset of the people in Europe in that time. Below the surface there was always the notion that from one minute to the next everything could go to hell during that time, and there was nothing you could do about it as the leaders at the time, especially Reagan, was using rhetoric that could easily provoke a war.
As a German: very accurate. It's all about the cold war and prospect off nuclear annihilation from 1 moron in charge. It has literally nothing to do with WW2.
Not sure the two songs speak to quite the same story (both versions are fun, but I prefer the German original) Frankie Goes To Hollywood did a fun video for Two Tribes (song gets used at US sports) where Reagan and Gorbachev? are wrestling over the fate of the Cold War that kind of illustrates the tensions that Nena is also speaking to
You apparently can't say many different things on UA-cam. My tame comments with no name calling, no swearing, & nothing offensive in the least within them often get blocked. When I try to list sources, they get blocked even when I don't list links. UA-cam sucks.
After reading the lyrics. I think there’s many things you could say about it. Because she’s talking about setting the balloons go in the morning, “bugs in the software” then “flashing something’s out there!”, later she talks about a dream and the world was there, and ultimately the balloons floating in the summer sky and “flying by”. I don’t think balloons just float in mid air and fly by. Lol. If she let them go in the morning the balloons would’ve already floated past the sight range. The only way people could notice balloons floating or flying by is: 1) She’s caused us to go to war just by letting balloons go. Lol. Why would that be? 2) Something alien. 3) It’s just metaphor for the bombs. But if it were just metaphor why the bugs in the software and why would she be able to let them go in both the beginning and end? Maybe the war started because of the bugs in the system but then she’s saying the system mistook the balloons for aircraft or bombs or something. Thus leading to all out war. So she’s saying the systems are too faulty they might start war or a nuclear war or something?! That or you could theorize about aliens lol. Maybe she had a dream about starting war with balloons who knows. Lol. I want to think aliens a bit. I mean hello Captain Kirk! Hello!!!
You bring up many valid points here!... I think there's a lot of literal and metaphoric poetic license going in this one. lol Also, and I'm 99.9% sure this is not what she meant, but I'm gonna bring it up anyway, Captain Kirk is also a polite way of saying "Captain Save-a-Ho".
Interesting question about which version do you prefer. I am English and this song (English version) was huge here in the 1980s, when as a 13 year old kid I fully expected nuclear war during my lifetime. As an adult I met a German friend who played me the German version. I can pick out a few individual words myself, but overall I do prefer the German version as that is obviously the way the writers intended it to be heard, without some detail changes needed to make the song scan in a different language to what it was written in
That's a great question! It definitely depends on the mood I'm in, but over all, I think I prefer the German version too. It just has a more iconic sound.
She mentions warmachine. So i think that might be the Blitzkrieg. Luft is air. So its 99 air balloons lol. Compared to stone balloons ;) But the red part is odd that its in the English version. I agree its often the German version that was the biggest hit and generally ends up being played. Over here anyway. I wonder if the Balloons might have been similar to the 1000 Origami cranes in Japan.
I kinda wonder why the lyrics refer to the 99 ballon’s flying by and then by the end she says she’d pick one up and let it go. That’s a strange inconsistency.
Maybe not. I see that it just is symbolism for Hiroshima and Nagasaki, and the Cold War is a leftover of WWII, so the symbolism could be wanting to "let it go," as in the hell that E. Germany was living in.
Nah, it's simply all that's left over. The last part is set after 99 years of war so 1 balloon somehow floated back to the city where it all started. And it's not even explicitly stated that it's one of the original 99 ballons.
Greedings from Germany.. The dayli feeling of,, nuclear war,, over Europe was my youth time.. (now we got war here again).. But try some other german stuff, :"Null positiv - wo Rauch ist, ist auch Feuer,, (about war too)..... Or:" Broilers-keine Hymnen heute,, (Don, t follow every simple reason, anti Nazi Song).. *enjoy without understanding, but if get 7-8 Becks 🍺.. It can help😁
I cringe when I hear Nena was a one-hit wonder. Their first hit was Nur Getraeumt 2 years earlier. And they had more hits after. And when she went solo, she had even more hits.
Nena a one hit wonder? Must be the same site that stated Falco was a one hit wonder... xD Nena Band was pretty successful in German speaking Europe (while the debut album reached number one in Germany and Austria, the follow up album did the same, plus peaked at number 1 in Switzerland as well, 3rd album reached top 10 in Germany and Switzerland, top 20 in Austria) and Nena continued success as a solo artist (with seven albums reaching top 10 in Germany). I wish those sites would start to be more precise and state 'one hit wonder in the US of A' instead of making the US the centre of the universe, not caring for the whole rest of the world and disrespecting artists whose carreers span over multiple decades, probably longer than the autors themselves existed on this planet. :-/
I apologize, there was no disrespect intended. I was speaking from my own experience here in U.S. And as many other commenters have stated, Nena was very popular in Europe. This video was just meant to be a little fun for my son and me and not meant to be gospel commentary on Nena. However, I do appreciate the education and now I know.
@@CousinRyan this was not against you, it was against the site you quoted in this video. Don't worry, I did not perceive *you* as disrespectful at all. :)
no problem if you take if not "hhat" cassualy but nowadays i think this song is thinking about nuclear war that might difference the whole whorld... tbj (to be honest) im just biased because this song is about "anti war) and i just want ot live live ****ck WAR why cant we kist live live... love to everyone evenen if you are from russia... i just want love life between everyone and everything.... at this poiint...😣😣😭😭
This is a song to make a point about paranoia/hysteria surrounding the issue of war. The song talks about Nena and the listener buying 99 red balloons in a shop and letting them go, for fun. These balloons show up on the radar as unidentified objects and countries think its a nuclear attack.
This is great insight into this song! I'm pinning your comment! Thank you! 😎✌🏻
This was also during the Cold War, when Germany was a divided country, a visible representation of the separation of the Berlin Wall.
Hi , she sings of the Keigsminister. That’s where you hear the krieg (war).
Luft is air in German .
The lyrics for the English version is not a direct translation.
Nena is still touring and is still full of energy and pretty!
Nice review 😊
Enjoyed the fact that you reacted to both versions. From what I've seen online, the English version was rushed out by the record company, and that was the single that became a big hit in the UK and Canada, but in the US, it was the original German language song that became the hit. The song came about when some of the band went to a Rolling Stones concert, and balloons were released. Guitarist Carlo Karges imagined the balloons going over the Berlin wall, and causing world war 3.
Some trivia about the group's name, Nena. Most people pronounce it as you did, "knee-nuh". According to lead singer Gabrielle, that is her nickname. It was given to her when she was a toddler, on a family vacation to Spain, and is the Spanish word for "little girl", which means that it's not pronounced "knee-nuh", but rather "nay-nuh".
I was stationed in Germany in 1982 & 1983. Saw her perform in Nuremberg and met her after the concert. It was a mega hit. Came home to Houston, the next morning my Baby sister was watching MTV and they were playing the English version (which I never heard) but I was singing to the German version since that's all I ever heard. My little sister loved it. And yes I knew that it was a protest song cause we had to go on lockdown several times due to anti war protests. The cold war was something else, Germans could love you and also protest against you being stationed in their country at the same time.
I love how in German word Kriegsminister (war minister) rhymes with Benzinkanister (gas canister).
I was a big fan of this song as a kid. Cold-war, latch-key kid.
Nena, eine wunderbare, ehrliche Sängerin und von den Medien während Corona verleumdet. Sie durfte nicht mehr auftreten. Ihr Spruch: es geht nicht darum was wir dürfen, sondern was wir mit uns machen lassen.
Heard back in the 80s in America radio play the German version.
The song has nothing to do with WW2. It's set in the height of the cold war. In the german version it starts innocent as they buy 99 balloons just for a fun event and let them fly. But they showed on the radar screen of the military and the generals freak out, thinking it was the 'other' side launching planes (NATO and Soviet block) and they launch counter attacks.. and everything goes to hell. The last verse is a time jump after the war, everything is in rubbles and destroyed.. and Nena wanders in the ruins of the city, hinting that the world has come to an end, and finds a single balloon. she let it fly, remembering the fallen and dead, all caused just because of a children's toy
The song is a great reminder of the mindset of the people in Europe in that time. Below the surface there was always the notion that from one minute to the next everything could go to hell during that time, and there was nothing you could do about it as the leaders at the time, especially Reagan, was using rhetoric that could easily provoke a war.
As a German: very accurate. It's all about the cold war and prospect off nuclear annihilation from 1 moron in charge. It has literally nothing to do with WW2.
Not sure the two songs speak to quite the same story (both versions are fun, but I prefer the German original)
Frankie Goes To Hollywood did a fun video for Two Tribes (song gets used at US sports) where Reagan and Gorbachev? are wrestling over the fate of the Cold War that kind of illustrates the tensions that Nena is also speaking to
Nena was not a one hit wonder in Germany. They achieved success iwth a large list of songs! :)
“ Ninety-nine Decision Street
Ninety-nine ministers meet”
That’s what you thought sounded like what Ryder said.
Hint: It's not about the balloons.
You apparently can't say many different things on UA-cam. My tame comments with no name calling, no swearing, & nothing offensive in the least within them often get blocked. When I try to list sources, they get blocked even when I don't list links. UA-cam sucks.
If you cannot say "Nazis" in reference to WWII then UA-cam has SERIOUS problems!
It's yet another N-word for people afraid of free speech. Jus' sayin' . . .
After reading the lyrics. I think there’s many things you could say about it. Because she’s talking about setting the balloons go in the morning, “bugs in the software” then “flashing something’s out there!”, later she talks about a dream and the world was there, and ultimately the balloons floating in the summer sky and “flying by”. I don’t think balloons just float in mid air and fly by. Lol. If she let them go in the morning the balloons would’ve already floated past the sight range. The only way people could notice balloons floating or flying by is: 1) She’s caused us to go to war just by letting balloons go. Lol. Why would that be? 2) Something alien. 3) It’s just metaphor for the bombs. But if it were just metaphor why the bugs in the software and why would she be able to let them go in both the beginning and end? Maybe the war started because of the bugs in the system but then she’s saying the system mistook the balloons for aircraft or bombs or something. Thus leading to all out war. So she’s saying the systems are too faulty they might start war or a nuclear war or something?! That or you could theorize about aliens lol. Maybe she had a dream about starting war with balloons who knows. Lol. I want to think aliens a bit. I mean hello Captain Kirk! Hello!!!
You bring up many valid points here!... I think there's a lot of literal and metaphoric poetic license going in this one. lol Also, and I'm 99.9% sure this is not what she meant, but I'm gonna bring it up anyway, Captain Kirk is also a polite way of saying "Captain Save-a-Ho".
@@CousinRyan 🤣🤣
English version is absolute trash in my opinion, German is the only way to listen
UFO are unidentified flying objects not necessarily aliens. In the 80’s weather balloons were UFO’s and planes were sent up to identify them visually
Interesting question about which version do you prefer. I am English and this song (English version) was huge here in the 1980s, when as a 13 year old kid I fully expected nuclear war during my lifetime. As an adult I met a German friend who played me the German version. I can pick out a few individual words myself, but overall I do prefer the German version as that is obviously the way the writers intended it to be heard, without some detail changes needed to make the song scan in a different language to what it was written in
That's a great question! It definitely depends on the mood I'm in, but over all, I think I prefer the German version too. It just has a more iconic sound.
She mentions warmachine. So i think that might be the Blitzkrieg. Luft is air. So its 99 air balloons lol. Compared to stone balloons ;) But the red part is odd that its in the English version. I agree its often the German version that was the biggest hit and generally ends up being played. Over here anyway. I wonder if the Balloons might have been similar to the 1000 Origami cranes in Japan.
the band did not have money to make a second video for that song
I prefer the Goldfinger cover from 200. I know that might be controversial 😂
One hit wonder? Not in Germany!
I kinda wonder why the lyrics refer to the 99 ballon’s flying by and then by the end she says she’d pick one up and let it go. That’s a strange inconsistency.
Maybe not. I see that it just is symbolism for Hiroshima and Nagasaki, and the Cold War is a leftover of WWII, so the symbolism could be wanting to "let it go," as in the hell that E. Germany was living in.
Nah, it's simply all that's left over. The last part is set after 99 years of war so 1 balloon somehow floated back to the city where it all started. And it's not even explicitly stated that it's one of the original 99 ballons.
Greedings from Germany.. The dayli feeling of,, nuclear war,, over Europe was my youth time.. (now we got war here again).. But try some other german stuff, :"Null positiv - wo Rauch ist, ist auch Feuer,, (about war too)..... Or:" Broilers-keine Hymnen heute,, (Don, t follow every simple reason, anti Nazi Song).. *enjoy without understanding, but if get 7-8 Becks 🍺.. It can help😁
they shot the video for 99 Luftballoons at a dutch army base and they used real gas bombs
if you put the captions on it translates it
I cringe when I hear Nena was a one-hit wonder. Their first hit was Nur Getraeumt 2 years earlier. And they had more hits after. And when she went solo, she had even more hits.
Most of these people don't realize she was a European superstar with multiple hits
They only count US charts.
Check out modern versíon at nichts versaumt tour live 2008
2018
Will definitely check it out! Thanks!
Nena a one hit wonder? Must be the same site that stated Falco was a one hit wonder... xD
Nena Band was pretty successful in German speaking Europe (while the debut album reached number one in Germany and Austria, the follow up album did the same, plus peaked at number 1 in Switzerland as well, 3rd album reached top 10 in Germany and Switzerland, top 20 in Austria) and Nena continued success as a solo artist (with seven albums reaching top 10 in Germany).
I wish those sites would start to be more precise and state 'one hit wonder in the US of A' instead of making the US the centre of the universe, not caring for the whole rest of the world and disrespecting artists whose carreers span over multiple decades, probably longer than the autors themselves existed on this planet. :-/
I apologize, there was no disrespect intended. I was speaking from my own experience here in U.S. And as many other commenters have stated, Nena was very popular in Europe.
This video was just meant to be a little fun for my son and me and not meant to be gospel commentary on Nena. However, I do appreciate the education and now I know.
@@CousinRyan this was not against you, it was against the site you quoted in this video. Don't worry, I did not perceive *you* as disrespectful at all. :)
no problem if you take if not "hhat" cassualy but nowadays i think this song is thinking about nuclear war that might difference the whole whorld... tbj (to be honest) im just biased because this song is about "anti war) and i just want ot live live ****ck WAR why cant we kist live live... love to everyone evenen if you are from russia... i just want love life between everyone and everything.... at this poiint...😣😣😭😭
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