99 Luftballons

"99 Luftballons" / "99 Red Balloons"
Single by Nena
from the album Nena and 99 Luftballons
Released	1983 (West Germany) 1984 (United Kingdom)
Format	CD single
Recorded	1982
Genre	Neue Deutsche Welle
Length	3:53
Label	CBS Schallplatten
Writer(s)	Uwe Fahrenkrog-Petersen (music) Carlo Karges (German lyrics) Kevin McAlea (English lyrics)
Certification	Gold (RIAA)
Nena singles chronology
"Nur geträumt" (1982) "99 Luftballons" (1983) "Leuchtturm" (1983)
Music sample 99 Luftballons

"99 Luftballons" (German for "99 Balloons") is a protest song by the German band Nena from their 1983 self-titled album. Having achieved widespread success in Europe and Japan, plans were made for the band to take the song international with an English version by Kevin McAlea, titled "99 Red Balloons". The English version is not a direct translation of the German and contains a somewhat different set of lyrics. The later-released English translation, "99 Red Balloons", was the version that became popular outside of Germany and neighbouring countries, with it topping the charts in Canada, Australia, and Ireland. American audiences preferred the original German version, which became the highest Billboard charting German song in US history when it peaked at #2 in the US.

Background and writing

While at a June 1982 concert by the Rolling Stones in West Berlin, Nena's guitarist Carlo Karges noticed that balloons were being released. As he watched them move toward the horizon, he noticed them shifting and changing shapes, where they looked like strange spacecraft (referred to in the German lyrics as a "UFO"). He thought about what might happen if they floated over the Berlin Wall to the Soviet sector.

In popular culture

VH1 Classic, an American cable television station, ran a charity event for Hurricane Katrina relief in 2006. Viewers who made donations were allowed to choose which music videos the station would play. One viewer donated $35,000 for the right to program an entire hour and requested continuous play of Nena's "99 Luftballons" and "99 Red Balloons" videos. The station broadcast the videos as requested from 2:00 to 3:00pm EST on 26 March 2006.

The translation of the title is sometimes given as "Ninety-Nine Air Balloons", however "Ninety-Nine Balloons" is more correct. A Luftballon is a colourful toy balloon, rather than a balloon for transport or research. The name is derived from Luft, German for "air", but the meaning of Luft does not qualify the type of balloon; indeed, the balloons described in the song would be filled with helium, which causes them to float; air-filled balloons would sink to the ground. The title "99 Red Balloons" almost scans correctly with the syllables falling in the right places within the rhythm of the first lines of lyrics, with "red" replacing "Luft"; the only difference is that neunundneunzig (99) has one syllable more than "ninety-nine".

The track was used in soundtracks for the movies Grosse Pointe Blank, My Best Friend's Girl, Not Another Teen Movie, Watchmen, Eurotrip and Camille Redouble, and appeared in the video games Gran Turismo 3, Grand Theft Auto: Vice City and Donkey Konga.

Re-recordings

There have been two re-recordings of the song released by Nena, a more modern sounding version in 2002 and a retro sounding one in 2009, the latter of which includes some French lyrics.

Cover

A cover of the song was recorded by the band Goldfinger in 2000 for the album, Stomping Ground. "Weird Al" Yankovic included the original German version in his polka medley "Hooked on Polkas" from his 1985 album Dare to Be Stupid.

Chart position

German version

Chart (1983-1984)	Peak position
Australia (ARIA)	1
Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)	1
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)	1
Germany (Media Control AG)	1
Italy (Musica e Dischi)	21
Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)	1
New Zealand (RIANZ)	1
Norway (VG-lista)	4
Spain (AFYVE)	10
Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)	1
Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)	1
US Billboard Hot 100	2
US Dance Club Play	22

English version

Chart (1984)	Peak position
Canada (RPM)	1
Ireland (IRMA)	1
UK Singles (The Official Charts Company)	1

2002 re-release

Chart (2002)	Peak position
Belgium (Ultratip Flanders)	17
Netherlands (Mega Single Top 100)	82
Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)	77

See also

• Stanislav Petrov, a Soviet early-warning system operator who in 1983 disregarded a false nuclear attack alarm (from shining clouds, rather than balloons) and may have prevented a nuclear war

References

Achievements
Preceded by "Relax" by Frankie Goes to Hollywood	UK number one single 3 March 1984 - 17 March 1984	Succeeded by "Hello" by Lionel Richie
Preceded by "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun" by Cyndi Lauper	Australian Kent Music Report number-one single 7 April 1984 – 7 May 1984	Succeeded by "Eat It" by "Weird Al" Yankovic
Preceded by "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun" by Cyndi Lauper	Irish Singles Chart number-one single 3 March 1984 – 24 March 1984	Succeeded by "Hello" by Lionel Richie
Preceded by "Red Red Wine" by UB40	Canadian RPM Singles Chart number one single March 3, 1984 – March 10, 1984	Succeeded by "Jump" by Van Halen
Preceded by "Radio Ga Ga" by Queen	Swedish Singles Chart number-one single 3 April 1984 – 8 May 1984	Succeeded by "Street Dance" by Break Machine
Preceded by "Poi E" by Patea Maori Club	New Zealand RIANZ singles chart number-one single 18 April 1984	Succeeded by "Reggae Nights" by Jimmy Cliff
Preceded by "Major Tom (Völlig Losgelöst)" by Peter Schilling	German Singles Chart number-one single 25 March 1983	Succeeded by "Too Shy" by Kajagoogoo