* 99 Luft Balloons - Nena (song 4, German)

To start, I know Dan hates this song and to him I apologize for nothing. I must include it because this is my collection not his, and because it is one that I dig a ton from the 80's.

After only a year as vocalist for the band Stripes, Nena Kerner created a new band in Berlin called Nena. The band's debut single Nur Getraumt became a number one in German speaking countries. Their second single, 99 Luft Balloons was huge success in the US. What was unique about 99 Luft Balloons is that the German version was more popular than the English version in the US.

I have to admit that their is something incredible about hearing her sing in German. It is exotic and something that I don't get to hear very often. Maybe it is one reason why I like it so much. I very much like the synth. action because it makes this song work. I could hear just the instruments and I immediately know that it is 99 Luft Balloons. Another aspect to this song that I always loved was the mention of Captain Kirk. Who could hate a song that mentions the greatest Starfleet Captain ever? Dan, that's who. Sorry Dan for busting your chops on this one.

The song is about cold war anxiety and it tapped into the fears of a nuclear apocalypse. At the time of this song Germany was split into East and West. 99 Luft Ballons also tells a tale about how balloons that are being mistaken for incoming missles. a very deep and scary song to me. As one who worries about everything, I was always carrying around a lot of anxiety about nuclear war in the 80's. Do you remember practicing drills for bombs? I still remember thinking, "What the hell is a desk going to do for me when the insane heat and blast comes from the explosion?" Did you guys ever see the old films in class about nuclear bomb safety precautions? One amazing thing that songs do is that they are able to take you back into time if you so desire. I LOVE it!