What is the meaning behind 99 Luftballons?

Songfacts®: This was one of the songs in the ’80s to make a point about the brinkmanship and 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.

Is 99 Red Balloons about nuclear war?

As it turned out, “99 Red Balloons,” as it was now called, was, of all things, a protest song. In the lyrics, a boy and girl innocently release a batch of balloons into the air; confused by these flying objects, international governments panic, triggering a nuclear holocaust.

What do red balloons symbolize?

The red balloon omen takes on the traits of the color red and combines them with the traits generally associated with balloons. For example, a red balloon represents youthful hopes and dreams just like any other balloon would. However, the color red amplifies the passionate element of the hopes and dreams.

Is 99 Red Balloons an anti war song?

In the end, a cataclysmic war results from the otherwise harmless flight of balloons and causes devastation on all sides without a victor, as indicated in the denouement of the song: “99 Jahre Krieg ließen keinen Platz für Sieger,” which means “99 years of war have left no place for winners.” The anti-war song finishes …

What do purple balloons mean at a funeral?

Purple: dignity, elegance (often chosen for the funeral services of grandparents) Red: courage, love, respect.

What do the 99 balloons represent in the song?

The 99 balloons represent the many dreams that each person had. At the end of the song, she just wants to prove that the German people did have dreams by finding one balloon – she finds one balloon, a dream, and lets it go.

What is the meaning behind Nena’s’99 Luftballons’music?

Nena is a true one-hit-wonder outside of Germany, where she didn’t even come close to another hit. But before “99 Luftballons,” her single “Nur Getraumt” was a #1 hit in her homeland. The Dutch director Bert Van Der Veer shot the music video, which shows the band performing the song amid smoke and explosions, driving home the message of the song.

What is the meaning of the song Balloons by Nena?

At the end of the song, she just wants to prove that the German people did have dreams by finding one balloon – she finds one balloon, a dream, and lets it go. >> Nena’s guitarist, Carlo Karges, got the idea for the song at a Rolling Stones concert in West Berlin. At one point during the show, the band released a bunch of balloons.

Where did the song “99 Luftballons” come from?

The inspiration of the lyrics came to Carlo at a 1980s concert in Berlin at which ninety-nine balloons were released into the sky. That simple action gave birth to the song “99 Luftballons”.

What is the meaning behind 99 Luftballons?

Songfacts®: This was one of the songs in the ’80s to make a point about the brinkmanship and 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.

What language is the song 99 Red Balloons?

German
99 Luftballons

“99 Luftballons”
Language German
English title “99 Red Balloons”
Released 1983 (West Germany) 1984 (United Kingdom)
Genre New wave

Who wrote 99 Luftballons?

Nena
Carlo KargesKevin McAlea
99 Luftballons/Lyricists

Did Nena speak English?

“I can’t give you a satisfying answer in one sentence. There’s so much going on here.” Nena speaks better English than she thinks, but her fears of miscommunication make total sense—especially in light of her signature hit.

Is 99 Luftballons about nuclear war?

As it turned out, “99 Red Balloons,” as it was now called, was, of all things, a protest song. In the lyrics, a boy and girl innocently release a batch of balloons into the air; confused by these flying objects, international governments panic, triggering a nuclear holocaust.

How does 99 Luftballons relate to the Cold War?

“99 Luftballons” was the iconic—and, it turns out, accidental—Cold War protest song that rang out on both sides of the Berlin Wall in 1983, and would become forever associated with the hair-trigger realities underlying life in divided Germany.

Is Nena German?

Gabriele Susanne Kerner (born 24 March 1960), better known as Nena, is a German singer and songwriter who rose to international fame in 1983 as the lead vocalist of the band Nena with the Neue Deutsche Welle song “99 Luftballons”.

How old is Nena?

62 years (March 24, 1960)Nena / Age

What is the genre of 99 Luftballons?

New wave
Schlager & VolksmusikPopGerman Pop
99 Luftballons/Genres

What nationality was Nena?

GermanNena / Nationality

What does Nena mean in German?

Nena is German Girl name and meaning of this name is “Eyes; Favour; Grace”.

Is 99 Luftballons about the Berlin Wall?

“99 Luftballons” is a German song born of the fertile imagination of Carlo Karges, the guitarist of German band Nena. The backdrop of this story was the Berlin Wall in the 1980s, a symbol of mistrust and constant strife.

Did you know that’99 Red Balloons’was originally German?

Hyde Flippo taught the German language for 28 years at high school and college levels and published several books on the German language and culture. You may have heard the 1980s pop song “99 Red Balloons,” but you may not know that it was originally a German tune.

What is the meaning of the song 99 Luftballons?

“99 Luftballons” was an antiwar protest song written by the band’s guitarist Carlo Karges. Karges had attended a Rolling Stones concert in 1982 in what was then West Berlin, where that band released hundreds of helium-filled balloons.

Who wrote the song 99 Luftballons by Nena fades?

Balloons Soar, Nena Fades “99 Luftballons” was an antiwar protest song written by the band’s guitarist Carlo Karges. Karges had attended a Rolling Stones concert in 1982 in what was then West Berlin, where that band released hundreds of helium-filled balloons.

What is the name of the Nena song with 99 balloons?

“99 Luftballons” (German: Neunundneunzig Luftballons, “99 balloons”) is a song by the German band Nena from their 1983 self-titled album. An English-language version titled “99 Red Balloons”, with lyrics by Kevin McAlea, was also released on the album 99 Luftballons in 1984 after widespread success of the original in Europe and Japan.