The English version pales in comparison to this version. Nena sang with so much passion and emotion in her native language. I don’t speak or understand German but the beauty of this song stood the test of time. Timeless indeed.
"Neunundneunzig jahre Krieg, liessen keine Platz fur Sieger..." Ninety-nine years of war leaves no place for victors - if the Bomb had been dropped during the 80's we'd have learned what that meant, if anyone had survived.
Exactement ! Les gens trouvent que l'allemand n'est pas une langue douce à entendre mais dans cette chanson on en entend toute la beauté à travers la voix expressive de la chanteuse. ✨
The English version's little "This is it boys, this is war" has a certain fatalist fun in it that I quite like. Sure it's dissonant, but "if everything's ending might as well have fun with it!" is an interesting attitude to ponder.
I learned this song at the German lessons. And learned what the song means. We had a very kind and humble female teacher. I used to to love this song. And after 35 years I still love it. Thanks Nena!
Such a weird time for me in the early 80's...being in the military at the time, I seriously did not think I would live to 30 as there was sure to be a nuclear war. I partied with abandon without any thought to my future, as I really didnt think I had one....and now here I am watching this and I am 57.....Feels good to still be here.
All of us Cold War kids who served in the 80s military, blessings to you, brothers and sisters. It was a glorious time to be alive... even if we thought the world could end any minute. Maybe that's why we loved life so much back then?!?!? I know I did.
I know my German is getting better when I can understand about half of what she's singing without needing translation. Goals! Love this song! Wherever you are Nena, thank you c:
I was a young U.S. soldier stationed in Pirmasens, West Germany (at the time) when this song came out. I didn't know the words, but I knew what it was about. One day I was out on a day off with a German soldier friend of mine, and we were visiting a wooded area that had seen heavy fighting between the Germans and Allies during WWII. I remember thinking at the time how just a few decades earlier instead of being friends, we would have had to try to kill each other out there. In those days (1983), one of the things we (those in charge) were worried about was a possible soviet tank led invasion into Western Europe via Czechoslovakia. It's a shame. Now, almost 40 years later and after it seemed that all of that was over, we're back to worrying about war with Russia again. It's really a shame because those who have to do the actual fighting are just normal people who could easily be friends if given the chance.
sadly, there are many things that saw progress in the 70s-00s, that have devolved in the last 6yrs or so, and we're essentially right back where we started. those that shape history seem to ignore history.
@@dhtsoaedsdhtnadi9575 It's people as a whole who give these malignant narcissists power. Therefore the concept of Total War is correct because people do in general get the government they deserve.
@@HiroNguy you must believe elections aren't rigged. i have yet to find anyone in my electoral district that voted for some of the ppl that won our district.
OK OK I admit it!!! I fell in love with Nena when this song was released in 1983. I was 16 years old. I would sit around watching MTV just waiting for them to play the video. Eventually, I recorded it on VHS and watched it over and over and over. Great song! Great video! Beautiful girl!
When I was a student in Japan, I listend to this song for the first time, I really liked it and felt want to sing. From that time, I decided to get to focus on my English class. As a result, I got pretty fine English skills at least to realize this song is not English.
@@skiwax4918 Here's the thing mate, if you don't speak either then it's pretty difficult. I could bet money that you couldn't tell the difference between spoken Bulgarian, Russian and Ukrainian despite these being about as similar to each other as German is to English.
@@skiwax4918 I'm sorry though. But unfortunately, that happens a lot especially with kids. Now,I can tell just German-ish language, spanish-ish language and so on.
Nena's voice is just so amazing, and I love it so much. There's something about the original German version that the English one just can't compete with.
@@OrthoKarterhe didn't compare her to God, he said a goddess, unless your saying that there is a goddess which would make you the one commiting blasphemy
The fact that this song came to so many people's minds 40 years later, as a Chinese Balloon flies over the U.S.A. is a testament to Nena and this song. Keep Rocking Girl.
Dieses Lied habe ich 1984 als Student in Evensville in der Dukebox auf Deutsch immer wieder gewählt. Es war fantastisch! Heute ist es aktueller denn je!
If you understood the times that this was written...I was stationed in West Germany 86-89. Things were tense. Sadly, it's still relevant, different direction, different balloons..
I am still completely stunned every time inhear this, there is just so much in this song, it rocks, its funky, its beautiful its 80s synthpop and inhavent even mentioned the singer....
NENA hat mich mein ganzes Leben begleitet, und auch heute bin ich stolz auf sie, sie hat sich nicht dem System gebeugt, sondern ist sie selbst geblieben ❤
Consider this top five of the best songs ever heard!! 49 yr old American growing up in the US Midwest, hearing this on the bus, on an hour-long bus ride to school, gave me hope...prison would end,life would begin....this girl's voice..phenomenal!!...the flux of the song,Melody,drama,suspense,...so simple....yet so humanly beautiful....thankyou so very much!
For those that still don't know....99 Luftballoons is about a war that is triggered when 99 red balloons are innocently released between West and East Germany, this eventually ends up destroying the world. In other words, it's an anti-war song.
At 62 she looks good & is still going strong! "Combined with the success of the Nena band years, she has sold over 25 million records, making her the most successful German pop singer in chart history."
This is a rare song in which I don’t have to know what the lyrics mean, although I did learn the meaning of the song. It’s enough to hear Nena sing it so well.
@@STOCKHOLM07it's basically about someone sending 99 balloons as like a love letter to someone but then a war breaks out and the world dies except for the singer and a single balloon.
I grew up with this song in the 80s. My mom and dad lived in Germany for years before I was born when my dad was in the Air force and I used to have an original cassette tape of this song that I nearly wore out listening to it. This song is actually what made me decide when I was like 7 that I wanted to live in Germany. I ended up joining the Army when I was 20 and living in Mannheim, Germany for 5 years.
The lyrics of the original German version tell a story: 99 balloons are mistaken for UFOs, causing a general to send pilots to investigate. Finding nothing but balloons, the pilots put on a large show of fire power. The display of force worries the nations along the borders and the war ministers on each side encourage conflict to grab power for themselves. 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 with the singer walking through the devastated ruins of the world and finding a single balloon. The description of what happens in the final line of the piece is the same in German and English: "Denk' an dich und lass' ihn fliegen," or "I think of you and let it go." Love this song !!!!
Hi everyone,I'm from India. 99 LB is super relevant at the end of 2021 because Russian foreign minister Ryabkov just said the world is heading to a nuclear war crisis because of NATO's position on Ukraine. Also, influential US Senator Roger Wicker said the USA might have to soon fight a nuclear war against Russia to defend Ukraine. _But do not worry because one of the greatest scientists in history, Sir Isaac Newton,(the discoverer of gravity and the Laws of Motion) said Jesus Christ will return to earth this century._ I believe this too. Jesus will stop the wars that humanity is constantly engaging in and the pollution we are causing . He will usher in an era of peace because he is the Prince of Peace. Btw for the German speakers here, your amazing scientists Johannes Kepler and Leonard Euler were devout Christians. And the world famous Latino scientist Juan Maldacena is a devout believer too and so were the Wright Brothers who invented the airplane! _My ancestors in India were converted by Christ's apostles Thomas._ Take care everyone and remember to be extra kind to your family/friends and strangers :)
Wow really!? I was so beauty stricken by Nena ohmy 💘💘💋💘❤ krush & her voice, still were same age & where am I again? Oh oh leaving a comment. Lol see? Still in awe! She's 1, for me anyway that each step beneath her feet is covered in rose petals upon that which she walks! Royalty like Princess Diana xoxo
I was 13 when the song came out and I listened to it for the first time with a German friend who'd come to Portugal for his summer holidays in 1984. Every time I listen to this song it makes me want to go back to the 80s when it was better than it is today ❤ 🇩🇪🇵🇹
When I hear this song, it takes me back to elementary school to June 1983. We had a sports day at the stadium, they played this song... I see my beautiful classmate Kamila again in a T-shirt and shorts...
I love that GERMAN lyrics are translated here, as opposed to 99 red balloon English lyrics. I always thought this song sounded better in German, so it’s nice to see what those German words meant. Great song great video have loved it since 83.
I've always loved this song in German. I listened to the English version to understand the lyrics, and I can say without a doubt that the German version is far more satisfying to listen to, despite the language barrier.
I found 'Fragezeichen' album today at my local record shop, saw that the band had done this song, but had never heard any of their other works. This band is so good! I love their infectious pop rhythms and the vocals by Gabriele 'Nena' Kerner remind me of Debbie Harry. Fantastic! ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
When this song came out, I was in my junior year of high school and dating the exchange student from what was then *West* Germany. We lost touch about a year after she returned to Germany, but her twin brother visited me several years ago. She's married, has kids, and is doing well. It seems she never forgot me, as one of her sons is named Christopher and another is named Nicholas. I never forgot you either, Kecxy.
Absolutely beautiful! I remember the first time that I heard this song in the German language. It captured my heart. And until tonight I had no idea how beautiful the artist is. Certain songs help me to be brave and hopeful. This is one of them! ❤️
The song sounds a lot familiar to what's going on today. And I agree the German version sounded better. When they released the English version, it was a flop
@@kingsouther I will tell you as someone living in America, you’ll hear the original German version on the radio and playing in stores before you hear the English version.
@@Iceechibi That probably had more to do with the fact that whoever has the publishing rights only allows it for the German version since Nena would love for it to disappear.
+BaltimoreAndOhioRR I learned just today, Saturday 29 May 2021, that the English translation changed its name to 99 Red Balloons? Luft means Air, like Luftwaffe. Not red.
@@glenhardy4770 Ja 99 Airballoons klingt auch etwas scheiße und hätte nicht in das Lied gepasst. Darum haben die es verändert. Denkst du ernsthaft, dass die einen solchen Übersetzungsfehler alla die Jahre lang nicht bemerkt hätten?
@@throwawayaccountm1325 Verzeihen Sie, aber Sie sollten besser aufpassen. Ich finde Airballons nicht ein bisschen beschissen, wie du sagst, ich mag ihre Originaltexte. Ich mag es nicht, das Wort in Rot zu ändern. I apologize if any wording offends you. I am learning Deutsch. I LIKE her original lyrics.
@@glenhardy4770 They changed the name (i.e. added 'red') for the syllable. Because (as you noted) Germans call what we just call 'balloons', "luftballons" (= "air-balloons") it didn't scan without an extra syllable. And as the term "air-balloons" sounds odd in English parlance, they opted for adding a colour.
99 Luftballons. Heute habe ich dieses Lied in einem Supermarkt in Japan auf Deutsch gehört. Und dieses deutsche Lied war gestern im japanischen Radio. Dieser Song, der vor langer Zeit in Japan ein Hit war, könnte in Japan wieder ein Hit werden.
Ya know, she wrote this song in the 80s as a form of reflection on the way the world was, at the time. Being German, her country was being held hostage by the two Global Super-Powers, the USA and the USSR. There were about 900,000 NATO soldiers stationed in West Germany and likely more than a million Soviets in East Germany. The main concern at the time, however, wasn't the number of soldiers stationed there; The concern was caused by the terrifying number of nuclear weapons each side pointed at the other. And so this song was written by a German girl, during the peak of the Cold War, to try to come to terms with the insanity that had gripped the world for almost 50 years. She was, as was every other German, stuck in the middle of two nuclear-armed Super-Powers, who were both apparently itching for an excuse to launch their nukes at the other. And it wasn't just intentional attacks that we needed to worry about, either. There was ALWAYS the fear, the bowel-gripping terror, that some accident or that some action might be misinterpreted and lead to a full-scale nuclear exchange that would leave the world unfit for human habitation... It's hard to describe to someone what it was like to live through the Cold War; knowing that any minute of any day could be the day that the nukes start flying and the world starts ending (there was a movie called The Day After [1983] that actually did a good job of showing what it would have been like to live in that world, if the nukes ever were launched). I suppose that it's a bit like being a small child and watching your parents violently clashing right in front of you. You're too small to do anything and you know that if one of them tries to kill the other, the whole house will burn down, with all your siblings in other rooms dying in the blaze... Anyway, that was the state of the world when NENA wrote and performed this song back in '83. The world has changed a LOT since then, but the spectre of global nuclear annihilation still looks the same and appears to still be lurking in the shadows, waiting to be summoned to claim our world...
The Day After was not nearly accurate in depicting the post-nuclear horror that would come after the bombs dropped for those unlucky enough to survive. The film that really drove that home was Threads (1984), the first to depict several things which are now common knowledge; the EMP effect on electronics, the idea of a nuclear winter, the effects of radiation sickness on survivors and future generations, and the impact of the loss of civil infrastructure on society, regressing us back to a pre-industrial level of tech etc. It was truly horrifying and was shown in a public-information capacity in the US several times after the BBC broadcast it in the UK. Check it out if you have the stomach for it; it is truly horrific but extensively researched with the best available knowledge at the time of effects of fallout etc.
@@rosePetrichor The effect of fallout on people and on soil and on crops was all depicted in The Day After (1983). The black soldier even attempts to shield himself from the Alpha and Beta radiation while walking through affected areas, by covering as much of himself as he can, with a blanket (which would actually be effective against *EXTERNAL* Alpha and Beta radiation). The equipment failures in the hospital and elsewhere show how the EMP would render unshielded equipment useless. Cars are left abandoned, though it's not made clear that it's because they refuse to start. The societal breakdown is shown with people turning against each other in a makeshift church. A man is murdered by a desperate group of monsters that look like they were a human family before the bombs dropped. I think his wife was killed first, then when he rushed to her aid, they killed him too. I can't remember if they did this so they could eat him, or just to rob him. The loss of civil infrastructure is apparent when the ruins of neighbourhoods are shown in bleak detail, the new ramshackle huts that are hastily put together for shelter in lieu of the rubble that was once their homes and businesses. It's apparent in the journey of several characters through ruins and wastelands that was once a city and its suburbs. And it's apparent when we see scenes of the remains of the hospital and lab, where the last remnants of technological advancement crumble and decay with the rest of the failing world. I saw Threads back in the 90s. I thought it was more sophisticated than The Day After, however, The Day After had mass market appeal. Everything was dumbed down a notch, but it was also much more relatable in many ways. The narrative was simpler, allowing the audience more time and brain-space to focus on the aftereffects of the brief nuclear exchange. I honestly don't understand how you can say that The Day After was _"not nearly accurate in depicting the post-nuclear horror that would come after the bombs dropped..."_ I included examples from The Day After of all the things you listed, that you intimated were lacking in the film. I would ask you to watch it again (I rewatched it about 18 months ago) to re-familiarise yourself with not just the narrative and the details, but the intricacy with which those details are explored and fleshed out. I can FULLY sympathise that you- or anyone- might see that Steve Guttenberg has a starring role and dismiss the film as a comedy, or as a light drama with some romance elements. That's a perfectly understandable reaction, but it's also dead wrong. The film is BLEAK! When the family splits and Steve G. takes the girl (and 1 or 2 others, I think?) on the horse-drawn carriage, to try to reach the hospital, EVERYONE assumes that they'll get her there and bring her back and they'll all be safe and everything will work out for this one, fine family. The film makers had more sense than that, thankfully. I don't want to spoil it, but I think you know that this tangent of the story does NOT have a happy ending. It doesn't have a happy middle, either. And the beginning isn't happy too, come to think of it... And then there are all the other stories of all the other people, whose lives we've been following. It's an UGLY film that doesn't have a happy ending. I cried my eyes out when I first saw it, back in '85. My mother assumed it would be a typical Steve Guttenberg movie and that we'd all enjoy it. She never rented movies for us again, after that. No shit. Nb: I have to admit, though, she'd rarely ever rented movies for us before that moment. After it and to this day, though, she never rented movies again.
I sang this song in its entirety in German one time in our classroom back in high school. I think I weirded out my classmates 'cause 1. I'm Asian and 2. They thought I was possessed and speaking in tongues. Good times.
Well essentially it says "we realeased 99 ballons, everyone was on edge because cold war, it started a full on war that lasted 99 years and everyone dief in the end" It is making fun of the tensions during the cold war, of how people could have started the of the the World just for 99 ballons. How it is stupid and leads to nothing. How our fears, hate and prise will only lead us to self destruction if we continue down that path. Oh BTW there's currently one chinese ballon floating above the USA...
I was serving in West Germany at the time that this song came out...It strongly influenced my decision to end my military career a couple of years later. Thank you Nena( Gabrielle), you're a Sweetheart.
Every time I hear this song, It brings back memories...of how close we came to war, and taking up our defensive positions at the East/West border...I thank God it didn't come to that. You had to be there to really appreciate how this song made a difference.
This is the version I grew up with in America. Today, the local oldies station plays the English version. Which just doesn't sound right to me. I wish they play the German version instead.
When I went to Germany with my buddies I was singing this to myself and they were all thinking wtf is he singing, then it came on in a bar, I couldn’t hide my excitement we were all singing it by the end
German Lyrics for those who want it Hast du etwas Zeit für mich Dann singe ich ein Lied für dich Von neunundneunzig Luftballons, auf ihrem Weg zum Horizont Denkst du vielleicht grad an mich Dann singe ich ein Lied für dich Von neunundneunzig Luftballons Und, dass so was von so was kommt Neunundneunzig Luftballons Auf ihrem Weg zum Horizont Hielt man für UFOs aus dem All Darum schickte ein General 'Ne Fliegerstaffel hinterher Alarm zu geben, wenn's so wär Dabei war'n dort am Horizont nur neunundneunzig Luftballons Neunundneunzig Düsenflieger Jeder war ein grosser Krieger Hielten sich für Captain Kirk Das gab ein grosses Feuerwerk Die Nachbarn haben nichts gerafft Und fühlten sich gleich angemacht Dabei schoss man am Horizont auf neunundneunzig Luftballons Neunundneunzig Kriegsminister Streichholz und Benzinkanister Hielten sich für schlaue Leute Witterten schon fette Beute Riefen "Krieg!" und wollten Macht Mann, wer hätte das gedacht Dass es einmal soweit kommt Wegen neunundneunzig Luftballons Neunundneunzig Jahre Krieg Ließen keinen Platz für Sieger Kriegsminister gibt's nicht mehr Und auch keine Düsenflieger Heute zieh' ich meine Runden Seh' die Welt in Trümmern liegen Hab 'n Luftballon gefunden Denk' an dich und lass' ihn fliegen
yet the pentagon has refused to give any information on what the balloon is holding nor any evidence the balloon is chinese in the first place.......... so this song just rings true, that it makes no sense for chinese balloons to get past the coast guard, and this was just some random balloon that people are using the go to war lmao
The upper limit of national airspace is not defined by international law. According to Wikipedia, an altitude of between 60 and 110 km is normally assumed as the airspace upper limit for the sovereign territory. When the U2 was still regularly conducting espionage flights, it was actually defined by the Russian air defense systems ;) :) Re-entry vehicles from space have to cope with massive friction from about 120 km. A lot of things (like Russia's border transgression) should finally be regulated at the UN by international agreement... So I'd suggest to meet there half way and talk finally about the limitation of UN-SC member's veto rights and the reduction of the quorum for a peace keeping mission to a 2/3 majority !
Truthfully one of my favorite songs of a historic period and I hope it gets put down in every history book to represent the world's thoughts of the Cold War and how it very easily could have ended. Historical periods and their art are usually easily marked by what artists of the time thought and the fact that a musician could think a misinterpretation of something so simple could lead to the destruction of all mankind speaks volumes to the fragile world we still live in to this day.
Appears in "Atomic Blondie" and "Deutschland '83". Any films set in 1980s Germany often feature this song. So iconic, it captures the atmosphere during the era: the rise of technology symbolized by electronic instruments, the youth represented by energic rock music, the rise of TV music video, and last but not least.. peak anxiety of the Cold War (i.e. the lyrics).
I think post cold war era of peace was the exception, not the rule. Rise of global trade, advancement of technology, fall of global military tensions all generally led to more globally open tendencies than nationalistic sentiments in general. Of course there was Yugoslavia, and that was horrible. But the whole world in general I think found joy in the tension of cold war ending. I guess now tendencies are going back to nationalistic sentiments ariund the world. Conflict among different nations will eventually lead to less global economic prosperity and rising military tensions :(
Munich, Germany 1999 - I am 19 year old American met this beautiful girl at Hofbrauhaus, she didn’t speak any English and I didn’t speak German. Went to nightclub with her with this song blaring as we drank and made out. Left her hotel in morning and couldn’t find her before I left. One of the best nights of my life!
As Nena herself has indicated, it was not written to express any anti war sentiment. It was the listening public who viewed it as such. I think the band ultimately embraced it as the general public interpreted it. Brings to mind the DH Lawrence advice to “trust the tale not the teller”
As a kid of the 80s, this really hit hard back in the day. There was always constant strain with the USSR, and it felt like nuclear war could break out any day. This song always reinforced just how politically and militarily on edge the world always seemed to be back then.
Don’t shoot the balloons or let them fly like Trump did? An ounce of research will show you this isn’t a new phenomenon, this is a moral panic that morons are eating up, per American style
I love the song. She made an English version which is cool because I understand it, but the German version is 100 times better. I don't understand a word and it sounds incredible
![NENA | 99 Red Balloons [1984] (Official HD Music Video)](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/hiwgOWo7mDc/mqdefault.jpg)
![NENA | 99 Red Balloons [1984] (Official HD Music Video)](/img/tr.png)
I don't know why, but this song always gives me goosebumps
Same 🥶
cause it's a masterpiece
Given how is about nuclear annihilation and WW3....yee
Cause this is war, lol. I mean, though, it hits, now as much as ever, if not more.
@@kagesong we are always looming on the doorstep of war. It is a matter of when, with whom, and why... and that is depressing!
The English version pales in comparison to this version. Nena sang with so much passion and emotion in her native language. I don’t speak or understand German but the beauty of this song stood the test of time. Timeless indeed.
very well said😊
I understand enough, even if I last spoke German regularly at school almost 25 years ago. It is a classic, and a warning.
"Neunundneunzig jahre Krieg, liessen keine Platz fur Sieger..." Ninety-nine years of war leaves no place for victors - if the Bomb had been dropped during the 80's we'd have learned what that meant, if anyone had survived.
Exactement ! Les gens trouvent que l'allemand n'est pas une langue douce à entendre mais dans cette chanson on en entend toute la beauté à travers la voix expressive de la chanteuse. ✨
The English version's little "This is it boys, this is war" has a certain fatalist fun in it that I quite like. Sure it's dissonant, but "if everything's ending might as well have fun with it!" is an interesting attitude to ponder.
I learned this song at the German lessons. And learned what the song means.
We had a very kind and humble female teacher. I used to to love this song. And after 35 years I still love it.
Thanks Nena!
Das Lied ist heute aktueller den je. Danke Nena, wollen hoffen das uns nicht alles um die Ohren fliegt!
Viele Lieder sind hellseherisch, wie auch Gedichte.
I listen to this with English ears, and I can't imagine how anyone could hate this song. A musical masterpiece if there ever was one.
Tears my brother know no language but I agree.
Such a weird time for me in the early 80's...being in the military at the time, I seriously did not think I would live to 30 as there was sure to be a nuclear war. I partied with abandon without any thought to my future, as I really didnt think I had one....and now here I am watching this and I am 57.....Feels good to still be here.
Me too
All of us Cold War kids who served in the 80s military, blessings to you, brothers and sisters. It was a glorious time to be alive... even if we thought the world could end any minute. Maybe that's why we loved life so much back then?!?!? I know I did.
Rock on my good sir
I'm 58. I didn't care about anything except gettin high...Thank you.
Spent early 80s living in the bullseye of a high priority target, a SAC base in North Dakota. Feel the same way.
I know my German is getting better when I can understand about half of what she's singing without needing translation. Goals!
Love this song! Wherever you are Nena, thank you c:
Keep up the good work Bruder
That's awesome. I'm also trying to learn German I'm still A1.
@@ilovekittens129 My respect to you, keep up the work and one day you will be fluent in it. Greetings from Germany:)
@@Leon-rk4rc thank you so much! c:
I'm learning German for the same reason.
Freu mich auf heute Abend NENA Live in Nürnberg. Tolle und vor allem authentische Frau, mit vernünftigen Ansichten ❤
Ich wünsche dir viel Spaß! Stimmt, Nena ist super. :)
@@baboonking1369 Danke, es war grandios, NENA und ihre Kinder haben voll drauf.
I was a young U.S. soldier stationed in Pirmasens, West Germany (at the time) when this song came out. I didn't know the words, but I knew what it was about. One day I was out on a day off with a German soldier friend of mine, and we were visiting a wooded area that had seen heavy fighting between the Germans and Allies during WWII. I remember thinking at the time how just a few decades earlier instead of being friends, we would have had to try to kill each other out there. In those days (1983), one of the things we (those in charge) were worried about was a possible soviet tank led invasion into Western Europe via Czechoslovakia. It's a shame. Now, almost 40 years later and after it seemed that all of that was over, we're back to worrying about war with Russia again. It's really a shame because those who have to do the actual fighting are just normal people who could easily be friends if given the chance.
Because people have short memories. War is MADNESS,
sadly, there are many things that saw progress in the 70s-00s, that have devolved in the last 6yrs or so, and we're essentially right back where we started. those that shape history seem to ignore history.
@@dhtsoaedsdhtnadi9575 It's people as a whole who give these malignant narcissists power. Therefore the concept of Total War is correct because people do in general get the government they deserve.
@@HiroNguy you must believe elections aren't rigged. i have yet to find anyone in my electoral district that voted for some of the ppl that won our district.
@@dhtsoaedsdhtnadi9575 thanks for nothing Joe Biden
OK OK I admit it!!! I fell in love with Nena when this song was released in 1983. I was 16 years old. I would sit around watching MTV just waiting for them to play the video. Eventually, I recorded it on VHS and watched it over and over and over. Great song! Great video! Beautiful girl!
When I was a student in Japan, I listend to this song for the first time, I really liked it and felt want to sing.
From that time, I decided to get to focus on my English class.
As a result, I got pretty fine English skills at least to realize this song is not English.
😂
German and English are very different, how if I told you that I confused Chinese and Japanese x)
@@skiwax4918 Here's the thing mate, if you don't speak either then it's pretty difficult.
I could bet money that you couldn't tell the difference between spoken Bulgarian, Russian and Ukrainian despite these being about as similar to each other as German is to English.
@@skiwax4918
I'm sorry though.
But unfortunately, that happens a lot especially with kids.
Now,I can tell just German-ish language, spanish-ish language and so on.
@@skiwax4918 they're both forms of the same ancient language, so they aren't completely different. I can understand some German
This song is from 1983 and still slaps harder then most songs nowadays.
Cheers from Greece.
This song was its time ahead
Where did you get that emoji?
@@ComradeAri1989 Up date and d-load it from you're emoji's!
Nena's voice is just so amazing, and I love it so much. There's something about the original German version that the English one just can't compete with.
Of course, the original version is almost always better!
Such talent not just to be able to flawlessly sing in her native tongue, but also in English. Nena was an absolute goddess growing up
While i agree the song is good, comparing a singer to God is idolatry. a sin.
@@OrthoKarter what
@@jarn4657 Can you read?
@@OrthoKarter Just some troll/parody account, I guess.
@@OrthoKarterhe didn't compare her to God, he said a goddess, unless your saying that there is a goddess which would make you the one commiting blasphemy
The fact that this song came to so many people's minds 40 years later, as a Chinese Balloon flies over the U.S.A. is a testament to Nena and this song. Keep Rocking Girl.
Yes, war is coming...
For me, the song, When the world's on fire, by the Carter family, comes to my mind.
It was a classic in the 80s ( like so many songs of that era) and will continue to be a classic.
@@153fish8 you do realize that this song is about innocuous weather balloons causing irrationnal panic, and then a needless nuclear war ?
@@ricomajestic It was cold war classic not just 80's the context heavily matter on this song
Dieses Lied habe ich 1984 als Student in Evensville in der Dukebox auf Deutsch immer wieder gewählt. Es war fantastisch! Heute ist es aktueller denn je!
Despite 3 years of German classes in high school, I still can't speak the language, but I prefer this over the English version of the song.
ofc the german one is better
@@Riley_Mundt all the same here
@Imakeplaylists-in1pw ja, Es gibt.
If you understood the times that this was written...I was stationed in West Germany 86-89. Things were tense.
Sadly, it's still relevant, different direction, different balloons..
And she's still going strong, major force in Europe.
Spot on, I was a UK reservist back then. We expected less than a third of us would reach our pre-deployed equipment if ‘the balloon went up’
@@alanwoodall7174 You do chem warfare training? 3 days in a shelter, mask on, mask off!
@@rogersmith1746 reciting name & service number with streaming eyes…
@@alanwoodall7174 😂😂 Like those?
I don't listen much German music - but there is something about this song that is just so.... timeless
She’s a babe! SHWING!!!!
unfortunatelly
I can also recommend "Nur geträumt" with Nena and "Major Tom (völlig losgelöst)" with Peter Schiller.
Miss Nena, Wonderful Song, brings back memories.
I am still completely stunned every time inhear this, there is just so much in this song, it rocks, its funky, its beautiful its 80s synthpop and inhavent even mentioned the singer....
The vocals gotta be the best part yeah
Hearing this always makes me remember the times I played GTA Vice City and this song popped up on the radio... Great song!
i have vice city still
It's fkckn CRAZY we have to listen for this song today almost 40 years later again.
NENA hat mich mein ganzes Leben begleitet, und auch heute bin ich stolz auf sie, sie hat sich nicht dem System gebeugt, sondern ist sie selbst geblieben ❤
Nena!!!! Amazing in 1983......still amazing in 2023!
I agree.
Consider this top five of the best songs ever heard!! 49 yr old American growing up in the US Midwest, hearing this on the bus, on an hour-long bus ride to school, gave me hope...prison would end,life would begin....this girl's voice..phenomenal!!...the flux of the song,Melody,drama,suspense,...so simple....yet so humanly beautiful....thankyou so very much!
This song was born during the Cold War, and has become relevant again today.
Ja
A lot of things from the cold war were good: Rock Music in General, Free Love, Politicians who know what the word "Diplomacy" means.
this shows really well how f***ed the world is right now
@@Ribulose15diphosphat *_Two Tribes_* by Frankie Goes To Hollywood
@@TNTorge mate the world has always been royally fucked. Ever since we stepped foot on it
I was 11 when this song came out. How I wish I could turn back the clock and treasure my childhood more.
For those that still don't know....99 Luftballoons is about a war that is triggered when 99 red balloons are innocently released between West and East Germany, this eventually ends up destroying the world.
In other words, it's an anti-war song.
At 62 she looks good & is still going strong!
"Combined with the success of the Nena band years, she has sold over 25 million records, making her the most successful German pop singer in chart history."
Nena was the name of the band. The stunningly gorgeous singer's name is Gabrielle Kerner.
@@Oliviacaptain Nena is her artist name. Not the name of the Band.
@@Oliviacaptain It was her nickname since she was 3 years old.
This is a rare song in which I don’t have to know what the lyrics mean, although I did learn the meaning of the song. It’s enough to hear Nena sing it so well.
I sing the German but I don't know what I'm singing apart from 99 and luftballons.
@@STOCKHOLM07it's basically about someone sending 99 balloons as like a love letter to someone but then a war breaks out and the world dies except for the singer and a single balloon.
@@Algox Yes, the people thought the baloons were aliens I think.
Muzika moje mladosti. U tom periodu imala sam moj bend i svirali smo ove hitove🎉😊
Jako lijepo 😊
I’m not taking any version of this song other than this one. The German version’s the best and nobody can change my mind.
I agree
Ja
History repeats itself. I thought we were done with 99 luftbaloons but here we are.
All wars represent a failure of diplomacy,
History doesn’t repeat itself. It often rhymes.
Idk if you were blind but since this song came out there have been hundreds of War not just Ukraine
@@societyofjesus5943 My confirmation priest was a Jesuit.
@@wilhufftarkin8543 amazing! i know nothing about priest stuff. only made this account as a joke:)
I grew up with this song in the 80s. My mom and dad lived in Germany for years before I was born when my dad was in the Air force and I used to have an original cassette tape of this song that I nearly wore out listening to it. This song is actually what made me decide when I was like 7 that I wanted to live in Germany. I ended up joining the Army when I was 20 and living in Mannheim, Germany for 5 years.
a pacifist song about how awful war is made you want to join the army? ok...
Wer hätte gedacht, dass dieses Lied heutzutage wieder relevant sein könnte. Unsere Welt ist wieder nervös und erwartet etwas Schreckliches.
Deine Worte..bitte in Gottes 'Ohren' 🤗
The lyrics of the original German version tell a story: 99 balloons are mistaken for UFOs, causing a general to send pilots to investigate. Finding nothing but balloons, the pilots put on a large show of fire power. The display of force worries the nations along the borders and the war ministers on each side encourage conflict to grab power for themselves. 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 with the singer walking through the devastated ruins of the world and finding a single balloon. The description of what happens in the final line of the piece is the same in German and English: "Denk' an dich und lass' ihn fliegen," or "I think of you and let it go." Love this song !!!!
Thank you for all’ tue précisions
That is essentially what the English version of the song says.
Hi everyone,I'm from India. 99 LB is super relevant at the end of 2021 because Russian foreign minister Ryabkov just said the world is heading to a nuclear war crisis because of NATO's position on Ukraine. Also, influential US Senator Roger Wicker said the USA might have to soon fight a nuclear war against Russia to defend Ukraine. _But do not worry because one of the greatest scientists in history, Sir Isaac Newton,(the discoverer of gravity and the Laws of Motion) said Jesus Christ will return to earth this century._ I believe this too. Jesus will stop the wars that humanity is constantly engaging in and the pollution we are causing . He will usher in an era of peace because he is the Prince of Peace. Btw for the German speakers here, your amazing scientists Johannes Kepler and Leonard Euler were devout Christians. And the world famous Latino scientist Juan Maldacena is a devout believer too and so were the Wright Brothers who invented the airplane! _My ancestors in India were converted by Christ's apostles Thomas._ Take care everyone and remember to be extra kind to your family/friends and strangers :)
Thanks a lot for your translation!
Wow really!? I was so beauty stricken by Nena ohmy 💘💘💋💘❤ krush & her voice, still were same age & where am I again? Oh oh leaving a comment. Lol see? Still in awe! She's 1, for me anyway that each step beneath her feet is covered in rose petals upon that which she walks! Royalty like Princess Diana xoxo
I was 13 when the song came out and I listened to it for the first time with a German friend who'd come to Portugal for his summer holidays in 1984.
Every time I listen to this song it makes me want to go back to the 80s when it was better than it is today ❤ 🇩🇪🇵🇹
💯👍👍
When I hear this song, it takes me back to elementary school to June 1983. We had a sports day at the stadium, they played this song... I see my beautiful classmate Kamila again in a T-shirt and shorts...
One of those songs that capture the "zeitgeist" of the 80´s.
And now the 2020s 😢
I'm crying watching this.. So many wonderful memories of times and people gone
@mohammeddahmani6099 no the war isn’t over
it’s about the cold war
Nena is gonna be gaining a huge amount of popularity in 2023
I am a balloonist living in the US of A....if they shoot me down me (if I survive) or my relatives are going to sue somebody!
Not as much as in 1983 as she was striking the US Charts up to the second place.
The song will probably be banned as hate speech soon...
@@st.jimmy0244 for what reason?
@@florianj6490 It's anti-war.
1983 que locura la era de oro ! gracias por este tremendo clasico!!
I love that GERMAN lyrics are translated here, as opposed to 99 red balloon English lyrics. I always thought this song sounded better in German, so it’s nice to see what those German words meant. Great song great video have loved it since 83.
Germany now shooting down red balloons in Ukraine, and leopard tanks with iron crosses are rolling towards Russian borders so sad.
I've always loved this song in German. I listened to the English version to understand the lyrics, and I can say without a doubt that the German version is far more satisfying to listen to, despite the language barrier.
you couldn't be more right. i found the english version because i didn't even know the name of the song. but than this... WAY better!
same here i turned on subtitles a little difference in german/english songs. only german i can speak is captain kirk lol
Watch german version but turn on english subtitlrs for translation. It helps.
And the german lyrics are so much better
@@ravg1347 aren't they just
0% twerking
0% drugs & alcohol
0% bullshit
99% luftballons
and 1% non-luftballons 💥
Have you ever tried to ingest copious amounts of fent?
@@seutepandoestaekwondo Lead balloons?
@@johnt.inscrutable1545
Air balloons. Luft=air
@@johnjones6601 NON-luftballons ≠ NOT AIR, thus possibly lead??
Thanks for playing. Here’s your sign.
I found 'Fragezeichen' album today at my local record shop, saw that the band had done this song, but had never heard any of their other works. This band is so good! I love their infectious pop rhythms and the vocals by Gabriele 'Nena' Kerner remind me of Debbie Harry. Fantastic! ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Year is 2023, and this song is relevant again... Oh, humanity...
When this song came out, I was in my junior year of high school and dating the exchange student from what was then *West* Germany. We lost touch about a year after she returned to Germany, but her twin brother visited me several years ago. She's married, has kids, and is doing well. It seems she never forgot me, as one of her sons is named Christopher and another is named Nicholas. I never forgot you either, Kecxy.
Why does this give me eurotrip vibes
That's kinda rad right there.
@@KnuckleHunkybuck Imagine my surprise!
That's such a cute story :3
Absolutely beautiful! I remember the first time that I heard this song in the German language. It captured my heart. And until tonight I had no idea how beautiful the artist is. Certain songs help me to be brave and hopeful. This is one of them! ❤️
Ich habe in den USA studiert und diesen Song auf dem Campus auf Deutsch in der Dukebox gehört, es war fantastisch!
The song sounds a lot familiar to what's going on today. And I agree the German version sounded better. When they released the English version, it was a flop
No it wasnt a flop. It made cultural history in many countries
@@kingsouther I will tell you as someone living in America, you’ll hear the original German version on the radio and playing in stores before you hear the English version.
@@Iceechibi That probably had more to do with the fact that whoever has the publishing rights only allows it for the German version since Nena would love for it to disappear.
@@kingsouther the German version topped out at #2 on the Billboard Top 100. The English version didn't even chart.
I remember this playing all the time on MTV! Great song, both versions! ✔👍
+BaltimoreAndOhioRR I learned just today, Saturday 29 May 2021, that the English translation changed its name to 99 Red Balloons? Luft means Air, like Luftwaffe. Not red.
@@glenhardy4770 Ja 99 Airballoons klingt auch etwas scheiße und hätte nicht in das Lied gepasst. Darum haben die es verändert.
Denkst du ernsthaft, dass die einen solchen Übersetzungsfehler alla die Jahre lang nicht bemerkt hätten?
@@throwawayaccountm1325 Verzeihen Sie, aber Sie sollten besser aufpassen.
Ich finde Airballons nicht ein bisschen beschissen, wie du sagst, ich mag ihre Originaltexte. Ich mag es nicht, das Wort in Rot zu ändern.
I apologize if any wording offends you. I am learning Deutsch. I LIKE her original lyrics.
Cool ta vie chacal
@@glenhardy4770 They changed the name (i.e. added 'red') for the syllable. Because (as you noted) Germans call what we just call 'balloons', "luftballons" (= "air-balloons") it didn't scan without an extra syllable. And as the term "air-balloons" sounds odd in English parlance, they opted for adding a colour.
Great song for what is happening right now.
My mother's from Berlin Germany , and sharing heritage ... Love awesome video .
99 Luftballons. Heute habe ich dieses Lied in einem Supermarkt in Japan auf Deutsch gehört. Und dieses deutsche Lied war gestern im japanischen Radio. Dieser Song, der vor langer Zeit in Japan ein Hit war, könnte in Japan wieder ein Hit werden.
I think everyone needs to be reminded of this song given the current situation with this world ☮️
Oh Me Matt i think that is exactly what we are all doing searching up Nina.
Ya know, she wrote this song in the 80s as a form of reflection on the way the world was, at the time. Being German, her country was being held hostage by the two Global Super-Powers, the USA and the USSR. There were about 900,000 NATO soldiers stationed in West Germany and likely more than a million Soviets in East Germany. The main concern at the time, however, wasn't the number of soldiers stationed there; The concern was caused by the terrifying number of nuclear weapons each side pointed at the other. And so this song was written by a German girl, during the peak of the Cold War, to try to come to terms with the insanity that had gripped the world for almost 50 years. She was, as was every other German, stuck in the middle of two nuclear-armed Super-Powers, who were both apparently itching for an excuse to launch their nukes at the other. And it wasn't just intentional attacks that we needed to worry about, either. There was ALWAYS the fear, the bowel-gripping terror, that some accident or that some action might be misinterpreted and lead to a full-scale nuclear exchange that would leave the world unfit for human habitation...
It's hard to describe to someone what it was like to live through the Cold War; knowing that any minute of any day could be the day that the nukes start flying and the world starts ending (there was a movie called The Day After [1983] that actually did a good job of showing what it would have been like to live in that world, if the nukes ever were launched). I suppose that it's a bit like being a small child and watching your parents violently clashing right in front of you. You're too small to do anything and you know that if one of them tries to kill the other, the whole house will burn down, with all your siblings in other rooms dying in the blaze...
Anyway, that was the state of the world when NENA wrote and performed this song back in '83. The world has changed a LOT since then, but the spectre of global nuclear annihilation still looks the same and appears to still be lurking in the shadows, waiting to be summoned to claim our world...
well written.
A man wrote the song.
MAD has worked for 77 years.
Let's hope it still works.
Wouldn't you prefer a nice game of chess?
The Day After was not nearly accurate in depicting the post-nuclear horror that would come after the bombs dropped for those unlucky enough to survive. The film that really drove that home was Threads (1984), the first to depict several things which are now common knowledge; the EMP effect on electronics, the idea of a nuclear winter, the effects of radiation sickness on survivors and future generations, and the impact of the loss of civil infrastructure on society, regressing us back to a pre-industrial level of tech etc. It was truly horrifying and was shown in a public-information capacity in the US several times after the BBC broadcast it in the UK. Check it out if you have the stomach for it; it is truly horrific but extensively researched with the best available knowledge at the time of effects of fallout etc.
@@rosePetrichor
The effect of fallout on people and on soil and on crops was all depicted in The Day After (1983). The black soldier even attempts to shield himself from the Alpha and Beta radiation while walking through affected areas, by covering as much of himself as he can, with a blanket (which would actually be effective against *EXTERNAL* Alpha and Beta radiation).
The equipment failures in the hospital and elsewhere show how the EMP would render unshielded equipment useless. Cars are left abandoned, though it's not made clear that it's because they refuse to start.
The societal breakdown is shown with people turning against each other in a makeshift church. A man is murdered by a desperate group of monsters that look like they were a human family before the bombs dropped. I think his wife was killed first, then when he rushed to her aid, they killed him too. I can't remember if they did this so they could eat him, or just to rob him.
The loss of civil infrastructure is apparent when the ruins of neighbourhoods are shown in bleak detail, the new ramshackle huts that are hastily put together for shelter in lieu of the rubble that was once their homes and businesses. It's apparent in the journey of several characters through ruins and wastelands that was once a city and its suburbs. And it's apparent when we see scenes of the remains of the hospital and lab, where the last remnants of technological advancement crumble and decay with the rest of the failing world.
I saw Threads back in the 90s. I thought it was more sophisticated than The Day After, however, The Day After had mass market appeal. Everything was dumbed down a notch, but it was also much more relatable in many ways. The narrative was simpler, allowing the audience more time and brain-space to focus on the aftereffects of the brief nuclear exchange.
I honestly don't understand how you can say that The Day After was _"not nearly accurate in depicting the post-nuclear horror that would come after the bombs dropped..."_
I included examples from The Day After of all the things you listed, that you intimated were lacking in the film. I would ask you to watch it again (I rewatched it about 18 months ago) to re-familiarise yourself with not just the narrative and the details, but the intricacy with which those details are explored and fleshed out. I can FULLY sympathise that you- or anyone- might see that Steve Guttenberg has a starring role and dismiss the film as a comedy, or as a light drama with some romance elements. That's a perfectly understandable reaction, but it's also dead wrong. The film is BLEAK!
When the family splits and Steve G. takes the girl (and 1 or 2 others, I think?) on the horse-drawn carriage, to try to reach the hospital, EVERYONE assumes that they'll get her there and bring her back and they'll all be safe and everything will work out for this one, fine family. The film makers had more sense than that, thankfully. I don't want to spoil it, but I think you know that this tangent of the story does NOT have a happy ending. It doesn't have a happy middle, either. And the beginning isn't happy too, come to think of it... And then there are all the other stories of all the other people, whose lives we've been following.
It's an UGLY film that doesn't have a happy ending. I cried my eyes out when I first saw it, back in '85. My mother assumed it would be a typical Steve Guttenberg movie and that we'd all enjoy it. She never rented movies for us again, after that. No shit.
Nb: I have to admit, though, she'd rarely ever rented movies for us before that moment. After it and to this day, though, she never rented movies again.
Never saw them singing this. Love this song. And they are all so ridiculously good-looking.
This song became relevant again waaaaaay too soon
;-;
and it's scary af
🤔
Remember No Russian
If the bombs start droppin', this is the song I'll be singing.
I sang this song in its entirety in German one time in our classroom back in high school. I think I weirded out my classmates 'cause 1. I'm Asian and 2. They thought I was possessed and speaking in tongues. Good times.
Ahahahahaha
@@Omar-nj5yl cool like your story
that shit was hilarious. had my dying. lol. im learning the song now in german and just seen your post. i cant stop laughing.
I think I died of cringe and second hand embarrassment from reading that
When I sing for my fellow Americans in Japanese, they laugh their heads off. I guess it's because of the incongruity of it all. I'm white, by the way.
The original German version is such a special treat.
You know a song is good when you can enjoy it even if you can't understand it.
That's like Gangnam Style... when someone writes a hook SOOOOOOOOO irresistible, the language of the lyrics doesn't matter.
Well essentially it says "we realeased 99 ballons, everyone was on edge because cold war, it started a full on war that lasted 99 years and everyone dief in the end"
It is making fun of the tensions during the cold war, of how people could have started the of the the World just for 99 ballons. How it is stupid and leads to nothing. How our fears, hate and prise will only lead us to self destruction if we continue down that path.
Oh BTW there's currently one chinese ballon floating above the USA...
Alle Erinnerungen aus meiner Kindheit kommen zurück. Ich vermisse diese Jahre sehr.
Idk why but this song just popped into my head today. Never knew it would be the same day the official video would be released
Same here
Uns Polen gefällt dieses Lied sehr, es wurde mit den Waren in Verbindung gebracht, die wir von jenseits der Westgrenze mitgebracht haben 😎
I was serving in West Germany at the time that this song came out...It strongly influenced my decision to end my military career a couple of years later. Thank you Nena( Gabrielle), you're a Sweetheart.
Every time I hear this song, It brings back memories...of how close we came to war, and taking up our defensive positions at the East/West border...I thank God it didn't come to that.
You had to be there to really appreciate how this song made a difference.
Danke Nena. Mit deiner Musik die Jugend erlebt und dankbar für deine Haltung. ♥️
This is the version I grew up with in America. Today, the local oldies station plays the English version. Which just doesn't sound right to me. I wish they play the German version instead.
@@arvedludwig3584 - No. Today's radio doesn't take requests like back in the day. 😕
Very sad they dont look at the traditions etc. They only look at the mass i'm a german and I like the German version much More too
Ironic since the German version was more successful in America lol. No idea why your local station plays the English version.
@@mcperfektff1236 Well, the German version was more popular in the U.S. Its strange that radio station plays the English one.
I think they're technically different songs.
Same theme and message but, different in a way that caters to each other's sensibilities.
This song took America by storm in the 80's. We could all sing german version 😳 Weird that i cant anymore 😂
99 red ballons - english version
I just discovered this song and I am irremediably in love with it.
It was huge in the 80s. Played all the time on the radio
@@luchilds Unfortunately I was not alive to see that. I would have loved to live through 1989-1990.
@@trashbag2753 I know, very sad. But I was born in '02. I found It when I started researching German culture and History.
German teacher played us this during class and now I can't get this out of my head
we made ours play it last year
In 1983, I was an American soldier stationed in Japan, listening to this song in German. Those were the days....
@Young K german not Germany
@Young K The American military radio station in Japan played the German language version of this song.
Soldier: American
Country: Japan
Song: German
Hotel: Trivago
@@rangerv1 Good one! 🤣
What were US solidiers doing in 1983 in Japan tho?
When I went to
Germany with my buddies I was singing this to myself and they were all thinking wtf is he singing, then it came on in a bar, I couldn’t hide my excitement we were all singing it by the end
With recent events, this is going in my playlist.
Song title will change daily as there are now only 98 luftballons!
German Lyrics for those who want it
Hast du etwas Zeit für mich
Dann singe ich ein Lied für dich
Von neunundneunzig Luftballons, auf ihrem Weg zum Horizont
Denkst du vielleicht grad an mich
Dann singe ich ein Lied für dich
Von neunundneunzig Luftballons
Und, dass so was von so was kommt
Neunundneunzig Luftballons
Auf ihrem Weg zum Horizont
Hielt man für UFOs aus dem All
Darum schickte ein General
'Ne Fliegerstaffel hinterher
Alarm zu geben, wenn's so wär
Dabei war'n dort am Horizont nur neunundneunzig Luftballons
Neunundneunzig Düsenflieger
Jeder war ein grosser Krieger
Hielten sich für Captain Kirk
Das gab ein grosses Feuerwerk
Die Nachbarn haben nichts gerafft
Und fühlten sich gleich angemacht
Dabei schoss man am Horizont auf neunundneunzig Luftballons
Neunundneunzig Kriegsminister Streichholz und Benzinkanister
Hielten sich für schlaue Leute
Witterten schon fette Beute
Riefen "Krieg!" und wollten Macht
Mann, wer hätte das gedacht
Dass es einmal soweit kommt
Wegen neunundneunzig Luftballons
Neunundneunzig Jahre Krieg
Ließen keinen Platz für Sieger
Kriegsminister gibt's nicht mehr
Und auch keine Düsenflieger
Heute zieh' ich meine Runden
Seh' die Welt in Trümmern liegen
Hab 'n Luftballon gefunden
Denk' an dich und lass' ihn fliegen
If you say so , hell yeah!!!!
Let's put Nena back in the top 100
Given the current Chinese balloon imbroglio, the prescience and irony of this classic 40 year old track isn't lost on me..
yet the pentagon has refused to give any information on what the balloon is holding nor any evidence the balloon is chinese in the first place..........
so this song just rings true, that it makes no sense for chinese balloons to get past the coast guard, and this was just some random balloon that people are using the go to war lmao
The upper limit of national airspace is not defined by international law. According to Wikipedia, an altitude of between 60 and 110 km is normally assumed as the airspace upper limit for the sovereign territory. When the U2 was still regularly conducting espionage flights, it was actually defined by the Russian air defense systems ;) :) Re-entry vehicles from space have to cope with massive friction from about 120 km.
A lot of things (like Russia's border transgression) should finally be regulated at the UN by international agreement... So I'd suggest to meet there half way and talk finally about the limitation of UN-SC member's veto rights and the reduction of the quorum for a peace keeping mission to a 2/3 majority !
40 lat wtecz,a lepsze teledyski jak teraz
Wer ist 2024 noch alles dabei?! 🤘😎🕊🎶🎹🎸
die Franzosen sind auch da 🇨🇵
i'm 17 years old from japan
i'm 16 from Portugal, but Nena is just popular everywhere❤
Jawohl!
Im 28 years from Mexico, since 2002 in love with this song thanks to gta vice city.
Not german but this is still one of my favourite songs
Know only a few German words and phrases, but always thought this version sounded so much better than the English language version
@@usafvet100 100%
Im glad there is at least one german thing people like lol..
@@VVfanXXLx3 Well crafted cars, schnitzel, strudel, wursts, excellent beer, precision optical equipment, Leicas, what's not to like?😁
@@usafvet100 the leaders
This song was on my mind all day today before I found out about the spy balloon.
me too, and my family too 👀
This hits harder these days. The message is clearer than ever. Buckle up, everyone.
Truthfully one of my favorite songs of a historic period and I hope it gets put down in every history book to represent the world's thoughts of the Cold War and how it very easily could have ended. Historical periods and their art are usually easily marked by what artists of the time thought and the fact that a musician could think a misinterpretation of something so simple could lead to the destruction of all mankind speaks volumes to the fragile world we still live in to this day.
This is the first song I ever liked on my own without any other influences.
40 odd years later it's still a bop
Appears in "Atomic Blondie" and "Deutschland '83". Any films set in 1980s Germany often feature this song. So iconic, it captures the atmosphere during the era: the rise of technology symbolized by electronic instruments, the youth represented by energic rock music, the rise of TV music video, and last but not least.. peak anxiety of the Cold War (i.e. the lyrics).
Nena and Sandra, most talented and gorgeous german singers of the 80's
And we are back listening to this, and not just because it is a good song.
It sings a story.
I fear you could be right...
Who else was watching and listening to this on MTV in 1984!
I wasn’t born in the 80s so I don’t know but I was born in the 90s
Found a way back in a hot tub while visiting a ski lodge with friends. Let me say, it was a good night.
Literally 1984
I was helping to man the front line in Germany when this came out. I was hoping that it was all over in 1991.
Yup
40 years later and this song is still appropriate today as it once was 😒😒
I know right lol. Especially with this Chinese spy balloon ruckus
We are closer to nuclear war now than back in those what-we-thought-were-scary Raygun-Breshnev times. I was around back then, unlike you kids.
No not really
@@franklittle8124 unfortunately, yes. Also around back then. :(
I think post cold war era of peace was the exception, not the rule. Rise of global trade, advancement of technology, fall of global military tensions all generally led to more globally open tendencies than nationalistic sentiments in general. Of course there was Yugoslavia, and that was horrible. But the whole world in general I think found joy in the tension of cold war ending.
I guess now tendencies are going back to nationalistic sentiments ariund the world. Conflict among different nations will eventually lead to less global economic prosperity and rising military tensions :(
I listen this at 240 kmh on autobahn for Nurburgring Nordschleife in my old audi S3 8L nothing better !
One of the fewest tracks that made it out of Germany to the US even with its own translation, good times cheers
This song still slaps EXTRA hard in 2022
yesss
And very relevant
Munich, Germany 1999 - I am 19 year old American met this beautiful girl at Hofbrauhaus, she didn’t speak any English and I didn’t speak German. Went to nightclub with her with this song blaring as we drank and made out. Left her hotel in morning and couldn’t find her before I left. One of the best nights of my life!
There is now a second Chinese luftballon, this time in South America. 🎈🎈 We'll get to 99 in no time!
One of THE BEST anti-war songs ever.
🎈🎈🎈🎈🎈🎈🎈🎈🎈🎈🎈🎈🎈🎈🎈🎈🎈🎈🎈🎈🎈🎈🎈🎈🎈🎈🎈🎈🎈🎈🎈🎈🎈🎈🎈🎈🎈🎈🎈🎈🎈🎈🎈🎈🎈🎈🎈🎈🎈🎈🎈🎈🎈🎈🎈🎈🎈🎈🎈🎈🎈🎈🎈🎈🎈🎈🎈🎈🎈🎈🎈🎈🎈🎈🎈🎈🎈🎈🎈🎈🎈🎈🎈🎈🎈🎈🎈🎈🎈🎈🎈🎈🎈🎈🎈🎈🎈🎈🎈
👍👍👍
As Nena herself has indicated, it was not written to express any anti war sentiment. It was the listening public who viewed it as such. I think the band ultimately embraced it as the general public interpreted it. Brings to mind the DH Lawrence advice to “trust the tale not the teller”
As a kid of the 80s, this really hit hard back in the day. There was always constant strain with the USSR, and it felt like nuclear war could break out any day. This song always reinforced just how politically and militarily on edge the world always seemed to be back then.
Ich bin wirklich zufrieden mit diesem Lied, ich höre es fast jeden Tag 😄
She's nuts! Fighter jets shooting down balloons? That'll never happen!
🤣
Especially high tech ones like she said. Can you imagine them sending up their best air superiority fighter after a balloon? LOL! Ridiculous.
I mean, she's religious COVID denier...
Don’t shoot the balloons or let them fly like Trump did? An ounce of research will show you this isn’t a new phenomenon, this is a moral panic that morons are eating up, per American style
I love the song. She made an English version which is cool because I understand it, but the German version is 100 times better. I don't understand a word and it sounds incredible
Deutsch lernen👍😎
Tellement de souvenirs en l'écoutant à l'époque dans ma chambre avec mon lecteur cassette et avec mon Walkman... ❤🎸J'avais 10 ans... 🥰🔥