That it comes to this because of 99 balloons

"Do you have some time for me? / Then I'll sing a song for you". Sweet! As befits a real catchy tune, Nena's song also has a legend: at a Rolling Stones concert in West Berlin in 1982, the guitarist from Nena's band saw colorful balloons rising into the sky of the divided front city. He wonders what actually happens when the balloon squadron drives over the wall into the airspace of the Eastern Bloc. Will the alarm go off then?

On the basis of this scenario, a song is created that tells an outrageous event: "99 balloons/ On their way to the horizon/ They thought they were UFOs from space/ That's why a general/ 'An air squadron followed/ To raise the alarm, if that were the case / And there were on the horizon / Only 99 balloons". The scenario of an unintentional overreaction in the armored world became a world hit 40 years ago. The singer Nena was 23 years young and her song fit perfectly into the apocalyptic mood of the Cold War.

The soundtrack to a world that has become eschatological in the competition between two superpowers topped the German charts for 21 weeks from the spring of 1983. Later the "Luftballons" (in German!) also became number one in Great Britain, Japan, Canada. The song peaked at number two on the Billboard charts; The media reported only a few weeks ago, when people still thought they were reading a mere song anniversary.

Then something monstrous happened. As if Nena had ordered a world situation for the 40th of the “99 balloons”, loud panicked news about unknown flying objects suddenly piled up in the sky. In particular, around the US, they emerged, partly presumptive, partly official, from China, the superpower of the 21st century. Weather balloons, spy balloons, some allegedly as big as buses. At least four UFOs were shot down, and the wreckage is being investigated.

"99 jet planes/ Everyone was a great warrior/ They thought they were Captain Kirk/ There were big fireworks/ The neighbors didn't get anything/ And they felt turned on right away/ You shot on the horizon/ At 99 balloons".

In general, the Schnapsnummer 99, theme and rhyme of this pop song, which has an apocalyptic ending: "99 Minister of War/ matches and petrol cans/ thought they were clever people/ already scented fat loot/ shouted 'war!' and wanted power/ man, who would have that thought?/ that it would come to this/ because of 99 balloons.”

Man, who would have thought that a Neue Deutsche Welle song, with all its girly, synthesizer-packed 1980s flair, could reflect the present – ​​our here and now with all its debates about Ukrainian fighter jets and flat peace petitions, about nuclear fears and unknown flying objects supposedly from the off course.

To answer the continued amazement with another Nena anthem: "Miracles happen. There's so much we don't understand." We're not at all surprised that Nena is going on tour again this year and - like at every one of her concerts - will be singing about "99 Luftballons". The last verses of the song then tell of a post-apocalyptic world in which nothing is left but rubble. But only apparently:

99 years of war / left no room for winners / there are no more Ministers of War / and no more jet planes / today I make my rounds / see the world lying in ruins. Found a balloon / Think of you and let it fly.