Los Angeles punk-rock band Goldfinger may be only barely known for their own work, but are oppositely famous for their cover of German 1980s pop song. In the year 2000, Goldfinger recorded Nena’s “99 Luftballoons”, which translates in English into “99 Red Balloons”. The original song was a post-Cold War protest song. The original German song was extremely popular in Europe, and gained that same popularity in the United States; however, many Germans argued that the English translation of the song did not match up with the German. Although Nena is considered a one-hit-wonder band, both the German and English versions of “99 Red Balloons” are still played on U.S. radio today.
One of the most prominent poetic devices evident in “99 Red Balloons” is imagery. The title in itself is a great example. It is perfectly easy to picture dozens of red balloons floating in the sky. The song tells the story of a war-like reaction to ninety-nine balloons floating over the Berlin Wall, an allusion to the Cold War that was going on at this time. The song also alludes to the idea of a nuclear war, or World War III, happening. The line, “back at the base, bugs in the software” uses alliteration and also describes a military base recognizing the innocent red balloons as an attack. The line “panic lads, it’s a red alert” may also be an allusion to the Cold War and the “Red Scare”, or fear of communism, that was still going on in the United States.
In the fourth stanza, a “war machine” is personified as opening “one eager eye”. This is also symbolism of the world’s readiness to go to war at any time during this era. In the next stanza, the line “worry, worry, super-scurry/ call the troops out in a hurry” not only uses alliteration and rhyme, but also shows how one mistake in military radar can lead to an unnecessary panic. “The President is on the line/ as ninety-nine red balloons go by”, is ambiguous because “on the line” can either mean on a telephone line or on the line of fighting in war. The next line, “ninety-nine knights of the air/ riding super high-tech jet fighters”, uses imagery to portray military warfare. The song means to raise awareness of the dangers of war, not to glorify its equipment.
The last stanza of the lyrics read: “Now it’s all over and I’m standing pretty/ In this dust that was a city/ If I could find a souvenir/ Just to prove the world was here”. These last lines allude to the end of the world, or the so-called Apocalypse. The songwriter believes that nuclear warfare could be the cause of this. “Dust that was a city” uses imagery to show the destruction that war can result in. Nena’s purpose in creating this song was to make people aware of the threat of nuclear war during this time period. While many bands have covered this song over the years, Goldfinger’s version is significant because while it is sung in English, it also sings one verse in the original German.
Lyrics:
You and I, and a little toy shop
Buy a bag of balloons with the money we've got
Set them free at the break of dawn
'Til one by one, they were gone
Back at base, bugs in the software
Flash the message, "Some thing's out there"
Floating in the summer sky
Ninety-nine red balloons go by
Ninety-nine red balloons
Floating in the summer sky
Panic lads, it's a red alert
There's something here from somewhere else
The war machine springs to life
Opens up one eager eye
Focusing it on the sky
Ninety-nine red balloons go by
Ninety-nine Decision Street
Ninety-nine ministers meet
To worry, worry, super-scurry
Call the troops out in a hurry
This is what we've waiting for
This is it boys, this is war
The President is on the line
As ninety-nine red balloons go by
Ninety-nine knights of the air
Riding super high-tech jet fighters
Everyone's a super hero
Everyone's a Captain Kirk
With orders to identify, to clarify and classify
Scrambling in the summer sky
As ninety-nine red balloons go by
Ninety-nine red balloons go by
Ninety-nine dreams I have had
Every one a red balloon
Now it's all over and I'm standin' pretty
In this dust that was a city
If I could find a souvenir
Just to prove the world was here
And here is a red balloon
I think of you and let it go
Goldfinger's Video for "99 Red Balloons"
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