Having achieved widespread success in Europe and Japan with '99 Luftballons', Nena wanted to try their luck in the rest of the world with an English version of the song. Kevin McAlea wrote this version, titled '99 red balloons', which has a more satirical tone than the original. The English version is not a direct translation of the German but contains a somewhat different set of lyrics.Nena recorded '99 red balloons' despite their dissatisfaction with the lyrics, which they expressed in numerous magazine interviews in 1984. They felt the English version was not a faithful rendition of the German original. Still, with this song they achieved something few other German bands had achieved at the time: a number one hit in the UK.
My collection: 7" single no. 4266
Found: Record fair, Utrecht, November 21, 2009
Cost: 1 euro
Tracks: '99 red balloons' / 'Ich bleib' im Bett'
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