What does 99 Luftballons mean in German?
Chloe Ramirez
Updated on March 09, 2026
What does 99 Luftballons mean in German?
The song talks about Nena and the listener buying 99 red balloons in a shop and letting them go, for fun. The song, though difficult to understand, is about the dreams of the German people that were lost after World War II. The 99 balloons represent the many dreams that each person had.
Is 99 Luftballons German?
“99 Luftballons” (German: Neunundneunzig Luftballons, “99 balloons”) is a song by the German band Nena from their 1983 self-titled album. The English version is not a direct translation of the German original and contains lyrics with a somewhat different meaning.
How many versions of 99 red balloons are there?
two different versions
The two different versions, though linked to each other, now exist on slightly different timelines, as both “99 Luftballons” and “99 Red Balloons” have been covered multiple times.
Who sang 99 Red Balloons originally?
Nena
99 Luftballons/Artists
What dies Luft mean?
Luft → air, sky. Luft → air, aerial, airy, overhead.
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.
Where is Nena now?
After splitting with Freitag, Nena started a relationship with drummer and music producer Philipp Palm from Stuttgart, with whom she had two children, Samuel Vincent (1995), and Simeon Joel (1997). The couple and the four children currently live in Hamburg.
What year did 99 Luftballons come out?
1983
99 Luftballons/Released
When was 99 red balloons in the charts?
Search the Official Charts
| Date | Title, Artist | Peak Pos |
|---|---|---|
| 04.02. 1984 | 99 RED BALLOONS NENA EPIC | 01 |
| amazon itunes | ||
| spotify deezer |
Is Nena 99 Red Balloons still alive?
In the same year the band re-recorded this song in English as “99 Red Balloons”….
| Nena | |
|---|---|
| Years active | 1979–present |
| Labels | CBS, Warner |
| Associated acts | Carlo Karges, Uwe Fahrenkrog-Petersen, Jürgen Dehmel, Rolf Brendel, Peter Heppner, Kim Wilde |
What happened to Nina who sang 99 Red Balloons?
In recent years, Nena has done it all, from acting to writing an autobiography to recording songs for children and becoming a television personality. She even co-founded a school when she was not satisfied with the education her four kids were getting in Germany.
What gender is Luft in German?
The word was originally masculine in Upper German. The feminine is Central German, reinforced by Middle Low German luft, lucht f .
Why is the song 99 Luftballons so popular?
Though Nena (the band and singer) had a few hits after this song, “99 Luftballons” was by far its most significant success and remains a favorite in both languages. “99 Luftballons” was an antiwar protest song written by the band’s guitarist Carlo Karges.
When did the song Luftballons come out in the UK?
The English-language version was #1 in the UK for three weeks in March 1984. It was the first of two songs about nuclear war to top the chart in the UK that year; the other was ” Two Tribes ” by Frankie Goes To Hollywood. >> “Luftballons” literally translates to “air balloons” in German, and means regular party balloons.
Who sang 99 Luftballons Soar 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 meaning of the song 99 Luftballons by Carlo Karges?
Here is the DIRECT meaning of his song ” 99 LuftBallons” : Carlo Karges refers to the content of the song not only” to the relationships between the peoples, but also to all this paranoia in the private sphere”. He wants to say, “that paranoia determines our lives.
