Song:99 Luftballons
Album:99 Luftballons
99 Luftballons was an international chart topper in 1984. And though it was Nena's only big hit in North America, she is a much bigger deal in her native Germany. She was born Gabriele Kerner Mar. 24, 1960 in Hagen, Germany. Nena is a childhood nickname. Nena started out as lead singer of The Stripes. They recorded an unsuccessful album and they split up in 1982. Their label CBS signed Nena to a solo deal. They asked her to move to Berlin which she did with drummer boyfriend Rolf Brendel. They turned Nena into a band with Carlo Karges on guitar, Jurgen Dehmel on bass and Jorn-Uwe Fahrenkrog-Petersen on keyboards. They had immediate success in Germany with their debut single Nur Getraumt. 99 Luftballons was the second single. The song became a hit in England and from there it spread worldwide. The song is about mistaking balloons for UFOs. But what made the song a hit was the beat and Nena's looks. And MTV played the video to death. It reached #2 on the Billboard hot 100. Nena's US label Epic Records had them record an English version called 99 Red Balloons. They even did a second video. Most fans prefer the German version. But both versions are on this US release of the original German album. It is available as a budget CD. Though 99 Luftballons was Nena's only big US hit, they continued to have success in Germany until the band split up in 1987. Nena launched her solo career in 1989. She had success with her 2002 album Nena and hits like Anyplace, Anywhere, Anytime, a duet with Kim Wilde. Nena currently records on her own label with BMG distribution. Her latest CD was released in 2015. As for the others, Fahrenkrog-Petersen is a producer and film composer. His most notable film was Igby Goes Down in 2002. Here's the video for 99 Luftballons by Nena.
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