99 Luftbaloons


Neue Deutsche Welle (“New German Wave,” or “German New Wave”) started in the early ’80s as an underground movement of bands that developed a distinct sound by blending British punk and British New Wave with their German-language lyrics. When record companies caught onto Neue Deutsche Welle in the mid ’80s they sensed English-language versions might appeal to an international market, and they were right–performers like Nena — who we’ll see in this video performing their hit 99 Luftballoons, with lead singer Gabriele Susanne Kerner, also known as Nena, wearing an outfit that one could only get away with in 1983 — rocketed to the top of international pop charts. This unprecedented success inspired record companies to mine the Neue Deutsche Welle scene for potential pop stars, an act that quickly drained it of creative energy. By 1984 the New German Wave was no more.

(Bonus: Did you know the original German version of “99 Luftballons” is actually a protest song?)

, , ,