99 Luftballons

Nena

Product Details

• Audio CD (October 25, 1990)
• Original Release Date: 1984
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Sony
• ASIN: B0000025ZI
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Audio Cassette  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars See all reviews (35 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #86,731 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com
Gabriela "Nena" Kerner's American debut combines tracks from her first two European releases, including everyone's favorite antinuclear dance-pop single in both English and German. Likable as "99 Red Balloons" and "99 Luftballons" were, their international success was not to be repeated, even though tracks like "Kino" and "Just a Dream" have a similar just-this-side-of-kitsch appeal. "Leuchtturm" and "Uner Kannt Durch's Marchenland" are also strong, but the clumsy "Let Me Be Your Pirate" makes you wish Nena had stuck to her native tongue. Then again, it was that bilingual approach that allowed her to transcend her stateside status as a one-hit wonder--if only through a technicality. --Bill Forman

Product Description
Japanese only paper sleeve pressing features all new 2009 remastering. Sony. --This text refers to the Audio CD edition.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

27 of 29 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Review from a Philippine Nena Fan Who Understands German, June 7, 2000

By	Glenn (San Juan, Metropolitan Manila, Philippines) - See all my reviews

This was the first compilation album of the Nena band and includes not only six selections from the Nena band's first two albums[ i.e. NENA and ?( FRAGEZEICHEN )] but also English translations of five selected songs from these albums. For those of you who do not understand German, the original German titles of the translated songs are "99 Luftballons"( "99 Red Balloons" ), "?( Fragezeichen )"[ "?( Question Mark ) ], "Ich haeng' an dir"( "Hangin' on You" ), "Nur getraeumt"( "Just a Dream" ), and "Lass mich dein Pirat sein"( "Let Me Be Your Pirate" ). Just in case you might not know it yet, the cd album version of "99 Red Balloons" is actually the longer "Club-Mix" version, which is 4 minutes and 43 seconds long. This is not the same version of the song "99 Red Balloons" found in the vinyl lp album, the audiocassette album, and the 7" vinyl single, which is 3 minutes and 50 seconds long. Should you wish to have that version, you may have to purchase the audiocassette of this album in order to obtain it. Another interesting difference involves the song "Just a Dream". Although the lengths of the cd album version on the one hand and the lp and audiocassette version on the other are both 3 minutes and 29 seconds, the two versions have very clear differences, so, once again, one might also wish to obtain the original version by getting the audiocassette of this album. As a pretty good selection of songs from the first two albums of the Nena band, this album is something very much worth having, especially for having five of the Nena band's songs translated into English.

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Review of 99 Luftballons, August 12, 2005

By	William S. Warner "'80's music fan" (Galveston, TX USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Great CD for fans of Nena. Has both the English and German versions of 99 Luftballons. The rest of the album contains some songs in English and some songs in German as well.
Amazon.com had the album and got it to me in a very reasonable period of time. Other music outlets (stores, online, etc.) didn't carry the album.

15 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A welcome respite from modern American popular music, September 10, 2000

By	Oliver (Springfield MO USA) - See all my reviews

I was just beginning to learn German when 99 Luftballoons came out. It was like a secret club; I could understand the lyrics but none of my friends could (then the English version came out). In fact, I have found that lyrical music is an easy way to learn the cadence and rhythm of a language. Nena is an exemplary performer who can temper her voice to the needs of the song. This album, her first (of only two) entries into the American market, contains some wonderful German songs prefaced by some (at times) very good English renditions of songs that were originally written in German as well. If you listen closely to the English lyrics you can tell that the cadence is off just a little; enough to tell you this was once a GERMAN song. By all means start with this album and work your way up to her '98 Live album... you can hear the development of her voice and the maturation of her style. You can also hear the beginnings of jazz influences in the form of a guest appearance by David Sanborn on a couple of tracks. This deveops over time into a blues influence by the late '90s. It all starts with this album; pop mixed with German jazz. Besides, it is SO enjoyable at stop lights to drown out the nearby cars blaring rap (that is, crap) with a song being sung in German! If you hate rap, BUY EVERY NENA ALBUM YOU CAN AND PLAY THEM AT TOP VOLUME! Start with this one, but remember: this is 80s rock, so be in an eighties frame of mind.