1) Nena was a German Neue Deutsc… Read Full Bio ↴There are multiple artists named Nena:
1) Nena was a German Neue Deutsche Welle band formed in West Berlin in 1981. In 1983 and 1984, their German-language song "99 Luftballons" (and its English version, "99 Red Balloons") reached number one in the singles charts of countries around the world.
The band released four studio albums: Nena (1983), Fragezeichen (1984), Feuer und Flamme (1985) and Eisbrecher (1986). With two english language albums: 99 Luftballons (1984) and It's All In The Game (1985). The band disbanded in 1987 without ever officially announcing their end.
2) Nena is the stage name of German singer and actress Gabriele Susanne Kerner (born 24 March 1960 in Hagen, Nordrhein-Westfalen, Germany). Nena was also the name of the band with whom she released the 1984 English recording of the eponymous band's most well-known song "99 Red Balloons" (orginally released in Germany in 1983 as "99 Luftballons")
Nena acquired her nickname, which means "baby girl" in Spanish, at the age of 3 during a vacation to Spain. Her first band was called The Stripes (1979). They had a very minor hit with the song "Ecstasy", but never managed to achieve broad success.
3) The band Nena was formed with Nena (singer), Rolf Brendel (drums), Carlo Karges (guitar), Uwe Fahrenkrog-Petersen (keyboard) and Jürgen Dehmel (bass) in Berlin in 1981. Their first hit single, "Nur geträumt" ("Only In Dreams"), came in 1982 after appearing on the German television program Musikladen.
The following year they released their self-titled first album, which contained the singles "99 Luftballons" and "Leuchtturm" ("Lighthouse"). "99 Luftballons" was a #1 hit in many countries (including the U.S.) and an English version of the song, "99 Red Balloons", was recorded, and retains some measure of cultural influence, being referred to in current music - the Guster track Amsterdam. The song also featured in an episode of Scrubs, Gilmore Girls the film, Grosse Point Blank, and most recently the movie Watchmen. Nena then released ? (Fragezeichen) in 1984, Feuer und Flamme ("Fire And Flame", means "to be all for it") in 1985, Eisbrecher ("Icebreaker") in 1986.
Nena started dating Swiss actor Benedict Freitag shortly after the breakup of the band in 1987, and together with him had a son, Christopher Daniel, who was born disabled due to medical mistakes made during the birth that caused Nena to go into cardiac arrest. He died at the age of 11 months. She later had twins with Freitag, Larissa-Maria and Sakias Manuel.
After splitting with Benedict Freitag, Nena began a relationship with drummer and music producer Philipp Palm of Stuttgart, with whom she has two children, Samuel Vincent and Simeon Joel. The couple and the four children live together in Hamburg.
Throughout the 1990's, Nena released solo albums, including some children's albums. In 1999, Nena voiced the character Lea in the animated film Tobias Totz und sein Löwe.
In 2002, Nena celebrated her 20th stage anniversary with the album "Nena feat. Nena," a CD of self-covers of old hits. This jubilee album meant an incredible comeback for Nena that has hardly ever been seen before in German music business. Nena's 2005 album "Willst du mit mir gehn" ("Do You Wanna Date Me?") quickly achieved platinum status as well. The first single from "Willst du mit mir gehn", "Liebe ist" ("Love Is"), shot to Number 1 in the German charts in early 2005.
9th October 2007 Nena released the album "Cover Me", an album composed entirely of cover songs with songs both in English and German.
In 2007, she co-founded the school "Neue Schule Hamburg".
4) Nena is also the artistic name of a young portuguese singer.
Musically influenced by names like John Mayer, Taylor Swift, Sara Bareilles, The Chicks (ex-Dixie Chicks) or Maro, Nena began developing and writing songs from a very young age, tending to write her first song when she was just 12 years old. After the composition process, on the guitar, where lyrics and music are usually born simultaneously, love is a recurring theme.
Although her professional training was in the area of communication, her passion and devotion to music occupied a central place in her life and, since 2019, Nena has dedicated herself professionally to this area.
99 Red Balloons
Nena Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Buy a bag of balloons with the money we've got
Set them free at the break of dawn
'Til one by one they were gone
Back at base, bugs in the software
Flash the message, "Something's out there"
Floating in the summer sky
Ninety-nine red balloons go by
Ninety-nine red balloons
Floating in the summer sky
Panic bells, it's red alert
There's something here from somewhere else
The war machine springs to life
Opens up one eager eye
Focusing it on the sky
When ninety-nine red balloons go by
99 Decision Street
Ninety-nine ministers meet
To worry, worry, super scurry
Call the troops out in a hurry
This is what we've waited for
This is it, boys, this is war
The president is on the line
As ninety-nine red balloons go by
Ninety-nine knights of the air
Ride super high-tech jet fighters
Everyone's a super hero
Everyone's a "Captain Kirk"
With orders to identify
To clarify and classify
Scramble in the summer sky
Ninety-nine red balloons go by
As ninety-nine red balloons go by
Ninety-nine dreams I have had
In every one, a red balloon
It's all over and I'm standin' pretty
In this dust that was a city
If I could find a souvenir
Just to prove the world was here
And here is a red balloon
I think of you, and let it go
Nena's song "99 Red Balloons" is a commentary on the Cold War and the paranoia surrounding the possibility of a nuclear war. The song starts with two people buying a bag of balloons, setting them free into the sky at dawn. This innocent act is then followed by panic bells and red alerts as something in the sky triggers the war machine to spring to action. The number "99" emphasizes the abundance of balloons, and the repetition of the line "Ninety-nine red balloons go by" adds a sense of urgency and chaos to the song.
As the balloons float through the sky, various groups react to their presence, from ministers worrying and calling troops out in a hurry to knights of the air scrambling to identify and classify them. The final verse brings the song back to a personal level, with the singer reflecting on their dreams of red balloons and the aftermath of the chaos they've witnessed. The line "If I could find a souvenir just to prove the world was here" speaks to the devastating impact of nuclear war.
Overall, "99 Red Balloons" is a powerful commentary on the futility and danger of the Cold War, and the way it affected people's lives and emotions on a personal level.
Line by Line Meaning
You and I in a little toy shop
We went to a small store to purchase something
Buy a bag of balloons with the money we've got
We bought a pack of balloons using the money we had
Set them free at the break of dawn
We released the balloons when the sun came up
'Til one by one they were gone
The balloons disappeared one after another
Back at base bugs in the software
There were technical problems occurring at headquarters
Flash the message "something's out there!"
The message was sent that there was something present in the sky
Floating in the summer sky
The balloons were moving through the air in the summertime
Ninety-nine red balloons go by
There were 99 red balloons being released
Panic bells, it's red alert
The alarms were sounded as a warning
There's something here from somewhere else
An object has appeared from a foreign place
The war machine springs to life
The military has been activated
Opens up one eager eye
Vigilance is heightened
Focusing it on the sky
Attention is directed to the sky
Where ninety-nine red balloons go by
Where 99 balloons are visible
Ninety-nine decision street
There were 99 decisions being made
Ninety-nine ministers meet
99 government officials are convening to discuss something
To worry, worry, super scurry
They are concerned and in a hurry to act
Call the troops out in a hurry
Military forces are being summoned urgently
This is what we've waited for
It's a moment they've been anticipating
This is it, boys, this is war
They have decided it is time for war
The president is on the line
The leader of the country is in communication
As ninety-nine red balloons go by
As the 99 balloons keep moving through the sky
Ninety-nine knights of the air
99 pilots are in the sky
Ride super high-tech jet fighters
They travel in advanced fighter planes
Everyone's a super hero
All the pilots are seen as heroic figures
Everyone's a captain Kirk
They are all bold leaders like Captain Kirk from Star Trek
With orders to identify
They are commanded to figure out what the object is
To clarify and classify
They are trying to make sense of the situation
Scramble in the summer sky
They are moving rapidly through the sky
Ninety-nine red balloons go by
The 99 balloons are still visible
As ninety-nine red balloons go by
As the balloons keep moving through the sky
Ninety-nine dreams I have had
I have had 99 different dreams
In every one a red balloon
In each of those dreams there was a red balloon
It's all over and I'm standing pretty
The situation has been resolved and I'm doing alright
In this dust that was a city
The city has been destroyed and turned to dust
If I could find a souvenir
If I could locate a memento
Just to prove the world was here
To show evidence that the world existed
And here is a red balloon
I found a red balloon
I think of you, and let it go
I recall you and release the balloon
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Joern-Uwe Fahrenkrog-Petersen, Carlo Karges, Kevin Mc Alea
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind