Do you prefer the German or English version of Nena's 99 Luftballoons?

[Wonk]

German lyrics are at this link. I think the German version sounds much better but with the English version I can understand the words.
http://www.eightyeightynine.com/music/nena-99luftballoons.html




You and I in a little toy shop
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.
99 red balloons go by.

99 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.
Where 99 red balloons go by.

99 Decision Street.
99 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 99 red balloons go by.

99 Knights of the air
Ride super-high-tech jet fighters
Everyone's a superhero.
Everyone's a Captain Kirk.
With orders to identify.
To clarify and classify.
Scramble in the summer sky.
As 99 red balloons go by.

99 dreams I have had.
In every one a red balloon.
It's all over and I'm standing pretty.
In this dust that was a city.
If I could find a souvenier.
Just to prove the world was here.
And here is a red balloon
I think of you and let it go.

[MercutioATC]

1. I prefer the Goldfinger version...

Yeah, I have both of Nina's versions too, but the punk cover by Goldfinger is my favorite.

[Rabrrrrrr]

2. Neun und neunzig Luftballoon!

Better in German.

So is Peter Gabriel.

[dae]

3. German, for sure...

[ironflange]

4. Ever heard "99 Dead Baboons?"

I'm just glad that they're not apes,
'Cause apes would clash with the drapes. . .

[NightTrain]

15. Tim Cavanagh!

In 1984, I won a Dr. Demento T-shirt after I called his request line for that song. They used my voice on the air and sent me a shirt.

Damn, I'm good! :P

[WannaJumpMyScooter]

5. En Deutsch, bitte.

At least the rhythm flows naturally... they really stretched some of the English words to make them fit.

[Syrinx]

6. I just had to vote for english

"Understandable" deserves some weight.

[corarose]

7. I love the German Version

It makes me feel like a kid again when I hear that song.

[politicat]

8. Depends on the Remix. The one I like right now is English, but there's

a fab VNV nation remix from early on that is german and hot.

BTW: Your first line is incorrect -

You and I in a rental shed ....

Depends on the version, though, I think.

Politicat (who thrives on weird remixes and covers.....)

[HEyHEY]

9. english

I don't speak german...I like to know what I'm listening too...plus I like the way she says 99.

[HamstersFromHell]

11. German

For me, the English version would be like watching "Das Boot" with English overdubs....still a good movie, but it's just not the same.

Hammies!

[HEyHEY]

12. welcome to Du

how's it hammies/

[VolcanoJen]

10. Wonk, this is my favorite question in weeks.

Oh, the memories that song gives me, in its original German. Living in W. Germany (so archaic, to write it that way), circa 1983-85, braided hair, colorful miniskirts with legwarmers and truly stupid footwear, blending is as an American in Flensburg. The best of times, really.

My parents get the Beatles and Bob Dylan. I get Nena.

:D

Hast du etwa' Zeit fuer mich?

[TexasMexican]

13. Spanish

j/k

[Kellanved]

14. German

What did you expect :evilgrin: ?

And please the 80s recording, not the recent remake (Nena has a comeback at the moment).


Edit:
you can listen to most of her good songs on her homepage (but only the remake versions and with a commercial in the middle) :
http://www.20jahrenena.de/

[eileen_d]

16. Nena's having a comeback?

Is Falco next?

[Kellanved]

17. who knows?

:evilgrin:

If Elvis can do it, why not Falco?

[Paul1574]

18. well hes dead for one.....

sad to say ~ so no falco comeback.....cos like this nena song rock me amadeus meant a lot to me as a kid (the misheard lyric where he says something in german(?) sounded like a rude word begining with F)

[Kellanved]

19. so is Elvis

probably

[supernova]

20. Oohh, Rock Me, Amadeus!!

LOL!

*rubbing eyes* (looking at Falco catalog at Amazon) There's a dance club mix of Wiener Blut? Yuck!


I like Nena's original German version. It sounds more urgent coming out of Germany than the sanitized English version. Also '99 Red Balloons' reminds me too much of that French movie, The Red Balloon, when I was a kid.

While wer're talking about it 'Der Kommissar' is better in German too.

IOW, I always like the originals best.

[Noordam]

21. PeerGuardian on,,,, Limewire coming up.......

Searching for Red Balloons .... got two. One German and one English....downloadinnnnnggngngngng... Listening........

Love them BOTH.......

[Character Assassin]

22. Weder/noch, so zu sagen

Retch

[Aristus]

23. German, definitely. I first heard the song my sophomore year in

high school, when I was taking German class, so it was cool to listen to. But also, I think it's really sexy when she sings "angeMACHT". Stupid, I know, but I like it. I also like the actual translation from the German, at least as far as I can make out.

Kellenved, can you check my German translation on the last verse?

A ninety-nine year war
Leaves no place for victory
There are no more war ministers
And no more jet fighters
This morning I looked around
And saw the world laying in ashes
And I found a toy balloon,
I thought of you and let it fly

How'd I do?

[Kellanved]

25. perfect

:thumbsup:

What's so bad about "angemacht"? ( to turn somebody on)

[Aristus]

29. Oh, I just meant that it might seem silly to some people that I find

her pronounciation of a word sexy, that's all. I can't help it. I love German women. I was on cloud nine the whole time I was there.

[mr blur]

24. They both suck

I mean, come on...

[toddzilla]

26. we need a dedicated smiley for music snobbery

i like the german version, it seems more pure.

[TheBlob]

27. German

I still have that album 'somewhere' (but don't tell anyone) AND the punk version "7 Seconds" did years ago.

[NoPasaran]

28. Just listened to both

German.

[MrSlayer]

30. German

The German version is better but it's a bad song anyway you listen to it. Falco is dead.

[Wonk]

31. kick