The Inspiration Behind These Famous Songs Show That A Great Idea Can Come From Anywhere

99 Red Balloons

TORSTEN SILZ / Staff

“99 Luftballons,” or “99 Red Balloons” as it is known in English, was a super catchy pop hit that came from German band Nena in the ‘80s. Although the song is super upbeat, it actually has a dark meaning behind it.

The band actually wrote it as an anti-war song, protesting the Cold War during the time before the Berlin Wall had come down. When Nena guitarist Carlo Karges saw balloons released at a Rolling Stones concert in Berlin, he wondered what would happen if those balloons floated over to the Soviet side of the wall. The song is about military forces having a strong reaction to the balloons that would result in an all-out war.