Proving that music still had a political punch in the 80s, Nena's 99 Luftballons emanated from West Germany, sounding all New Wave with a bite. In 1984, the Cold War still loomed large in some of Eastern Europe, with the Berlin Wall still standing. Seems the guitarist for Nena was at a Rolling Stones concert when balloons were released. He wondered about them passing over the wall to the Soviet-occupied section of Berlin. So it was intended to be a protest song. The song topped the charts in Germany, and rose to #2 on the US Billboard charts and for many, stands more for a time than a political statement. But it proved to be the only song by Nena to hit the US charts.
