Take a Musical Trip- Germany (Continued Exploration)
Willkommen in Deutschland!
Welcome to Germany!
I have family who lives in Germany (outside of Frankfurt), and my father was raised in part in Berlin, so I've been lucky enough to have spent a fair bit of time there. When I was there most recently, I was walking around a convenience store with some of my friends and they happened to be blaring German rap. I remember thinking it was really interesting and familiar, yet unknown. I ended up shazaming all of those songs!
"Bad Eyez" - written and performed by Nimo and Luciano. Released February 2021 in Germany
Melody-Maybe it’s because the whole song is in German except for this part, or maybe because it’s performed so differently than the rest of the song, but the chorus verses melody really stands out to me. The catchy hook of this song makes you feel the energy of jumping around in a club and chanting it with your friends.
“99 Luftballons” or “Neunundneunzig Luftballons” was produced by the band Nena and is featured in the 1983 self-titled album released in West Germany.
The anti-war song during the split of Germany tells the story of red balloons being released into the sky and taking the shape of a mysterious object. Something so innocent worries leaders on both sides and a war breaks out that destroys all in its path. This destruction leaves nothing unscathed and no victor in its wake.
The song says “99 years of war have left no place for winners”. Some people interpret the release of the balloons as the release of the dreams held by the German people that were destroyed by the war.
The writer of the song and guitarist of Nena (Carlo Karges), got the inspiration for the lyrics while at a 1982 West Berlin concert being performed by the Rolling Stones. He watched on as balloons were released into the horizon and saw their shape begin to change into weird spacecraft and thought about the ‘what-ifs’ of them floating into the Soviet held east. Upon first hearing the lyrics, Nena said “I got really fat goosebumps and said, “Oh Carlo, that’s the best you have ever written.” The same could not be said for their opinions on the English version released in 1984 in the UK. The keyboardist and co-writer of the song , Uwe Fahrenkrog Peterson, said “We made a mistake there. I think the song loses something in translation and even sounds silly.”
MUSICAL ELEMENTS:
Lyrics- this song’s anti-war lyrics fit the outcry from around the world. The sentiment was felt by all as almost all of the 20th century was shrouded in war and fear. Dreams people had were crushed by people who cared little for their well-being, and their life was just floating away into the sky to be blown away by war again.
New age instruments-this song uses the newly created synthesizers of the time, with the new Yamaha DX7 being released in the same year of the song. This new age instrument would take the world by storm with the release of the DX7, and shows just how far music had evolved in the century
CITATIONS:
Cherri, Andrea. “Bad Eyez - Nimo & Luciano: Lyrics and Translations.” BEATGOGO.COM - Lyrics and Translations of Your Favourite Songs, www.beatgogo.com/lyrics-translation/nimo-luciano/118020/bad-eyez
“99 Luftballons.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 15 Mar. 2021, en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/99_Luftballons
Tocino, Written by Kevin. “What Is 1984's ‘99 Red Balloons’ All about?” Y101fm, www.y101fm.com/features/lifestyle/entertainment/5162-what-is-1984-s-99-red-balloons-all-about
Top 100 Charts Germany 2021 Rap - Best German Rap MUSIC 2021 PLAYLIST. www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLinS5uF49IBpFfZlGCdGaTafOpEVDpJ9d
I love 99 Red Balloons! I grew up listening to the American version of this song. I did not realize or know that it came from Germany. I agree with you when you state: the lyrics of the song fit the outcry from around the world. War really overtook many lives and consumed so many and had such a lasting affect. This song has such meaningful lyrics. I really love how the percussion ties into the song. Great song choices to reflect on. I enjoyed reading your discussion post. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteI have always wanted to go to Germany since I was a kid. So I am glad I stumbled across your blog! 99 Red Balloons has a very interesting background. I listened to this song couple times when I was growing up. I never knew this song originated from Germany. Bad Eyez has a very cool instrumental to it. Love how the beginning starts off with each artist coming in. Like you said it makes the songs a very cool dynamic to it!
ReplyDeleteI have rarely ever listened to non-English music, but this was great! I think it defiantly helped to know the backstory and what the inspiration was for the song or else it would have been very difficult to follow along. I have been thinking about making a trip to Germany, and this post kind of seems like it was my hint to book the trip! The instrumental parts of this song make it very unique, and this will definitely be something that is added to my playlist!
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