99 Red Balloons
Blondie · Other Songs - Blondie
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 (Neunundneunzig) Kriegsminister
Streichholz und Benzinkanister
hielten sich für schlaue Leute
witterten schon fette Beute
riefen: "Krieg", und wollten Macht
Mann, wer hätte das gedacht
daÃ? es einmal soweit kommt
wegen 99 Luftballons
99 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 souvenier
Just to prove the world was here...
And here is a red balloon
I think of you and let it go.
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 (Neunundneunzig) Kriegsminister
Streichholz und Benzinkanister
hielten sich für schlaue Leute
witterten schon fette Beute
riefen: "Krieg", und wollten Macht
Mann, wer hätte das gedacht
daÃ? es einmal soweit kommt
wegen 99 Luftballons
99 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 souvenier
Just to prove the world was here...
And here is a red balloon
I think of you and let it go.
99 Red Balloons
Blondie's cover of "99 Red Balloons" stands as a defining moment in their post-punk and new wave evolution. Originally a German hit by Nena, the track was reimagined by Debbie Harry and the band with a sharper, more driving energy characteristic of their later work. The recording captures the group's ability to adapt international pop sensibilities into their distinct American rock framework. This version highlights the band's versatility, moving beyond their disco-infused roots to embrace a more urgent, synth-heavy sound. As a staple of their extensive catalogue, the song demonstrates Blondie's enduring influence on the new wave genre and their capacity to reinterpret material with fresh artistic vision.