99 Luftballons (album)

99 Luftballons

Compilation album by Nena

Released

8 April 1984

Recorded

1983-1984 at Spliff Studio, Berlin

Genre

Neue Deutsche Welle

Length

40:55

Language

English, German

Nena chronology

? (1984)	99 Luftballons (1984)	Feuer und Flamme (1985)

Alternate cover

Singles from 99 Luftballons

"99 Red Balloons"
Released: 1984
"Just a Dream"
Released: 1984
"? (Question Mark)"
Released: 1984
"Kino (At the Movies)"
Released: 1984

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99 Luftballons (German: "99 Balloons") is a compilation album by German pop band Nena, released in 1984. It was their first album released worldwide following the success of "99 Luftballons" and also the first with English lyrics. The album had moderate success in America.

The most widely known cover of this album is identical to the one used for most versions of the single "99 Luftballons" or "99 Red Balloons". The album was also released as Nena or International Album; this version used the same cover, but with "99 Luftballons" removed, and sometimes with additional sticker at upper left that says "International Album incl. Club-Mix ›99 Red Balloons‹". The Japanese version was released as 99 Luftballons: First America. The alternate cover features the band pictured on a white background, which photo in various releases is the same or similar to the one on the single "Rette mich".

The album is composed of tracks released on the band's two previous albums, Nena (1983) and ? (Fragezeichen) (1984), five of which are English-translated versions. "99 Red Balloons" ("99 Luftballons"), "Just a Dream" ("Nur geträumt"), "Kino", "Leuchtturm" and "99 Luftballons" were taken from Nena (1983), while "? (Question Mark)" ("? (Fragezeichen)"), "Hangin' on You" ("Ich häng' an dir"), "Let Me Be Your Pirate" ("Lass mich dein Pirat sein"), "Das Land der Elefanten", "Rette mich" and "Unerkannt durch's Märchenland" were taken from ? (Fragezeichen) (1984).

The lead single, "99 Luftballons", is the band's or even Nena's most successful song to date. It reached number one in several countries worldwide, but is considered a one-hit wonder as other singles and albums performed poorly outside of Europe. "Just a Dream" reached number 70 on the UK Singles Chart. "Kino" was initially released on the album in German, but was translated into English titled as "Kino (At the Movies)". Like its predecessor, "? (Question Mark)", the single failed to chart. The song was later included as a bonus track on a re-release of the band's second English album It's All in the Game (1985).

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