https://top40musiconcd.com/forum/ Copyright (c) 2006-2013 Web Wiz Forums - All Rights Reserved. Thu, 23 Apr 2026 12:20:20 +0000 Wed, 31 Aug 2016 04:14:24 +0000 http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss Web Wiz Forums 12.07 360 https://top40musiconcd.com/forum/RSS_post_feed.asp?TID=219 https://top40musiconcd.com/forum//images/Top-40-Music-on-CD-Forum-Logo.png https://top40musiconcd.com/forum/ https://top40musiconcd.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=219&PID=46162&title=99-red-balloons-99-luftballons#46162 Author: Paul Haney
Subject: 219
Posted: 31 August 2016 at 4:14am

It seems I only hear the English version on the radio these days (at least here in the Milwaukee area). That was NOT the case back when the song was first popular. Depends on where you lived of course, but in my area (the Twin Cities), I heard the all German version the most, followed by the mixed version and least of all, the all English version. I do remember hearing all three at the time and am still partial to the all German version. I had 6 years of German in junior/senior high school, so I've always understood the German lyrics and they pack more of a punch than the English ones, at least to my ears.]]> Wed, 31 Aug 2016 04:14:24 +0000 https://top40musiconcd.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=219&PID=46162&title=99-red-balloons-99-luftballons#46162 https://top40musiconcd.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=219&PID=46159&title=99-red-balloons-99-luftballons#46159 Author: Brian W.
Subject: 219
Posted: 30 August 2016 at 4:53pm

radiofan16 wrote: When the late Philly Hot AC station Star 104.5 used to do 80s weekends, they always played the English version "Red Balloons". I had no idea that there was a German version until years later.

My roommate is from Pennsauken, NJ, right outside of
Philly, and he doesn't remember hearing anything but the
English version on the radio back in the day.


Edited by Brian W.]]> Tue, 30 Aug 2016 16:53:41 +0000 https://top40musiconcd.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=219&PID=46159&title=99-red-balloons-99-luftballons#46159 https://top40musiconcd.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=219&PID=46156&title=99-red-balloons-99-luftballons#46156 Author: radiofan16
Subject: 219
Posted: 30 August 2016 at 1:46am

When the late Philly Hot AC station Star 104.5 used to do 80s weekends, they
always played the English version "Red Balloons". I had no idea that there was
a German version until years later.]]> Tue, 30 Aug 2016 01:46:17 +0000 https://top40musiconcd.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=219&PID=46156&title=99-red-balloons-99-luftballons#46156 https://top40musiconcd.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=219&PID=46155&title=99-red-balloons-99-luftballons#46155 Author: MMathews
Subject: 219
Posted: 29 August 2016 at 10:37pm

LOLOL ... i love that title.]]> Mon, 29 Aug 2016 22:37:02 +0000 https://top40musiconcd.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=219&PID=46155&title=99-red-balloons-99-luftballons#46155 https://top40musiconcd.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=219&PID=46154&title=99-red-balloons-99-luftballons#46154 Author: Yah Shure
Subject: 219
Posted: 29 August 2016 at 9:04pm

crapfromthepast wrote: "Knowing Annoying Sake Blue Balloons". Outstanding!

Oh, man... that's a keeper of the highest order!

I am now re-filing my copies of Toto's "99" under the letter "K." ;) ]]> Mon, 29 Aug 2016 21:04:30 +0000 https://top40musiconcd.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=219&PID=46154&title=99-red-balloons-99-luftballons#46154 https://top40musiconcd.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=219&PID=46152&title=99-red-balloons-99-luftballons#46152 Author: crapfromthepast
Subject: 219
Posted: 29 August 2016 at 8:33pm

Just to see what would happen, I played a Casey Kasem talk break from American Top 40 into my iPhone SE, to see if the voice recognition would work. It does, but it wrote the title of the Nena song as "Knowing Annoying Sake Blue Balloons". Outstanding!]]> Mon, 29 Aug 2016 20:33:35 +0000 https://top40musiconcd.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=219&PID=46152&title=99-red-balloons-99-luftballons#46152 https://top40musiconcd.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=219&PID=5223&title=99-red-balloons-99-luftballons#5223 Author: Brian W.
Subject: 219
Posted: 28 May 2006 at 10:20am

jimct wrote: There are 2 stock 45s here, both Epic 04108: 99 Luftballons (ZSS-171373-1A)/99 Red Ballons (ZSS-171443-1B). That is by FAR the most common commercial 45. The one I believe you just found DID also come out right around the same time as the first one: 99 Luftballons (ZSS-171373-1C)/Just A Dream (ZSS-171374-1D)(listed time 3:31; actually 3:29.) Logically, it would seem that the first 45, with deadwax ending in "A" & "B", came out BEFORE the second one, with deadwax ending in "C" & "D".

Hmm, my dead wax is ZSS-171373-1A for "Luftballoons" and ZSS-171374-1A for "Just a Dream." (That's referring to my new Luftballoons/Just a Dream 45, of course.)

And a friend of mine from New Jersey said his local station ALWAYS played "Red Balloons" as well.


Edited by Brian W.]]> Sun, 28 May 2006 10:20:08 +0000 https://top40musiconcd.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=219&PID=5223&title=99-red-balloons-99-luftballons#5223 https://top40musiconcd.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=219&PID=5213&title=99-red-balloons-99-luftballons#5213 Author: jimct
Subject: 219
Posted: 28 May 2006 at 1:05am

Brian, I respond to you, despite the fact that Grant may correctly allege I am making no sense!

There are 2 stock 45s here, both Epic 04108: 99 Luftballons (ZSS-171373-1A)/99 Red Ballons (ZSS-171443-1B). That is by FAR the most common commercial 45. The one I believe you just found DID also come out right around the same time as the first one: 99 Luftballons (ZSS-171373-1C)/Just A Dream (ZSS-171374-1D)(listed time 3:31; actually 3:29.) Logically, it would seem that the first 45, with deadwax ending in "A" & "B", came out BEFORE the second one, with deadwax ending in "C" & "D". I believe, for a moment or two, Epic thought the foreign version had "won out" as the undisputed U.S. "hit" version. On that premise, if "Just A Dream" was the flip, novice music fans would now easily know what side their "hit" was on (there was some consumer confusion), instead of the "bother" of having to sample both sides to find what they'd been hearing. But the brakes got put on that pretty quick by THREE things: 1-The in-house "German/English" mixes made the English version "of interest" again. 2-Also, I can confirm there were probably 20% of U.S. Top 40 stations that bypassed the German version ENTIRELY, and played NOTHING but the English-only version. (My station almost always "followed the pack", but on this one, we didn't; we never played the German version.) And, 3-Epic was now thinking follow-up. Europe favored the slow ballad, "Let Me Be Your Pirate", but Epic U.S. believed more in the Blondie-ish, up-tempo "Just A Dream." Why put the follow-up on back of 99 Luftballons? Who'll buy it then? So, some got out, but they ultimately went back to "Plan A." I also have 2 different promo 45s for "99 Luftballons". One is exactly like the first stock copy I described, on both sides. The other has "99 Luftballons" on BOTH sides; no "99 Red Ballons" appears at all. Finally, "Just A Dream", in it's "A-side" release (Epic 04440)(ZSS-171692-1A)(listed and actual time 3:29) bubbled under at #102 on 5/5/84. Stock flip was "Rette Mich" (ZSS-171693-1B, listed time 3:17.)   Whew!        


Edited by jimct]]> Sun, 28 May 2006 01:05:43 +0000 https://top40musiconcd.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=219&PID=5213&title=99-red-balloons-99-luftballons#5213 https://top40musiconcd.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=219&PID=5211&title=99-red-balloons-99-luftballons#5211 Author: Brian W.
Subject: 219
Posted: 27 May 2006 at 11:52pm

While we're on the subject, I bought what I think is a somewhat unusual 45 yesterday. It's Nena's "99 Luftballoons," same catalog number as the standard (34-04108), but with "Just a Dream" as the B-side instead of "99 Luftballoons," which is what Whitburn lists. It's definitely a US commercial pressing, bar code and everything. Has a little "STERLING" in the runout groove.

I don't see another copy of this configuration on Ebay, so it may be fairly unusual. There are a couple promo 45s for "Just a Dream," so I'd think it were a reissue or had "99 Luftballoons" as the B-side, were it not for it having the identical catalog number.]]> Sat, 27 May 2006 23:52:21 +0000 https://top40musiconcd.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=219&PID=5211&title=99-red-balloons-99-luftballons#5211 https://top40musiconcd.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=219&PID=5155&title=99-red-balloons-99-luftballons#5155 Author: jimct
Subject: 219
Posted: 26 May 2006 at 12:59am

Fetta wrote: I remember severals radio stations in New York in the 80's(probably Z100 and WPLJ) playing a version of 99 Red Balloons and 99 Luftballoons which was a mixture of both the German and English versions. Does this exist anywhere on CD or even on vinyl? Was this a special promo piece or something that was done in-house at the radio station. (Each station played the exact same edit). -Fetta

I've been VERY lucky to be on the "inside" of Top 40 radio since the late 70's. Program Directors, Music Directors, etc. move around frequently, but almost ALWAYS keep in touch with their favorite ex-co-workers, even many years later, as friends. I only bring this up because these friendships OFTEN result in these custom, in-house versions (and you're right, Z100 & WPLJ is where many (if not MOST of them) originate from.) Sometimes, our PD or MD would walk over to me (the 80's was this trick's "heyday.") with a reel-to-reel tape, of "uncertain" origin, and ask me if I'd cart it up, put it in the main studio, and replace our "old" version with "this new" mix. Later, they'd come clean, and tell me an old buddy now in NYC sent it to 'em. Another similar example: my station played a Prince version of "Batdance" (still have a cassette dub!) that was 75% Adam West, Burt Ward & Cesar Romero, and included only about 25% of the actual '89 Prince 45. Came from NYC! Just because different stations play a similar "in-house" edit, it doesn't NECESSARILY mean it came out as a legitimate label release that way. Could be "The Friends' Network!" Last point: If I heard an in-house mix on Z100 I that wanted tomorrow, our MD is also a 2-year + weekender there. Also, a VERY good ex-co-worker/friend of mine is a HUGE bigwig within Z100's corporate chain. I could get it from EITHER of them in minutes - all I have to do is ask. And that's how it works.

Edited by jimct]]> Fri, 26 May 2006 00:59:14 +0000 https://top40musiconcd.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=219&PID=5155&title=99-red-balloons-99-luftballons#5155