10 Greatest One Hit Wonders Of The 1980s
3. 99 Luftballoons - Nena
Most of the pop charts in the '80s didn't have to rely on using your brain all that much. Since most of the synth rock acts of the time were throwing anything at the wall to see what stuck, these songs just sound like we weren't thinking all that hard in between all the neon colored spandex. Hell, if you weren't careful, you could even find yourself putting something genuinely unsettling on the hit parade.
In the grand tradition of deceiving songs, 99 Luftballoons is a track that plays innocent on the surface but is referencing something sinister. Although most folks tended to give it a pass because it was written in a different language, Nena's main hit has to do with the Cold War propaganda and people mistaking red balloons for war drones.
Yeah...as much as that '80s synths sounds like the happiest thing on Earth, you're actually dancing to a song that's talking about World War III and trying to survive in a post apocalyptic world after a nuclear attack takes place. While there's a lot more layers in this song than anyone realized, Nena would be relegated to the fluke hit, with pop punk band Goldfinger covering it years later. Even if this tragic event does come to pass, we'll at least have a kickass soundtrack to watch it all burn.