# Did missle defense come about because of 99 red balloons? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [May 10, 2001, 3:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-missle-defense-come-about-because-of-99-red-balloons/64959 "2001-05-10T03:44:30Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![ElwoodCuse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/edb3f5/32.png) [@ElwoodCuse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElwoodCuse)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2001, 3:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-missle-defense-come-about-because-of-99-red-balloons/64959/1 "2001-05-10T03:44:30Z")
I heard once that Ronald Reagan decided we needed a national missle defense after he was shown the video for 99 Red Balloons. Now as featherbrained as Reagan was, I still find this very hard to believe. Is there any truth to this, or is it just a good joke? P.S. Goldfinger does an awesome cover of the song. ---
**Author:** ![Gatsby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/df705f/32.png) [@Gatsby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatsby)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2001, 4:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-missle-defense-come-about-because-of-99-red-balloons/64959/2 "2001-05-10T04:17:34Z")
What was in the video? I find it hard to believe that Reagan was watching MTV at the time, or that one of his staff would deem it necessary to bring a music video to the President’s attention. I know the cover, and I like it too. It’s not a true cover though. The lyrics are quite different and seem likely to spawn an urband legend exactly like the story you describe. Is this something you heard before or after the release of _Stomping Ground_ ? ---
**Author:** ![even\_sven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/dfb087/32.png) [@even\_sven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/even_sven)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2001, 4:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-missle-defense-come-about-because-of-99-red-balloons/64959/3 "2001-05-10T04:41:25Z")
Not to let punk rock elitism come into play…but 7Seconds’ cover was better. =) ---
**Author:** ![lawoot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/35a633/32.png) [@lawoot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lawoot)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2001, 6:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-missle-defense-come-about-because-of-99-red-balloons/64959/4 "2001-05-10T06:25:41Z")
Ah… classic '80’s cold war paranoia. World War III starts because someone thinks that balloons launched at a peace rally are mistaken for missiles. Sheesh… how stupid ARE these people? ---
**Author:** ![DougC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/7feea3/32.png) [@DougC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DougC)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2001, 9:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-missle-defense-come-about-because-of-99-red-balloons/64959/5 "2001-05-10T09:45:08Z")
- - - Reagan featherbrained? God Lord. That’s almost as funny as the press saying that so far Dubya has had an “uneventful presidency”, just because he hasn’t been caught taking Chinese campaign donations or having sex with the interns and none of his staff has turned up dead under suspicious circumstances. - That said, it probably had something to do with Reagan knowing that it is far less costly to develop an unmanned missile than it is to develop a manned fighter or bomber. Kind of like, uh, how that country over near Japan is doing, what’s it called? I forget. - MC ---
**Author:** ![TheLoadedDog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/35a633/32.png) [@TheLoadedDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheLoadedDog)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2001, 1:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-missle-defense-come-about-because-of-99-red-balloons/64959/6 "2001-05-10T13:47:51Z")
Dunno, but at 14, I thought Nena was a hell babe. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2001, 3:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-missle-defense-come-about-because-of-99-red-balloons/64959/7 "2001-05-10T15:21:09Z")
As far as the OP is concerned: Date of Reagan’s SDI speech: March 23, 1983 Year of release of “99 Luftballoons” (aka “99 Red Balloons”: 1984. ---
**Author:** ![Ivar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/51bf81/32.png) [@Ivar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ivar)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2001, 4:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-missle-defense-come-about-because-of-99-red-balloons/64959/8 "2001-05-10T16:48:15Z")
"Dunno, but at 14, I thought Nena was a hell babe. " I’d agree, except for all the German armpit hair! ---
**Author:** ![lawoot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/35a633/32.png) [@lawoot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lawoot)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2001, 4:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-missle-defense-come-about-because-of-99-red-balloons/64959/9 "2001-05-11T04:23:04Z")
Wasn’t Nena herself actually an American in a German band? ---
**Author:** ![Wendell\_Wagner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8491ac/32.png) [@Wendell\_Wagner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wendell_Wagner)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2001, 8:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-missle-defense-come-about-because-of-99-red-balloons/64959/10 "2001-05-12T20:10:11Z")
No, she was German. Go to the following URL: [http://www.nena.de/](http://www.nena.de/) (Click on Biographie and then on Stichpunkte.) It says that she was born in the city of Hagen in Westfalen in Germany. (For those of you without a good map, that’s about 50 miles northwest of Cologne.) The German version of the song was released in 1983. In any case, Reagan wasn’t influenced by the video. Even someone like me who thinks Reagan was empty-headed and already starting to go senile in 1983 knows that he probably never watched MTV or even knew what it was. ---
**Author:** ![Neidhart](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Neidhart](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Neidhart)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2001, 2:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-missle-defense-come-about-because-of-99-red-balloons/64959/11 "2001-05-13T14:15:49Z")
Interesting fact: “Green Eggs and Ham” can be sung to the tune of “99 Luftballons”. The Seuss lyrics make more sense than the originals too. ---
**Author:** ![Wendell\_Wagner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8491ac/32.png) [@Wendell\_Wagner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wendell_Wagner)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2001, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-missle-defense-come-about-because-of-99-red-balloons/64959/12 "2001-05-13T16:24:19Z")
I wrote: \> . . . about 50 miles northwest of Cologne . . . Excuse me. I should have said 50 miles northeast of Cologne. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2001, 4:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-missle-defense-come-about-because-of-99-red-balloons/64959/13 "2001-05-13T16:47:17Z")
> [@](#): > > The Seuss lyrics make more sense than the originals too. Which “original lyrics”? The German; or the English? They’re very different. Let me try to translate… Do you have some time for me? Then I will sing a song for you Of 99 toy balloons On their way to the horizon Perhaps you will think well of me And I will sing a song for you Of 99 toy balloons And come from that what may 99 toy balloons On their way to the horizon Were taken for UFOs from outer space And so a general sent A fighter squadron To give alarm if that’s the case But the only thing on the horizon Were 99 toy balloons 99 fighter jocks Each one was the greater warrior Each one was a “Captain Kirk” That’s what caused the fireworks. The neighbours (neighbouring countries) had no idea (what was going on) And felt that they were getting screwed (being attacked by the jets) And so they shot at the horizon At 99 toy balloons 99 Ministers of War Matches and gasoline drums! Saw themselves as sly people They were already gathering the fat booty Yelling, “War!” and wanting power Man, who would have thought That when “the big one” finally came It would be caused by 99 toy balloons 99 years of war Leaves no place for a victor The War Ministers are no more And there are no more fighter jocks Today I trudge in my circle I see the world lying in rubble I’ve found a toy balloon I think of you and let it go It seems a fairly linear story to me. (And a lot “heavier” than the English lyrics.)