Music Writing Prompt

99 Covers I Have Heard, In Every One A Red Balloon

What’s your favorite cover song?

Bands use cover songs to show appreciation for their influences. They’re a staple for encores at live shows and performances of all kind. Sometimes a band’s most popular song is actually a cover of someone else’s, and once in a while a cover actually becomes more popular than the original.

I waited until summer to drop this prompt because many great covers are recorded live. And since many of us see live outdoor shows over the summer, it’s only logical. Tell us about a cover you heard at a show that resonated deeply.

I love sad bastard music as much as the next sad bastard, but I wanted something more upbeat for this challenge.

To kick this thing off, I’m going with a fun one.

Enter: Goldfinger.

Goldfinger has done some monster covers over the years. In the 90s they played some big covers, but the real pioneers were a punk cover group formed in 1995 called Me First And The Gimme Gimmes.

Goldfinger’s best cover is one of the classic Nena song 99 Luftballons. Like any great cover should do, their version takes the original and adds to it. A new flavor, a new style — but keeps the nature of the song the same.

This doesn’t apply to all covers, obviously, as their are some amazing pieces of work done with total reinvention of the classics. (Pheobe Bridgers is a genius with this. I’ll be submitting to my own challenge with this one. Sue me.)

What Goldfinger does with this one is a blast. They play with the tempo to the point of cutting in in half and adding some hard-hitting guitar and drums to the mix in the instrumental strains.

I saw them perform this one live in the late 90s, but I don’t remember much else of that show. Something about a mosh pit and a case of beer.

Have a listen and write us a story about your favorite cover song.

What’s your favorite cover song? Where did you hear it? Don’t mess around. Tag it with Songstories Cover so we can track them and make a playlist, eh?

Lyrics to 99 Red Balloons:

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 Ninety-nine red balloons go by

Ninety-nine 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 As ninety-nine red balloons go by

Ninety-nine decisions treat Ninety-nine ministers meet To worry, worry, super scurry Call out the troops now in a hurry This is what we’ve waited for This is it, boys, this is war The President is on the line As ninety-nine red balloons go by

Neunundneunzig Kriegsminister Streichholz und Benzinkanister Hielten sich füare schlaue Leute Witterten schon fette Beute Riefen: Krieg und wollten Macht Mann, wer hätte das gedacht? Daß es einmal so weit kommt Wegen neunundneunzig Luftballons Neunundneunzig Luftballons

Ninety-nine dreams I have had And every one a red balloon It’s all over, and I’m standing pretty In the dust that was a city If I could find a souvenir Just to prove the world was here Here it is, a red balloon I think of you and let it go

Songwriters: Joern Fahrenkrog-petersen / Carlo Karges / Kevin Joseph Mc Alea 99 Luftballons lyrics © Edition Hate, Edition Uwe’s 99 Songs For The World

If you haven’t seen the Summer Song prompt, check it out here: