Author: charlie | Submitted: Jun 4 2004 at 01:34:57 PM The Synthesisery Bits in "Ninety Nine Red Balloons" OK, admittedly I'm not sure that I've got you all on side by not voting for the whole song, but even so, I shall endeavour to demonstrate what really annoys me. You see, I think the song has got the skeleton of a really good bit of Eighties elecro-schmaltz, but there's a couple of elements that removes it to an area only listened to by nostalgic, slightly desparate, thirty-year-old women, and, of course, their male equivalents, those under-achieving weirdoes who might be quite nice if you got to know them, but you know you won't, as you've a strong suspicion they're pederasts. Anyway, as you know, there's this sort of Pearl and Dean wishy-washy "in a little toyshop, by a bag of balloons" kind of beginning where Nina just sings about how pretty everything is, especially when it's in the sky, and then it all suddenly breaks into this ghastly little bit of "just discovered electro-effects on my new Roland" jamming by the keyboard guy who I can't be bothered to look up the name of. I mean, it's hardly an epoch-changing song or anything, but there's something about the way she pronounces "Super-Highway Jet-Fighters" and "summer sky" which really reminds me of Nico (I think they were both German, so it's probably not that staggering), and anyway, I think it could have been one of those songs that everyone fondly remembers, rather than just fruitcakes. Time for a reevaluation? I think so, expect Charlie's remixed "99 Red Balloons" in the High Streets soonish. I'm thinking of adding a breakbeat, so book me a ticket to Hoxton. |
