“99 Red Balloons” — Nena

We think the world has its troubles now. Not so long ago, even in Europe, the world was divided by what Winston Churchill christened the Iron Curtain…the divide between East and West, the world’s two major political blocs.

Watching a Cold War espionage drama last night, I recognised a familiar song on the soundtrack from the days when the Cold War was real and the world seemed permanently on the brink of nuclear catastrophe.

“99 Red Balloons” was by the German band Nena…slightly confusingly also the name adopted by the band’s lead singer (real name Gabriele…