Floating In The Summer Sky

99 Red Balloons is the English translation of the German song 99 Luftballons.

The song is a protest to nuclear war. It was inspired by a real-life incident in which the US falsely identified a flock of geese as a pre-emptive nuclear strike. This was early in the Reagan years and at the height of the Cold War. The song, in reply, tells the story about releasing a red balloon which similarily triggers a false reading of a nuclear attack and 99 ensuing years of nuclear war.

The song is a popular cover for many artists including, Bjork, Blondie, Goldfinger, Nina Hagen, NOFX, 7 Seconds and Wyclef Jean. Goldfinger's version of the song is included in the "Not Another Teen Movie" soundtrack and features an interesting mix of both the English and German lyrics.

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The Nights Are Long To Come And Slow To Go

Ian Tyson learned to play guitar while recovering from a broken ankle suffered in a rodeo accident.

In the following years he would meet his partner, Sylvia Fricker, and the two would form one of the top acts of the 60s folk era.

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I Went From A To Z

On the heels of The Beatles and part of the UK beat boom of the early 60s, enter Manfred Mann.

My Little Red Book, from the soundtrack to "What's New Pussycat?" features both Manfred Mann and composer Burt Bacharach playing piano on the track. It seems that Mann found the chords too grating for his tastes, and Bacharach was never one to compromise the exact sound he heard in his head.

Burt Bacharach is generally held as one of the most important figures in contemporary pop music. Bacharach is probably best known for his work with Dionne Warwick, but he has also made appearances in the Austin Powers movies, which has extended his demographic to a generation that may have otherwise completely overlooked his work.

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Always Tastes So Good

When The Replacements released "Pleased To Meet Me" in 1987, it was their most mainstream album to date.

The Replacements' discography began with raucous and noisy punk rock on "Sorry Ma, Forgot To Take Out The Trash" and "Stink." Much of this original energy remained intact throughout "Hootenany," "Let It Be" and "Tim," even as the songwriting became more polished.

"Pleased To Meet Me" can also be seen as the milestone at which Paul Westerberg took control of The Replacements in his personal quest for stardom.

Original lead guitarist "Smokin' and Drinkin'" Bob Stinson was ousted in favor of Slim Dunlap. Some cite his namesake vices as reason for his dismissal, others his unwillingness to cooperate in the musical transformation that was rapidly taking hold of The Replacements.

The following two and final albums, "Don't Tell A Soul" and "All Shook Down" truly reveal "Pleased To Meet Me" as the last bastion of what The Replacements once were.

Paul Westerberg has since experienced moderate success as a solo artist. Two songs from the soundtrack for the movie "Singles," a song from the "Melrose Place" soundtrack, a duet with Joan Jett for the "Tank Girl" movie and two songs from the "Friends" soundtrack.

Bob Stinson died of a drug overdose in 1995. They say that on a quiet Minneapolis night, you can hear him rolling over in his grave.

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Do Not Hasten To Bid Me Adieu

Red River Valley is a folk standard which tells the story of sweethearts parting.

This much is obvious from listening to the song, regardless of which rendition of the lyrics the performer may have chosen.

There are some who hold that the Red River Valley is in North Dakota and that the song originated among British troops who were stationed in Manitoba in the late 1860s. To them it paints a picture of what life was like for a Metis (half French, half aboriginal) maiden, sad that her love is leaving her.

Many believe that the Red River Valley is one along the border of Texas and Oklahoma. At the outset, that seems to make sense as the tune is reminiscient of cowboy songs and it is often performed by Texans. In this case, by the "King of Western Swing," Bob Wills (and his Texas Playboys). To this faction, the song was originally In the Bright Mohawk Valley as written by James Kerrigan around 1896, a tune popular in New York state. History seems to indicate that it was localized by cowboys in the Red River Valley as the song traveled southward.

It seems that we are presented with a discrepancy of 30 years and a distance of about 2000 miles.

Which is it? I don't know, but I do know this -- in Texas, Bob Wills is still "The King."

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