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Long before I went to Berlin I was singing and dancing to "99 Luftballoons/99 Red Balloons" (both the German and English versions were on the record my husband had bought while in graduate school at Yale).

It wasn't until I began to research and write Going Over, the Berlin novel that launches in three weeks, that I understood the greater significance of the song. Its rhythms filter into Ada's dreams. Its possibilities filtered into mine.

Here is part of the story, as presented by Object Retrieval.

"99 Luftballons" is a Cold War-era protest song by the German singer Nena. Originally sung in German, it was later re-recorded in English as "99 Red Balloons".

"99 Luftballons" reached #1 in West Germany in 1983. In 1984, the original German version also peaked at #2 on the American Billboard Hot 100 chart and the English-language version topped the UK Singles Chart. The German version topped the Australian charts for five weeks and the New Zealand charts for one week.

While at a Rolling Stones concert in Berlin, Nena's guitarist Carlo Karges noticed that balloons were being released. As he watched them move toward the horizon, he noticed them shifting and changing shapes, where they looked nothing like a mass of balloons but some strange spacecraft. (The word in the German lyrics "UFO") He thought about what might happen if they floated over the Berlin Wall to the Soviet sector.

Both the English and German versions of the song tell a story of 99 balloons floating into the air, triggering an apocalyptic overreaction by military forces. The music was composed by Uwe Fahrenkrog-Petersen, the keyboardist of Nena's band, while Karges wrote the original German lyrics.

Sorry. I can't resist. I'm going to be sharing these Berlin Wall-inspired songs by sometimes expected, sometimes unexpected classic artists every Monday as we move toward the launch (less than a month away!) of Going Over. This is Elton John singing "Nikita," a song (with a somewhat controversial history) that appeared on his 1985 album Ice on Fire. John says that he did know that Nikita is a man's name in the Russian language, even though the love object depicted here is a beautiful blonde East German border guard.

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The one name linking all of these is Richmond.

1.       Dave Richmond, bass player and founder member of 1960s band Manfred Mann.  He left the group after ‘5-4-3-2-1′ and then, after a time with the John Barry Seven, became a session musician.  As such he has played with, amongst others, Dusty Springfield, Cliff Richard and Elton John.  He was also on the controversial (at the time) ‘Je T’aime’ by Serge Gainsborough and Jane Birkin.  For the last 21 years he has played bass on the theme for television’s ‘Last of the Summer Wine’.  Dave Richmond’s home page

2.       Richmond, the capital of the Commonwealth of Virginia, U.S.  Virginia is one of four states in the U.S. which use the term commonwealth in their names, the others are Massachusetts, Kentucky and Pennsylvania.  Richmond, which stands on the James River, was also the capital of the Confederacy from July 1861.

3.       Richmond Palace was a royal palace on The Green, Richmond, Surrey, England, U.K. in what is now part of London, between 1327 and 1649.  It was built by Henry VII on the site of the former Palace of Shene (a.k.a. Sheen or Sheane) after a disastrous fire in 1497 and renamed Richmond Palace.  Elizabeth I spent a lot of time at Richmond and died there in 1603.

Richmond Palace
Image via Wikipedia

4.       Richmond Arquette is the sibling of Alexis, David, Patricia and Rosanna Arquette.  He is a minor character actor who is perhaps best remembered as the delivery driver, who unwittingly delivers the box containing the head, at the end of the film ‘Se7en’ (1995).
 

5.       Richmond Castle, North Yorkshire, England, U.K.  Norman fortress built on a rocky promontory overlooking the River Swale and dating from shortly after the Norman conquest.  Now over 900 years old it is in the care of English Heritage.

The one name linking all of these is Richmond.

1.       Dave Richmond, bass player and founder member of 1960s band Manfred Mann.  He left the group after ‘5-4-3-2-1′ and then, after a time with the John Barry Seven, became a session musician.  As such he has played with, amongst others, Dusty Springfield, Cliff Richard and Elton John.  He was also on the controversial (at the time) ‘Je T’aime’ by Serge Gainsborough and Jane Birkin.  For the last 21 years he has played bass on the theme for television’s ‘Last of the Summer Wine’.  Dave Richmond’s home page

2.       Richmond, the capital of the Commonwealth of Virginia, U.S.  Virginia is one of four states in the U.S. which use the term commonwealth in their names, the others are Massachusetts, Kentucky and Pennsylvania.  Richmond, which stands on the James River, was also the capital of the Confederacy from July 1861.

3.       Richmond Palace was a royal palace on The Green, Richmond, Surrey, England, U.K. in what is now part of London, between 1327 and 1649.  It was built by Henry VII on the site of the former Palace of Shene (a.k.a. Sheen or Sheane) after a disastrous fire in 1497 and renamed Richmond Palace.  Elizabeth I spent a lot of time at Richmond and died there in 1603.

Richmond Palace
Image via Wikipedia

4.       Richmond Arquette is the sibling of Alexis, David, Patricia and Rosanna Arquette.  He is a minor character actor who is perhaps best remembered as the delivery driver, who unwittingly delivers the box containing the head, at the end of the film ‘Se7en’ (1995).
 

5.       Richmond Castle, North Yorkshire, England, U.K.  Norman fortress built on a rocky promontory overlooking the River Swale and dating from shortly after the Norman conquest.  Now over 900 years old it is in the care of English Heritage.

(VENICE, ITALY) Sir Elton John's performance in Piazza San Marco on Wednesday night, July 9th, makes you understand why he was knighted. He played with a quiet nobility that radiated enormous power. He was not flamboyant. He let his music do the talking, and when he spoke, his words were simple and dignified.

Napoleon is often credited with calling Piazza San Marco "the drawing room of Europe," but Wikipedia informs us that perhaps it should be attributed to Alfred de Musset (and you know how nitpicky those Wikipedia people can be:). In any event, whoever said it, the atmosphere was exactly like that: as if we were in a grand drawing room, and Sir Elton John was entertaining his guests.

The show was sold out, and to be honest, I didn't make any effort to go, but a friend called and offered a pass at the last moment. So, of course, I went! The pass allowed me to wander everywhere, and I found myself fortunate enough to land in about the tenth row, with an unobstructed view, sitting next to Carl Pagan, from the Casino di Venezia -- which happens to be the oldest casino in the world, and accounts for about 40% of Venice's income. So, of course, during the show, in the pauses between songs, I harangued Carlo about various problems around town. Poor Carlo! Just when he thinks he can relax during an Elton John concert, he finds himself sitting next to Cat Bauer!

To his credit, he hung in there and listened. So, who knows what the future many bring:)

Elton sang hit after hit after hit. It seems impossible for one human being to have so many hits, but he has them. We have grown up with Elton; Elton is always there. We have suffered with him. We have rejoiced with him. We have tried to kill him, but he did not die. The Queen has knighted him for his grand endurance and now we embrace him and ask him to do charity shows.

Elton performed this concert on behalf of SMS, which is a clever acronym for "San Marco Square" and "Short Message System." Elton raised money to fix up San Marco Square. Now, we can be sure that Elton does not have to do this. So, why would he? Well, he lives here. And I will judge by the few words he used to introduce the last song, "Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me," that he cares.

He said, "This is dedicated to everyone who likes to live in Venice," or something to that effect. But it was weary, serious, profound. We are all very tired these days over here in the Magic Kingdom, as are most people with souls throughout the world. And then he sang, "Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me." If you have ever had the Sun go down on you, and most of us have, you will understand. I think Bernie Taupin is one of our greatest lyricists. Elton would not be Elton without Bernie's words:

I can't light no more of your darkness
All my pictures seem to fade to black and white
I'm growing tired and time stands still before me
Frozen here on the ladder of my life

Too late to save myself from falling
I took a chance and changed your way of life
But you misread my meaning when I met you
Closed the door and left me blinded by the light

Don't let the sun go down on me
Although I search myself, it's always someone else I see
I'd just allow a fragment of your life to wander free
But losing everything is like the sun going down on me

I can't find, oh the right romantic line
But see me once and see the way I feel
Don't discard me just because you think I mean you harm
But these cuts I have they need love to help them heal

I wish I had some photos, but I always have to depend upon photographers, and they do not always come through, and there are, surprisingly, slim pickings on the net (none of the photos I am using are from the actual show). The last camera I had was destroyed during Carnevale two years ago by Red Wine within a week after purchase. The shop where I bought it in Venice sent it back to the dealer in Milano, without a reason, and the Milano shop wrote back: WE HAVE EXAMINED THIS CAMERA, AND IT WAS DESTROYED BY RED WINE. THEREFORE, WE DO NOT UPHOLD OUR WARRANTY. And, they were right! It WAS destroyed by Red Wine, but not by drunkenness -- it was because I dropped my shopping bag, and the camera was in the bag with the red wine -- there are witnesses! The Venice shop told the Milan shop, "Well, after all, it IS Carnevale."

If you can understand that story, you will understand part of the reason why Venice is sad -- so many people from Milano (and other places) have bought apartments here for profit, caring only about the money, and nothing about the Soul of Venice. If someone from Milano sent a camera back to Venice destroyed by Red Wine, the Venetians would laugh and say, "Well, THAT'S a good reason! It's Carnevale, after all. Give them another!"

Here is a video of Elton singing "Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me" -- from long ago, not from the other night, but you get the picture (YouTube wouldn't let me take anything else). His voice is battle-worn now, and his hair is grey, but his scars become him. He looks better than ever. How amazing one song can be! It united us all! There were lighters lit, and we All Became One. When the people chanted his name, it sounded like this: "Eel-ton! Eel-ton!"

Thank you, Elton, for adding your great voice to the song of Venice.

Ciao from Venice,
Cat

My new book is just out.
Is available on the University oxford Press website :D
And it will also available to buy on their site.


it look really nice :D
And I'm not a fan of Circus till I saw the cirque du Soleil, and for the first time I saw it
in the Royal Albert Hall in London, Varekai! Wow what a theater and lovely show.





Yet I love Allegria Up on All!!!!