Meaning of Nena's 99 Luftballons:

"The song, though difficult to understand, is about the dreams of the German people that were lost after World War II. The 99 balloons represent the many dreams that each person had. At the end of the song, she just wants to prove that the German people did have dreams by finding one balloon - she finds one balloon, a dream, and lets it go."

Source: https://www.songfacts.com/facts/nena/99-luftballons