March 10

What's German for Happy Birthday? Let's say 'Alles gute zum gerbetstag!' to Uwe Fahrenkrog-Petersen, or as he is mercifully called, simply "Uwe". Uwe happens to be a music star in his native Germany, and it's his keyboard prowess that propelled Nena onto the global charts of the 80's. Even if the girl wears the name, you can't spell Nena without Uwe, apparently...
Let's be real: what's the best part of '99 Luftballons'? Is it Nena's teutonic accent, or is it that synthesizer breakdown at the bridge? Whether it's '99 Luftballons' (literally '99 Toy Balloons') or '99 Red Balloons', it's Uwe's music that carries the lyrics. [BTW, I'm going on record as preferring the 'Red Balloon' version.] But even this 2008 version is fetchy:

Resurrecting Nena the band is only one thing on Uwe's itenerary. He also worked on the comeback for Kim Wylde, produced soundtracks for Television and movies (including the North American releases Igby Goes Down and All the Queen's Men,) and appeared as a judge on Germany's version of Popstars. So he's a big deal in Germany.
In fact, I wanted to find something with Uwe's face, and found this German animated cartoon, featuring a dinner party at Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's place. He's the fauxhawk on the left.

So get a red balloon today and let it fly. Unless you live on the 38th Parallel.