Wonderful 99

Album: Six-Pack Of Love (1992)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • There was a popular song in 1966 called "The Ballad Of The Green Berets" that honored American special forces. And in 1967 there was the movie The Dirty Dozen, about another team of operatives. Well, in this song, Peter Case makes up a completely different fighting squad, the Wonderful 99. They get sent to repair a botched mission, and it doesn't go well - all 99 end up dead, honored with yellow ribbons. It shouldn't be surprising that their mission failed - they prepared for it in a Motel 6 watching Top Gun on video.
  • Peter Case wrote this song with John Prine, who shares his taste for tall tales. Case was playing The Bluebird in Nashville when Prine came to see him perform. After, they went to John's place and wrote some songs. One of them, "Space Monkey," went to Prine, who included it in his live sets. Another was "Wonderful 99," which Case recorded.

    "Dude had these ideas for songs that were funny just themselves - just the ideas," Case told Songfacts. "When we wrote 'Wonderful 99,' he goes, 'Let's write a song set in Bismarck about imaginary heroes.'

    He was washing the dishes. We were right by the sink and he just looked over at me and said, 'Let's write a song.' We just sat down and wrote it. That was crazy. We had a lot of laughs.
  • Case included "Wonderful 99" on his solo album Six-Pack Of Love, produced by Mitchell Froom. It was his last album with Geffen Records, which he moved to after breaking up his band The Plimsouls.

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Ron and Russell Mael of Sparks

Ron and Russell Mael of SparksSongwriter Interviews

The men of Sparks on their album Hippopotamus, and how Morrissey handled it when they suggested he lighten up.

Strange Magnetics

Strange MagneticsSong Writing

How Bing Crosby, Les Paul, a US Army Signal Corps Officer, and the Nazis helped shape rock and Roll.

Elton John

Elton JohnFact or Fiction

Does he have beef with Gaga? Is he Sean Lennon's godfather? See if you can tell fact from fiction in the Elton John edition.

Michael Glabicki of Rusted Root

Michael Glabicki of Rusted RootSongwriter Interviews

Michael tells the story of "Send Me On My Way," and explains why some of the words in the song don't have a literal meaning.

Bands Named After Real People (Who Aren't In The Band)

Bands Named After Real People (Who Aren't In The Band)Song Writing

How a gym teacher, a janitor, and a junkie became part of some very famous band names.

Let Me Be Your Teddy Bear: Teddy Bears and Teddy Boys in Songs

Let Me Be Your Teddy Bear: Teddy Bears and Teddy Boys in SongsSong Writing

Elvis, Little Richard and Cheryl Cole have all sung about Teddy Bears, but there is also a terrifying Teddy song from 1932 and a touching trucker Teddy tune from 1976.