WIND
OF CHANGE
SCORPIONS
SONGWRITER:
KLAUS MEINE
COUNTRY:
GERMANY
ALBUM:
CRAZY WORLD
LABEL:
VERTIGO RECORDS
GENRE:
ROCK
YEAR:
1991
Scorpions are a German rock
band formed in 1965 in Hanover by Rudolf Schenker. Since the band's inception,
its musical style has ranged from hard rock to heavy metal. The lineup from
1978 to 1992 was the most successful incarnation of the group, and included Klaus
Meine(vocals), Rudolf Schenker(rhythm guitar), Matthias Jabs(lead guitar), Francis
Buchholz(bass), and Herman Rarebell(drums). The band's only continuous member
has been Schenker, although Meine has appeared on all of Scorpions' studio
albums, while Jabs has been a consistent member since 1979, and bassist Paweł
Mąciwoda
and drummer Mikkey Dee have been in the band since 2003 and 2016 respectively.
During the mid-1970s, with
guitarist Uli Jon Roth part of the line-up, the music of the Scorpions was
defined as hard rock. After the departure of Roth in 1978 and short-lived
reunion with Schenker's brother Michael, Matthias Jabs joined and, following
the guidance of producer Dieter Dierks, the Scorpions changed their sound
towards hard rock/heavy metal, mixed with rock power ballads. Throughout the
1980s the group received positive reviews and critical acclaim from music
critics, and experienced commercial success with the albums Animal Magnetism(1980),
Blackout (1982), Love at First Sting(1984), the live recording World Wide Live(1985),
Savage Amusement(1988) and Best of Rockers 'n' Ballads(1989), which is their
best-selling compilation album.
Scorpions' eleventh studio
álbum Crazy World(1990) was also well-received, and included the song "Wind
of Change",a symbolic anthem of the political changes in Eastern Europe in
the late 1980s and early 1990s and the fall of the Berlin Wall. It is one of
the best-selling singles in the world with over fourteen million copies sold. Scorpions
have sold over 110 million records in total. They have released 18 studio
albums, 27 compilation albums and 74 singles. Six of their singles have reached number one on
the charts in different countries. Their albums, singles,
compilations and video releases have reached gold, platinum and multi-platinum
status 200 times in different countries.
Rolling Stone described
the Scorpions as "the heroes of heavy metal", and MTV called them
"Ambassadors of Rock". The band has influenced a number of acts such
as Guns N' Roses, Mötley Crüe, Def Leppard, Metallica, Megadeth, Testament, Skid
Row, Cinderella, Doro, Helloween, Hanoi Rocks, and Yngwie Malmsteen. The
Scorpions were ranked number 46 on VH1's Greatest Artists of Hard
Rock programme, with "Rock You Like a Hurricane" at number 18 on
VH1's list of the 100 Greatest Hard Rock Songs. "Still Loving You"
ranked 22nd place among the greatest ballads. They have received prestigious
awards such as three World Music Awards, a star on the Hollywood Rock wall, and
a presence in the permanent exhibition of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. In
2015 the group celebrated its 50th anniversary.
Vocalist Klaus Meine, who
wrote and composed "Wind of Change", was inspired by the band's first
visit to the USSR in 1989 where they took part in big "Music Peace
Festival".
Manager Doc McGhee recalled, "The second night
that we played in Moscow, we were in the bus coming back from the gig, and
Klaus was whistling 'Wind of Change'. He had this idea in his head. And then
the next day he pretty much had the whole song written. The actual basis of the
song."
"Wind of Change" was released as the album's
third single in 1991.
"Wind of Change"
is a power ballad by the West German rock band Scorpions, recorded for their
eleventh studio album, Crazy World(1990). The song was composed and written by
the band's lead Singer Klaus Meine and produced by Keith Olsen and the band.
The lyrics were composed by Meine during the band's visit to the USSR at the
height of perestroika, when the enmity between the communist and capitalist
blocs subsided concurrently with the promulgation of large-scale socioeconomic
reforms in the USSR.
"Wind of Change"
was released as the album's third single in January 1991 and became a worldwide
hit, just after the failed coup that would eventually lead to the collapse of
the Soviet Union. The
song topped the charts in Germany and across Europe while peaking at number
four in the United States on August 31, 1991, and at number two in the United
Kingdom. It later appeared on the band's 1995 live álbum Live
Bites, their 2000 album with the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra, Moment of Glory,
and on their 2001 unplugged album Acoustica. The band also recorded a Russian-language
version of the song, under the title "Ветер перемен" ("Veter
Peremen")and a Spanish version called "Vientos de Cambio".
With estimated sales of 14
million copies sold worldwide, "Wind of Change" is one of the best-selling
singles of all time. It holds the record for the best-selling single by a
German artist. The band presented a gold record and $70,000 of royalties from
the single to Mikhail Gorbachev in 1991.
The lyrics celebrate glasnost
in the Soviet Union, the end of the Cold War, and speaks of hope at a time when
tense conditions had arisen due to the fall of Communist-run governments among Eastern
Bloc nations beginning in 1989.
The Scorpions were
inspired to write the song after performing at the Moscow Music Peace Festival in
August 1989, and the opening lines refer to the city's landmarks:
I follow the Moskva
Down to Gorky Park
Listening to the wind of
change
I follow the Moskva
Down to Gorky Park
Listening to the wind of change
An August summer night
Soldiers passing by
Listening to the wind of change
The world is closing in
Did you ever think
That we could be so close, like brothers
The future's in the air
I can feel it everywhere
Blowing with the wind of change
Take me to the magic of the moment
On a glory night
Where the children of tomorrow dream away
in the wind of change
Walking down the street
Distant memories
Are buried in the past forever
I follow the Moskva
Down to Gorky Park
Listening to the wind of change
Take me to the magic of the moment
On a glory night
Where the children of tomorrow share their dreams
With you and me
Take me to the magic of the moment
On a glory night
Where the children of tomorrow dream away
in the wind of change
The wind of change
Blows straight into the face of time
Like a stormwind that will ring the freedom bell
For peace of mind
Let your balalaika sing
What my guitar wants to say
Take me to the magic of the moment
On a glory night
Where the children of tomorrow share their dreams
With you and me
Take me to the magic of the moment
On a glory night
Where the children of tomorrow dream away
in the wind of change.
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