SCORPIONS - BIG CITY NIGHTS

BIG CITY NIGHTS

SCORPIONS

SONGWRITERS: RUDOLF SCHENKER; KLAUS MEINE & HERMAN RAREBELL

COUNTRY: GERMANY

ALBUM: LOVE A FIRST STING

LABEL: RCA RECORDS

GENRE: HEAVY METAL

YEAR: 1984

 

           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, heavy metal, glam metal, and soft rock. 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 1978, 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(who replaced Schenker's younger brother Michael) part of the line-up, the music of the Scorpions was defined as hard rock. After Roth's departure in 1978, Schenker and Meine managed to take control of the group, giving them almost all the power to compose music and write lyrics. Matthias Jabs joined in 1978, and with the melodic rock he played and the influence of producer Dieter Dierks in the band, the Scorpions changed their sound to melodic heavy metal mixed with lyrical "power rock ballads", which is evident in the album Lovedrive(1979), which began the evolution of the band's sound, developed later in several of their albums. Over the next decade, the band achieved influence, approval from music critics, and significant 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), their best-selling compilation Best of Rockers 'n' Ballads(1989), and Crazy World (1990), all awarded at least one platinum award in the United States. The band has released twelve consecutive studio albums that were in the top 10 in Germany, one of which reached Nº 1, as well as three consecutive albums that were in the top 10 in the Billboard 200 in the United States.

           Scorpions are estimated to have sold over 100 million records around the world, making them one of the best-selling hard rock and heavy metal bands. One of their most recognized hits is "Wind of Change" (from Crazy World), a symbolic anthem of the political changes in Eastern Europe in the late 1980s and early 1990s and the fall of the Berlin Wall, and it remains as one of the best-selling singles in the world with over 14 million copies. Two of the songs on their ninth studio album Love at First Sting, "Rock You Like a Hurricane" and "Still Loving You", are some of the most influential and popular works, both in heavy metal music and among rock ballads, defined as "rock anthem" and "a true hymn of love".

           Love at First Sting is the ninth studio album by German heavy metal band Scorpions. It was released on 27 March 1984 on Harvest/EMI in Europe and Mercury in the US. The album contains "Rock You Like a Hurricane", "Still Loving You", and "Big City Nights", three of the band's most famous songs.

When the daylight is falling down into the night

And the sharks try to cut a big piece out of life

It feels alright to go out to catch an outrageous thrill

But it's more like spinning wheels of fortune

Which never stand still

 

Big city, big city nights

You keep me burning

Big city, big city nights

 

When the sunlight is rising up in my eyes

And the long night has left me back at somebody's side

It feels alright for a long sweet minute like hours before

But it's more like looking out for something

I can't find anymore

 

Big city, big city nights

You keep me burning

Big city, big city nights

Always yearning

 

There is no dream

That you can't make true, if you're looking for love

But there's no girl

Who's burning the ice away from my heart

Maybe tonight!

 

Big city, big city nights

You keep me burning

Big city, big city nights

Always yearning

 

Big city, big city nights

You keep me burning

Big city, big city nights

Always yearning.