Wind of Change (song)
"Wind of Change" is a 1990 power ballad written by Klaus Meine, vocalist of the German heavy metal band Scorpions. It appeared on their 1990 album Crazy World, but did not become a worldwide hit single until 1991, when it topped the charts in Germany and across Europe, and hit #4 in the United States and #2 in the United Kingdom. It later appeared on the 1995 live album Live Bites, on their 2000 album Moment of Glory, with the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra, 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.
The song is currently the 10th best-selling single of all time in Germany.[1]
Worldwide, this single sold over 19 million copies, making it one of the top fifty best selling singles of all time.[2] The Scorpions hold the record for the best-selling single by a German artist and band.
Background and writing
The lyrics celebrate the Perestroyka in the USSR and the end of the Cold War.
The Scorpions were inspired to write the song on a visit to Moscow in 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
The Moskva is the name of the river that runs through Moscow (both the city and the river are named identically in Russian), and Gorky Park is the name of an amusement park in Moscow.
Legacy
In 2005 the viewers of the German television network ZDF chose this song as the song of the century. It is the highest ever selling song in Germany, reputedly selling over 6 million copies in that country alone, and is frequently played on television shows presenting video footage of the fall of the Berlin Wall. In Germany it is remembered as the song of German reunification (and fall of communism in Eastern Europe generally), even though it only rose to popularity two years later.
Uses of the song
- Popular UK football show Soccer AM uses "Wind of Change" as its tribute to UK troops overseas.
- It also features in the video game SingStar Rocks! and has been added as a downloadable content from the SingStore.
- In the independent film In Search of a Midnight Kiss (distributed by IFC in summer 2008), writer/director Alex Holdridge has characters in the film sing an impromptu version of "Wind of Change" as the movie concludes in celebration of the main character's changing fortune, and as the credits start to roll, Austin, Texas-based rock band Sybil performs a cover of the song.
Track listings
- CD maxi
-
- Europe
- "Wind of Change" – 5:10
- "Tease Me Please Me" – 4:44
-
- U.S.
- "Wind of Change" – 5:10
- "Restless Nights" – 5:44
- "Big City Nights" (live) – 5:10
|
- 7" single
- "Wind of Change" – 5:10
- "Restless Nights" – 5:44
|
Charts and sales
Peak positions
|
End of year charts
| End of year chart (1991) |
Position |
| Australian Singles Chart[8] |
43 |
| Austrian Singles Chart[9] |
1 |
| French Singles Chart |
3 |
| Dutch Top 40[4] |
8 |
| Swiss Singles Chart[10] |
1 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100[11] |
39 |
Certifications
| Country |
Certification |
Date |
Sales certified |
| Australia[12] |
Platinum |
1991 |
50,000 |
| Austria[13] |
Platinum |
November 7, 1991 |
30,000 |
| France[14] |
Gold |
1991 |
250,000 |
| Germany[15] |
Platinum |
1991 |
+500,000 |
| UK[16] |
Silver |
October 1, 1991 |
200,000 |
| U.S.[17] |
Gold |
April 9, 1991 |
500,000 |
|
Chart successions
| Order of precedence |
Preceded by
"Sadeness Part I" by Enigma |
French SNEP number-one single
March 9, 1991 - April 20, 1991 (7 weeks) |
Succeeded by
"Désenchantée" by Mylène Farmer |
Preceded by
"The Shoop Shoop Song (It's In His Kiss)" by Cher |
Norwegian VG-Lista number-one single
21/1991 (1 week)
23/1991 (1 week) |
Succeeded by
"The Shoop Shoop Song (It's In His Kiss)" by Cher
"Senza una donna (without a Woman)" by Paul Young and Zucchero |
Preceded by
"Joyride" by Roxette |
Swedish number-one single
May 8, 1991 - June 19, 1991 (7 weeks) |
Succeeded by
"Senza una donna (without a Woman)" by Paul Young and Zucchero |
Preceded by
"Joyride" by Roxette
"Joyride" by Roxette
"Ring Ring Ring (Ha Ha Hey)" by De la Soul |
Swiss number-one single
May 26, 1991 (1 week)
June 9, 1991 (1 week)
July 7, 1991 - July 14, 1991 (2 weeks) |
Succeeded by
"Joyride" by Roxette
"Ring Ring Ring (Ha Ha Hey)" by De la Soul
"Gypsy Woman (She's Homeless)" by Crystal Waters |
Preceded by
"Joyride" by Roxette |
German number-one single
May 31, 1991 - August 9, 1991 (11 weeks) |
Succeeded by
"Summer Dreaming (Bacardi Feeling)"
by Kate Yanai |
Preceded by
"Joyride" by Roxette |
Eurochart Hot 100 number-one single
June 1, 1991 - June 15, 1991 (3 weeks) |
Succeeded by
"The Shoop Shoop Song (It's In His Kiss)" by Cher |
Preceded by
"One More Try" by Timmy T |
Dutch Top 40 number-one single
June 1, 1991 - June 15, 1991 (3 weeks) |
Succeeded by
"Gypsy Woman (She's Homeless)" by Crystal Waters |
Preceded by
"The Shoop Shoop Song (It's In His Kiss)" by Cher |
Austrian number-one single
July 7, 1991 - September 1, 1991 (9 weeks) |
Succeeded by
"Summer Dreaming (Bacardi Feeling)"
by Kate Yanai |
See also
References
- ^ Best-selling singles of all time in Germany Musicline.de (Retrieved March 26, 2010)
- ^ [1]
- ^ a b c d e f g h "Wind of Change", in various singles charts Lescharts.com (Retrieved April 10, 2008)
- ^ a b "Single top 100 over 1991" (in Dutch) (pdf). Top40. http://www.top40.nl/pdf/Top%20100/top%20100%20-%201991.pdf. Retrieved 13 April 2010.
- ^ Irish Single Chart Irishcharts.ie (Retrieved April 10, 2008)
- ^ UK Singles Chart Chartstats.com (Retrieved April 10, 2008)
- ^ a b Billboard Allmusic.com (Retrieved August 8, 2008)
- ^ 1991 Australian Singles Chart aria.com (Retrieved April 20, 2008)
- ^ 1991 Austrian Singles Chart Austriancharts.at (Retrieved April 20, 2008)
- ^ 1991 Swiss Singles Chart Hitparade.ch (Retrieved April 20, 2008)
- ^ "Billboard Top 100 - 1991". http://longboredsurfer.com/charts.php?year=1991. Retrieved 2009-09-15.
- ^ ARIA
- ^ Austrian certifications ifpi.at (Retrieved April 20, 2008)
- ^ French certifications Infodisc.fr (Retrieved April 20, 2008)
- ^ "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank ('Wind+of+Change')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie. http://www.musikindustrie.de/gold_platin_datenbank/?action=suche&strTitel=Wind%2Bof%2BChange&strInterpret=&strTtArt=alle&strAwards=checked. Retrieved April 20, 2008.
- ^ UK certifications Bpi.co.uk (Retrieved August 8, 2008)
- ^ U.S. certifications riaa.com (Retrieved April 20, 2008)
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