Wind of Change (Scorpions song)
| "Wind of Change" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by Scorpions | ||||
| from the album Crazy World | ||||
| B-side | "Tease Me Please Me" | |||
| Released | January 1991 | |||
| Format | CD single, CD maxi, 7" single | |||
| Recorded | 1990 | |||
| Genre | Rock, hard rock | |||
| Length | 5:10 | |||
| Label | Mercury Records | |||
| Writer(s) | Klaus Meine | |||
| Producer(s) | Keith Olsen | |||
| Scorpions singles chronology | ||||
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"Wind of Change" is a power ballad written by Klaus Meine, the lead singer of the German rock band Scorpions. It appeared on their 1990 album Crazy World, but did not become a worldwide hit single until 1991—just after the failed coup that led to the collapse of the Soviet Communist regime—when it topped the charts in Germany and across Europe and hit No. 4 in the United States and No. 2 in the United Kingdom. It later appeared on the band's 1995 live album Live Bites, their 2000 album with the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra, Moment of Glory, and on their 2001 unplugged album Acoustica. Worldwide, the single has sold millions of copies, making it one of the best selling singles of all time; a common number given is 14 million copies sold.[1][2][3] It holds the record for the best-selling single by a German artist.
The band also recorded a Russian-language version of the song, under the title "Ветер перемен" ("Veter Peremen")[4] [5] [6] and a Spanish version called "Vientos de Cambio". The band presented a gold record of the single to Mikhail Gorbachev in 1991.
On 2015 the video for “Wind Of Change” has been viewed more than 130 million times on YouTube to date. VEVO meticulously recorded the view requests and certified them. With this, the Scorpions are the first German band cracking the 100 million click mark.
Background and writing
The lyrics celebrate glasnost in the USSR, the end of the Cold War, and talks about hope when tense conditions arose due to the fall of Communist-run governments among Eastern Bloc nations beginning in 1989.
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 an amusement park in Moscow named after Maxim Gorky, a famous communist writer.
The song also contains a reference to the balalaika, which is a Russian string instrument somewhat like a guitar. The balalaika is mentioned in the following verse:
For peace of mind
Let your balalaika sing
What my guitar wants to say
Composition
"Wind of Change" opens with a clean guitar intro played by Matthias Jabs, which is played alongside Klaus Meine's famous whistle. The song's guitar solo is played by Rudolf Schenker.
Legacy
In 2005, viewers of the German television network ZDF chose this song as the song of the century. It is the highest selling song ever 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 a message of hope.[7]
Uses of the song
- Plays in a scene from the 2010 movie Gentlemen Broncos, when main character Benjamin Purvis walks out of a bookshop with his date.
- 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.
- The song was featured in the episode "Chuck Versus the Seduction Impossible" of the TV show Chuck.
- In series 15, episode 2 of Top Gear, the song can be heard during the introduction of The Stig's "German cousin".
- 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.
- The song was used in the Berlin Wall trailer for Call of Duty: Black Ops(2010) in the "First Strike" DLC.
- Hong Kong pop singer Alan Tam included a Cantonese version of the song called "再等幾天" (English: "Wait a few More Days") in his 1992 album Lover.
- Plays at the end of the 2014 film The Interview.
- A version was played on the church bells of the Oude Kerk in Amsterdam, Netherlands as part of the project 'Recording Heaven' by the artists Roos Blogg and Maia Lyon Daw in 2009.[8]
Track listings
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|
Charts and sales
Peak positions
|
End of year charts
Certifications
|
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
- ↑ http://www.abendblatt.de/vermischtes/journal/thema/article1210581/Der-Wende-Hit.html
- ↑ Rateyourmusic, 14 mio
- ↑ Phil Brodie, 14 mio
- ↑ The wind of change_Russian version
- ↑ The wind of change_Russian version
- ↑ فيديو ويند أوف شينج لسكوربيون (النسخة الروسية)
- ↑ German Rock Band Scorpions of ‘Wind of Change’ Fame to Break Up Bloomberg
- ↑ http://www.tidalspectrum.com/recording-heaven-project/
- ↑ "Australian-charts.com – Scorpions – Wind of Change". ARIA Top 50 Singles.
- ↑ "Austriancharts.at – Scorpions – Wind of Change" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40.
- ↑ "Ultratop.be – Scorpions – Wind of Change" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50.
- ↑ http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/rpm/028020-119.01-e.php?&file_num=nlc008388.1570&type=1&interval=20&PHPSESSID=tm0embfudemtsfk01edguknnb1
- ↑ "Lescharts.com – Scorpions – Wind of Change" (in French). Les classement single.
- ↑ "Chartverfulgong > Scorpions > Wind of Change – musicline.de" (in German). Media Control Charts. PhonoNet GmbH.
- ↑ Irish Single Chart Irishcharts.ie (Retrieved April 10, 2008)
- ↑ "Nederlandse Top 40 – Scorpions search results" (in Dutch) Dutch Top 40.
- ↑ "Charts.org.nz – Scorpions – Wind of Change". Top 40 Singles.
- ↑ "Norwegiancharts.com – Scorpions – Wind of Change". VG-lista.
- ↑ Archiwum Listy Przebojów Programu Trzeciego (Retrieved November 16, 2014)
- ↑ "Swedishcharts.com – Scorpions – Wind of Change". Singles Top 60.
- ↑ "Swisscharts.com – Scorpions – Wind of Change". Swiss Singles Chart.
- ↑ UK Singles Chart Chartstats.com (Retrieved April 10, 2008)
- ↑ 23.0 23.1 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)
- ↑ http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/rpm/028020-119.01-e.php?&file_num=nlc008388.2024&type=1&interval=20&PHPSESSID=tm0embfudemtsfk01edguknnb1
- ↑ http://www.officialcharts.de/year.asp?cat=s&country=de&year=1991&x=39&y=10
- ↑ "Single top 100 over 1991" (PDF) (in Dutch). Top40. Retrieved April 13, 2010.
- ↑ 1991 Swiss Singles Chart Hitparade.ch (Retrieved April 20, 2008)
- ↑ "Billboard Top 100 – 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. Retrieved April 20, 2008.
- ↑ UK certifications Bpi.co.uk (Retrieved August 8, 2008)
- ↑ U.S. certifications riaa.com (Retrieved April 20, 2008)
External links
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