Wind of Change (song)

Infobox Single
Name = Wind of Change


Artist = Scorpions
from Album = Crazy World
B-side =
Released = 1991
Format =
Recorded = 1990
Genre = Hard rock
Length = 4:42
Label = Mercury Records
Writer = Klaus Meine
Producer = Keith Olsen
Certification =
Last single = "Passion Rules the Game"
(1989)
This single = "Wind of Change"
(1991)
Next single = "Send Me an Angel"
(1991)Extra album cover
Upper caption = Alternate cover
Background = khaki


Lower caption = CD maxi - Europe

"Wind of Change" is a 1990 power ballad written by Klaus Meine, vocalist of the 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".

Background and writing

The lyrics celebrate the political changes in Eastern Europe at that time – such as the Polish Round Table Agreement and fall of the Berlin Wall, the increasing freedom in the communist bloc (which would soon lead to the fall of the USSR), and the clearly imminent end of the Cold War.

Many listeners of the song who are not acquainted with Moscow are often confused by the meaning of the opening lines of the song, which are:

:"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, and Gorky Park is the name of an amusement park in Moscow. The Scorpions were inspired to write this song on a visit to Moscow in 1989, and therefore included references to the aforementioned landmarks.

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 GermanyFact|date=February 2007 and is frequently played on television shows presenting video footage of the fall of the Berlin Wall. It is widely known in Germany 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 uses
* Popular UK soccer show Soccer AM uses "Wind of Change" as its tribute to UK troops overseas.
* It also features in the video game "SingStar Rocks!".
* At the end of the German movie "Manta Manta" it is played as the movie's final song.
* The song was used in an episode of Insomniac with Dave Attell when he sees them live in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
* Coca Cola used "Wind of Change" in the 1990s for commercials in Australia. The commercial used children playing in snow as the theme.
* In the spoof news show Brass Eye, Ted Maul is seen talking about the "winds of change", and walks offscreen slowly while whistling along to the song - the viewer is then informed that after this sequence he hasn't actually been found since.
* In a Top Gear episode where James May is driving the Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Gullwing introduction to Wind of Change is played.
* 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 rocking and soulful remake of the song.

; Military usesThe song has been in use for a number of years by the British Army, upon completing phase 1 training, new solders to the Royal Signals see this song, with a re-done video, to show the true realities of war to new soldiers. This includes a number of graphic deaths of civilians. This video is also shown at the ADSC Glencorse.

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

Certifications

ee also

* Glasnost
* Perestroika
* Demokratizatsiya

References

External links

* [http://www.all-guitar-chords.com/guitar_chords_songs.php?ida=16 Lyrics and guitar chords]