Wind of Change (song)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jump to: navigation, search
"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 Keith Olsen
Scorpions singles chronology
"Passion Rules the Game"
(1989)		 "Wind of Change"
(1991)		 "Send Me an Angel"
(1991)

"Wind of Change" is a power ballad written by Klaus Meine, vocalist of German rock 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 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.

The song is currently the 10th best-selling single of all time in Germany.[1][not in citation given] Worldwide, the single has sold millions of copies, making it one of the best selling singles of all time.[2] The Scorpions hold the record for the best-selling single by a German artist and band.

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".

Contents

Background and writing [edit]

The lyrics celebrate Glasnost in the USSR, the end of the Cold War, and the widespread fall of Socialist-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.

The song also contains a reference to the Russian folk instrument the balalaika, which is a 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 [edit]

"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 [edit]

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.[citation needed] In Germany, it is remembered as the song of German reunification and the fall of communism in Eastern Europe.[3]

Uses of the song [edit]

  • 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 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.
  • 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.

Track listings [edit]

CD maxi
Europe
  1. "Wind of Change" – 5:10
  2. "Tease Me Please Me" – 4:44
U.S.
  1. "Wind of Change" – 5:10
  2. "Restless Nights" – 5:44
  3. "Big City Nights" (live) – 5:10
7" single
  1. "Wind of Change" – 5:10
  2. "Restless Nights" – 5:44

Charts and sales [edit]

Peak positions [edit]

Chart (1991) Peak
position
Australia (ARIA)[4] 7
Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)[5] 1
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[6] 2
Canada Top Singles (RPM)[7] 10
France (SNEP)[8] 1
Germany (Media Control AG)[9] 1
Ireland (IRMA)[10] 2
Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[11] 1
New Zealand (RIANZ)[12] 17
Norway (VG-lista)[13] 1
Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)[14] 1
Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[15] 1
UK Singles (The Official Charts Company)[16] 2
U.S. Billboard Hot 100[17] 4
U.S. Billboard Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks[17] 2

End of year charts [edit]

End of year chart (1991) Position
Australian Singles Chart[18] 43
Austrian Singles Chart[19] 1
Canadian Singles Chart[20] 94
French Singles Chart 3
German Singles Chart[21] 1
Dutch Top 40[22] 8
Swiss Singles Chart[23] 1
U.S. Billboard Hot 100[24] 39

Certifications [edit]

Country Certification Date Sales
Australia[25] Platinum 1991 50,000
Austria[26] Platinum November 7, 1991 30,000
France[27] Gold 1991 250,000
Germany[28] Platinum 1991 6,000,000
UK[29] Silver October 1, 1991 200,000
U.S.[30] Gold April 9, 1991 500,000

Chart successions [edit]

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 [edit]

References [edit]

  1. ^ Best-selling singles of all time in Germany Musicline.de (Retrieved March 26, 2010)
  2. ^ http://www.abendblatt.de/vermischtes/journal/thema/article1210581/Der-Wende-Hit.html
  3. ^ German Rock Band Scorpions of ‘Wind of Change’ Fame to Break Up Bloomberg
  4. ^ "Australian-charts.com – Scorpions – Wind of Change". ARIA Top 50 Singles. Hung Medien.
  5. ^ "Scorpions – Wind of Change – Austriancharts.at" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Hung Medien.
  6. ^ "Ultratop.be – Scorpions – Wind of Change" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Ultratop & Hung Medien / hitparade.ch.
  7. ^ http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/rpm/028020-119.01-e.php?&file_num=nlc008388.1570&type=1&interval=20&PHPSESSID=tm0embfudemtsfk01edguknnb1
  8. ^ "Lescharts.com – Scorpions – Wind of Change" (in French). Les classement single. Hung Medien.
  9. ^ "Die ganze Musik im Internet: Charts, News, Neuerscheinungen, Tickets, Genres, Genresuche, Genrelexikon, Künstler-Suche, Musik-Suche, Track-Suche, Ticket-Suche – musicline.de" (in German). Media Control Charts. PhonoNet GmbH.
  10. ^ Irish Single Chart Irishcharts.ie (Retrieved April 10, 2008)
  11. ^ "Nederlandse Top 40 – Scorpions search results" (in Dutch) Dutch Top 40. Stichting Nederlandse Top 40.
  12. ^ "Charts.org.nz – Scorpions – Wind of Change". Top 40 Singles. Hung Medien.
  13. ^ "Norwegiancharts.com – Scorpions – Wind of Change". VG-lista. Hung Medien.
  14. ^ "Swedishcharts.com – Scorpions – Wind of Change". Singles Top 60. Hung Medien.
  15. ^ "Scorpions – Wind of Change – swisscharts.com". Swiss Singles Chart. Hung Medien.
  16. ^ UK Singles Chart Chartstats.com (Retrieved April 10, 2008)
  17. ^ a b Billboard Allmusic.com (Retrieved August 8, 2008)
  18. ^ 1991 Australian Singles Chart aria.com (Retrieved April 20, 2008)
  19. ^ 1991 Austrian Singles Chart Austriancharts.at (Retrieved April 20, 2008)
  20. ^ http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/rpm/028020-119.01-e.php?&file_num=nlc008388.2024&type=1&interval=20&PHPSESSID=tm0embfudemtsfk01edguknnb1
  21. ^ http://charts.de/year.asp?cat=s&country=de&year=1991&x=39&y=10
  22. ^ "Single top 100 over 1991" (pdf) (in Dutch). Top40. Retrieved April 13, 2010. 
  23. ^ 1991 Swiss Singles Chart Hitparade.ch (Retrieved April 20, 2008)
  24. ^ "Billboard Top 100 – 1991". Retrieved 2009-09-15. 
  25. ^ ARIA
  26. ^ Austrian certifications ifpi.at (Retrieved April 20, 2008)
  27. ^ French certifications Infodisc.fr (Retrieved April 20, 2008)
  28. ^ "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank ('Wind+of+Change')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie. Retrieved April 20, 2008. 
  29. ^ UK certifications Bpi.co.uk (Retrieved August 8, 2008)
  30. ^ U.S. certifications riaa.com (Retrieved April 20, 2008)

External links [edit]

Scorpions
Studio albums
Live albums
Compilations
Videos
Tours
Related articles
Categories
Songs

Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Wind_of_Change_(song)&oldid=556302827"