Wind of Change (Scorpions song)

Klaus Meine said in an interview that the time 1988/1989 in the Soviet Union was characterized by the mood that the Cold War was coming to an end, the music was the unifying factor for the people. The memories of this time are also transported in the music video for the song. Meine was inspired by his participation in the Moscow Music Peace Festival on 13 August 1989, at Lenin Stadium, where the Scorpions performed in front of about 300,000 fans: {{Blockquote The idea came to me in the U.S.S.R. when I was sitting in the Gorky Park Center one summer night, looking at the Moskva River. The song is my personal reappraisal of what has happened in the world in recent years. Meine referred to the 'SNC' cultural center, opened by Stas Namin inside Moscow's Gorky Park without any official permission, where Russian and international musicians as well as progressive poets, artists and designers met in a free, innovative atmosphere. The lyrics celebrate glasnost in the Soviet Union, the end of the Cold War, and speak of hope at a time when tense conditions had arisen due to the fall of Communist-run governments among Eastern Bloc nations beginning in 1989. The opening lines refer to the city of Moscow'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 urban park in Moscow named after the writer Maxim Gorky. The song further mentions the balalaika, the signature Russian stringed instrument, as a counterpart to the guitar, suggesting harmony of different cultures. The balalaika is mentioned in the following lines: Let your balalaika sing What my guitar wants to say Klaus Meine and Rudolf Schenker are owners of the trade mark Wind of Change. == Composition ==

"Wind of Change" opens with a clean guitar introduction played by Matthias Jabs, which is played alongside Klaus Meine's flat whistle. The song's guitar solo is played by Rudolf Schenker. Claim of CIA creative input The song is the subject of the Pineapple Street Studios podcast Wind of Change, released 11 May 2020, which raises questions regarding the song's origin. Patrick Radden Keefe, a staff writer at the New Yorker and host of the podcast, investigates the allegation that the song was written by or connected to the Central Intelligence Agency, citing a rumor originating allegedly from inside the agency. In a Sirius XM interview with Eddie Trunk on 13 May 2020, Meine stated "It's a fascinating idea, and it's an entertaining idea, but it's not true at all". In December 2020, it was reported that a further investigation of the song's origins based on the claims from the podcast would be adapted into a series for Hulu directed by Alex Karpovsky. == Legacy ==

The song became associated with the Revolutions of 1989 and the Fall of the Berlin Wall also in 1989 and was performed by the Scorpions at the Brandenburg Gate on 9 November 1999, during the 10th anniversary of the Fall of the Berlin Wall. In 2005, viewers of the German television network ZDF chose this song as the song of the century. In February 2023, the official music video hit one billion views on YouTube. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the Scorpions collaborated with Japanese rock star Yoshiki to perform "Wind of Change" for the documentary film Yoshiki: Under the Sky. This was the first time the band came together to perform the Ukraine version of the song.'''' The performance was later released as a music video on YouTube. As of 2024, the Scorpions have changed the opening lyrics again to adopt a more neutral tone, displaying these on the video screens at gigs: "Now listen to my heart, it still believes in love, waiting for the wind to change. A dark and lonely night, our dreams will never die, waiting for the wind to change." In November 2025, "Wind of Change" hit one billion streams on Spotify. == Track listings ==

• European 7-inch single and Japanese mini-CD single • "Wind of Change" – 5:10 • "Restless Nights" – 5:44 • European maxi-CD single • "Wind of Change" – 5:10 • "Restless Nights" – 5:44 • "Big City Nights" (live) – 5:10 • UK CD single • "Wind of Change" • "To Be with You in Heaven" • "Blackout" (live) • US and Canadian 7-inch single :A. "Wind of Change" – 5:10 :B. "Money and Fame" – 5:06 == Personnel ==

Scorpions • Klaus Meine – lead vocals • Rudolf Schenker – lead guitar, background vocals • Matthias Jabs – rhythm guitar, background vocals • Francis Buchholz – bass • Herman Rarebell – drums Additional personnel • Koen van Baal – keyboards • Russell Powell - guitar == Charts ==

Weekly charts Year-end charts == Certifications and sales ==