Written by: Klaus Meine
Released: 1991
US Charts: #4
UK Charts: #2
Other Charts: #1 (Germany, France, Netherlands)
Watch the video here: www.youtube.com/watch?v=taVW8Kv2HcQ
It’s not every day that I feature a heavy metal/hard rock band, in this case The Scorpions, but it’s also not every day that such a band has a slow power ballad become a worldwide hit as “Wind of Change” was. It was a song that captivated the world at the beginning of the 1990s because it describes the important political changes that were taking place at the time. I am referring to the fall of the Berlin Wall and the end of communism and the USSR. The song accurately describes the emotion felt by all peoples around the event at this important historic event and is forever linked as the “theme song” of the fall of the Berlin Wall in late 1989.
The fall of the Berlin Wall was one of the moments of the 20th century. It represented the end of an uneasy and tense standoff between the United States and the Soviet Union. It represented the liberation of people living in oppressive conditions behind the Iron Curtain. It represented the end of a tumultuous period in world history. It represented the beginning of a new era full of optimism. The end of the Cold War was equally a relief as it was an opportunity for change and renewed optimism. The feeling could only be compared with that felt after the end of the Second World War.
The song captures all that feeling perfectly and even more so in the video clip which you can watch above. The chorus describes that precise moment when the Berlin Wall fell perfectly, it’s the highlight of the song for me: “Take me to the magic of the moment, on a glory night, where the children of tomorrow dream in a wind of change.”
The song was a worldwide hit for the German band in 1991 and is considered one of their signature songs. It reached number 1 in most European countries as well as reaching number 2 in the UK and number 4 in the United States. It is also the highest selling single of all time in Germany where it remained at number 1 for 11 consecutive weeks.
You’ll never get tired of listening to this outstanding classic song. Listening to this song takes you back to that moment almost 20 years ago, but also makes you think about what happened to all that optimism given the sad state of our world. We can only crave for more great moments like that in the near future. Enjoy!
Lyrics can be accessed here.
Chords can be accessed here.
Feel free to comment on this song and/or my review below.
