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.

Written by: Mick Jagger & Keith Richards
Released: 1965

US Charts: #1 (4 weeks)
UK Charts: #1 (2 weeks)
Other Charts: N/A

It doesn’t come as a surprise that one of the most acclaimed songs of all time has possibly the most recognizable guitar riff in music history. From the word go, the sound of the opening guitar riff stabs every listener in the head, taking them back to the 1960′s and putting them in a state of rebellious behaviour. “Satisfaction” is synonymous with the 60s and captures the anti-establishment sentiment from the period better than any other song I know. It’s no wonder that Rolling Stone magazine placed this song in second spot in its list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.

The guitar riff is the one element that makes this song the great and memorable song it is today. And the story behind its creation is legendary. The Stones’ lead guitarist Keith Richards claims that he came up with the guitar riff in his sleep one night, waking up, recording it with a cassette recorder along with the words “I can’t get no satisfaction” and then went back to sleep. Jagger and Richards then finished writing the song in the Florida hotel in May 1965.

The song was released a month later to both critical and commercial success. It became their fourth number one song in the UK and their first in the US. Mick Jagger went on to say that “it was the song that really made The Rolling Stones, changed us from just another band into a huge, monster band.” It has gone to become the Rolling Stones’ signature song, despite having other hits during their long 40 year career.

The song’s success is largely to the fact that the song was perceived to be about anti-commercialism and alienation in the 1960′s. It captured this sentiment very, very well transforming it into possibly “the song” of the decade. Even though I was born decades after the swinging 60s, simply listening to this song gives a good and vivid taste of the sentiment back then. And I hope it does the same for you. Enjoy!

Lyrics can be accessed here.

Chords can be accessed here.

Feel free to comment on this song and/or my review below.

Subscribe to the All Time Classic Songs newsletter today and you’ll receive a FREE copy of my brand new e-book “The 30 Greatest Love Songs of All Time.” Limited time only!