Scorpions are a German band. The Berlin Wall was a huge part of history for anyone that lived through the rise and fall of that wall. My parents were born in Germany. I remember, as a kid, sitting with my parents, watching the Berlin Wall coming down on live TV. This immensely impacted my political and worldviews. The song itself covers the Berlin Wall and other events that you mentioned like Tiananmen square. Events like these are the Winds of Change for humanity.
The lyrics are mostly about locations in Moscow. The Berlin Wall was one of many events around the fall of communism. Humanity was able to reunite on a massive level during a period of just a couple of years 1989-1991.
The video for the song now came out well after the song since the song came out before the fall of the wall. It talks about stuff that lead up to the fall, but they didnt know yet that within about a year so much more would happen.
My dad was serving in the British Army in Berlin in 1961 when the Wall went up. I was Serving in the British Army in Berlin when the wall came down in 1989.
The RRHF is a joke, designed to bring tourists to Cleveland. Nightwish isn't in there, either. European bands (never mind the rest of the planet not being represented, either).
Not sure how you missed the biggest export out of Germany in the past 100 yrs. They formed in the 60s and the biggest band to ever come out of Germany. You have to remember they grew up in the early days of a divided Berlin. The had minor hits in the late 70s. There biggest hit Rock You like a Hurricane propelled them to international stardom
I'll never forget that day the people tore down that awful wall and the two sides were reunited. Even the East German guards were caught up in the intensity and joy of that moment. My mom and I were sobbing. ❤ And the Scorpions? Love them!
I agree with you that this is the best group from Germany, at least in my 70+ yrs. But to call them the greatest German export in a hundred years may be gilding the lily just a bit! 😅 Audi, Mercedes, Porche, Adidas, Puma, BMW, VW, Siemens, Hugo Boss.....?
@@allenruss2976 My dad had an Audi in the early 70s and it was always in the shop. I think he would've been stoked to just fill the damn thing with dynamite and light it up. 🤣 It was all Datsuns / Nissans from there on out.
@@MearasRex in 2009 I took my Audi to the dealership as was and traded in on a Toyota. Interesting fact about Hugo Boss. They designed and supplied the WW2 German uniforms. Can't fault them. Say no and die. Say no and hundreds of employees are jobless in a rotten economy. The average citizen was as appalled as we were with what was going on and doing the best they could. No sense penalizing and destroying them.
Not a mediocre song among them. I heard this song before ever seeing a video and didn't really try to find the message. I'm a music person more than into the lyrics. Although many times the words do "speak" to me. But first I have to like the music. It has to be "pretty". I'm hard rock,heavy metal all the way, but "pretty". Take a listen to Ronnie James Dio.
They're a German band singing what became the unofficial anthem of German reunification. No one who was alive when these events happened can help but be moved by this song.
I was about 20 years old when this came out. After growing up waiting for the missiles to launch in the Cold War, the Wall falling, and the fall of the Soviet Union was quite an event.
He wrote this song inspired by being in Moscow performing one of or the first rock concert in Russia before the Berlín wall fell, feeling the two sides comming together. They are a german band. Follow the mosqua (river in Moscow) down to gorky park, was him going for a walk and being inspired by "the wind of change" as he felt that humanity was comming together and the cold war was ending. I saw the documentary about it. We should really learn something from our past. I can't believe it's 2024 and wars are still going on!
I used to be able to whistle like that. Growing up in the 60’s and 70’s everyone used to whistle. And if you spent 12 hours plus a day on a tractor you had plenty of time to practice. 😂
I had a roommate when I was younger that could whistle all kinds of songs and it sounded perfect. He used to do this song, and "Somewhere over the Rainbow", and "Simple Man" the best, but did alot of others too.
Klaus Meine, one of the top 5 best voices in rock history, IMO. Dude can sing! And he can still sing to this day. The group was formed in 1965 by guitarist Rudolph Schenker, however, they're music didn't really take off until the 1980's, with hit after hit on all 7 of their albums. And yes, bro, if you want to take a trip into musical fantasy, you need to check out "Send Me An Angel" along with all their other hits. If you do, just make sure it's a live version. They are better live than the studio tracks.
Klaus Meine wrote the song in 1989 while visiting the USSR for the Moscow Music Peace Festival. It captures the feeling everyone had, at the time. Hopefull for a better future, but also melancholic. It was released in 1990 on the album Crazy World. There was a russian language version, too. One has to remember that while the USSR dissolved in 1991, after the failed soviet coup d'état, it was not a done deal. In 1993 a short war between the president and the house of soviets errupted, which lead to combat in the capital, with at least 147 dead. Scorpions sold over 100 million records. They are the biggest local german band, ever.
I was on a European bus tour in 1991 a few months after this song came out. As we drove over what used to be the boarder in Berlin, they blasted this song and we all sang. What an emotional moment. Cheers from Canada.
Song came out 2 years before that, so couldnt have been a few months. The wall didnt fall for quite a while still when this song came out, it was only retroactively deemed to be about the fall of the wall.
This song encapsulated so well the feeling that every generation that came of age in the shadow of the cold war. The hope that never dies for an age of peace and love.
Can’t watch this without crying. Still. Little older than you BP, remember watching the wall falling. History in front of our eyes. Watching Reagan, Pope John Paul 2, and Gorbachev working together to take down USSR. Reagan, speech at the wall “ Gorbachov, tear down this wall!” Making nuclear bomb shelters in the late 80s! Now, this generation shouts for socialism and communism. So many died, sacrificed, people used and separated from family in Germany. USSR brutal to it’s own people. Poland was under brutal communism. For them to not know what it took to bring about the collapse is USSR! People were crying for freedom! The relief after this so palpable throughout the world!
Scorpions sang this song at the Moscow peace concert in the late 1980s before the 1990s moscow concert with metallica and others. The ussr was in its last years before all the countries became independent states and the borders came down.
My favorite from them is “The zoo” They have several great songs. I love that you said “we” retired and moved to Colorado. My son in law is in his 10th year in the Air Force. The first 4 years my daughter lived in Germany on base with him then McGuire Afb in New Jersey where they started their family. They are currently in Spain for 2 years. The families of those in the military are serving as well. Thank you to all of our troops and their families for your service ❤🇺🇸
Yes, families do serve! My dad was a US Navy aviator for 27 years. We moved every 3 years and sent him off to war (Vietnam) 3 times. I can usually spot a military brat. We are the ones that make friends quickly, but don't get too close, because we are gone just as quick. But, we are the first to stand and put our hands over our hearts for the National Anthem.
As a Cold War veteran like your father, this song brings up so many feelings to me. I wasn’t stationed in Germany but did spend 30 days there for a Reforger in the 80’s. I don’t really care what the actual meaning of this song is supposed to be, for me it’s about all the change that we all were looking forward to which really got into full motion the the Berlin Wall came down. Things were supposed to be so much better and they were for awhile but we have screwed things up again. I feel pride for my very small part in helping this change start, but a lot of sadness to see where we are today. I hope this song touches you and others so that maybe we can get back on track again.
I'll always remember a young Polish woman cry deep,heavy tears when she watched this clip... It hit her hard,so it hit me hard. Song of a moment that is eternal.
This somg has been on my forever Playlist . In the song he talks about theier boat trip down the Moskva River down to Gorky Park. The song encompasses the fall of the Iron Curtin. The fall of the Berlin Wall and feeling of the Winds Of Change. The backstory on this song is so incredible and inspiring.
The song was written before the wall fell, the video came after (but it was all right around that time). It was inspired by their first show in the Soviet Union, and the overwhelming response from fans there. It was in the time leading up to the collapse of the USSR, tensions were running high, but restrictions were getting more lax, so there was ominous, yet optimistic feeling all around. The song captured that feeling perfectly. Everyone at the time really resonated with this song, and the haunting whistle is a pretty good opening hook. It's hard to wrap your head around just how popular this song was at the time. My local radio station must've played it 10 times a day, which was unheard of before station consolidation... now all they do is play the same 20 songs on endless repeat, lol. But back then, that kind of repetition was nuts.
The whisle is the hook of the song. As far as i know the song was written in 1989, when there was hope that the Berlin wall would fall and times were changing.
I'm offended that the subtitles say, "Nostalgic whistling." LOL The Scorpions first formed in 1965. My platoon sergeant kept a piece of the Berlin wall on his desk. He was in an infantry unit in Germany when the wall was torn down. Music had a huge impact on the fall of the Soviet Union. Moskva is a river in Moscow. Meine wrote this song after the band performed at the Moscow Music Peace Festival in 1989.
I was in 10th grade German class when Berlin Wall came down. I was so emotional when it finally came down!! When this song came out, it struck a chord with me. It meant so much.
Scorpions are from Hanover, Germany in the north. They were 70's, 80's, & 90's. You should do a reaction of Still Loving You. Klaus, lead singer, is a classically trained singer so his vocals are among the best ever in the rock genre.
This song is just pure history, and you can relate to it 30+ years later. Klaus Meine is still a great singer today. One of the most known songs by The Scorpions is Still Loving You. Glad you reacted to them, and please, consider to watching to other European bands (like Running Wild, Crematory, Hanoi Rocks, Katatonia, Lacuna Coil, Rhapsody / Rhapsody of Fire... The whistle in Rammstein is in the song Engel and it's performed by Richard Kruspe (one of the two guitarrists)
This song actually isnt about the Berlin Wall falling since it came out before it, but its about the things that lead up to the wall coming down. The video it now sports was made years later.
Wikipedia-Wind of Change" is a song by West German rock band Scorpions, recorded for their eleventh studio album Crazy World (1990). A power ballad, it was composed and written by the band's lead singer Klaus Meine and produced by Keith Olsen and the band. The lyrics were composed by Meine following the band's visit to the Soviet Union at the height of perestroika, when the enmity between the communist and capitalist blocs subsided concurrently with the promulgation of large-scale socioeconomic reforms in the Soviet Union.
"Coffee stain on his head", haha, that was beautiful. This song tends to bring out a lot of emotion for everyone for whatever reasons they feel. Personally, it's close to being a sad rock ballad for me but the drums are enough to give the song energy which also makes me feel like it's a song of hope. A very unique mix of sadness and hope in my opinion.
"Wind of Change" was our unofficial hymn at that time. It came out just at the right time. I remember the day when they announced that the Berlin wall fell. I lived in Bavaria, far away from Berlin, but we had relatives that lived in East Germany. We couldn't believe it. It happened so suddenly and fast.
This song always brings tears to my eyes. I was in high school when the wall fell. I was friends with a German exchange student. She was at my home visiting when the tv broke the news of the wall. We cheered and cried together. I always think of Katja when I hear this song. There was a BIG hope for peace and it truly felt like a positive change was happening. Sadly, it wasn't true,..
'The band wrote this during a visit to Moscow in 1989. The previous year, they became the first hard-rock band to play in Russia, and they returned to play the Moscow Music Peace Festival. At this show, they were inspired by the sight of thousands of Russians cheering them on even though they were a German band. In a Songfacts interview with Scorpions guitarist Rudolf Schenker, he called this song, "A kind of message soundtrack to the world's most peaceful revolution on earth." ' - Songfacts It's a great song that you can listen to over and over and still be moved by it.
The winds change and move the sands of time creating either dunes or oases. The changes are not made for us, but are influenced by us, and we must understand the changes to be in the right place at the right time to overcome and survive our own pseudoconfidence of existence.
You must also hear their song called "The Zoo". The Visualizer version is the official audio. The live versions are for those who have heard the song before, so choose the Visualizer version.
Back in the 60's and 70's if you were a Big Popular Group you could very well still be Popular many Decades later and today! The Band Scorpions started in 1965!
These guys were German. The singer's name is Klaus Meine. I saw them when they toured to support this album. I was a freshman in high school. Our school song was Rock You Like a Hurricane" which was also by the Scorpions. This song is so powerful. It's songs like this, Beds are Burning (by Midnight Oil), and Right Here Right Now (Jesus Jones) that turned me on to the fact that history was being made around me. The fall of the USSR and the hope of ending the fear of nuclear war was powerful. It was why I studied political science. Sadly, it is my professional opinion that we have squandered the moment and history may well remember this as a brief window of optimism rather than an actual paradigm shift. The guitar player Rudolf Schenker started the band. He's an amazing guitar player.
Regarding being lied to - try listening to the people from the region (I’m polish). The fall of the Berlin WAS a good thing. I was a small kid back then but the feeling of excitement was palpable during those years. The world was opening up, and it was awesome. We really did feel like children of tomorrow.
Hi! For me this is an old worn out song that I don't really want to hear anymore. But seeing someone like you, who's never heard it before, react to it and realize what it's about is so nice and makes it even more special again.😉(I was born in 1969 in Germany). ✌
Amazing lung capacity. I wish I could whistle like that for that long. This song made such an impact when the Berlin Wall came down. This was their final hit when power ballads were still at their peak on the radio.
It wasn't meant to be, but this song was the unofficial anthem of the German reunification. These were crazy times back then in Germany! We all thought the world was going to be a better one. As we all know, this didn't last for a long time. 😮The best Scorpions song in my opinion is "Still loving you". I would say it is one of THE ultimate rock love ballads. Check it out! Loved your reaction as always, keep on whisteling! 😊
Scorpions is a rock band from Hannover, Germany that was formed in 1965. Internationally acclaimed for their 1984 rock anthem “Rock You Like a Hurricane
a fantastic song of a fantastic band. They were on tour last year. Since Ukraine they switched up the Gorki Park and Moskva parts of the lyrics to “Now listen to my heart/ It says Ukrainia/ Waiting for the wind to change". That song and the topics its about are timeless.
the one song you should have viewed is " Rock You Like A Hurricane " this song alone was what renighted there career again on the charts before this song very few even know them at all but sfter this album with this song Rock You Like A Hurricane every one got on there band wagon and very one knew about them then. yes are there other songs some may think is better yes but this one song is what started them back on the charts.
A whistle means a person is happy, care-free just plain enjoying life or that moment in time. Yet behind the whistle you have unspeakable human tragedies playing out, thus the whistle becomes haunting and plays on your emotions in a different way. Put shortly it's a mindf**k, what you should be seeing you're not and alters your perception of a whistle. Great reaction BP
Likely considering that rammstein wasn't formed until 1994 which is 3 years after this song came out. But fun fact if i remember correctly rammstein formed in Berlin. Definitely came after the scorpions who formed in 1965. This is my favorite scorpions song. Also scorpions have so many banger songs too definitely a great rabbit hole to go down.
My wife was in Germany when the wall came down. Her first husband was in the army. She also had a piece of the wall. Sadly, I lost her just before Christmas of 2016.
“Still loving you” is a great track. So is “The Zoo, Rock you like a Hurricane, No one like you, Tease me Please Me, Rhythm of love or I can’t explain, which is my favorite song from them.) BP have fun with those song titles. 😂
This song was written about playing in the USSR, in its last days. While the fall of Berlin Wall is part of it, they were on tour in Soviet Union 1990/after the Wall came down. They updated with a World version of this about a year later.
I served in the german army as a paratrooper from 85 till 93. These were the most intense years of my life, and in 91 i had to work with my "enemy" soldiers from eastern Germany (NVA) and it was that time when i realized that we are more similar then i´ve ever thought. I now have many good friends from my time there and i am gratefull to be one of those people that had the opportunity to witness the unification of east and west Germany since the fall of the Berlin wall.
Gorky Park by German band The Scorpions 1991 - The whistle is relevant but you're watching decades later it matters to all things life changing. Gorky Park was where he cold war spies met
Oh, YES - that whistle always evokes strong nostalgic feelings in me as well... like, it somehow encompasses a whole zeitgeist all on its own, that everyone was feeling at that time. So its a classic for that alone, which is - as you say - kinda shocking how fast it just 'gets you', ya know?
I heard this piece in 93. When I was sitting next to Father in the car. I was 5 years old. Since then, this song and the associations with it have never gone away, as much as this song can capture the soul.
I saw the Scorpions in concert for the 1st time in September of 1982. I was starting my sophomore year in high school. I've lost count how many times I saw them after that. They were my go-to, and I still love them!! Still loving you is epic!!❤
I think it was 1978 when I seen Scorpions on their first American tour as a guest band for Ted Nugent, along with Blackfoot. Scorpions exploded on that tour and has been making great music ever since.
I grew up during the Cold War between the Soviet Union and the United States, when we had air raid drills in elementary school. I mean, I also grew up in the Midwest so our tornado drills were indistinguishable from air raid drills to my baby brain, but still 😅. And this song came out when I was 12 or 13, right around the time the Berlin Wall fell signaling the end of the Soviet Union, an entity which loomed heavily on all of us even as Americans. It was a time of hope for the future-a communist regime fell, the threat of nuclear war had passed, and I feel like we felt anything was possible. I miss those days. That whistle gives me a feeling I almost can’t describe-both melancholy and hopeful at the same time. Edit: “I follow the Moskva, and down to Gorky Park” He’s talking about Moscow, Russia. The Moskva is a river that runs through Moscow.
The greatest tragedy of humanity is that we never seem to learn from our mistakes and are forever doomed to repeat them. Things were actually starting to look brighter for a while and then we stupidly slipped back into the same old habits and actions, and so here we are once again staring potential annihilation in the face.
“I can’t get enough”, “another piece of meat”, “dynamite”, “bad boys running wild”, “blackout”, rock me like a hurricane; these are the songs I think of when someone mentions Scorpions. I didn’t care much for the ballads, most of their songs were kick ass rock and roll like the songs I mentioned.
