‘We were being watched by the KGB’: how Scorpions made Wind of Change | Culture

Klaus Meine, vocals/songwriterBeing a West German band made taking part in the Soviet Union within the late Eighties notably particular. We’d grown up in a divided nation and had tried many occasions to play in East Germany, however they’d by no means allow us to in. Once we did our first gig in what was then Leningrad, the ambiance was a bit gray, not very vibrant or rock’n’roll – however hearts began opening up over the course of the ten gigs we did within the metropolis. It ended up a bit like Beatlemania, with followers circling our vehicles after each present.In Leningrad, we realised we have been being watched by the KGB. However once we performed the Moscow Music Peace pageant the next yr, the troopers within the stadium turned to face the bands, joined within the cheering and have become a part of the viewers. It was just like the world was altering in entrance of our eyes. Out of the blue, with Mikhail Gorbachev within the Kremlin – and perestroika and glasnost – it was attainable for this Russian Woodstock to occur. It was laborious to consider that folks had been despatched to jail for listening to western rock music – as a result of now there was a Russian viewers going nuts to Rock You Like a Hurricane.In September, after I got here dwelling, I began fiddling round with my little keyboard. Wind of Change was not some form of fantasy: it was a kind of songs that comes from deep in your soul and also you simply attempt to specific what you’ve lived by way of. The lyric refers to Moscow’s landmarks as a result of once we performed the pageant there, all of the bands went for a ship experience on the Moskva, all the best way to Gorky Park.MTV wished Bon Jovi to headline. The followers went loopy whereas we performed – then Bon Jovi got here on and so they all leftThe whistling was a results of me having no guitar once I was writing it. The file firm within the US later known as me and mentioned: “It’s important to take the whistle out.” I mentioned: “No means.” When the track went by way of the roof, the identical man got here to me, bending over and saying: “Klaus, I used to be flawed. Please forgive me – you possibly can kick my ass!”Matthias Jabs did a beautiful form of Hendrix guitar intro, whereas Rudolf Schenker performed a implausible guitar solo – and all of it simply got here collectively. However not considered one of us thought in regards to the political facet of Wind of Change. No person had a grasp plan. For me, it was only a reflection of what we noticed, this transformation within the air. It’s a track of hope for a peaceable future, excellent for that historic second.When Patrick Radden Keefe – a really severe journalist from the New Yorker – confronted me with the idea that the CIA wrote Wind of Change to deliver the chilly conflict to an finish, I needed to snicker. Not in your wildest goals would you consider one thing like that. However ultimately, his podcast was an enormous promotion for the track.A line in Wind of Change says: “We may very well be so shut, like brothers.” That was precisely the best way we felt on the Moscow Music Peace pageant. Now, 35 years later, it’s just like the clock is ticking backwards. It’s very unhappy.Rudolf Schenker, guitarIn Leningrad, we have been taking part in to over 10,000 folks every night time. By the point of the Moscow Music Peace pageant, we have been huge in Russia. However MTV wished Bon Jovi to headline. The followers went loopy whereas we performed – then Bon Jovi got here on and so they all left the stadium. We noticed Jon Bon Jovi do an interview later that night time and he mentioned: “I’ll by no means play after the Scorpions once more!”We may already really feel the world drastically altering. And after we got here again from Moscow, Klaus known as me and mentioned: “I’ve a track.” Usually, Klaus didn’t write music, simply lyrics. However he performed me Wind of Change and I informed him: “It’s nice, however there’s one factor lacking – a refrain.” He got here again with the complete track once we went to Vancouver to file the Loopy World album.I labored laborious on the guitar solo, as a result of I’d realised the track’s potential. I’m not the perfect guitarist – usually I’m the rhythm participant. So I bear in mind sitting with my headphones on, monitoring take after take, attempting to place down a solo that might elevate up the lyrics for a robust finale.Wind of Change was launched in January 1991, and I mentioned to Klaus: “You already know what? We additionally must file a model in Russian.” Pirate radio was born at the moment in Russia, and at six each morning, they’d begin by taking part in that track. It turned the soundtrack to essentially the most peaceable revolution on Earth. Now, we’ve an entire totally different world. In 2022, Klaus mentioned, “I can’t sing Wind of Change the best way it was” – and he modified the lyrics he sings stay to ones that assist Ukraine. The brand new Scorpions compilation, From the First Sting, is out on 26 September by way of BMG