Scorpions Classic ‘Rock You Like A Hurricane’ Originally Had a Very Naughty Title
“Rock You Like A Hurricane” is one of the biggest hits in the Scorpions’ catalog, which really broke the band big in the United States. Of course, had the Scorpions stuck with the song’s original title, that feat would’ve been impossible.
Former Scorpions drummer Herrman Rarebell co-wrote the classic tune with guitarist Rudolf Schenker and singer Klaus Meine. Rarebell shared in a new interview with Classic Rock, “The original title, for me at least, was ‘F— You Like A Hurricane.’ The record company looked at me and said, ‘You’re completely out of your mind!’ Which I was.”
Rarebell said by today’s language standards that, if a song titled “F— You Like A Hurricane” were released today, “nobody would give a s—.”
Perhaps he’s right. Maybe the Scorpions should re-record the track with its original title and see what happens, or a different band could cover it with the original title.
However, I doubt many people would actually want to be f—ed like a hurricane. That could be a touch painful and not in a good way.
Scorpions and the Altered Lyrics of “Wind of Change”
The whole story above reminds us of how the Scorpions have altered the lyrics to their biggest hit “Wind of Change.”
Singer and “Wind of Change” songwriter Klaus Meine told Loudwire Nights in April 2022 that he altered the song’s lyrics during the band’s residency in Las Vegas due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Meine said, “Before we came here, I was thinking about how it feels to play ‘Wind of Change’ the way we used to play for so many years, and I thought, it’s not the time with this terrible war in Ukraine raging on, it’s not the time to romanticize Russia with lyrics like, ‘Follow the Moskva/Down to Gorky Park,’ you know?”
He added, “I wanted to make a statement in order to support Ukraine, and so the song starts now with, ‘Now listen to my heart/It says Ukraine, waiting for the wind to change.'”
“Wind of Change” was the third single off of Scorpions’ 1990 album Crazy World. It still remains the biggest-selling single by a German artist ever moving 14 million copies worldwide.
“Wind of Change” is also featured in our list of the best power ballads of all time. Keep scrolling to see where the classic track is ranked!