Why Scorpions “Wind of Change” Is The Song of Freedom

History was a sore subject of mine. The only way I found a loophole in learning was connecting the timeline to movies. But then in 11th grade I had a teacher that had a teaching guidance with movies included like I had used to learn history.

In our class, we were taken to the year 1989…where the Berlin Wall fell. He told us that he would play a song about the fall of the Berlin Wall that made by the Scorpions. It peeked my interest because It was a band I knew, but I had no idea about a song they did about Berlin. He said “If you don’t like it…I don’t care, I like it.”

The following summer before my senior year, this song played on my mom’s Best Of Scorpions CD on our road trip to Maryland. I put my head in the clouds as the story of the Berlin Wall played with Scorpions as my narrator.

Now I’m here telling you how one song has made me never forget how Scorpions made a song to resonate the emotions of what it was like to see the Berlin wall fall.

Please press play if you haven’t already.

I did my research to know more of the story behind how and why Scorpions chose to make a song highlighting a major moment of history. Wind of Change went onto to sell 14 million copies sold worldwide since it’s 1991 release. Many of the proceeds have gone to the victims of the Soviet Union. To this day, this song holds the record for best selling German artist in the world.

I read the man responsible, Klaus Meine had created the song after witnessing the archive footage how the people of Berlin came together in a harmony to move anyone with their happiness of being free. He told the story about how he sat in Gorky Park after the events of the Berlin wall, taking in the change in the air of Berlin.

Gorky Park was band that was later used as the name for a music center by Stas Namin. It’s a fitting reference to show the heart of the music within Berlin.

I follow the Moskva

Down to Gorky Park

Listening to the wind of change

When we think of the fall of the Berlin Wall, we don’t think about how long people were kept confined within Berlin. People that couldnt’t see their mother/father/sister/brother/best friend/ for years. All because of the Soviet War.

Take me to the magic of the moment

on a glory night

where the children of tomorrow dream away

in the wind of change.

Wind of Change is the song version of defining freedom. Freedom has many meanings in their own specific way, how the freedom of a nation hits differently. Every lyric feelings like I’m standing arm in arm with the people of Berlin as they celebrate their victory, their freedom, their love. Klaus and The Scorpions made a song that sings throughout history.

The weight of emotion is felt here than any textbook I ever read about the fall of the Berlin Wall. When I saw the Archive footage of the Berlin citizens destroying the wall that isolated them for so long, I felt that weight after I heard the song.

You can throw a dart at any artist that has made a song towards the life changing events…but you get only one Wind Of Change and it‘s the song that just keeps breezing through our history.

Before I end this article I want to make one last praise.

Thank you Mr. VanAcker. I like the song now and never forgot taught the same way I used to learn. Because of this, you became one of my memorable teachers.

Thank you for being the one to show us this song of freedom.