In an interview with UCR Nights, Scorpions’ vocalist Klaus Meine talked about the iconic “Wind of Change” and that the record company said at that time “This is an amazing song – but please, take out the whistle part.”
Read the interview here:
“We played in Moscow, finally, in ’89, at the legendary Moscow Peace Festival, along with Bon Jovi, Ozzy, Motley… But the Scorpions were the most famous band in Russia, and for us, it was a very, very special moment.
“I remember a night when we were all on the boat, going down the Moskva [river] to Gorky Park, with all those bands, journalists, MTV, Red Army soldiers…
“There was a vibe, a feeling that the world was about to change. There was a whole new generation of kids and they said, ‘The time of the Cold War would be over soon. … The world will be different tomorrow.’ With this feeling of hope, when I came home I wrote ‘Wind of Change.’
“Bruce [Fairbairn, studio engineer] made notes of the songs, and on ‘Wind of Change’ he wrote, ‘The only thing that’s missing is a great chorus. This could be a smash.’
“And it was true because at this point there was only the whistle part and the verses. So I went home and came up with a chorus – and then finally the song came all together.”
