Song#: 1073
Date: 06/19/1982
Debut: 91
Peak: 65
Weeks: 7
Genre: Hard Rock
Pop Bits: This German metal band was originally formed by guitarist Rudolf Schenker in 1965. By 1972 their lineup was set and they issued the debut album "Lonesome Crow." The band broke up soon after with members moving over to the group Dawn Road. Schenker went on board as well and once they got a line-up, they chose to use the Scorpions name instead. Several albums followed but nothing really clicked until they changed labels and issued 1979's "Lovedrive." It was a significant hit in several countries and became a gold-seller in the US reaching #55 on the album chart. Their follow-up, "Animal Magnetism," would do even better going platinum. But it would take their next LP, "Blackout," to finally get a song on the singles chart. Although this song would only get a third of the way up the pop chart, it was a #1 Mainstream Rock hit and it would push the album to #10.
ReduxReview: With minor exceptions, hard rock was still a no-go for most pop radio stations. But with the help of MTV, the genre would become more popular and bang its way onto stations everywhere. Had this already happened, I'm sure this would have been a bigger hit for the Scorpions. It's a terrific song and one that really established their sound. Its heaviness combined with hooky pop proved to be a winning formula that would serve the band (and other bands) quite well.
ReduxRating: 7/10
Trivia: The band's lead singer and songwriter Klaus Meine lost his voice during the sessions for "Blackout." It was bad enough to require surgery and even then it was not known if he would fully recover. In the meantime, the band continued recording the album and tapped Don Dokken to fill in. Luckily, Meine did recover and was able to resume lead singing duties with the band. Most all of Dokken's voice tracks were eliminated with the exception of a some background vocals on a few tracks.
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