Scorpions’ Klaus Meine says Wind Of Change has “lost the meaning” following Russian invasion of Ukraine

Scorpions frontman Klaus Meine has discussed the history behind the track Winds Of Change and elaborated on how he believes the song has lost all meaning in light of recent political events.

• READ MORE: Jack White Calls For Gun Law Reform, Says “I’m Exhausted” After Ulvade Shooting

Speaking with Ukraine’s TSM, Scorpion’s vocalist Klaus Meine recently confessed that, following the conflict between Ukraine and Russia, he believes the band’s most successful hit to have “lost the meaning of being a peace anthem”.

Looking back at the circumstances in which the song came to be written, Meine reminisced about Scorpions’ time playing in the Soviet Union over three decades ago and explained how the track was inspired by the sight of thousands of Russians cheering them on as they become the first hard rock band to perform there.

“When I wrote [the track], it was about the time when the Scorpions went for the first time to the Soviet Union back in ‘88 when we played 10 shows in Leningrad,” Meine said, continuing to describe his upbringing in West Germany. “After all those years living in the shadow of the Berlin Wall, living with the Iron Curtain […] it was so very inspired by this moment of hope, hoping for a more peaceful world and just joining together into a peaceful future. And so that was the expression.”

The vocalist continues, reflecting on his recent choice to alter the song’s lyrics when playing the band’s opening show in Las Vegas last month.

“We were just preparing a new tour […and] I thought this is not the time to romanticize Russia with lyrics like, ‘Follow the Moskva / Down to Gorky Park’, I wanted to make a statement that we support the Ukraine in this very difficult situation,” he says. “So many years later now, I think the song has lost the meaning of being a peace anthem, being a song of hope. I had to change those lyrics.”

At the performance, Meine made a statement to the crowd before initiating the track, stating: “This song is calling for peace, and tonight, I think, we shall sing it even louder. We dedicate this to the brave people in the Ukraine.”

Concluding the interview, the frontman clarified how this political influence within their songwriting is far from a recent development, saying:

“[Growing] up in Germany in the ’50s, ’60s, it was nothing to be proud of […] When we grew up, everything was focused on the way to leave the past behind and hopefully build together a better future for our children… And this is what we try to support with being artists, being musicians, writing songs, joining together and making this planet a better place.”

Find the full interview with Klaus Meine below.