In a new interview with Classic Rock, former Scorpions drummer Herman Rarebell shared a title for an NSFW song that would barely be controversial today.
While discussing the band’s rise and his own career, the drummer revealed that ‘Rock You Like A Hurricane’ was supposed to have another title. Looking back at the year the song first came out, he said:
“Looking back at it now, it makes you laugh. There are all these songs that go, ‘Motherf*cker, *sshole…’ They would never have been played in America back then. Now you could release it as ‘F*ck You Like A Hurricane’ and nobody would give a sh*t.”
Scorpions VS. Controversial Media
The ‘Rock You Like A Hurricane’ rockers might have stirred up more than just a storm with their music, as they sparked controversies both with their album ads and cover art.
According to Aftonbladet, an ad for a Scorpions album that was classified as child pornography was up on an online marketplace in Sweden. After a day of staying up on the website, it was taken down.
Back in 2015, a Swedish court said that a naked girl on the Scorpions’ 1976 album ‘Virgin Killer’ could be considered porn, after it was found in a pedophile’s home. Then in August 2021, someone put up an ad on Tradera, the online Swedish market, for the uncensored version of the same album. There were ten offers, with one going as high as 352 Swedish kronor [around $40] before the ad got yanked.
The rocker later made it clear the cover art wasn’t their idea, but it was the record company’s idea instead.
‘Wind Of Change’ Is Controversial Too?
One of their most popular songs has also faced controversy. Some think the CIA wrote ‘Wind of Change’ to mess with the Soviet Union as the Cold War ended. Journalist Patrick Radden Keefe explored this idea in his podcast. He dug for clues and tried to get the CIA to confirm their involvement. Eventually, the song became an anthem after the Berlin Wall fell.
Though these are all still considered controversial today, we can’t be sure that a title like ‘F*ck You Like A Hurricane’ wouldn’t be considered so. You can listen to the original version of the song below.