Rock You like a Hurricane

Before I start describing this single, I’ll like to tell you the main reason why I hold this track in such high regard. Some 4-5 years back, 2:30 at night and with no work to do; I switched on the TV. After a bit of channel surfing I stopped short on MTV. I had just heard something that caught me off guard. There was this one riff; catchy, heavy and in-your-face. I put the remote aside and watched as a group of weirdly appareled Germans performed this number. As a 12 yr old, I had no knowledge of English music. To me it signified a lot of worthless crap like all the pop stars and boy bands that plagued MTV. This one song changed the way I looked at English music; it introduced me to the beast known as hard rock. With my Iron Maiden and Metallica phase still a few months away, this song represented the very essence of heavy music for me. 5 years on, this song still makes its way into my playlists. As you obviously know by now, the single is the Scorpions’ classic, ‘Rock you like a Hurricane’.

Time to put nostalgia aside and get down to business; this single is for me the definitive rock anthem of the 80s. Mind you, I said rock in general and not just hard rock or heavy metal. It is everything that one would expect from a classic – great riffage, great vocals, great everything. To add to all that it is catchy, ballsy and totally kickass. The lyrics are one of those typical of the 80s about rocking the damn world, no holds barred, no restrains; just fucking own whatever comes your way. Klaus Meine employs a lot of vocal theatrics on this one, starting low on the verses, then slowly rising till we reach the chorus and then he just brings out all the aggression to give us one of the catchiest and most remembered choruses of all time. No matter where you are, you WILL sing along to it. There is no escape, the lines ‘ Here I am, rock you like a hurricane’ will keep on playing on and on and on in your mind. The guitar work here was made to hook you on and make you jump every time the song reaches the chorus. The riffs present here are some of the most recognizable ones known to rock fans. The best ones are right there in the beginning, ha; they really are smart, aren’t they! That magical opening riff has come to signify hard rock for me. And the solos! Well, let’s just say that rock and metal outfits are ripping off them even today. Sure this one is not perfect, there are a few odd moments here and there but fuck that, this track still rocks all the way. A little bit of tomfoolery cannot taint what the Scorps have achieved with it. And by the way, there is an another track on this single, Coming Home, but it does not stand anywhere near the main track and as seen above I'll continue with the emphasis on 'Rock You Like A Hurricane' only.

Keeping thoughts on metal out of way and just looking at it from a rocker’s point of view, this track goes down as one of the most important ones in rock history. Most of my praise for this song stems from nostalgia but all said and done this is nearly as important as a ‘Stairway to Heaven’ or a ‘We will rock you’, at least for me. The aforementioned tracks defined the way rock music is to be taken to the crowds and this one forwards the same tradition. Just imagine a 30,000 plus crowd screaming ‘Rock you like a hurricane’, pure magic. If you happen to be one of the very, very few people who still haven’t heard this one then stop reading this review right now, run to the nearest store and buy any album with this track on it. Trust me, this is worth it. You are missing out on a very important piece of rock history if you haven’t heard ROCK YOU LIKE A HURRICANE.