Rock You Like a Hurricane
| "Rock You Like a Hurricane" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Single by Scorpions | ||||
| from the album Love at First Sting | ||||
| Released | February 1984 | |||
| Format | ||||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 4:11 | |||
| Label | ||||
| Writer(s) | ||||
| Producer(s) | Dieter Dierks | |||
| Scorpions singles chronology | ||||
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"Rock You Like a Hurricane" is a song by the German rock band Scorpions. The song was released as the lead single from their ninth studio album, Love at First Sting (1984). It was written by Klaus Meine, and Herman Rarebell, and composed by Rudolf Schenker, the lyrics of "Rock You Like a Hurricane" also reference the title of the album on which it originally appeared – Love at First Sting.
Chart success
"Rock You Like a Hurricane" reached number 25 in the USA Billboard Hot 100, greatly contributing to the album's success, and MTV put the video in heavy rotation.
Accolades
In 2006, VH1 named "Rock You Like a Hurricane" number 31 on their 40 Greatest Metal Songs[1] and in 2009 it was named the 18th greatest hard rock song of all time also by VH1.[2] On November 15, 2010, it was named the number 4 best riff of the '80s.[3] The racetrack depicted on the single's sleeve corresponds to the Circuito Permanente de Jerez, located in Spain.
Re-recordings
A new version was recorded in 2000 as "Hurricane 2000" on the album Moment of Glory, featuring Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra backing the track. In the same way, it was titled "Hurricane 2001" when played on the follow-up Acoustica. A third re-recording by the band features on their album Comeblack, released in 2011. The 2011 Comeblack re-recording was featured in 2014 in a commercial for Fiber One cookies and the 2015 Horror Comedy film Scouts Guide to the Zombie Apocalypse.
In popular culture
Film, television, and video games
The song has been used in numerous shows and films, including Aqua Teen Hunger Force, The Simpsons, Hope & Faith, Trailer Park Boys, Jawbreaker, Knocked Up, Little Nicky, The Cleveland Show, Role Models.[4] and Scorpion. It is also frequently used in television commercials and other promos, including for Blades of Glory, The Iron Giant, Human Weapon, and Monsters vs. Aliens. It has been featured in commercials for the EA Sports video game NHL 99 featuring Eric Lindros, T.G.I. Friday's commercial for the sizzling steak and chicken fajitas, and NASCAR driver Kasey Kahne dances to the song in a promotional spot for Allstate. The guitar riff introduction was featured in an ad for Windows 7 from Microsoft.
The song was featured at the end of the Scorpion episode, "A Cyclone".
This song was in The Simpsons Game at some points in the end of the game along with the credits.
The song has been used in other video games including Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories on the radio station V-Rock, Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock, The Simpsons Game, Portal: Prelude, NHL 10.
In a Premium Crackers commercial, this song alternates with "Mr. Lonely" by Bobby Vinton.
The song was featured in the trailer for the 2011 action-thriller, Killer Elite starring Jason Statham, Robert De Niro, and Clive Owen.
Sport
"Rock You Like a Hurricane" is commonly played at sporting events, becoming an unofficial anthem for numerous teams, such as the Tulsa Golden Hurricane, Miami Hurricanes, Carolina Hurricanes, Buffalo Sabres (who use the 2000 orchestral version), and JYP. In 2006, the song caused a controversy when used by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers cheerleaders in their halftime routine during a game against the New Orleans Saints. Some attending the game saw the song as being played in poor taste, given the extensive damage caused to New Orleans by Hurricane Katrina. Nick Evans of the New York Mets uses the song as his at-bat music, and it was formerly played when Patrick Kane of the Chicago Blackhawks scored a goal during home games.
"Rock You Like a Hurricane" is regularly played at home matches of the German football team Hannover 96, as Scorpions originated from the same city. The team formerly used the song as entrance music.
Literature
The song is referenced in Dave Eggers' 2004 novel You Shall Know Our Velocity, in which the main characters attempt to anonymously distribute money on a round the world trip by taping parcels containing cash and bearing the line "Here I am Rock You Like a Hurricane" onto houses, animals and other objects.
Charts
| Chart (1984) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Canadian RPM Top 100[5] | 37 |
| France Top 50 | 17 |
| UK Singles Chart | 78 |
| US Billboard Hot 100 | 25 |
| US Billboard Top Rock Tracks | 5 |
Personnel
- Band members
- Klaus Meine – lead vocals
- Matthias Jabs – lead guitar, rhythm guitar
- Rudolf Schenker – rhythm guitar, backing vocals
- Francis Buchholz – bass
- Herman Rarebell – drums[6]
- Production
- Dieter Dierks - producer, mixing
- Gerd Rautenbach - engineer, mastering
References
- ↑ "VH1 40 Greatest Metal Songs", May 1–4, 2006, VH1 Channel, reported by VH1.com; last accessed September 10, 2006.
- ↑ "Vh1 Top 100 Hard Rock Songs". January 1, 2009. Retrieved February 7, 2009.
- ↑ "Start Me Up: The Top 10 Riffs of the 1980s". Gibson.com. Retrieved August 5, 2011.
- ↑ Aqua Teen Hunger Force, "The Last One", "Sideshow Bob's Last Gleaming"; Trailer Park Boys, "Friends of the Road"
- ↑ http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/rpm/028020-119.01-e.php?&file_num=nlc008388.6788&type=1&interval=20&PHPSESSID=tm0embfudemtsfk01edguknnb1
- ↑ http://www.the-scorpions.com/english/discography/records/love_at_first_sting.asp
External links
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