Rock You Like a Hurricane

"Rock You Like a Hurricane"
Artwork for the pressing "made in EEC",[2] whose photograph was also used for the UK release[3]
Single by Scorpions
from the album Love at First Sting
B-side"Coming Home"
Released30 January 1984[1]
Recorded1983
Genre
Length4:11
Label
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)Dieter Dierks
Scorpions singles chronology
"Can't Live Without You"
(1984) 		"Rock You Like a Hurricane"
(1984) 		"Still Loving You"
(1984)
Music video
"Rock You Like a Hurricane" on YouTube

"Rock You Like a Hurricane" is a song by the German hard rock band Scorpions, considered their signature song. It was released as the lead single from their ninth studio album, Love at First Sting (1984). It was written by Klaus Meine, Herman Rarebell, Rudolf Schenker and arranged/produced by Dieter Dierks. The lyrics of "Rock You Like a Hurricane" also reference the title of the album on which it originally appeared – Love at First Sting.[8]

Chart performance

"Rock You Like a Hurricane" reached number 25 in the US Billboard Hot 100, greatly contributing to the album's success, and MTV put the video in heavy rotation.[citation needed]

Accolades

In 2002, the Carolina Hurricanes used "Rock You Like a Hurricane" alongside their mascot Stormy as an intro for their team and Stormy plants a storm warning flag into PNC Arena.[citation needed] In 2009 it was named the 18th greatest hard rock song of all time also by VH1.[9] On 15 November 2010 it was named the fourth best riff of the 1980s.[10] The racetrack depicted on the single's sleeve corresponds to the Circuito Permanente de Jerez, located in Spain.[citation needed]

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.[citation needed]

Personnel

Band members

Production

  • Dieter Dierks – producer, mixing
  • Gerd Rautenbach – engineer, mastering

Notable appearances

The 2011 Comeblack re-recording was featured in the 2014 ad for Fiber One cookies, the films Scouts Guide to the Zombie Apocalypse and The Angry Birds Movie, and in an episode of the TV shows It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, Stranger Things and Knuckles. A version recorded in Spanish by Steph Honde and Micki Milosevic under the name of Unprotected Innocence was featured in and on the score for the 2019 Hellboy film. Rachel Bloom recorded a version of the song for Trolls World Tour as her character Barb.

Charts

Chart (1984-1985) Peak
position
Canada Top Singles (RPM)[12] 37
France (SNEP)[13] 17
Netherlands (Single Top 100)[14] 47
UK Singles (OCC)[15] 78
US Billboard Hot 100[16] 25
US Mainstream Rock (Billboard)[17] 5

Certifications

Region Certification Certified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI)[18] Silver 200,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

References

  1. ^ Strong, Martin Charles (1995). The Great Rock Discography. Canongate Press. p. 721. ISBN 9780862415419.
  2. ^ 'Rock You Like a Hurricane' / 'Coming Home' (Media notes). Scorpions. EMI Electrola / Harvest. 1C 006 2000347. Made in EEC.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link) The release contains the acronyms "GEMA" and "STEMRA".
  3. ^ 'Rock You Like a Hurricane' / 'Coming Home' (Media notes). Scorpions. EMI Records. HAR 5225. Manufactured in the UK by EMI Records Limited.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  4. ^ "Top 100 Classic Rock Artists". Louder. 4 December 2015. Retrieved 19 May 2024.
  5. ^ "Top 100 Classic Rock Artists". Ultimate Classic Rock. 8 June 2016. Retrieved 16 June 2019.
  6. ^ "Hit Parader Salutes 20 Years of Metal - Various Artists". AllMusic.
  7. ^ Molanphy, Chris (27 April 2018). "You Give Rock a Bad Name Edition". Hit Parade | Music History and Music Trivia (Podcast). Slate. Retrieved 30 July 2023.
  8. ^ "Scorpions - Rock You Like a Hurricane Lyrics | Lyrics.com". www.lyrics.com. Retrieved 23 August 2022.
  9. ^ "Vh1 Top 100 Hard Rock Songs". Archived from the original on 14 May 2016. Retrieved 20 November 2018.
  10. ^ "Start Me Up: The Top 10 Riffs of the 1980s". Gibson.com. Archived from the original on 14 August 2011. Retrieved 5 August 2011.
  11. ^ "Love at First Sting". Scorpions official website. Archived from the original on 8 December 2012. Retrieved 24 July 2012.
  12. ^ "Top RPM Singles: Issue 6788." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved August 30, 2024.
  13. ^ "Scorpions – Rock You Like a Hurricane" (in French). Les classement single. Retrieved August 30, 2024.
  14. ^ "Scorpions – Rock You Like a Hurricane" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved August 30, 2024.
  15. ^ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved August 30, 2024.
  16. ^ "Scorpions Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved August 30, 2024.
  17. ^ "Scorpions Chart History (Mainstream Rock)". Billboard. Retrieved August 30, 2024.
  18. ^ "British single certifications – Scorpions – Rock You Like a Hurricane". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 18 June 2021.