Scorpions

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Scorpions are a hard rock/heavy metal band from Hannover, Germany, best known for their '80s rock anthem "Rock You Like a Hurricane" and their singles "Wind of Change", "No One Like You", "Still Loving You", and "Send Me An Angel". Scorpions have sold over 70 million records worldwide.

Contrary to common usage, the band's name is "Scorpions" and not "The Scorpions."

In 1976, Scorpions released Virgin Killer. The album's cover, which featured a fully nude prepubescent girl, brought the Scorpions considerable criticism and was ultimately pulled or replaced in several countries. In spite of the controversy - lead singer Klaus Meine even expressed shock - the Scorpions album garnered significant praise from critics and fans alike.

It was not until 1984 and the release of Love at First Sting that Scorpions finally cemented their status as rock superstars. Propelled by the single "Rock You Like a Hurricane", Love at First Sting went up the charts and went double platinum a few months after its release. However, Scorpions did manage to stir up controversy once again with their provocative album cover. This time it was a boy kissing a girl and at the same time planting a tattoo on her naked thigh. Some shops refused to sell the Scorpions album, mimicking a gag from the satire movie This Is Spinal Tap that came out the same year. MTV gave the album's videos "Rock You Like a Hurricane," "Bad Boys Running Wild," "Big City Nights," and the power ballad "Still Loving You" significant airtime, greatly contributing to the album's success. The channel even supplied Scorpions with the nickname "The Ambassadors of Rock."

Crazy World was released in 1990 and displayed a less polished sound. The Scorpions album was a hit, propelled in large part by the massive success of the ballad "Wind of Change". The Scorpions song muses on the socio-political changes that were occurring in Eastern Europe and in other parts of the world at the end of the Cold War. On July 21, 1990 they joined many other guests for Roger Waters' massive performance of The Wall in Berlin. Scorpions performed both versions of "In the Flesh" from The Wall.

In 2001, Scorpions released Acoustica, a live unplugged album featuring acoustic reworkings of Scorpions's biggest hits, plus new tracks. While appreciated by Scorpions fans, the lack of a new studio album was frustrating to some, and Acoustica did little to return the Scorpions to the spotlight.

In 2004, Scorpions released Unbreakable, an album that was hailed by critics as a long awaited return to form. The album was the heaviest Scorpions had released since Face the Heat, and Scorpions fans responded well to tracks such as "New Generation", "Love 'em or Leave 'em" and "Deep and Dark". Whether a result of poor promotion by Scorpions's label or the long time between studio releases, Unbreakable received little airplay and did not chart. Scorpions toured extensively behind the album, and played as special guests with Judas Priest during the 2005 British tour.