Scorpions

Scorpions are inarguably the most influential German hard-rock band of all time. The Hanover-formed group have earned this tag from sheer longevity—guitarist/vocalist Rudolf Schenker founded the troupe in 1965, with vocalist Klaus Meine joining five years later—and for cementing heavy metal’s global popularity with incisive songwriting. The fist-pumping 1984 anthem “Rock You Like a Hurricane” was a dramatic antidote to sleazy hard rock, while the 1991 worldwide hit “Wind of Change” is a towering power ballad inspired by the major political shifts happening in the soon-to-be-former Soviet Union that also resonated with other seismic movements, including the fall of the Berlin Wall. Scorpions’ initial attention came mainly in Germany, but support from MTV led to U.S. success starting in the early ’80s, as LPs such as 1982’s Blackout and 1984’s Love at First Sting (thanks to unrelenting singles like “No One Like You” and “Big City Nights”) connected with heavy-music fans. Although the band’s lineup experienced many changes over the years, Meine and Schenker have been steady presences, steering Scorpions through world tours and studio albums while preserving the group’s ability to tap into deeper wells of emotion, as on 2020’s stripped-down, inspirational “Sign Of Hope.”