Scorpions Originally Planned to 'F--- You Like a Hurricane'

Former Scorpions drummer Herman Rarebell, who co-wrote the lyrics for the 1984 hit “Rock You Like a Hurricane,” revealed the NSFW title he’d wanted for the song, which their label rejected.

In a new interview with Classic Rock, he explained that the German band had adopted a sharp new take on songwriting after touring with American groups, leading to his attempt at pushing against the censors.

“It was touring with bands like Foreigner and Aerosmith and Journey that taught us,” Rarebell said. “We saw how they wrote, and we learned fast.” As a result, “Rock You Like a Hurricane” contained lyrics that guitarist Rudolf Schenker said had come from “Herman’s very dirty mind.”

“I would open the curtains in the morning after partying all night to let the sun come in,” the drummer recalled. “The question [to whoever he woke up with] was always, ‘And what is your name?’ For me it was a wild time – it really was sex and drugs and rock ’n’ roll.”

His “Rock You” lyrics were therefore autobiographical, including the lines “The bitch is hungry, she needs to tell/So give her inches and feed her well.”

Herman Rarebell Wanted Forbidden Song Names

“I thought we needed a rock song with lyrics that should be forbidden,” he said. “The original title, for me at least, was ‘Fuck You Like a Hurricane.’ The record company looked at me and said, ‘You’re completely out of your mind!’ Which I was.”

Rarebell reflected on how times had changed: “It makes you laugh. There are all these songs that go, ‘Motherfucker, asshole ... ’ - they would never have been played in America back then. Now you could release it as ‘Fuck You Like a Hurricane’ and nobody would give a shit.”

Watch Scorpions’ ‘Rock You Like a Hurricane’ Video