Scorpions is a band that you’re guaranteed to have heard on the radio. But do you know them, really? The fact is that there’s much more to this Teutonic rock group than the couple of hit U.S. singles. Scorpions, when the facts have been properly assessed, will be judged as one of the greatest rock bands of all time.

But it’s a jungle inside the band’s discography. You’ve gotta grab yourself a machete and plough through it bravely. I’ve done that and found myself here, at the 10 best songs by Scorpions.

The 10 Greatest Songs by Scorpions

Bonus: “In Trance”

The members of Scorpions were just kids when they started the group. It took them three releases to finally find and master their sound. They did this with “In Trance.”

The title track is the best cut on the album. It shows just what a good replacement Uli John Roth was to Michael Schenker and what the band could achieve. I just needed it to mention it somewhere.

10. “The Sails of Charon”

Uli John Roth is a masterful guitarist. From early on, the six-string maestro was interested in Jimi Hendrix and the potential of rock music to help the listener transcend this world.

That’s the energy that Roth brings to the sophisticated, riff-heavy rock of “The Sails of Charon.” At this stage, Scorpions was investing in a heavier, darker sound. It makes this an interesting entry in their catalogue. I sometimes wonder what would’ve happened had they stuck with this direction.

9. “When the Smoke is Going Down”

“When the Smoke is Going Down” is one of the great songs about being a performer. Klaus Meine delivers one of his very best songs, perfectly capturing the loneliness of the musician who is always surrendered by fans but fated to be always lonely. For me, and others, it was one of the first riffs learned on the guitar.

8. “Dynamite”

As usual, Scorpions hedge their bets on the “Blackout” record between rockers and pop-friendly ballads. But the harder, faster material finds the band at a peak that they’d struggle to reach again.

Despite suffering an injury setback ahead of the recording, Meine’s operatic screams are more powerful than ever.

7. “Holiday”

“Holiday” may be the definitive Scorpions song. It’s the one tune that the band always includes mid-way through its live set. I’ve come to expect them to play it and so have the band’s audience.

And each listen reveals why the group is so fond of the track. With Rudolf Schenker’s acoustic guitar intro and the pop-friendly chorus, “Holiday” shows a band finally capable and confident of performing to arena audiences.

6. “No One Like You”

Scorpions nurtured prog-rock ambitions on the band’s early records. But by 1982, the group had found a way to filter some of those tendencies and create direct, punchy rock singles.

“No One Like You” is a memorable track. It set Scorpions on its way to becoming Germany’s premier rock export. I’m sure that many Western European bands must’ve thought this was easy work, but ended up being disappointed when it was anything but that.

5. “Blackout”

Scorpions weren’t messing about with “Blackout.” Yeah, the catchy singles and power-pop ballads are what helped the group sell out arenas across the world.

But the “Blackout” title track is what you show to those who doubt the band’s heavy metal potential. Matthias Jabs’ lead guitar work is magnetic, and Meine’s howl is a power to be reckoned with.

4. “Send Me an Angel”

If you’re looking to develop your guitar skills, Scorpions’ songs will offer you most of what you need. Schenker’s ear-pleasing chord progressions and Jabs’ simple, effective lead work are at the heart of the band’s best songs.

“Send Me an Angel” finds Scorpions working with the power ballad format that had made them international stars. It’s one of the most inspired of the band’s softer-edged tracks. I warm up on the acoustic guitar with the intro to this.

3. “Rock You Like a Hurricane”

It’s big, it’s obvious, and it’s one of the biggest rock songs of all time. The power chord-based intro sounds like something many different bands ought to have discovered first.

But it was Scorpions who put it all together. Marvellously hooky, anthemic, and given an 80s pop-metal production sheen, “Rock You Like a Hurricane” was the hit that the band deserved.

2. “Still Loving You”

No other metal band worked as well within the confines of the power ballad. Scorpions’ brand of ballads included guitar lines that seemed inspired by classical music and Meine’s theatrical, almost operatic singing. “Still Loving You” is a great song and one that other hard rock bands of the era must’ve kicked themselves for not writing.

1. “Wind of Change”

“Wind of Change” is so powerful that the entire world reacted to it upon its release. The song is also so obviously good that one of my favorite conspiracy theories was born. It that stated that the song had been written by the CIA and gifted to Scorpions in order to challenge the Soviet regime.

What we know is true is that the guitar phrase of the intro, the whistling, and the chorus are part of rock’s history of magic. “Wind of Change” is one of the greatest songs of all time and Scorpions’ shining moment.