Sunday, June 23, 2013

Scorpions - No One Like You

For the second "Jailhouse rock" video, we went with a clip that is very close to, and very far away from our first video.  "No One Like You" was shot one year after Marty Balin's "Hearts" video, in the same location (Alcatraz).  However, it is the diametric opposite in terms of style; "No One Like You" is a hard rock ballad, and the video seems more focused on capital punishment than love.

"No One Like You" was the first charting single (in the U.S.) by Scorpions (no 'the'), and it hit #65 on the charts  (and #1 on the Rock Tracks charts).  It was off the Blackout LP, which was the band's eighth album, and highlights just how long it took for the group to break through in the U.S.  Blackout reached #10 on the album charts and was the first of three consecutive top 10 albums for the band.

Scorpions were formed in Germany in the late 1960s by guitarist Rudolf Schenker, who has been the band's only constant member, although lead singer Klaus Meine has been with the group since 1970 (and is the lead singer on all of their albums).  Coincidentally, Schenker and Meine co-wrote "No One Like You."  With its anthemic chords and simpler solo, the song showed the template that Scorpions (and many others) would use in the 1980s.

The video is notable for three things:  1. stock footage of sharks (1:45), 2. Rudolf Schenker's imitation of the album cover (2:53, although the album art was a self portrait of artist Gottfried Helnwein) and 3. Klaus Meine's underwear (3:40 if you wish to avert your eyes).  Oh, and not to give anything away, but it turns out that the whole thing was just a nightmare.

Of course, Scorpions would follow up Blackout with their 1984 smash Love at First Sting, which featured "Rock You Like a Hurricane," one of two top 40 hits for the band (it hit #25, while "Winds of Change" reached #4 in 1991).


While there have been recent rumors about the band's breakup, they appear to be together as of this writing.

7 comments:

  1. Interview with the woman in this video (for her role in "If This Is It" by Huey Lewis and the News): http://noblemania.blogspot.com/2013/07/the-girl-in-video-if-this-is-it-1984.html.

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  2. A third jailhouse video, and one appropriate for this blog might be Jermaine Jackson's Dynamite.

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    1. Cool idea -- consider it added to the bullpen.

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  3. Rockdog, Thanks for placing both "Hearts" and "No One Like You" back to back. I never saw the Alcatraz/underwear connection til now. I have to add Forkman to those iconic early MTV images.

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  4. I know this article is old but I am reaching out regarding the No One Like You video. I always wondered what the significance was when the priest sneezed 2 separate times. Any info would be greatly appreciated.

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    1. Good question - we have no idea. If any readers have thoughts, please let us know.

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