NOW HEAR THIS: Wind of Change
A podcast that posits “Wind of Change” was written by the CIA. For real.
Podcast
A podcast that posits “Wind of Change” was written by the CIA. For real.
Writer Patrick Radden Keefe digs deep and examines the conspiracy that the Central Intelligence Agency is actually the creative force behind the Scorpions 1991’s power-ballad “Wind of Change.” A song that is largely associated with the collapse of communism.
“Wind of Change” is sometimes even considered to be the reason communism fell.
Let that marinate.
It may be hard to imagine that the CIA could be the Lennon/McCartney of metal power-ballads, but maybe? Truth is often stranger than fiction.
American covert activity abroad, typically led by the CIA, had one mission during the Cold War with the Russians — to combat the spread of the “red scourge” of communism. The Agency would go to great lengths to do this, such as:
Flagrantly overthrowing democratically elected leaders of foreign countries (Chile, 1973).
Turning a blind eye in the 1980s as the Medellin cartel — led by Pablo Escobar — helped support the US-supported Nicaraguan guerilla’s overthrow of the socialist Sandinista government in the 80s.
From The Washington Post in 1991:
“The Medellin cartel, once branded by U.S. officials as the world’s most violent and powerful drug-trafficking organization, made a $10 million contribution to the U.S.-backed contra guerrillas fighting during the 1980s to overthrow Nicaragua’s Sandinista government, a former cartel leader testified today.”
The CIA also is alleged to have tacitly supported the spread of crack cocaine, that drug that would ravage the countries’ inner cities in the 80s (see Gary Webb’s Dark Alliance series from The San Jose Mercury News).
If you think about it, writing a heavy metal power ballad must’ve been a piece of cake compared to overthrowing governments, drug smuggling, and turning a blind eye to crimes that decimate communities of color.
Now you may be scratching your head calling “BULLSHIT!”
But, consider that it’s not as though the Agency didn’t have a precedent for dabbling in the arts, specifically music.
In 1961, in an effort to strengthen African-American/African connections, the CIA supported something called the American Society of African Culture (AMSAC). In conjunction with the AMSAC, the CIA subversively sponsored a music festival in Lagos, Nigeria.
Some of the biggest black artists of the time, like Nina Simone, Langston Hughes, and Lionel Hampton, participated. The goal of the festival was to:
“Generate positive images of Black America and to reinforce (unequal) power relations between Nigerians and (Black) Americans.”
It was the intersection of the Cold War, the American Civil Rights Movement, and the decolonization of the African continent. That’s certainly more on-brand for the CIA than the AMSAC. Concert promotion is still something the CIA dabbles in — Wind of Change bonus episode #2.
Expertly narrated and investigated by journalist Patrick Radden Keefe, Wind of Change begins as a jokey nighttime conversation between two friends. It then turns into a rabbit hole for Keefe as he tries to find the truth about exactly who wrote “Wind of Change.”
Rightly or wrongly, the song is considered a tool that helped in the collapse of communism in the early 90s. And if you can’t get behind its aid in communism’s collapse, there is a legitimate argument to be made about how the song helped quell resistance.
It didn’t hurt that the Scorpions were a German band (albeit West German.)
Keefe takes the listeners on his journey down this rabbit hole. And it’s a delicious journey. One of the most interesting things that Wind of Change does is that it looks at how a conspiracy theory becomes a conspiracy theory.
He interviews some CIA agents (aka “spooks”), some on the record, some not. At one point, Keefe was warned to avoid pursuing the project. But he persisted, and along the way, one of his interviews is with former Scorpion manager Doc McGee. This is a particularly fascinating episode, and I won’t give you a spoiler.
If you’re still calling “BULLSHIT!” consider this: over the course of their almost 50-year career, this is one of the few, and I mean very few, songs that lead singer Klaus Meine wrote by himself.
The series builds up to Keefe interviewing Meine where he can ask him the big question: “Did the CIA write ‘Wind of Change.’”
If you’re looking for a definitive answer (spoiler), you won’t find it here. As Keefe points out, “the thing with conspiracy theories is that you can never prove them, and you can’t really disprove them either.”
Wind of Change is as fascinating a podcast as you can find if you're a music fan.
Be sure to listen to the two extra episodes too. ALSO fascinating.
Of course, you could also wait. Wind of Change is being adapted for television at Hulu …but I would suggest you listen first.