Blackout

Album: Blackout (1982)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • An incident involving Judas Priest guitarists K.K. Downing and Glenn Tipton inspired Scorpions guitarist Rudolf Schenker to write this song. Schenker recalls: "I remember we had a party with K.K. and Glenn from Judas Priest and for a while, there were also the guys there from Def Leppard. And we were having a party with K.K. and Glenn and they gave me a drink, and it was beer, and I was, 'No, no, you have to have the right mix: whiskey, beer and wine on top of it.' And they are like, 'What!?' And I was, 'Yes, come on.' And we were getting heavily drunk and we had a good time. And I think K.K. had the idea, 'Hey, let's go to the Def Leppard guys.' Because we were in Cleveland - the Cleveland Hall, next door was the hotel."

    "So we went to the Def Leppard guys and then somehow, they were watching television. They were very young in these days. This was 1980 I think, because we were playing together, Def Leppard, Judas Priest and Scorpions in Cleveland. So I saw them watching TV and I poured my drink into the television. And the whole television went 'poof!' And this was the situation and I said, 'OK, we have to leave, we have to go now.'"

    "But anyway, it became so crazy, and the next morning I wake up in my hotel room and I said, 'What's happening?' I went to Herman and he wasn't there, he wasn't at the party, and I said to Herman, 'Hey, I'll tell you what, it was crazy last night. I remember to this point and this point' and he said, 'You know what you had? You had a blackout.' And I said, 'Blackout?' And then he said, 'Hey, you know, that's a great title for an album. And because of this kind of special party, I went back home and said I think I have to write a song, the music, because Klaus was writing most of the lyrics."

    "So I sat at home and made the song and then went to Klaus and he came up with the lyrics and then we had it." >>>
    Suggestion credit:
    Jon - Sweden

Comments: 6

  • Deemic from MnLook.
    Unless you've gotten completely hammered and woke up with an ugly next to you the next day you wouldn't know.

    But the guy in song clearly got smashed the night before, blacked out drunk, woke up the next day and can't remember how he got to this room he's in and how he ended up with this ugly chick next to him. This causes him to ask himself "What the hell? Have I lost my taste?" As he's grabbing his crap to get out the door and bail out, he's wondering if he even got his rocks off last night or if the whiskey dickey got the best of him. He ultimately doesn't want to know and just wants to forget this whole thing even happened.
  • Josh from TumwaterThe song is about lost in the dark
    And lost consciousness
  • Gary from Pageland, ScHerman Rarebell tells a different story in his book. He doesn't mention the TV getting blown up at all, but said Rudolf Schenker was plastered and wandering around in a parking lot and was approached by some cops. Herman said he came to the rescue and promised the cops he would take care of Rudolf and kept him from getting arrested. But, Herman's book is not worth reading anyway, and this is from a huge Scorpions fan.
  • Luke from Dayton, OhThis alwyas reminds me of a haunted cave because they played this song
  • Alex from Boucherville (montreal), QcThat fact is completely stupid! How can you come with a title like that with a story like that? XD it has nearly nothing to do with Judas Priest, Def Leppard and the TV thing, why tell it? XD
  • Ani from Yerevan, Armenia"Blackout" is my favorite album from Scorpions. Great album, Powerful songs!!!
see more comments

Editor's Picks

Tommy James

Tommy JamesSongwriter Interviews

"Mony Mony," "Crimson and Clover," "Draggin' The Line"... the hits kept coming for Tommy James, and in a plot line fit for a movie, his record company was controlled by the mafia.

Steely Dan

Steely DanFact or Fiction

Did they really trade their guitarist to The Doobie Brothers? Are they named after something naughty? And what's up with the band name?

David Gray

David GraySongwriter Interviews

David Gray explains the significance of the word "Babylon," and talks about how songs are a form of active imagination, with lyrics that reveal what's inside us.

JJ Burnel of The Stranglers

JJ Burnel of The StranglersSongwriter Interviews

JJ talks about The Stranglers' signature sound - keyboard and bass - which isn't your typical strain of punk rock.

Tim McIlrath of Rise Against

Tim McIlrath of Rise AgainstSongwriter Interviews

Rise Against frontman Tim McIlrath explains the meanings behind some of their biggest songs and names the sci-fi books that have influenced him.

George Clinton

George ClintonSongwriter Interviews

When you free your mind, your ass may follow, but you have to make sure someone else doesn't program it while it's wide open.