Where country are the Scorpions from?

The Scorpions are from Germany. The band formed in Hanover, in what was then West Germany, and became one of the country’s most internationally successful rock acts.

Guitarist Rudolf Schenker founded the group in 1965. Their early sound drew from beat music and hard rock, but the band gradually developed the powerful guitar-driven style associated with heavy metal and arena rock. The debut album, “Lonesome Crow,” arrived in 1972 and featured Schenker’s younger brother Michael on lead guitar before his departure to join UFO.

Scorpions reached a worldwide audience during the 1980s with albums including “Blackout” and “Love at First Sting.” Their best-known songs include “Rock You Like a Hurricane,” “Still Loving You” and “Wind of Change.” The last of these became especially associated with the end of the Cold War and the political changes in Eastern Europe.

Listeners sometimes assume the band is American because of its English-language hits and major success in the United States. Its origin, however, is firmly German: Hanover is the band’s home city, and Germany is the canonical country answer.