Leading British classical talent Vanessa-Mae took Scorpions’ classic “Still Loving You” to the next level with her scintillating violin playing at the band’s appearance on Taratata in April 1996. The original arrangement of the power ballad is wall-to-wall guitars, but the stunning Vanessa-Mae brought another dimension to the live version with her gorgeous violin playing during her appearance on the French TV show.
The interplay between frontman Klaus Meine’s vocals and Vanessa-Mae’s tasteful violin playing definitely makes the live cut a must-listen. The violinist takes the lead role in the first half of the song, then deftly switches to a supporting role in the second half when Rudolf Schenker’s lead guitar picks up the pace. The performance was a major hit on the Scorpions’ YouTube channel, attracting 68 million views, which makes it the seventh-most popular video on the whole channel.
You’ve got to hand it to the band as well, who do a top-notch job keeping the groove train rolling along, which is deceptively hard to do on a slower number like this. Scorpions fans were awed by Vanessa-Mae’s performance, adding comments such as, “That was incredible. The violinist was very talented and beautiful. Her smile on her face showed just how much fun she was actually having performing this song.”
Many fans also hailed the songwriting on display from Scorpions, adding comments such as, “For me this is still one of the most beautiful power ballads in music history… a timeless masterpiece!” Scorpions really know how to bring it live, as seen on the classic live cut of “Wind Of Change” on Peter’s Pop-Show in 1991.
“Still Loving You” is one of Scorpions’ biggest hits, having reached the top 10 in several European countries and peaked at 14 in their native Germany. Guitarist Rudolf Schenker wrote the song with Klaus Meine, and said in an interview with Songfacts that the song is “a story about a love affair where they recognized it may be over, but let’s try again”.
The band has performed “Still Loving You” many times over the years, but their appearance with Vanessa-Mae on Taratata is definitely the most memorable. The Singaporean-born British violinist clearly understood the assignment that night.
Vanessa-Mae is a classical crossover performer who has amassed more than 10 million album sales since beginning her recording career in 1990 with her debut album, Violin, which was released when she was just 12 years old. Her success with recording and live shows around the world made her the wealthiest entertainer under 30 in the UK in 2006.