"Virgin Killer" is the fourth studio album by the German rock band Scorpions, released in 1976 by RCA Records. It was their first album to attract attention outside of Europe. The title refers to time as the "killer of innocence." The original cover art featured a nude prepubescent girl, which sparked significant controversy, particularly in the United Kingdom, the United States, and other countries. As a result, the album was re-issued with an alternative cover in some regions.
In December 2008, the album cover became controversial again when the British Internet Watch Foundation (IWF) placed certain pages of Wikipedia featuring the image on its blacklist, citing potential violations of the Protection of Children Act 1978. This led to widespread debate and disrupted Wikipedia editing in the UK for several days before the IWF reversed its decision.
The original cover art, designed by Steffan Böhle, depicted a ten-year-old girl with a shattered glass effect obscuring her genitalia. The photograph was taken by Michael von Gimbut. In a 2007 interview, bassist Francis Buchholz mentioned that the girl was either the daughter or niece of the cover designer. The band’s rhythm guitarist Rudolf Schenker explained that the album cover concept came from the record company, with the intention of using the image to draw attention to the album, which reflects the song's lyrics about time as the "virgin killer."
Schenker further clarified that, in hindsight, the band was surprised by the reaction to the cover. He defended the image, explaining that the band used it to symbolize the loss of innocence and the corrupting forces of time, but admitted that they would not do something like this again. Lead guitarist Uli Jon Roth later expressed regret, saying he now finds the cover in poor taste and was too immature to understand its implications at the time. He described the lyrics of "Virgin Killer" as a critique of society's brutal treatment of innocence.
The controversy surrounding the cover resulted in the album being sold in black plastic covers in certain countries, with some regions replacing the original art with a more traditional photo of the band. The cover was often listed among the "worst album covers" by various publications, including Cracked, which ranked it as the No. 1 worst album cover of all time.
This album would not be the last time Scorpions faced backlash for their cover art. Taken by Force had an artwork depicting children with guns in a military cemetery, while Lovedrive featured a controversial image of a woman with bubblegum over her breast. Both were also replaced with alternative covers.
Vocalist Klaus Meine later explained that while the band and their record label at the time, RCA, pushed the envelope with Virgin Killer, it was never intended as pornography but rather as art. He acknowledged that looking back, the cover was problematic, especially in light of modern issues surrounding child exploitation. Despite the controversy, he pointed out that the album’s notoriety helped boost its sales, and in retrospect, the band viewed it as a reflection of the times.
In 2015, a Swedish court ruled that the album cover could be considered child pornography, reflecting ongoing debates about the appropriateness and consequences of using provocative imagery in music.
