Tag: music

Song: Nogu Svelo! “Generation Z”

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I wouldn’t call myself a die-hard fan of Nogu Svelo!, though I’ve known the band for many years, and quite a few of their songs have made it into my playlist. But Max Pokrovsky, the band’s frontman, really caught my attention when he joined the reality show “The Last Hero” and was one of the first to openly talk about how tough it actually was. (Well, there was also the ‘clown’ Nikita Dzhigurda, who bailed from the island in the first few days, ranting about how he had been deceived and that they really weren’t going to feed them—not just on camera but for real).

And now, during these wartime days, Max is one of the few who openly speaks his mind about what’s happening—including about Russians themselves. Opinions on his new song vary widely—some even call him a sellout imperialist, standing with one foot here and the other there. But the song is raw and honest, without embellishments. And for that alone, I’m grateful to Max.

Song: Irina Otieva “The Last Poem” — What You Haven’t Thought About

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Today, I want to talk about the song “The Last Poem”—a song many people know, but few truly understand its real meaning.

I’m sure many remember the Soviet film “Love and Lies” (a literal translation of its Russian title is “You Could Never Have Dreamed”)—a story about two teenagers in love, whose cruel parents prevent them from being together. As a child, I saw this film one way, but now, as a father of many children, I see it very differently. The girl convinces the boy not to pursue his education, claiming that learning is unnecessary—just drop everything, and we’ll simply live. It’s a compelling theme if you don’t dig too deep. And suddenly, the so-called antagonists don’t seem so bad anymore, while the supposed heroes reveal their own flaws and peculiarities.

But what I really want to focus on is the song—one that many know even better than the film itself. “The Last Poem” features the brilliant music of Alexei Rybnikov and was performed for the movie by Irina Otieva. However, in the USSR, it was also sung by other artists, including the band Yalla (whom I personally associate more with one song—“Uchkuduk, Three Wells”).

The song is deeply lyrical, and many perceive it as an anthem of youth and love. And that would be fine—if not for its origins. I had heard this story several times before, but for many, it’s a revelation (just as it was for me the first time).

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Song: Gogol Bordello “Kyive Mii” (My Kyiv)

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I can’t quite remember when or how I first discovered the band Gogol Bordello. It’s essentially an international American group led by Ukrainian emigrant Eugene Hütz. Eugene himself played one of the main roles in the film Everything Is Illuminated, which tells the story of an American Jew (played by Elijah Wood) traveling to Ukraine in search of his late grandfather’s lost love.

Many of their songs have stayed in my playlist for a long time. One of them was a song about Kyiv, performed by the band together with fans of the Dynamo Kyiv football team. Yesterday, it started playing in my car.

These days, it feels especially relevant. Kyiv, stay strong!

Song: Alexander Gradsky and Alisher Karimov “How Young We Were”

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For me, Alexander Gradsky has always been associated with an incredibly powerful voice paired with heavy smoking. While others would say that no vocal singer should ever smoke, Gradsky smoked like a chimney and then walked out to sing in a way that gave you goosebumps.

I never really thought about what kind of person he was in everyday life, but his voice always captivated me. My favorite song performed by him has always been “How Young We Were,” the song that earned him the Pesnya Goda (Song of the Year) award in the year I was born. So, you could say this song is my peer (though it was written two years before I was born).

On November 28, 2021, Alexander Gradsky passed away. A month later, the final of the show The Voice aired on Channel One, where Alisher Karimov performed “How Young We Were” as a duet with Alexander Gradsky, who appeared only on screen.

Tears in my eyes, the other coaches stood up and listened to the song while standing… And Gradsky, even 44 years after first performing this song, effortlessly dominated the melody. Alisher’s performance (no offense to him) simply paled in comparison to Gradsky’s timeless power.

Song: “Confessa” in Belarusian

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The Belarusian language is very beautiful and melodic, though in recent years, it has become less well-known compared to Ukrainian. During Soviet times, it was at least heard in the performances of the most famous Belarusian groups, Pesnyary and Syabry. Sometimes, people even recognized the melody more than the song itself, as with “Kasiu Jas’ Kaniushynu” (Jas Mowed Clover), which all children heard countless times in “Nu, Pogodi!” when the wolf was racing through a field on a combine harvester. Later, some songs in Belarusian could be heard in the works of the band Lyapis Trubetskoy, though I’m not sure how well their Belarusian-language songs are known outside Belarus.

I’ve already shared Belarusian-language songs on my blog several times, and now I’ve decided to do so more often. Not everything, but the ones I truly like.

This time, I want to draw attention to a song I love in its original Italian version performed by the charismatic Adriano Celentano—“Confessa.” A few years ago, it was translated into Belarusian and performed just as beautifully. No, it’s not Celentano, but it touches the soul just as deeply:

Song: “Burn Butcher Burn” from the series “The Witcher”

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On my Facebook, I wrote about how much I disliked the series “The Witcher,” and I found the second season to be far worse than the first. However, in the first season, everyone was blown away by the bard Jaskier’s song “Toss a Coin to Your Witcher,” which unexpectedly became far more popular on the internet than the series itself for a while. And that was true for both the original English version and the Russian adaptation.

In the second season, there was another song performed by Jaskier—“Burn Butcher Burn.” The Russian version sounds rather bland, while the English rendition is far more powerful, almost as if they were two completely different songs. This is unusual because Russian dubbing is typically excellent, owing to decades of experience from the Soviet school of dubbing.

At first, I wanted to feature only the English version in my blog, but then I found a video that compiled the scene in multiple languages with different audio tracks. It starts with the English version and then includes many others, such as Russian and Ukrainian. I must say that in most cases, the voice chosen for the character fits quite well. The Czech and French performances are on par with the original. I’m not as confident about the others. As for my personal playlist, I’ve added the original version.

Song: Johny Cash “Hurt” & Logan/Wolverine

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Not long ago, I wrote about songs that gained a new life or interpretation thanks to new arrangements, including in films.

At the time, I didn’t mention one song, “Hurt,” performed (but not written) by Johnny Cash. That’s because it didn’t fit the criteria: it’s not a reinterpretation or a new arrangement. It’s simply an original song that was used in the trailer for the last Wolverine movie, released in 2017 and titled Logan.

Cash’s version is a cover of a 1995 song by the band Nine Inch Nails. Johnny Cash slightly altered the lyrics, removing any profanity, and recorded his rendition in 2003. The song is considered his final hit during his lifetime, earning numerous awards and receiving high praise from the original authors. Personally, I find it more powerful and emotional than the NIN version.

But why did I mention Wolverine? The thing is, the lyrics of the song didn’t just fit the trailer’s mood—they seemed written specifically for Logan, who, in the movie’s plot, is no longer the invincible and immortal Wolverine we knew, but still has the strength to prove himself one last time. Together, the song and visuals left an unforgettable impression on me. The trailer uses only the first verse of the song, but the music and imagery complement each other perfectly:

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Song: Vasya Oblomov and Garik Sukachyov “Bloody Shame”

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It so happened that I discovered Vasya Oblomov only this year. I mean, I knew the song “I’m Going to Magadan”—it was impossible to miss it back in the day unless you were completely tone-deaf. But I never remembered who performed it and never showed any interest in Vasya Oblomov’s work.

Then, this summer, I listened to a few of his songs and completely fell for them. I understand that his music isn’t for everyone, but in my case, it hit just the right spot. Most of his songs feel like they’re about things you encounter every single day.

Among them, there’s one that stands out for its sheer energy in performance, thanks largely to the incredible Garik Sukachyov. The song is “Bloody Shame.” I’ve heard it performed by Vasya Oblomov himself—it’s good, but Garik is Garik!

Watch how he lets loose in the music video for this song. Vasya Oblomov plays the humble musician in the background.