Soviet and Russian Songs
One of the best ways to keep up your spirit, is by songs. These are some of my favorite Soviet and Russian songs from mostly the Soviet Union, USSR, as well as from the Russian Federation. Many are so inspiring, encouraging us and exhorting us to “Look forward”, honoring the incredible heroism of those past, and present.
The Soviet Anthem
“United forever in friendship and labor”. You can’t get much better than that. Imagine a country united in a common vision!
Glory to the Ones Who Look Forward
This song honors the Soviet cosmonauts (like ‘astronauts’ but Russian). It’s amazing that after suffering massive losses in WWII, the Soviet Union was able to pull together the resources to put both the first earth satellite, “Sputnik”, as well as the first man, Yuri Gagarin. Can you imagine what courage it took for him to take that risk? Wow! Even now, as I write, Russian rockets are still the most reliable, that even the US uses.
Sacred War–A Power Song of the Great Patriotic War
One of my most powerful experiences of Soviet history was my visit to Volgograd, formerly Stalingrad, the turning point of the struggle against the Nazis.
Wondrous Future
This is the theme song for the wonderful film series, Guest from the Future, an endearing Sci-Fi about some teenagers who stop space pirates from stealing an important invention that reads minds. Many Soviet people love that movie and the teenage boys had crushes on the young heroine.
Born in the USSR, and Forward, Russia
Unlike the bittersweet Bruce Springsteen song that felt the pain of the vanity and waste of life of the Vietnam War, this song is an inspiration to Russian people who were born during the Soviet era. The West wants people to feel ashamed, when in fact they have every reason to be proud!
White Cranes–Honoring the Millions of Fallen Heroes.
White Cranes memorializes the many millions of heroes that have died defending the Soviet Union and Russia. They become White Cranes, who fly endlessly and gracefully through the sky.
The Blue Headkerchief
Let’s not forget, that the Great Patriotic War was fought and won, mostly by young people, in late teens and early 20’s when romance had to take a back seat to the urgency of battle. Still, that kerchief must have sustained many a soldier far away from his love.
Katyusha
Katyusha is the nickname for women, named (if I am not wrong) for Catherine. But it was also the name for a key weapon during the Great Patriotic War, a series of rockets placed on a truck, which acted like a super charged artillery piece.
Cuckoo
Most people in the West are totally unaware of the war against the people of Donbass, in Eastern Ukraine, which started in 2014, and is still ongoing. This song comes from the movie, the Battle of Sevastopol, a powerful movie about a young woman who became a sniper, defending the port city of Sevastopol. It’s based on a true story.
Yiddish Victory Song
The narrative I was raised on was that millions of Jews meekly went to the death camps. But apparently, that’s not the case. Among Soviet and Russian songs, the partisans, guerillas who fought behind enemy lines to disrupt Nazi communications and logistics played a key role in the war and had their own songs. And Jews, who evaded the clutches of the Nazis, took part. This is one of several songs sung by Jews in the language of Eastern European Jews,Yiddish.
Sadly, I hear that the Israeli government doesn’t like this language or the fact that Jews during WWII did not submit.
The Red Army is the Strongest
The title of this song is a fact. It was the Red Army that defeated 80-90% of the fascist forces in WWII, and even wiped out the Japanese army in Manchuria.
Conclusion
So there you have it, my favorite Soviet and Russian songs. There are of course others, but these are the ones I listen to for inspiration most often. Take a listen and check on how they make you feel!