To keep it brief, today's #ttt blog I dedicate to the charming person and beautiful Russian woman: Jenia Lubich!
Jenia Lubich - Russian Girl
A very funny song that burst onto the Russian Internet more than a decade ago. I have long intended to introduce you, my readers, to this opus.
What's happening in the video: a girl wearing a fur hat with earflaps is detained during a customs inspection: "I am in a rush, I just have to pack my bag with cash, that flush, and it's certain to get back to my country, didn't know that it's forbidden, I'm sorry..."
The song contains a large percentage of humor; it was originally written by Zhenya Lubich as a parody of the stereotypes and cliches that the bearers of the Western European cultural code have in relation to Russians. Moreover, the song is also a parody of the "a la russe" style, the performance of the song itself is an attempt to ridicule the way modern European singers try to sing something on a Russian theme.
I am just a simple Russian girl,
I've got vodka in my blood.
So, I dance with brown bears,
And my soul is torn apart...
Now you know — it is common to forget about the law, when especially you love — it's like a tank, it can drive you mad so you can rob a bank.
Jokes about balalaika, vodka and bears have certainly become boring and don't seem funny (and yet they are still in use). But now they have been supplemented with jokes about Russian hackers and cash for bribes.
If you want to take the time to read the comments under this video on YouTube, you will see that the song has inspired dozens of people from different parts of Russia, as well as other countries (!) to write their own version of the chorus - to tell what flows in the girls' blood in their location, and what breaks their hearts. Reading these comments amused me for a long time.
Jenia Lubich, Petr Nalitch — Ivan, Boris et moi
I'm not a big fan of this kind of vocals and the "gentle", "watercolor" style of singing like Zhenya's - I prefer stronger female voices and more drama (for example, Tarja Turunen or Kovacs, to name a few names). But I can appreciate the masterpiece when I see it. The second song I selected to present you today, is the cover version of the great Marie Laforet hit from 1966.
Many have attempted to translate it into Russian - and none of existing versions seem successful to me. But this one may not be ideal and surely it cant be better than the original song - but still it is very good and I really liked it when I accidentally came across it. Hope that you will appreciate it too! Zhenya sings here a duet with another wonderful singer, Petr Nalich. Artistry cannot be hidden in a pocket!
Nouvelle Vague – La Crise Economique
Jenia Lubich is one of the artists behind the Nouvelle Vague project; vocals in this song belong to Jenia Lubich, obviously. The video is unofficial; I dont understand what the song is about (as it is in French), but the story video tells I understand pretty well; a nice and simple romantic story, told in the decorations of St.Petersburg - thats why I'd love to share it with you. You may see in this video how the famous 'white nights of St.Petersburg' look like - they are not exactly 'white', of course, and it may be pretty cold late at night!
Иво - С любовью ваш Эрих Мария
One more song, as a bonus: very beautiful little thingie I found the last week. The lyrics of the song are an imaginary monologue-letter written by Erich Maria Remarque to the Hollywood actress Marlene Dietrich. I really liked the theme of the song itself, the images added to it, the person of performer itself (Ivo is a completely new name to me), her voice timbre, her manner of performance.
I hope you enjoyed today's music selection, and travelling around the globe without leaving the Hive. 😎 The post goes for Three Tune Tuesday challenge run by @ablaze. Previous issues: 106 | 107 | 108 | 109 | 110 | 111 | 112 | 113 | 114 | 115 | 116 | 118 | 121 | 122 | 123 | 124 | 125 | 126 | 127 | 128 | 129 | 131 | 140 | 141 | 142 | 143 | 144 | 146 | 147 | 148 | 149 | 151 | 152 | 154 | 156 | 157 | 165 | 167 | 168 | 170 | 171 | 172 |
