Polyushko-polye

Polyushko-polye (Russian: По́люшко-по́ле, IPA: [ˈpolʲʊʂkə ˈpolʲɪ]) is a Soviet Russian-language song. Polye means "field" in Russian, "polyushko" is a diminutive/hypocoristic form for "polye". It is also known as Meadowlands, Song of The Plains, Cavalry of the Steppes or Oh Fields, My Fields in English.

"Polyushko-polye"
Song

Soviet arrangements

The music was composed by Lev Knipper, with lyrics by Viktor Gusev in 1933. The song was part of the symphony with chorus (lyrics by Gusev) "A Poem about a Komsomol Soldier" (Поэма о бойце-комсомольце) composed in 1934. The original lyrics are sung from the perspective of a Red Army recruit, who proudly leaves his home to keep watch against his homeland's enemies.

The song was covered many times by many artists in the Soviet Union, including a well-known rock version recorded by Poyushchiye Gitary (Поющие гитáры), released c. 1967. The song has been regularly performed and recorded by the Alexandrov Ensemble, and it is listed in the Alexandrov Ensemble discography, best known as the Red Army Choir.

Full version at London 1945 Youth Congress

At the opening of the London 1945 Youth Congress, the full version of Polyushko-polye was performed by a choir of 6,000 members. The music for this performance was composed by musician L. A. Stokovsky, based on the original music of L. Knipper.[1]

Other arrangements

Paul Robeson recorded an English translation of the song in 1942 under the title Song of the Plains. It was released on his Columbia Recordings album Songs of Free Men.

An arrangement by Phillip Bimstein titled "Meadowlands", recorded by his band Phil 'N' the Blanks and released on the 1982 album "Lands and Peoples"[2]

Outside Russia, several arrangements of the tune are known under the title The Cossack Patrol, particularly a version by Ivan Rebroff.[3]

For their 2001 Album "Enhadh" - ("Stand up" in Arabic) - the Hezbollah-affiliated band Al-Israa composed their own non-lyrical version of the song dubbed "No, no, no!"[4]

Cultural influence

Michael Palin notably performed the song with the choir of the Russian Pacific Fleet in the television series Full Circle with Michael Palin.[5][6]

The song is the third one heard at the beginning of Cast Away, an American movie starring Tom Hanks, right after Elvis Presley's "Heartbreak Hotel" and "All Shook Up".

The opening credits of the 1966 Cold War comedy film The Russians Are Coming, the Russians Are Coming uses this song.

The song plays during a scene taking place at the Greek Parliament for Kremlin, in Nikos Perakis ' film Loufa & Parallagi (1984)

The anime Girls und Panzer uses Polyushko-polye as a theme song for the fictional "Pravda Girls High School".

Use in Swedish Student Culture (Livet är härligt)

The melody of Polyushko-polye is of significance in Swedish student culture. In 1959, the melody was used in the Chalmers University of Technology "Spex" (a form of student theater) production Katarina II, with altered lyrics as follows:

Livet är härligt,
Tavaritj vårt liv är härligt.
Vi alla våra små bekymmer glömmer,
när vi har fått en tår på tand en skål.

Ta dig en Vodka,
Tavaritj en liten Vodka.
Glasen i botten vi tillsammans tömmer,
det kommer mera efter hand.

Translated as:

Life is Wonderful,
Comrade, our life is wonderful.
We all forget our small troubles,
when we have ad a drink, a toast.

Take a Vodka,
Comrade, a little Vodka.
Bottoms up we empty our our glasses,
more will come later.

The drinking song, or Snapsvisa has become an important toast at formal dinners at Chalmers University, and a culturally significant drinking song in Swedish student culture in the latter half of the twentieth century.

Notes
  1. "Ю. Е. Бирюков, История создания песни "Полюшко-поле"". muzruk.info. Archived from the original on 19 April 2018. Retrieved 22 June 2019.
  2. https://www.discogs.com/Phil-n-The-Blanks-Lands-And-Peoples/release/3604131
  3. Video on YouTube
  4. "شريط 13 - انهض - فرقة الإسراء". SoundCloud. 2001.
  5. "Palin's Travels: Russkiy Island, Eastern Russia, Full Circle, Day 22". www.palinstravels.co.uk. Retrieved 22 June 2019.
  6. krisztina kugelman (4 August 2012). "Polyushko Pole Michael Palin and the Russian Pacific Navy". Retrieved 22 June 2019 – via YouTube.
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