"Razom nas bahato" (, ; "Together we are many") is a
hip hop
Hip-hop or hip hop (originally disco rap) is a popular music genre that emerged in the early 1970s from the African-American community of New York City. The style is characterized by its synthesis of a wide range of musical techniques. Hip- ...
song by
GreenJolly, which became the unofficial anthem of the Ukrainian
Orange Revolution
The Orange Revolution () was a series of protests that led to political upheaval in Ukraine from late November 2004 to January 2005. It gained momentum primarily due to the initiative of the general population, sparked by the aftermath of the ...
in 2004.
The literal translation of the chorus line is "Together we are many, we cannot be defeated" ().
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Background
The song deliberately resembles a title of a famous Chilean song of Quilapayún
Quilapayún () are a folk music group from Chile and among the longest lasting and most influential ambassadors of the ''Nueva canción, Nueva Canción Chilena'' movement and genre. Formed during the mid-1960s, the group became inseparable with t ...
used by the Unidad Popular, " El pueblo unido jamás será vencido" ("The people united will never be defeated"), written by composer Sergio Ortega.
The original song was entirely in Ukrainian, and was written specifically to refer to the 2004 presidential election, even going so far as to name Presidential candidate Viktor Yushchenko
Viktor Andriiovych Yushchenko (, ; born 23 February 1954) is a Ukrainian politician who was the third president of Ukraine from 23 January 2005 to 25 February 2010. He aimed to orient Ukraine towards Western world, the West, European Union, and N ...
by name.
2005 Eurovision Song Contest entry
The song was the entry at the Eurovision Song Contest 2005
The Eurovision Song Contest 2005 was the 50th edition of the Eurovision Song Contest. It took place in Kyiv, Ukraine, following the country's victory at the with the song "Wild Dances" by Ruslana. Organised by the European Broadcasting Union ( ...
in Kyiv
Kyiv, also Kiev, is the capital and most populous List of cities in Ukraine, city of Ukraine. Located in the north-central part of the country, it straddles both sides of the Dnieper, Dnieper River. As of 1 January 2022, its population was 2, ...
.[ As a requirement of the song contest rules, forbidding direct political references, lyrics mentioning Yuschenko were removed. The verses were rewritten to include both Ukrainian and English lyrics, while the chorus' sentence "Razom nas bahato" was repeated in eight languages: Ukrainian, Polish, German, Spanish, Czech, French and Russian.]
A group of Polish rappers
Rapping (also rhyming, flowing, spitting, emceeing, or MCing) is an artistic form of vocal delivery and emotive expression that incorporates "rhyme, rhythmic speech, and ommonlystreet vernacular". It is usually performed over a backing b ...
created a remix
A remix, also sometimes called reorchestration or rework, is a piece of media which has been altered or contorted from its original state by adding, removing, or changing pieces of the item. A song, piece of artwork, book, poem, or photograph ca ...
of "Razom nas bahato" entitled "Jest nas wielu", that became popular in Poland.
See also
* Protest song
A protest song is a song that is associated with a movement for protest and social change and hence part of the broader category of ''topical'' songs (or songs connected to current events). It may be folk, classical, or commercial in genre.
...
References
External links
"Razom Nas Bahato"
- lyrics and video on the GreenJolly official web site
"Razom Nas Bahato"
- lyrics and video on the Eurovision World
"Kyiv 2005 - Eurovision Song Contest"
- official Eurovision web site on Eurovision 2005 held in Kyiv with result scoreboard
Original (pre-Eurovision Song Contest 2005) protest lyrics
reprinted by The Ukrainian Weekly
''The Ukrainian Weekly'' is the oldest English-language newspaper of the Ukrainian diaspora in the United States, and North America.
Founded by the Ukrainian National Association, and published continuously since October 6, 1933, archived copie ...
{{National symbols of Ukraine
2004 songs
Politics of Ukraine
Eurovision songs of Ukraine
Eurovision songs of 2005
Orange Revolution
Ukrainian patriotic songs
Songs in Ukrainian