HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

"Russians" is a song by Sting, from his debut solo album, '' The Dream of the Blue Turtles'', released in June 1985, and released as a single in November. The song is a commentary and plea that criticises the then-dominant Cold War
foreign policy Foreign policy, also known as external policy, is the set of strategies and actions a State (polity), state employs in its interactions with other states, unions, and international entities. It encompasses a wide range of objectives, includ ...
and doctrine of mutual assured destruction (MAD) by the
United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
and the then-existing
Soviet Union The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...
.


Background

In 2010, Sting explained that the song was inspired by watching Soviet TV via inventor Ken Schaffer's satellite receiver at
Columbia University Columbia University in the City of New York, commonly referred to as Columbia University, is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Churc ...
:
I had a friend at university who invented a way to steal the satellite signal from Russian TV. We'd have a few beers and climb this tiny staircase to watch Russian television... At that time of night we'd only get children's Russian television, like their " Sesame Street". I was impressed with the care and attention they gave to their children's programmes. I regret our current enemies haven't got the same ethics.
Sting performed the song at the 1986 Grammy Awards. His performance of the song was released on the 1994 album ''Grammy's Greatest Moments Volume 1''.


Music video

The accompanying music video for the single was directed by Jean-Baptiste Mondino, and was shot in a similar black-and-white, French New Wave-influenced style to his previous video for Don Henley's " The Boys of Summer". The video also prominently featured child actor Felix Howard, who was later featured in Mondino's promotional video for Madonna's " Open Your Heart" in 1986.


Composition

The song uses the ''Romance'' theme from the '' Lieutenant Kijé Suite'' by Russian composer Sergei Prokofiev, and its lead-in includes a snippet from the Soviet news program '' Vremya'' in which the famed Soviet news broadcaster Igor Kirillov says in Russian: "...The British Prime Minister described the talks with the head of the delegation, Mikhail Sergeyevich Gorbachev, as a constructive, realistic, practical and friendly exchange of opinions...", referring to the meeting of Mikhail Gorbachev and
Margaret Thatcher Margaret Hilda Thatcher, Baroness Thatcher (; 13 October 19258 April 2013), was a British stateswoman who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1979 to 1990 and Leader of the Conservative Party (UK), Leader of th ...
in 1984. The Soviet leader at the time was Konstantin Chernenko. Also in the background, communications from the Apollo–Soyuz mission can be heard.


Reception

'' Cash Box'' said it "features a haunting melody, dramatic lyric and sensational musicianship." '' Billboard'' called it a "a sober political/humanitarian message framed in surging chords and Prokofiev quotes." Colin Irwin of '' Melody Maker'' said, "Excellent lyric on a poignant, hopeful song preaching tolerance, has such a pretty tune it sounds positively twee."


Legacy

In a 2021 interview, James Cameron, the co-writer, director and producer of '' Terminator 2'', said that the song inspired him to create the character of John Connor, the 10-year-old boy who would be the central character of the plot: "I remember sitting there once, high on E, writing notes for Terminator, and I was struck by Sting's song, that 'I hope the Russians love their children too.' And I thought, 'You know what? The idea of a nuclear war is just so antithetical to life itself.' That's where the kid came from." Sting re-recorded an acoustic version of the song in March 2022, during the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, with proceeds going to humanitarian and medical aid in Ukraine. In a statement, he said that he "never thought he songwould be relevant again. But, in the light of one man’s bloody and woefully misguided decision to invade a peaceful, unthreatening neighbor, the song is, once again, a plea for our common humanity." "Russians" was covered by Jonathan Hay and released as a techno version on his Soundcloud.


Track listings

; 7″ single # "Russians" – 3:57 # " Gabriel's Message" – 2:15 ; 12″ maxi # "Russians" – 3:57 # " Gabriel's Message" – 2:10 # "I Burn for You" (live) – 4:40


Personnel

* Photography by Anton Corbijn * Made in West Germany by Polygram ; "Russians" * Written by Sting * Engineered by Jim Scott * Produced by Pete Smith ; "Gabriel's Message" * Written by Traditional * Arranged by Sting * Mixed and recorded by Pete Smith ; "I Burn for You" * Written by Sting * Mixed, recorded and produced by Pete Smith


Charts


Weekly charts


Year-end charts


Certifications


See also

* Do the Russians Want War? * Music and politics * Nuclear strategy * Ronald Reagan in music * American University speech


References


External links


"Sting: Russians' 1985"
��analysis of the song on Pop History Dig by Jack Doyle, PopHistoryDig.com, 30 April 2009 {{Sting 1985 singles 1985 songs A&M Records singles Anti-war songs Black-and-white music videos Cold War in popular culture Cultural depictions of Nikita Khrushchev Music videos directed by Jean-Baptiste Mondino Popular songs based on classical music Rock ballads Songs about nuclear war and weapons Songs about Ronald Reagan Songs about Russia Songs written by Sting (musician) Sting (musician) songs