The song tells of how a man falls in love with a young Moldovan woman, who convinces him to join the partisan movement. Written in 1940 by poet Yakov Shvedov and composer Anatoly Novikov, the song was intended to glorify the female partisans of the Russian Civil War in 1917-1922. I often thought of the dark-skinned Moldovan girl at nights,Īnd suddenly I met my dark-skinned girl in the partisan squad.' I was aggrieved to see that she did not call me with her. 'The dark-skinned Moldovan girl went by path to the forest, It is now popular among football fans of the Spartak Moscow football club as well as the Russian national team. The song tells the story of a young woman, called Katyusha, who longs for her beloved - a soldier, who is serving to protect the motherland.

The song became popular during the Great Patriotic War, inspiring people to defend their land from the enemy. 'Katyusha' was composed in 1938 and was first performed by Soviet jazz singer Valentina Batishcheva. KatyushaĪs Katyusha will take care of their love. 'Oh, The Roads' recalls the hardships that the population experienced and endured throughout the course of the war. The song was written a few months after the Great Patriotic War ended by Soviet composer and conductor Anatoly Novikov, with lyrics supplied by Lev Oshanin.ĭirector Sergei Yutkevich had commissioned the song for a theatrical performance on November 7 called 'Victorious Spring,' which is where 'Oh, the Roads…' was first performed to the public. Your friend in the wild grass is lying lifeless.' Ekh, Dorogi.Ĭold, dismay, and wild grass of the steppe… In the film, Bernes plays a soldier who thinks about his wife and young baby at night while singing 'Dark Is The Night.'Ī Polish version of the song was popularized by singer Vera Gran in the 1960s and can be found here. The song was originally performed by Mark Bernes in the 1943 war film 'Two Soldiers.' In this dark night, I know that you, darling, cannot sleepĪnd secretly wipe your tears away near the crib.' Only wind wails through the wires, stars dimly twinkle. 'Dark is the night, only bullets whistle in the steppe, The text was translated into Russian by poet-translator Naum Grebnev and published in the 'Novy Mir' (New World) literary magazine later that same year.Īfter reading the poem, Bernes phoned Grebnev and together they adapted the lyrics for a song that they dedicated to the soldiers who died during the Great Patriotic War. This famous song performed by Soviet actor and singer Mark Bernes originally came from a poem by Dagestani poet Rasul Gamzatov, who wrote it in his native Avar language in 1968. Who never returned from bloody battlefields,ĭo not lie in the ground where they fell,įor the full lyrics (in Russian) click here.

'It sometimes seems to me that all the soldiers, In the run-up to Saturday, The Moscow Times has compiled a list of the most popular military songs. The day will be marked by a huge parade through the center of Moscow, involving some 200 military vehicles along with 150 aircraft.Īnother way in which Russian people remember the Great Patriotic War is through songs. Russia will commemorate 70 years since the Allied victory over Nazi Germany this Saturday, May 9.

Russian victory day parade 2015