Russian Rock’n’Roll, Avoiding Mind Control?

Rock’n’roll in the Soviet Union is far different than that of what we in America picture as rock’n’roll. This might not be the case when you take a look at the photo of Valery Saifudinov above, a pironeer of Soviet rock’n’roll, singing his last concerte before emigrating to the United States in 1974. Once you listen to the above song you may be able to tell a few minor differences but the title is what really gives it away, My address is the Soviet Union, and read the lyrics (posted below) you can tell that this music is primarily a form of state propaganda.The railcar wheels dictate

Where we urgently meet
My telephone numbers
Are scattered throughout the cities
The heart cares the heart worries
The postals pack the cargo
My address not just the house or the street
My address is the Soviet Union
My address not just the house or the street
My address is the Soviet Union

Telegraphic dots and dashes
You search for me at the construction sites
Today personal matters aren’t important
Just the work-day reports

The heart cares the heart worries
The postals pack the cargo
My address not just the house or the street
My address is the Soviet Union
My address not just the house or the street
My address is the Soviet Union

I am where the guys are sensible
I am where posters proclaim ‘forward’
Where a laboring nation sings
The new workers’ songs

The heart cares the heart worries
The postal packs the cargo
My address not just the house or the street
My address is the Soviet Union
My address not just the house or the street
My address is the Soviet Union

Beyond just the lyrics looking at he images shown within the music video for the song further back this up. Rapid images of the Soviet Red Star, the crest, the Kremlin and even a short clip of Stalin are included, which personally I find very interesting. The song writer of this musical piece was David Tukhmanov and his work was one of the largest hits at the time of its publish in 1973.

 

Music such as this shows how the Soviet Union maintained its grip on society through every facet of life. Even when just listening to music for enjoyment you are bombarded and blasted with messages of Soviet patriotism. Furthermore, the Soviets created this as their own form rock’n’roll due to the fact that they saw it as dangerous since it was something that originated in the West.  The Soviets believed this outside from of rock’n’roll was a form of “ideological sabotage used to “instill in the enemy’s mind the basic postulates of the American way of life, lessen his will to resist, and thereby remove negative emotions about the opposing side” (‘BARBAROSSA ROCK ‘N’ ROLL.’ — HOW THE MUSIC PROGRAM DJS ON WESTERN RADIO STATIONS TURN MUSIC INTO AN INSTRUMENT OF IDEOLOGICAL SABOTAGE). I found this article published in 1984 by Yu Filinov very interesting but also comical in light of todays knowledge. Rock’n’roll was quite obviously not a sabotage mind control technique used by the American’s as the Soviets made it out to be but in the times of the cold War absolutely nothing from the other side could be trusted.

Sources

Seventeen Moments: Geldern, James Von. “Rock Goes Russian.” Seventeen Moments in Soviet History. October 13, 2015. Accessed April 20, 2018. http://soviethistory.msu.edu/1973-2/rock-goes-russian/.

Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KxvnKk8NJ-Q

Lyrics: http://russmus.net/song/5206

News Article: Yu. Filinov. “‘BARBAROSSA ROCK ‘N’ ROLL.’ — HOW THE MUSIC PROGRAM DJS ON WESTERN RADIO STATIONS TURN MUSIC INTO AN INSTRUMENT OF IDEOLOGICAL SABOTAGE” Current Digest of the Russian Press, The . 1984. https://dlib.eastview.com/browse/doc/19980301.