''Polyushko-polye'' ( rus, По́люшко-по́ле, p=ˈpolʲʊʂkə ˈpolʲɪ) is a

Soviet The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, ...

Russian-language song. ''Polye'' means "

field Field may refer to: Expanses of open ground * Field (agriculture), an area of land used for agricultural purposes * Airfield, an aerodrome that lacks the infrastructure of an airport * Battlefield * Lawn, an area of mowed grass * Meadow, a grass ...

" in Russian, "''polyushko''" is a

diminutive A diminutive is a root word that has been modified to convey a slighter degree of its root meaning, either to convey the smallness of the object or quality named, or to convey a sense of intimacy or endearment. A (abbreviated ) is a word-formati ...

hypocoristic A hypocorism ( or ; from Ancient Greek: (), from (), 'to call by pet names', sometimes also ''hypocoristic'') or pet name is a name used to show affection for a person. It may be a diminutive form of a person's name, such as ''Izzy'' for I ...

form for ''"polye"''. It is also known as ''Meadowlands'', ''Song of the Plains'', ''Cavalry of the Steppes'' or ''Oh Fields, My Fields'' in

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

Soviet arrangements

The music was composed by

Lev Knipper Lev Konstantinovich Knipper (Russian: Лев Константинович Книппер; – 30 July 1974) was a Soviet and Russian composer of partial German descent and an active OGPU/NKVD agent. Life and career Lev Knipper was born in Ti ...

, with lyrics by

Viktor Gusev Viktor Mikhaylovich Gusev (; 30 January 1909 – 23 January 1944) wrote lyrics to accompany several patriotic Soviet military tunes, including 'Polyushko Pole' and ' March of the Artillerymen'. He wrote the play ''Spring in Moscow'', which was t ...

in 1933. The song was part of the

symphony A symphony is an extended musical composition in Western classical music, most often for orchestra. Although the term has had many meanings from its origins in the ancient Greek era, by the late 18th century the word had taken on the meaning com ...

with

chorus Chorus may refer to: Music * Chorus (song) or refrain, line or lines that are repeated in music or in verse * Chorus effect, the perception of similar sounds from multiple sources as a single, richer sound * Chorus form, song in which all verse ...

(lyrics by Gusev) "A Poem about a

Komsomol The All-Union Leninist Young Communist League (russian: link=no, Всесоюзный ленинский коммунистический союз молодёжи (ВЛКСМ), ), usually known as Komsomol (; russian: Комсомол, links=n ...

Soldier" (Поэма о бойце-комсомольце) composed in 1934. The original lyrics are sung from the perspective of a

Red Army The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army (Russian: Рабо́че-крестья́нская Кра́сная армия),) often shortened to the Red Army, was the army and air force of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic and, after ...

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 Pojuschie Gitary (russian: Поющие гитары , ''The Singing Guitars'') were the Soviet Union's first rock band to reach a phenomenal rate of success and popularity in the Soviet Union, Eastern Europe and in other countries. For that reason ...

(), released c. 1967. The song has been regularly performed and recorded by the

Alexandrov Ensemble The Alexandrov Ensemble ( rus, Ансамбль Александрова, r=Ansambl' Aleksandrova; commonly known as the Red Army Choir in the West) is an official army choir of the Russian armed forces. Founded during the Soviet era, the e ...

, and it is listed in the

Alexandrov Ensemble discography This is a list of recordings made by the Alexandrov Ensemble (under various titles) since 1928. Within each section (CDs, LPs, 78s etc.) they are in alphabetical order of record labels. DVDs Facets: ''Leningrad Cowboys'' - '' Total Balalaika S ...

, 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.

Other arrangements

Paul Robeson Paul Leroy Robeson ( ; April 9, 1898 – January 23, 1976) was an American bass-baritone concert artist, stage and film actor, professional football player, and activist who became famous both for his cultural accomplishments and for his p ...

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''. The Swedish jazz pianist Jan Johansson recorded a version of the song in 1967 under the title "Stepp, min stepp" (steppe, my steppe) on the album ''Jazz på ryska'' (Jazz in Russian). The American rock band

Jefferson Airplane Jefferson Airplane was an American rock band based in San Francisco, California, that became one of the pioneering bands of psychedelic rock. Formed in 1965, the group defined the San Francisco Sound and was the first from the Bay Area to ac ...

had an instrumental version of the song, titled "Meadowlands", on their album ''Volunteers'' (1969). An arrangement by Phillip Bimstein titled "Meadowlands", recorded by his band Phil 'N' the Blanks and released on the 1982 album ''Lands and Peoples''. An instrumental version of the song was recorded by James Last and appears in his James Last - In Russia album. Outside Russia, several arrangements of the tune are known under the title "The Cossack Patrol", particularly a version by Ivan Rebroff.

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''. 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 the Nikos Perakis film ''Loufa & Parallagi'' (1984). The anime ''Girls und Panzer'' uses "Polyushko-polye" along with "Katyusha (song), Katyusha" as the theme songs for the fictional "Pravda Girls High School". High school teacher Pedersen's pupils sing the song in the class room, and the melody is used throughout the film ''Comrade Pedersen''. The melody is the basis for Ervin Litkei, Ervin And Andrea Litkei’s song "Hold Me Forever", which is featured in the credits for season 4, episode 6 of ''What We Do in the Shadows (TV series)''. It is used in the opening scene of the TV series ''Kleo'', and a remix version by Modeselektor appears in the closing credits of the season 1 final episode. Chabad-Lubavitch Chasidim created a nigun using the tune and sing it to the words "Der Rebbe Zal Zayn Gezunt" (the Rebbe will be healthy). The melody of the tune is used in the "yo yo" chorus in "Surfin' U.S.S.R." by Ray Stevens from his 1987 album ''He Thinks He's Ray Stevens''.

Notes

External links

* * {{Authority control Russian songs Soviet songs 1934 songs