Oi u luzi chervona kalyna
Oh, the Red Viburnum in the Meadow (Ukrainian: Ой у лузі червона калина - Oi u luzi chervona kalyna) is a Ukrainian patriotic march, written by the composer Stepan Charnetsky in 1914, in honor and memory of the Sich Riflemen.
The red viburnum of the song (kalyna in Ukrainian)—a deciduous shrub that grows four to five metres tall—is referenced throughout Ukrainian folklore[1].
2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine
In March 2022 the song gained international attention when an Instagram video of an a capella rendition by Andriy Khlyvnyuk of the Ukrainian band BoomBox singing the first verse of the song[2] was remixed by different artists around the world.
BoomBox was touring in the United States when the Russian invasion of Ukraine started on 24 February, but Khlyvnyuk cut the tour short to return to Ukraine in order to join the armed forces. He recorded the video while wearing army fatigues, standing near Sophia Square in Kyiv, Ukraine, and uploaded it to his Instagram account on 27 February, where it became viral.
The first artist to remix[3] Khlyvnyuk's rendition was South African musician The Kiffness in early March.[4] At the end of the same month, Ukrainian ice dancers Oleksandra Nazarova and Maksym Nikitin performed to the song at the 2022 World Figure Skating Championships in protest of the invasion.[5]
In April 2022, Pink Floyd made use of Khlyvnyuk's recording for the vocal track of "Hey, Hey, Rise Up!", a single and a video which the band released in aid of Ukrainian humanitarian relief.[6][7] In the video, Khlyvnyuk's performance is projected behind the band while they are performing and is partly shown full screen. The song opens with a sample from another recording of "Oh, the Red Viburnum...", by the Veryovka Ukrainian Folk Choir.[8][9]
Since then, new versions have appeared on YouTube,[10] even remixes of the original remix.[11][12]
Lyrics
Original Ukrainian | Transliteration | Translation |
---|---|---|
Ой у лузі червона калина похилилася, Чогось наша славна Україна зажурилася. |
Oi u luzi chervona kalyna pokhylylasia, Chohos nasha slavna Ukraina zazhurylasia. |
Oh, in the meadow a red kalyna has bent down low, For some reason, our glorious Ukraine is in sorrow. |
References
- ^ a b Adams, William Lee (18 March 2022). "Go_A release "Kalyna" to raise funds for Ukraine…and to remind the world it must unite to fight evil".
Kalyna (guelder-rose) is a symbol that has been a part of Ukrainian culture since ancient times. Its meanings were transferred through the ages in legends and songs. A broken kalyna tree was a sign of trouble and tragedy; abuse of this tree was a shameful act. Ukrainian people carefully protected it because there was a belief that kalyna grew only next to good people. According to our ancestors, kalyna has a power that brings immortality and can unite generations to fight evil.
- ^ Oï ou louzi tchervona kalyna sung by Andriy Khlyvnyuk on his Instagram account.
- ^ Ukrainian Folk Song 🇺🇦 ARMY REMIX, Andriy Khlyvnyuk x The Kiffness on YouTube
- ^ "The Kyivness (The Kiffness) remixes Ukrainian folk song – tops charts worldwide". CapeTalk. Retrieved 2022-03-21.
- ^ Russell, Susan D. (March 25, 2022). "Nazarova and Nikitin – A Courageous Dance". International Figure Skating.
- ^ Pink Floyd - Hey Hey Rise Up (feat. Andriy Khlyvnyuk of Boombox) on YouTube
- ^ "'This is a crazy, unjust attack': Pink Floyd re-form to support Ukraine". The Guardian. 7 April 2022. Retrieved 7 April 2022.
- ^ Grow, Kory. "David Gilmour: Why I'm Bringing Back Pink Floyd After 28 Years". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 9 April 2022.
- ^ Хор імені Г. Верьовки - Ой, у лузі червона калина (G. Veryovka Choir - Oh, red viburnum in the meadow) on YouTube.
- ^ Ой у лузі червона калина (концерт "Доброго вечора! Ми з України!") on YouTube
- ^ Ukrainian Folk Song Marimba Remix on YouTube
- ^ Бумбокс - Ой, у лузі червона калина (The Kiffness) and GUITAR (VOVA from My Lions Pride) on YouTube