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Russians (song)

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"Russians"
Song
B-side"Gabriel's Message"

"Russians" is a song by Sting, from his debut solo album, The Dream of the Blue Turtles, released in 1985. It was also released as a single. Sting cautions about the repercussions of the Cold War including the mutually assured destruction doctrine ("there's no such thing as a winnable war/It's a lie we don't believe anymore"). Hence he hopes that the "Russians love their children too", since he sees this as the only thing that would save the world from a holocaust brought on by nuclear weapons ("Oppenheimer's deadly toy").[1]

The famed Russian news broadcaster Igor Kirillov says at the beginning approximately the following: "...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 probably to the meeting of Mikhail Gorbachev and Margaret Thatcher in 1984. The Soviet leader at the time was Konstantin Chernenko.

"Russians" uses a theme from the Lieutenant Kijé Suite by Russian composer Sergei Prokofiev.[2]

The song was a hit in France, where it peaked at #2 for three weeks and remained on the top 50 for 19 weeks. It is currently the 636th best-selling single of all time in France.[3]

In the comedy Peep Show, the character Jeremy Osborne ponders "Do you think he really wondered, Sting, if the Russians loved their children too?" to which Mark Corrigan replies "No, it’s a rhetorical question like, 'can you feel the force?' or 'do they know it's Christmas?'." [4]

A parody of the song appeared in the satirical TV show Spitting Image which featured increasingly abstract concepts for the sake of rhyming, and referenced Sting's previous career as a schoolteacher.

Track listings

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

Personnel

Certifications

Country Certification Date Sales certified Physical sales
France[5] Gold 1985 500,000 476,000

Charts

Chart (1985) Peak
position
Dutch Mega Top 100[6] 8
French SNEP Singles Chart[6] 2
Irish Singles Chart[7] 11
Swedish Singles Chart[6] 16
Swiss Singles Chart[6] 13
UK Singles Chart[8] 12
U.S. Billboard Hot 100[9] 16
U.S. Billboard Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks[9] 34

References

  1. ^ "Oppenheimer's deadly toy" refers to the atomic bomb Robert Oppenheimer was an American physicist who was considered "The father of the atomic bomb." He later regretted his creation, saying he intended it to be used for energy in peace time. Russians by Sting Songfacts
  2. ^ Gable, Christopher (2008). The words and music of Sting. ABC-CLIO. p. 25. ISBN 9780275993603.
  3. ^ Best selling-singles of all time in France Infodisc.fr (Retrieved March 24, 2009)
  4. ^ Movie quotes from Peep Show Season 1 - http://www.allsubs.org/search-movie-quotes/Peep%20Show%20Season%201%20/1
  5. ^ French certifications See: "Les Ventes" => "Toutes les Certifications depuis 1973" => "STING" Infodisc.fr (Retrieved March 24, 2009)
  6. ^ a b c d "Russians", in various singles charts Lescharts.com (Retrieved March 24, 2009)
  7. ^ Irish Single Chart Irishcharts.ie (Retrieved March 24, 2009)
  8. ^ UK Singles Chart Chartstats.com (Retrieved March 24, 2009)
  9. ^ a b Billboard allmusic.com (Retrieved March 24, 2009)
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