Pop hits of the 80s? Balalike it!

June 25 2014

Valentina Alabugina

RBTH

RBTH invites readers to learn about the history of Russian music. The 80-year existence of the Soviet Union was a time when life upped the tempo. Musicians wrote songs of intense lyricism, soulfulness, and intimacy.

TRACKLIST:

1.Alexander Barykin – “Bouquet”

2.Sofia Rotaru – “Lavender”

3.Laima Vaikule – “Vernissage”

4.Alla Pugacheva – “A Million Red Roses”

5.Valery Leontiev – “Hang-gliding”

Alexander Barykin earned the affection of Russian listeners for the sincerity and kindness of his songs. His hit “Bouquet” (better known by the first line, “I will ride my bicycle long and hard...”) evokes memories of the period, especially when change was looming.

They say in Russia that in the 1980s the voice of singer Sofia Rotaru could be heard from “every household iron”. One of her most famous songs is “Lavender”. Incidentally, the song is performed in the original arrangement to this day.

Laima Vaikule with her deep, moving voice was a breath of fresh air for Soviet listeners. Her foreign accent and amazing dance routines that accompanied her performances won over the public.

The tragic story of a poor artist’s love for a capricious singer was the subject of the song “A Million Red Roses”, sung by Alla Pugacheva.

Valery Leontiev’s song “Hang-gliding” sounds a call to tear away from the ground and fly towards a new dawn. It encapsulates the great hopes of people at that time. At concerts today fans still request the song, which filled their youth back in the 1980s.

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