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Takogo, kak Putin!

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"Takogo, kak Putin!"
Song by Poyushchie vmeste
LanguageRussian
English title"A man like Putin"
Released2002
GenreEuropop
Length3:15
Composer(s)Alexander Yelin, Kirill Kalashnikov
Lyricist(s)Alexander Yelin
Producer(s)Nikolai Gastello

"Takogo, kak Putin!" (Russian: Такого, как Путин!; lit. "One like Putin"; commonly translated as "A man like Putin") is a 2002 Russian propaganda pop song written by Alexander Yelin [ru] (Александр Елин) and performed by the all-girl band Poyushchie vmeste. The song, written during the first term of Russian president Vladimir Putin (2000–2004), sarcastically idealises Putin;[1][2] however, contrary to the song's satirical intentions, the song was officially used by Putin's 2004 re-election campaign,[3] and the satirical undertones were largely unnoticed and ignored by the Russian populace.[2][4] The song was a one-hit wonder and is considered one of the most notable songs in the cult of personality surrounding Putin.[5]

Origin

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Alexander Yelin, a musician known for his work with the Soviet/Russian heavy metal band Aria,[4] wrote the composition and lyrics for the song based on a cynical[3] $300 bet that he would be able to make a popular hit with the right message and without a large budget.[3][1][note 1] Yelin viewed Putin as the biggest and most admirable generator of news on television, and thus would be the best subject of a song.[6][7] However, Yelin believed that a mere song of praise for Putin wouldn't necessarily attain success,[8] seeking instead to write a song that not a single broadcaster would refuse to play,[7] and came up with the idea that the song should be about a man who drinks, fights, and treats his partner poorly, leading her to separate from him and instead desire a man like Putin, who is strong and honest.[9] Yelin assumed that the average Russian woman would like a man like Putin,[10] and found inspiration from the attitude of young women towards the new president, choosing to portray him akin to a pop star.[11][12] The singers were written to represent the everyday Russian girl who is surrounded by men who are "drunk, filthy and mean", in a manner similar to an earlier work by Yekaterina Semyonova [ru] in the 1980s who sings about a man who "neither drinks, nor smokes, and always gives flowers" (Чтоб не пил, не курил и цветы всегда дарил).[7]

The song was produced by Nikolai V. Gastello[13] (grandson of Nikolai Frantsevich Gastello[14]), who at the time was head of the press department of the Supreme Court of Russia,[15] but also worked in the music industry. Gastello, an ideological individual, wanted to establish a pop band that would express positive feelings about Russia[13] and rid Russian pop music of "depression and decadence".[14][15] He founded the pop group Poyushchie vmeste, alongside singers Larisa Lychina, Irina Kozlova and Yana Kozlova,[16] and used his music industry contacts to get the song played on the radio.[13][15]

Release

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Такого, как Путин, полного сил,
Такого, как Путин, чтобы не пил.
Такого, как Путин чтоб не обижал,
Такого, как Путин, чтоб не убежал.

I want a man like Putin, who's full of strength
I want a man like Putin, who doesn't drink
I want a man like Putin, who won't make me sad
I want a man like Putin, who won't run away

— Chorus of "Takogo, kak Putin!" (2002) by Poyushchie vmeste, with English translation by PBS[17]

The song was initially only broadcast on radio (on channels such as Russkoye Radio, Dynamite FM [ru], and AvtoRadio), and was not available for purchase.[18] Vladimir Putin himself stated that he did not feel offended by the song,[16] whereupon the song began playing on state radio stations.[19] Since the origin of the song was initially not well known, suspicions were raised that the song was created as part of official Russian propaganda.[9] In 2004, CD Land Records released an album featuring the song, among other tracks.[20]

In 2004, the band Poyushchie vmeste split up, eventually reuniting in 2015 with a new line-up featuring much younger singers, and releasing a newly re-recorded version of "Takogo, kak Putin!".[21]

Music video

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The video was played on MTV Rossiya as the song placed high in the charts.[19] Putin lookalike Anatoly Gorbunov was cast for the music video of the song.[22] In the video, Gastello plays an advisor to Putin, with whom he reviews a video featuring the performing singers, who dance seductively in front of an animated Russian flag,[23] moving similarly to Bond girls in the opening sequences of James Bond films.[24] The Putin lookalike is portrayed akin to a master spy, making parallels with James Bond,[24] considered a masculine and worldly figure in popular culture, traits which should translate to Putin. Video snippets of the real-world Putin from state media are shown as inserts, including footage of Putin in the cockpit of a fighter jet, practising Judo, and performing presidential duties.[5]

Reception

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The song was written two years after Putin's inauguration, riding the wave of Russia's euphoria for a new president who bore nationwide expectations that he would lead the country forward.[2] Although Putin was sarcastically portrayed in the song as an ideal man, the song was not taken satirically, and Putin even used the song as a promotional anthem at events and rallies,[1] with the song becoming appropriated for state purposes.[3] The song saw its greatest success and popularity in late 2007 and early 2008.[5]

It features a catchy trance beat, is short in duration, and consists of two easily-memorable verses.[2] The verses are made up of an ABAB rhyme scheme with impure rhymes in the B-line, while the chorus has an AABB rhyme scheme.[2] Putin's name is mentioned very frequently throughout the song lyrics;[2] in the first stanza, the woman separates from her boyfriend, while the second stanza describes how she sees Putin on the news and concludes that she would be better off with a man like Putin.[25] Putin's cult of personality is largely influenced by television depictions and Russia's conflict with the West; the woman's leap from news to private life is abrupt,[5] with Putin saying on television what the populace wants to hear and admire. Ergo, the song is about a woman who has found her personal ideal, and is not a song about the president.[7]

Initially, listeners in Russia did not know whether the song expressed humour, admiration, melancholy, or whether it was orchestrated PR.[26] However, the song became so popular that an official English version[1][15] titled "You Must Be Like Putin" was also recorded and included as the eleventh track of the 2004 album.[20]

Use in politics

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Putin fishing in Tuva, 2007. Putin often presents himself as a masculine figure in Russian media.

Although earlier Soviet leaders were often portrayed as strong leaders in Soviet agitprop, the media depiction of Vladimir Putin differs in that such portrayals aim to make him appear "cool".[27] The propagandistic portrayal of Putin in Russian media stems from the ideologue Vladislav Surkov;[28] Putin, who neither smokes nor drinks, was built up as a virile bearer of hope, in contrast to the likes of Boris Yeltsin.[29][30] Putin's image is that of a strong, masculine man, but also purged of vices commonly attributed to men in Russia, such as drunkenness, smoking and recklessness.[31] The song was especially successful with women in Russia,[32][33][34] to whom his abstinence from alcohol is considered particularly admirable.[35] Putin is portrayed in the song as desirable for women and as a role model for men,[36] corresponding to the desire in Russia for a strong leader;[37][38] the idea that men like Putin do not run away can be associated with Putin's hardline response to the 1999 Russian apartment bombings, while the improvement of living conditions in Russia during his presidency allude to Putin being a saviour or protector.[2] The song popularised Putin as a symbol of true Russian masculinity and featured an undertone which carried Putin's political leadership.[39]

The lyrics "I want a man like Putin, who won't run away" were interpreted by Russian women especially as a metaphor for Putin's marital fidelity,[40] thus representing a father and role-model figure who is both competent and benevolent.[41] Later in 2008, while addressing his extramarital affair, Putin said that he "liked all Russian women", who were the "most beautiful in the world";[23][42] his 2014 divorce did not affect Putin's approval ratings, and rumours of his newfound fatherhood were seen as proof of the then-60 year old's physical health.[31]

Putin's name occurs ten times within the lyrics, which consists of 108 words, thereby taking up 9.259% of all words used. The primary vocalists emphasise the first syllable of the name, while the background singers emphasise the second syllable, giving the name a double stress,[40] and the refrain is repeated five times. The statement "He must be like Putin" expresses to the audience that they need Putin, or that they should be like him, with no additional justification being given. The message is that Putin is universally capable of providing assistance in all circumstances where he is called upon; the incompleteness of the message makes listeners believe that they will choose Putin on their own accord, and benefits Putin as voters do not feel directly manipulated.[40]

In 2002, the song was viewed as bizarre propaganda among Western media outlets,[43] and its ironic undertones were overlooked, as was the case within Russia.[27] In the West, the song represented a contradictory perception of Putin, on the one hand a mysterious former KGB agent, while on the other hand a cartoony, bare-chested macho man chasing after votes.[44] Phrases like "One like Putin" have been used by the pro-government youth organisation Nashi to recruit members, in reference to the song.[45] Sergei Buntman [ru], founder of Echo of Moscow, believes that the song plays into Putin's control over the media, using popular songs for internal propaganda to gain and maintain support for his policies, and to increase popular confidence in his government.[46] Without clear political programs that can be assigned to specific parties, voters in Russia often orient themselves towards well-known individuals, and voters find it difficult to express their political will among a low political culture; as a result, voters rely on a large extent on their feelings to determine their sympathy or antipathy towards a certain politician, and advertising through catchy musical earworms plays a major role in influencing such feelings.[40]

In the midst of the 2011–2013 Russian protests, Alexander Yelin released the anti-Putin song "Nash durdom golosuyet za Putina" (Наш дурдом голосует за Путина; lit. "Our madhouse votes for Putin") with the musical group Rabfaq [ru] (Рабфак), at the request of an opposition party politician;[47][2] the lyrics are set from the point of view of a psychiatric patient whose insanity arises from Putin's rhetoric and what the patient sees.[48][49] Thus, the most famous pro-Putin song and the then-most famous anti-Putin song were written by the same composer; Yelin had also been notably dissatisfied with the aloof appropriation of "Takogo, kak Putin!".[5]

Samples

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The tune of the song was sampled by Nathan Evans in his 2024 Song "Flowers in the Water"

Notes

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  1. ^ PBS (2011) reports a $300 bet,[3] while WLRN-TV (2015) places the value at $200;[1] this discrepancy can be attributed to fluctuations in currency exchange values.

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e Julia Barton (October 6, 2015). "Russian songwriter feeds pro-, anti-Putin crowds". WLRN-TV. Archived from the original on December 23, 2015.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h Greisinger, Stefanie (October 2012). Das politische Lied in der Ära Putins (PDF) (Thesis) (in German). University of Vienna. pp. 42–47. Archived (PDF) from the original on December 22, 2015.
  3. ^ a b c d e Matthew Clayfield (December 23, 2011). "Putin a comic book hero to stir the Russian spirit". Crikey. Archived from the original on January 11, 2012.
  4. ^ a b Emily D. Johnson (April 2009). "Putin and Emptiness: The Place of Satire in the Contemporary Cult of Personality" (PDF). The Harriman Review. 16 (4). Columbia University: 1–5. Archived from the original (PDF) on December 11, 2013.
  5. ^ a b c d e Henschel, Robert (2015). The Sound of Power: Music and the Cults of Personality of Putin and Chávez (Thesis). University of Alberta. pp. 16–19.
  6. ^ PBS Soundtracks: A Man Like Putin. PBS. 2013. Event occurs at 3:28. Yelin: "I approached the project as a technical problem. Who's the biggest newsmaker in the country? Vladimir Putin."
  7. ^ a b c d Kirill Ivanov; Denis Boyarinov (March 14, 2008). "Песни про Путина". Colta (in Russian). Archived from the original on October 22, 2013.
  8. ^ PBS Soundtracks: A Man Like Putin. PBS. 2013. Event occurs at 3:34. Alexis Bloom: "Yelin knew that writing a Soviet-style propaganda about Putin would never sell in today's Russia." Yelin: "What can a girl sing about? She can't sing that Putin is great. That would be stupid and it wouldn't be funny. But she can sing that everything around her sucks, and she needs a man like Putin."
  9. ^ a b Sarah Rainsford (August 23, 2002). "Putin is Russia's new pop idol". BBC News. Archived from the original on February 6, 2003.
  10. ^ PBS Soundtracks: A Man Like Putin. PBS. 2013. Event occurs at 11:34. Yelin: "Everyone in the world thinks this song is about Putin. But Russians love it because of its lyrics. 'A man who doesn't drink, who won't run away, who doesn't cheat.' Russians love songs about suffering women. And this song, at its core, is very touching. It's about female tragedy. A woman lives in the provinces. She's surrounded by dirt and drunkards. Her life is a nightmare! And she wants someone like the guy she sees on TV."
  11. ^ Yulia S. Danilina (2013). "Cyber Monologues with an Autocrat: The Liberal-networked Public Sphere and the 2011–2012 Protest Movement in Russia" (PDF). American University. p. 173. Archived from the original (PDF) on December 23, 2015.
  12. ^ Anastasia Izyumskaya (October 19, 2011). "Автор хита "Наш дурдом голосует за Путина" согласен поддержать любую партию". Dozhd (in Russian). Archived from the original on December 23, 2015.
  13. ^ a b c Steven Lee Myers (September 1, 2002). "The World; Singing the Praises of Mr. Personality". The New York Times. Archived from the original on December 23, 2015.
  14. ^ a b "Russlands Präsident erobert die Charts". Die Tageszeitung (in German). August 28, 2002. Archived from the original on December 24, 2015.
  15. ^ a b c d Douglas Birch (September 3, 2002). "Putin's popularity reaches high note". The Baltimore Sun. Archived from the original on December 23, 2015.
  16. ^ a b Olga Savka (December 12, 2002). "Singing together: "They want one like Putin"". pravda.ru. Archived from the original on April 24, 2022.
  17. ^ PBS Soundtracks: A Man Like Putin. PBS. 2013. Event occurs at 8:20.
  18. ^ Greg Holden (2004). Internet Babylon: Secrets, Scandals, and Shocks on the Information Superhighway. Apress. pp. 88–89. ISBN 978-1-4302-0684-2.
  19. ^ a b PBS Soundtracks: A Man Like Putin. PBS. 2013. Event occurs at 8:51. Alexis Bloom: "With Putin's nod of approval, the song took off on government radio stations, and the video was featured on Russia's MTV. Within weeks, the song hit number one on all the charts."
  20. ^ a b "Такого, как Путин!". Автограф (in Russian). Archived from the original on April 24, 2022.
  21. ^ "«Поющие вместе» готовят новый скандал". Информационное агентство NEWSmuz (in Russian). August 6, 2015. Archived from the original on December 23, 2015.
  22. ^ PBS Soundtracks: A Man Like Putin. PBS. 2013. Event occurs at 6:43. Alexis Bloom: "They discovered him in a garage in southern Russia. Anatoly Gorbunov is a natural-born hand—he builds antique cars, and made this slapstick video with the goofy music to advertise his company. When Putin became president in 2000, Anatoly suddenly found himself in demand as a Putin impersonator. Once they'd found their Putin, the producers were ready to make their music video. Gastello cast himself as Putin's right-hand man, plotting the release of a propaganda song."
  23. ^ a b Ellen Rutten (2012). "Putin on Panties: Sexing Russia in late soviet and post-soviet culture" (PDF). Amsterdam: Pegasus. pp. 567–597. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 21, 2014.
  24. ^ a b PBS Soundtracks: A Man Like Putin. PBS. 2013. Event occurs at 7:30. Alexis Bloom: "The video has a secret agent feel... Putin is spymaster, complete with his Bond girls."
  25. ^ Robert Baag (September 18, 2006). ""Mischung aus Kommunismus und Zarismus"". Deutschlandfunk (in German). Archived from the original on January 5, 2016.
  26. ^ Maruska Svasek (2006). Postsocialism: Politics and Emotions in Central and Eastern Europe. Berghahn Books. p. 216. ISBN 978-0-85745-559-8.
  27. ^ a b Sylvia M. Stewart (2004). New Propaganda: Remnants of Soviet Mass Media in Pro-Kremlin Popular Culture (PDF) (Thesis). University of Mississippi. pp. 66–70. Archived (PDF) from the original on December 23, 2015.
  28. ^ Valerie Sperling (2014). Sex, Politics, and Putin: Political Legitimacy in Russia. Oxford University Press. p. 39. ISBN 978-0-19-932435-4.
  29. ^ Sumina, Ekaterina (2014). Producing white and black: the Caucasian male Other and boundaries of the nation in contemporary Russia (PDF) (Thesis). Central European University. pp. 44–46.
  30. ^ Julie A. Cassiday; Emily D. Johnson (October 2010). "Putin, Putiniana and the Question of a Post-Soviet Cult of Personality". SEER. 88 (4): 681–707.
  31. ^ a b Andrey Makarychev; Sergei Medvedev (2015). "Biopolitics and Power in Putin's Russia". Problems of Post-Communism. 62: 45–54. doi:10.1080/10758216.2015.1002340. S2CID 73568656.
  32. ^ Jeremy Bransten (September 9, 2002). "Russia: From Pop Songs To Vegetables, Is A Putin Personality Cult Emerging?". Radio Free Europe. Archived from the original on March 16, 2018.
  33. ^ Shaun Walker (October 5, 2012). "Vladimir Putin still has it at 60: one in five women want to marry him". The Independent. Archived from the original on October 9, 2012.
  34. ^ Vivienne Walt (October 30, 2002). "Russians sing praises to popular president". USA Today. Archived from the original on December 23, 2015.
  35. ^ "Personenkult: Popsängerinnen träumen von Putin". Rheinische Post (in German). August 24, 2002. Archived from the original on April 6, 2022. Retrieved April 24, 2022.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  36. ^ Frank Gadinger; Sebastian Jarzebski; Taylan Yildiz (2014). Politische Narrative: Konzepte – Analysen – Forschungspraxis (in German). Springer. p. 312. ISBN 978-3-658-02581-6.
  37. ^ Omar Aa. Souary (October 7, 2014). Russia's 21th century – The Re-emergence of a Superpower? (PDF) (Thesis). Roskilde University. p. 57. Archived from the original (PDF) on December 23, 2015.
  38. ^ Geir Hønneland (2014). Arctic Politics, the Law of the Sea and Russian Identity: The Barents Sea Delimitation Agreement in Russian Public Debate. Palgrave Macmillan. p. 6. ISBN 978-1-137-41406-9.
  39. ^ Angela Lee (2013). Putin's Youth: Nashi and the Pro-Regime Youth Movement in Russia, 2000–2012 (Thesis). Wellesley College. p. 23. Archived from the original on December 23, 2015.
  40. ^ a b c d Maxim Bogachev (August 2010). ""Singing Together": using pop songs in political campaigning" (PDF). Russia and the Council of Europe: Topics for Common Agenda – A Look from Norway. Higher School of Economics: 287–294. Archived (PDF) from the original on December 23, 2015.
  41. ^ Heidrun Igra (2010). "Interkulturelle Kompetenz: deutsch-russische Kulturstandards im interkulturellen Management" (PDF). Modern Linguistic and Methodical-and-didactic Researches (in German). 13 (1). Voronezh State University of Architecture and Civil Engineering: 160–172. Archived from the original (PDF) on December 23, 2015.
  42. ^ "Ladies man Putin: 'I like Russian women'". NBC News. April 19, 2008. Archived from the original on April 6, 2022.
  43. ^ Gregory J. Simons (2004). Ideology, image-making and the media in Putin's Russia (Thesis). University of Canterbury. p. 63. Archived (PDF) from the original on January 16, 2015.
  44. ^ Tom Blackwell (March 4, 2014). "Mysterious and 'arrogant' Vladimir Putin seeks Russia's return to status of world superpower". National Post. Archived from the original on April 24, 2022.
  45. ^ Christine Roner (2011). "Politik Macht Jugend!? Liguistisch-diskursanalytische Perspektiven auf Medientexte der russischen politischen Jugendbewegung Naši". Spielformen der Macht: interdisziplinäre Perspektiven auf Macht im Rahmen junger slawistischer Forschung (in German). Innsbruck University Press. p. 165. ISBN 978-3-902719-87-4.
  46. ^ Art Silverblatt; Nikolai Zlobin (2015). International Communications: A Media Literacy Approach. Routledge. p. 64. ISBN 978-1-317-46759-5.
  47. ^ Lena Jonson (2015). Art and Protest in Putin's Russia. Routledge. p. 240. ISBN 978-1-317-54299-5.
  48. ^ Samuel Rachlin (February 15, 2012). "www.putin.skewered". The New York Times. Archived from the original on December 22, 2015.
  49. ^ Rebecca Reich (2015). "Over the Cuckoo's Nest: Russian Variations on a Psychiatric Theme". Psychiatry in Communist Europe. Palgrave Macmillan. p. 126. ISBN 978-1-137-49091-9.
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