We Haven’t Been Home for a Long Time (1945)
Vladimir Bunchikov. With Vladimir Nechaev. Music: Vasilii Solov’ev-Sedoi. Lyrics: Aleksei Fat’ianov
Description: The popular song-writer duo of Fatianov and Solov’ev-Sedoi produced this song in the last months of the war, when it became an instant hit. It was soon, though, that Fatianov fell subject to the same purge of the literary world that claimed Zoshchenko and Akhmatova. It would be quite few years before the song was heard again.
Victory Day (1975)
Soviet Army Academy Orchestra. Music: David Tukhmanov
Description: This march, now an obligatory element of all Victory Day (May 9) celebrations, was banned by censors when it was first composed in 1973. Its composer, David Tukhmanov, was know for his pop music hits, and his youth and the elements of foxtrot and other western music were deemed inappropriate by the elder leaders of the Composers Union. Once heard on the air though, the song’s popularity was so great that officials were forced to allow it to enter the pantheon of patriotic music.
Where are You Now, Battlefield Friends (1946)
Klavdiia Shul’zhenko. Music: Vasilii Solov’ev-Sedoi. Lyrics: Aleksei Fat’ianov
Description: A popular song about veterans returning to the home front after their great victory in Berlin.
Song of a Combat Truck Driver (1945)
Mark Bernes. Music: B. A. Mokrousov. Lyrics: N. Labkovskii, Boris Laskin
The Cossacks Ride Through Berlin (1945)
V. Vuyachich. Music: Dm. & Dan. Pokrass. Lyrics: Tsezar Solodar
Description: A seeming anachronism in a war dominated by tanks and planes, the Cossack cavalry made it through the war and to victory in Berlin. Their dashing horsemanship was and odd sight in the rubble-ridden streets of Berlin.
Gun Salvoes Have Long Gone Silent (1968)
Vladimir Vysotskii