(1989)

Genius

The band's most well-known song, "Africa", calls man "an unplanned son of African herbs", suggesting unity among all humankind and repulsion to war innate to human nature. Although lyrics are somewhat ambiguous, they are widely understood to be anti-war.

The song gained more popularity in Russophone and partially Russophone countries when Belorussian band Lyapis Trubetskoy released a cover version in 2011.

Quando il petrolio sarà finito il Presidente morirà

Gospodin Priezidient
("Mr President")
[1995]
Lyrics and music / Testo e musica / Paroles et musique / Sanat ja sävel: Aleksandr Aleksandrovič Dolskij



The title of the song is “Mr. President” / “Господин президент” and it was written in 1995. According to the author, it refers to Boris Yeltsin, the Russian president at the time (although no name appears in the lyrics). So why this song is still considered so subversive and poisonous? So much so that it's impossible to find the lyrics on the Internet? (The poet: “Well, I have some pretty poisonous songs. For example, I had a song called “Mr. President”, I was addressing Yeltsin….” and: “In 1995, I sang two songs on television, one, rather unpleasant, called “Mr. President”... And ... I was immediately and for a long time excommunicated from the television...”). The song is well known, even famous (not only in Russia). However the author... (continua)