The band was formed in Leningrad, Soviet Union in 1972 by Борис Гребенщиков (Boris Grebenshchikov), then a student of Applied Mathematics at Leningrad State University, and Анатолий Гуницкий (Anatoly "George" Gunitsky), a playwright and absurdist poet. In Soviet era, independent music was banned, so early Aquarium's concert venues were private apartments. These concerts were a unique Soviet phenomenon, created by underground musicians. They were usually "unplugged", as noise would cause the neighbors to alert the authorities. The limited space fostered an atmosphere of intimacy between the group and its audience, listening with bated breath, with perhaps someone recording it on a simple tape recorder. This was similar to the concepts of the Russian bards (russian bard), however Aquarium were (admittedly) much more influenced by Western music, particularly by The Beatles, Bob Dylan, David Bowie, progressive rock acts Jethro Tull, King Crimson and Roxy Music and also reggae. Thus their compositions were considerably more complex and their lyrics covered a broader range of topics, showing Grebenshchikov's notable erudition in Celtic and Indian cultures, among other things.
Until 1987 Aquarium recorded all of their albums in a self-assembled underground studio (several members had engineering education) disguised as a "Young Technicians Club" (for the album Радио Африка (Radio Africa) (1983) a government-owned mobile studio was secretly used, after bribing a technician). Despite those hard conditions, the recording quality was rather high and Aquarium's albums between 1980 and 1987 are considered by most fans as their best.
The advent of Glasnost in 1985 brought many underground Russian rock musician to public recognition and Aquarium became one of the most popular Russian bands. They were allowed to play in large concert halls, appeared on the state-owned television and recorded soundtracks for several films, most notably ASSA. In 1987 they recorded their first album for the state-owned Melodiya record label. With official backing and legalized distribution the album was a huge hit in USSR, selling well over a million copies within a few months. This was, however, the last album recorded by this Aquarium line-up and the band broke up shortly afterward. Grebenshchikov released two albums in English and toured with several different backing bands. In 1991 after the break-up of Soviet Union he released Русский Альбом (The Russian Album) under the name BG-Band, a collection of melancholic folk songs influenced by his travels all over Russia and demonstrating a return to his Russian roots. Shortly afterwards BG-Band was renamed Aquarium although most of the musicians were different. This band continued to release more albums and touring extensively all over former Soviet Union and Eastern Europe and also appearing before Russian immigrant communities in Germany, Israel and United States.
Although often criticized for departure from their original style and constant line-up changes which make Aquarium essentially a Grebenshchikov solo project, the group still enjoys huge success in Russia - their songs, old and new, get a lot of airplay, their albums sell well, and they tour constantly.
There is also a side project by Adam Young (Owl City) by the name Aquarium (which redirects to this page when scrobbled) from around 2003-5.
PureVolume account.
Genre: European Dance/Screamo
Three songs were released:
1. If the Trees Had Eyes They Would Be Glaring at You
2. M is for Motorcycle
3. I am Denmark
From Owl City Database: "Now Adam had a lot of “screaming” bands lol, but this one is by far the best. Aquarium is catchy and progressive. For example, “I am Denmark”, shows immense structure with a driving European dance undertone. By far one of Adam’s most original works."
Websites used for information: Adam Young's Music, Owl City Fandom, Owl-City Fandom, and Owl City Database.
All of the links in this section were saved in the Wayback Machine.
Древнерусская тоска
Аквариум Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Ямщик опять нажрался водки или просто лег вздремнуть,
Колеса сдадены в музей, музей весь вынесли вон,
В каждом доме раздается то ли песня, то ли стон,
Как предсказано святыми все висит на волоске,
Я гляжу на это дело в древнерусской тоске...
На поле древней битвы нет ни копий ни костей,
Добрыня плюнул на Россию и в Милане чинит газ,
Алеша, даром что Попович, продал весь иконостас.
Один Илья пугает девок, скача в одном носке,
И я гляжу на это дело в древнерусской тоске...
У Ярославны дело плохо, ей некогда рыдать,
Она в конторе с пол-седьмого, у ней брифинг ровно в пять,
А все бояре на "Тойотах" издают "PlayBoy" и "Vogue",
Продав леса и нефть на Запад, СС20 - на Восток.
А князь Владимир, чертыхаясь, рулит в море на доске,
Я гляжу на это дело в древнерусской тоске...
У стен монастыря опять большой переполох,
По мелкой речке к ним приплыл четырнадцатирукий бог.
Монахи с матом машут кольями, бегут его спасти,
А бог глядит, что дело плохо, и кричит "пусти, пусти",
Настоятель в женском платье так и скачет на песке,
Я гляжу на это дело в древнерусской тоске...
А над удолбанной Москвою в небо лезут леса,
Турки строят муляжи Святой Руси за полчаса,
А у хранителей святыни палец пляшет на курке,
Знак червонца проступает вместо лика на доске,
Харе Кришна ходят строем по Арбату и Тверской,
Я боюсь, что сыт по горло древнерусской тоской...
The song “Древнерусская тоска” (Ancient Russian Melancholy) by Аквариум paints a vivid picture of a world turned upside down. The lyrics describe a scene where everything that was once held sacred has been lost to commercialism and corruption. The opening lines speak of a troika (carriage) careening off into the distance, the driver drunk or asleep at the reins. The wheels have been consigned to a museum, and the sounds of either song or lament can be heard from every house. The allusion to the troika is a metaphor for the fate of Russia itself, which seems to have lost its bearings, careening off into the future without a clear sense of direction.
The song goes on to describe other surreal and disturbing scenes. The battlefield of an ancient battle has been stripped of its relics and turned into a tourist attraction. The great heroes of Russian folklore, such as Dobrynya and Alyosha Popovich, have sold out and abandoned their traditional roles. Even Yaroslavna, the tragic heroine of the epic poem “The Lay of Igor's Campaign,” is too busy with work to mourn her lost love. The monks of a monastery are shown to be ineffectual against a fourteen-armed god who arrives by canoe.
Through its powerful imagery, the song captures the sense of disillusionment and despair that many Russians felt during the late Soviet period. One could interpret the lyrics as a lament for the loss of traditional Russian values, an outpouring of frustration with the corrupt bureaucracy and the invasion of Western culture, or a protest against the destruction of the country's historic monuments.
Line by Line Meaning
Куда ты, тройка, мчишься, куда ты держишь путь?
Where are you racing to, troika, where is your destination?
Ямщик опять нажрался водки или просто лег вздремнуть,
The driver has either drunk too much vodka again or simply fell asleep,
Колеса сдадены в музей, музей весь вынесли вон,
The wheels have been handed over to the museum, the entire museum has been taken away,
В каждом доме раздается то ли песня, то ли стон,
In every house there is either singing or moaning,
Как предсказано святыми все висит на волоске,
As predicted by the saints, everything is hanging by a thread,
Я гляжу на это дело в древнерусской тоске...
I look at this matter with ancient Russian sadness...
На поле древней битвы нет ни копий ни костей,
On the field of ancient battle there are neither spears nor bones,
Они пошли на сувениры для туристов и гостей,
They have gone to become souvenirs for tourists and guests,
Добрыня плюнул на Россию и в Милане чинит газ,
Dobrynya spat on Russia and is fixing gas in Milan,
Алеша, даром что Попович, продал весь иконостас.
Alyosha, despite being named after a legendary warrior, has sold the entire iconostasis for nothing.
Один Илья пугает девок, скача в одном носке,
Alone, Ilya scares the girls, jumping in one sock,
И я гляжу на это дело в древнерусской тоске...
And I look at this matter with ancient Russian sadness...
У Ярославны дело плохо, ей некогда рыдать,
Yaroslavna is in a tight spot; she has no time to cry,
Она в конторе с пол-седьмого, у ней брифинг ровно в пять,
She is at the office since half-past six, she has a briefing at five,
А все бояре на "Тойотах" издают "PlayBoy" и "Vogue",
All the boyars are driving Toyotas, publishing PlayBoy and Vogue,
Продав леса и нефть на Запад, СС20 - на Восток.
Selling wood and oil to the West, and SS20 to the East.
А князь Владимир, чертыхаясь, рулит в море на доске,
Prince Vladimir, cursing, is surfing in the sea on a board,
Я гляжу на это дело в древнерусской тоске...
And I look at this matter with ancient Russian sadness...
У стен монастыря опять большой переполох,
There is a great commotion once again at the walls of the monastery,
По мелкой речке к ним приплыл четырнадцатирукий бог.
A fourteen-armed god has sailed to them on a narrow river.
Монахи с матом машут кольями, бегут его спасти,
The monks, swearing, are waving their poles, running to save him,
А бог глядит, что дело плохо, и кричит "пусти, пусти",
And the god sees that things are going badly, and he yells, "Let me go, let me go!"
Настоятель в женском платье так и скачет на песке,
The abbot, dressed in women's clothing, gallops on the sand,
Я гляжу на это дело в древнерусской тоске...
And I look at this matter with ancient Russian sadness...
А над удолбанной Москвою в небо лезут леса,
And above the battered Moscow, forests are reaching up to the sky,
Турки строят муляжи Святой Руси за полчаса,
Turks are building replicas of Holy Russia in half an hour,
А у хранителей святыни палец пляшет на курке,
And the guardians of the sanctuary dance their fingers on their triggers,
Знак червонца проступает вместо лика на доске,
A red sign appears instead of a face on the board,
Харе Кришна ходят строем по Арбату и Тверской,
Hare Krishnas march in step down Arbat and Tverskaya,
Я боюсь, что сыт по горло древнерусской тоской...
I'm afraid that I'm filled to the brim with ancient Russian sadness...
Contributed by Landon K. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Tailor1969
@ig iv
У меня дома беспорядок, у меня растет борода,
Never had no problems
У меня никогда не было проблем,
'cause I've always paid the rent
Потому что я всегда плачу ренту.
I got no time for lovin'
У меня нет времени любить,
'Cause my time is all used up
Потому что мое время на исходе.
Источник: https://www.amalgama-lab.com/songs/c/chicago/i_m_a_man.html
© Лингво-лаборатория «Амальгама»: www.amalgama-lab.com/. точно так же ни о чём и обо всём,,,
Дед Западло
Боря красавчик! 26 лет песне, а все в цвет.
Лев Шошев
В начале 90-х все боялся, что наступит предел творчеству БГ. Закончится у человека творческий кураж. Сейчас я думаю, что он , возможно, в мире один такой неисчерпаемый источник. Как волшебный горшочек- все варит и варит свою музыку. Каждый год выдает несколько новых шедевров.Причем в самых неожиданных стилях. Нам повезло быть его современниками.Очень светлый человек.От него божественное сияние исходит!
Песни Крейца
А от меня исходит?
Александр Иванов
Увы, но очень много песен у него просто ни о чём, как оказалось - а многие искали в них смысл, а как оказалось - зря
Melodia Vetra
Не стоит превращать человека в икону. Он живой, потому и светится ))
Max S
Ну не знаю, не знаю, был на концерте БГ где-то в 2011 или 2012, он сильно сдал, кое-как отыграл 45 минут, всю дорогу сидя на табуретке. Ни сияния, ни энергетики
Uncle Zui
И чем то попахивает.
Николя Покровский
Эта песня никогда не устареет,браво!!!
konstantin604
Песня 1996 года, которая стала саундтреком 2022 года.
От него сияние исходит (С)
Мефодий Борисов
да 1996 года она и стала саундтреком
а в 2022-м , например, таким можно считать "Перекличку" Чичериной или "Позывной Струна" Юты