Alisa (Алиса, Russian for Alice) is a Russian and Soviet hard rock band, on… Read Full Bio ↴Alisa (Алиса, Russian for Alice) is a Russian and Soviet hard rock band, one of the most influential in the Russian rock movement. Their lyrics, written by vocalist Konstantin Kinchev, are about social problems, rock lifestyle, Slavic culture and, recently, Christian faith. Alisa's music evolved from post punk in the 1980s to heavier metal sound of recent albums.

Alisa was founded in November 1983 by bassist Svetoslav Zadery. The name of the band is borrowed from Lewis Carroll's book "Alice in Wonderland". The band's lineup was finally completed in 1984, when new vocalist Kostya Kinchev (born Konstantin Panfilov) and guitarist Pyotr Samoylov joined Alisa. Their debut album "Energia" (Energy) was released by Melodia, the state publishing monopoly, and was sold in numbers of more than one million.

But the relations between the two leaders, Konstantin and Zadery, were poor, and finally Svetoslav left the band. This occurred just one hour before Alisa was to perform at a concert. Alisa had to ask Кино bassist Igor Tihomirov to replace him for one concert. Later Zadery created his own band 'Nate!' ('Take it!').

The growing popularity of the band created a fan community called the 'Army of Alisa', known for their rough behaviour at concerts. It led to animosity between the band and Soviet officials. In 1987 the newspaper Smena accused Kinchev of Nazi propaganda and worshipping Hitler. Alisa's leader Kinchev filed a suit for calumny and moral loss compensation. After the year-long court process the magazine published the refutation. Alisa's next album was titled Article 206 part 2, a chapter ('Hooliganism') of the USSR Procedural Code, alluding to this process.

There were new lineup changes in 1988, when guitarist Igor 'Chuma' Chumykin joined Alisa. This change was followed by the heavier sound of next albums Shabash and For those Who Fell From the Moon. Alisa toured through Europe and Israel together with Aria. The album Black Mark, 1994, was dedicated to the memory of Chuma, who committed suicide by jumping from the window.

In the new millennium, with albums such as Seychas Pozdnee Chem Ty Dumaesh (It is Later Than You Think, 2003) and Izgoy (Exile, 2005), the sound of Alisa was changed to a heavier one, including elements of nu-metal, industrial and heavy metal. Music critics credited Clawfinger as Kinchev's greatest new music influence. This gave Alisa a new fan base among Russian hard rock fans, and three songs from Izgoy continually reached the top of the NASHE radio chart.

Kinchev was baptised in 1990, and since then Christianity has been the main influence on his alignment and his lyrics. Although early Alisa lyrics were typical for Russian rock - the social protest and rock 'n' roll hype - since the late 1990's their main theme has been ideas of Christianity, Russian patriotism, and Slavic unity.

Konstantin is in good relations with the priests of the Russian Orthodox Church, especially Andrey Kuraev. Alisa has participated in many religion-supporting festivals, such as 'Musicians for the Christ Savior Cathedral'.

Кода
АлисА Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Жили под лестницей крыса и пёс.
Песенки пели друг другу под нос.
Но как-то под утро их увёз чумовоз.
Где теперь крыса, и где теперь пёс?
Вот это вопрос.

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Алиса's song Кода tell the story of a rat and a dog who lived underneath a staircase together. They would sing songs to each other quietly, but one morning they were taken away by a disease control vehicle. The song ends with a question of where they are now. This story serves as a metaphor for the transient nature of life and the way that unexpected events can completely uproot our plans and relationships.

The lyrics of Кода are incredibly poignant and thought-provoking. They get the listener to think about their own mortality and the fragility of all life. The song speaks to the existential questions that people have as they grapple with their mortality. This song serves as a reminder to live our lives with kindness and empathy, as everyone can succumb to unexpected events that change our lives radically.

Line by Line Meaning

Жили под лестницей крыса и пёс.
Under the stairs lived a rat and a dog.

Песенки пели друг другу под нос.
They sang songs to each other under their noses.

Но как-то под утро их увёз чумовоз.
But one morning they were taken away by the plague cart.

Где теперь крыса, и где теперь пёс?
Where are the rat and the dog now?

Вот это вопрос.
That's the question.

Contributed by Dylan Y. Suggest a correction in the comments below.

To comment on or correct specific content, highlight it

TRACKS