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'.

Мир
АлисА Lyrics

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Понять, не значит поверить,
Простить, не значит понять.
Все брали все, что хотели,
Я только то, что не взять.
Мешая пепел и сажу,
Не дотянуться к огню.
Всем важно, что о них скажут,
Мне важно, как отпоют.

В этом мире слишком много
Общечеловеческих слов,
Широка земля-дорога,
Сеть полна, богат улов.

Найти, не значит увидеть,
Открыть, не значит найти.
Все захлебнулись в обиде,
Когда я встал на пути.
Мир в танце протуберанцев
Сгорит и выстрелит вновь.
Кто верит в путь инноваций,
Тот вряд ли верит в любовь.

21.12.2009. Покрова

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of the song "Мир" by Алиса reflect the complexity of human nature and the struggle to find oneself in a chaotic world full of conflicting expectations and desires. The first stanza conveys the message that understanding is not the same as believing, and forgiveness is not the same as understanding. The singer feels that while everyone takes what they want, the only thing they can take is something they don't want. The phrase "Мешая пепел и сажу, Не дотянуться к огню" (mixing ashes and soot, Unable to reach the fire) suggests the feeling of being stuck in a rut, unable to achieve one's goals. The singer is more concerned with how they will be judged by others than with what others think of themselves.

The second stanza highlights the abundance of words in today's world that are often meaningless and shallow. The phrase "Общечеловеческих слов" (universal words) indicates the commonplace and meaningless nature of most phrases used in today's world. The line "Мир в танце протуберанцев" (The world dances the dance of protuberants) suggests that the world is driven by self-serving, greedy individuals who dance to their own tune, regardless of how it affects others. The final line "Кто верит в путь инноваций, Тот вряд ли верит в любовь" (Whoever believes in the path of innovation, He hardly believes in love) implies that those who pursue innovation and progress may do so at the expense of love and compassion.

Overall, the song reflects the artist's disillusionment with the world and its values, highlighting the need for genuine human connection and understanding.

Line by Line Meaning

Понять, не значит поверить,
Understanding does not mean believing,

Простить, не значит понять.
Forgiving does not mean understanding.

Все брали все, что хотели,
Everyone took what they wanted,

Я только то, что не взять.
I only took what was not available.

Мешая пепел и сажу,
Mixing ashes and soot,

Не дотянуться к огню.
Unable to reach the fire.

Всем важно, что о них скажут,
Everyone cares about what others say about them,

Мне важно, как отпоют.
I care about how they sing about me.

В этом мире слишком много
In this world, there are too many

Общечеловеческих слов,
Words of universal meaning,

Широка земля-дорога,
The earth road is wide,