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'.
Сны
АлисА Lyrics
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Тридцать лет и три дня,
Я пытался разжечь огонь.
В драке разных систем,
Колобок – мой тотем,
Ухожу от любых погонь.
Время гнется дугой,
Впереди хоровод минут.
Я построил миры
Ради этой игры,
Но забыл все, чем грезил тут.
Теряю связь,
Развожу в сети пургу,
Что явью сны стерегу.
За каждым сном судьба,
За каждой смертью жизнь.
Весь этот jazz – борьба,
Только давай, держись.
Все на свете
К небу имеет счет.
Как, и за что в ответе,
Кто здесь разберет?
Засыпая во сне,
Выходил по весне
И пытался совсем не спать,
Влет менял адреса,
Жег глазами глаза
И учил воробьев летать.
Время крошится в мел,
То рапид, то пробел,
Пустота между там и здесь.
И не склеить никак,
Скажут, жил-был дурак,
Много врал, да и вышел весь.
24.03.2011 Покровка
The song "Сны" by Алиса is a reflection on the passage of time and the meaning of life. The lyrics speak about the singer's desire to be awakened from a long slumber, during which he has lost sight of his goals and dreams. He has spent thirty years and three days trying to ignite a fire within him, but has failed to do so. He has been engaged in a battle against different systems, and his totem is a "kolobok," a traditional Russian character that represents a small dough ball. He is running away from any chases and has lost touch with reality, wading through a blizzard created by his own thoughts.
The lyrics further detail the theme of the song as the singer reflects on his life's work. He has spent his time constructing worlds for the sake of the game, but has forgotten all his dreams. Jazz is depicted as a fight, and in the end, the song encourages the listener to hold on to the bitter end. The singer reflects upon how everything in the world has its reckoning with the sky, and no one can decipher the reasons why.
In essence, the song speaks about the existential questions that we all face at some point in our lives. The lyrics encourage us to hold on to our dreams, despite the inevitability of time and the fleeting nature of life.
Line by Line Meaning
Разбудите меня,
Please wake me up,
Тридцать лет и три дня,
I have been trying for thirty years and three days,
Я пытался разжечь огонь.
To ignite a fire inside me.
В драке разных систем,
In battles of different systems,
Колобок – мой тотем,
Kolobok is my totem,
Ухожу от любых погонь.
I run away from any pursuit.
У меня за спиной
Behind me
Время гнется дугой,
Time bends like a bow,
Впереди хоровод минут.
In front of me is a circle of minutes.
Я построил миры
I built worlds
Ради этой игры,
For the sake of this game,
Но забыл все, чем грезил тут.
But I forgot all that I dreamed of here.
Теряю связь,
I am losing connection,
Развожу в сети пургу,
I spread a blizzard in the network,
Что явью сны стерегу.
To guard the dreams with its reality.
За каждым сном судьба,
Behind every dream is destiny,
За каждой смертью жизнь.
Behind every death is life.
Весь этот jazz – борьба,
All of this jazz is a fight,
Только давай, держись.
But let’s go on, hold on.
Все на свете
Everything in the world
К небу имеет счет.
Has a score to be settled above.
Как, и за что в ответе,
How and for what will we be held responsible,
Кто здесь разберет?
Who will figure it out?
Засыпая во сне,
Falling asleep in a dream,
Выходил по весне
I would walk out in the spring
И пытался совсем не спать,
And tried not to sleep at all,
Влет менял адреса,
I was changing addresses,
Жег глазами глаза
Burning with my eyes,
И учил воробьев летать.
And taught sparrows how to fly.
Время крошится в мел,
Time is crumbling to dust,
То рапид, то пробел,
Sometimes rapid, sometimes blank,
Пустота между там и здесь.
A void between there and here.
И не склеить никак,
And it is impossible to glue it back together,
Скажут, жил-был дурак,
People will say he lived foolishly,
Много врал, да и вышел весь.
He lied a lot, but he came out whole.
24.03.2011 Покровка
24.03.2011 Pokrovka
Contributed by Nolan B. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Віталій Макаров
Красивая вещь , АЛИСА СПАСИБО !!!
•Somnium Eget•
Из прошлого, приснился припев...