Mashina Vremeni (Russian for "Time Machine") is a Soviet/Russian blues rock… Read Full Bio ↴Mashina Vremeni (Russian for "Time Machine") is a Soviet/Russian blues rock band. One of the earliest Russian rock bands, it remains active for over 50 years. It was formed in the late 1960s in Moscow by Andrey Makarevich and Alexander Kutikov, later joined by Evgeny Margulis. While originally inspired by The Beatles and soviet bards (singer-songwriters), the band eventually developed towards a more straight-ahead blues rock sound.

Despite the long history, Mashina released no official albums before 1983, because of the state censorship. Early records were self-released via tapes and not considered albums. Since 1991 all Mashina Vremeny albums are released by Sintez records, Kutikov's record label.

The band is famous for its eclectic style. Makarevich prefers the traditional russian rock style, Kutikov composes more hard rock driven music, while Margulis is credited as one of Russia's major blues players. Through years and lineup changes, almost every member composed a song, and many of them were singing themselves. In 90's, from five instrumentalists of Mashina Vremeni four were singers simultaneously. All of the band's leaders sing in numerous side projects and often release solo albums.

Since the foundation, the band went through dramatical lineup changes. In 1974 Kutikov departed from Mashina due to conflict with drummer Sergey Kavagoe, and was replaced by Margulis. He returned to new lineup, after Margulis and Kavagoe left the band in 1979 and formed Воскресение. From 1979 to 1982 Petr Podgorodetsky played keyboard and composed some boogie-woogie-driven songs with humorous lyrics. In 1982 he was replaced with Alexander Zaytsev.

80's are considered Mashina's "golden era": the ideological suppression on band was eased and they were allowed to tour and publish albums officially. In 1980 Mashina Vremeni won the first prize on Tbilisi Rock Festival (runner-up was Автограф). Many of the most popular songs, such as Povorot (The Turn), Marionetki (Puppets), Kosteor (Flame) belong to this period.

In 1990 Mashina celebrated its 20th anniversary with a gig on Red Square. Many friendly musicians, including band's former members, participated in it. As Zaytsev was fired due to his alcohol abuse, Mashina leaders invited Margulis and Podgorodetsky to join the reunion. This lineup, consisting of four singing songwriters and considered the most famous, remained until 2000, when the band once again fired its keyboardist, now Podgorodetsky. Currently keyboards are played by Andrey Derzhavin.

Солдат
Машина времени Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Я с детства выбрал верный путь,
Решил чем буду заниматься,
И все никак я не дождусь,
Когда мне стукнет восемнадцать.

Тогда приду в военкомат
И доложу при всех как нужно,
Что я в душе давно солдат,

И пусть меня берут на службу.

Мне форму новую дадут,
Научат бить из автомата,
Когда по городу пройду -
Умрут от зависти ребята.

Я так решил давным-давно,
И пусть меняет мода моду.

И огорчает лишь одно -
Что мне служить всего два года.

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of the song "Солдат" by Машина Времени, meaning "Soldier", portray the story of a young man who has chosen his path since childhood and has decided to serve in the military. He eagerly waits to turn eighteen years old and go to the enlistment office where he will declare his willingness to serve his country as a soldier. He believes that he was born to be a soldier and the envy of his peers fuels his desire to proudly wear his uniform and carry his gun around the city. His only regret is that he will only serve for two years.

The song speaks to a sense of duty and patriotism as the singer willingly chooses to serve his country. It also touches on the idea of identity and how one's occupation can shape who they are. The singer identifies himself as a soldier already, and his desire to serve his country and wear the uniform is a part of his identity. At the same time, the song also highlights the societal norms that can limit someone's choices, like mandatory military service, and the loss of personal freedom that comes with such responsibilities.

Line by Line Meaning

Я с детства выбрал верный путь,
Since childhood, I have chosen the right path.

Решил чем буду заниматься,
I've decided what I will do in life.

И все никак я не дождусь,
And I can't wait for the day

Когда мне стукнет восемнадцать.
When I turn eighteen.

Тогда приду в военкомат
Then I'll go to the military enlistment office

И доложу при всех как нужно,
And report to everyone as required,

Что я в душе давно солдат,
That I am a soldier at heart,

И пусть меня берут на службу.
And let them take me into the service.

Мне форму новую дадут,
They'll give me a new uniform,

Научат бить из автомата,
Teach me to shoot an automatic rifle,

Когда по городу пройду -
When I walk around the city,