After being evacuated to Western Ukraine in 1986 following the Chernobyl disaster, Hütz became enamored of the mystical, outsider qualities of gypsy music. Living as a refugee in Poland, Hungary, Austria, and Italy before moving to the United States in 1993, he experienced life as an outsider himself.
After arriving in New York, he teamed up with guitarist Vlad Solofar and squeezebox player Sasha Kazatchkoff. American Eliot Fergusen added a strong rock sound on the drums and the band was also augmented by Sergei Riabtsev on fiddle, a former theater director from Moscow whose past experience would prove helpful in the future in crafting Gogol Bordello's bizarre stage shows (like one which tells the story of super-powered immigrant Ukrainian vampires).
The group's early gigs involved playing straight gypsy music at Russian weddings, but their music soon evolved into the hyper-kinetic explosions that earned them a solid following amongst New York's downtown hipsters. The band issued a single in 1999 entitled Gogol Bordello, quickly followed by their debut full-length, Voi-La Intruder, which was produced by Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds' drummer Jim Sclavunos. Solofar and Kazatchkoff were replaced by accordionist Yuri Lemeshev, who hails from the Russian island of Sakhalin, and two Israelis, guitarist Oren Kaplan and saxophonist Ori Kaplan, who despite their similar names were not related.
Hütz helped bolster the band's popularity by becoming somewhat of a celebrity in the downtown scene, in part fueled by his Thursday night DJ gigs at Bulgarian club/restaurant/bar Mehanata, where he played Ukrainian, Gypsy, raï and flamenco music for a crowd of artists, models, Ukrainians, Russians, Gypsies, and Bulgarians with tendencies toward exuberant dancing and smashing plates. In the spring of 2002, Gogol Bordello embarked on a European tour and performed as part of the Whitney Biennial, bringing their music to a whole new audience.
In 2007, the band released their fourth studio album, Super Taranta!.
The members of Gogol Bordello have also made appearances in film. In 2006, their song "Start Wearing Purple" was featured in the film Everything Is Illuminated (starring Elijah Wood and Eugene Hütz), bringing their music to an even broader audience throughout the US.
Gogol Bordello all appeared in Madonna's first short film as director, Filth and Wisdom. Eugene Hütz is to play one of the lead roles. The band have contributed three original songs to the soundtrack.
Their music was also featured in the film Wristcutters: A Love Story and the character of Eugene was based on and partially written by Eugene Hütz.
Avenue B
Gogol Bordello Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Ai ai ai ai ai, not me, not you
Ai ai ai ai ai, woo woo woo
Ai ai ai ai ai, not me, not you
Ai ai ai ai ai, a-woo woo woo
Ai ai ai ai ai, not me, not you
Sitting in a Russian bath-house on Avenue B
Ai, razminku yershikom provodim my
Nobody learn no nothing from no history
Tall little Sally plays with magic pebbles
Dasha sells equipment to the Chechnya rebels
Ya vyhozhu iz anala v astral
Tam mnogo chego slyshal no ne zapisal
Nesmotrya na Se.Sheh.Ah ne poterayl azarta
Buhayu strogo kazhdoe vosmoye marta
Sitting in the bath-house on Avenue B
And never agree
Sally, all empires fall, even trends they fade away
Even complete strangers (asshole) can lead you astray
But god damn it, this round is on me
Nobody learns no nothing from no history
Ai, woo woo woo
Oh, not me, not you
Ai, woo woo woo
Oh, not me, not you
Tall little Sally, my darling
Your panic's so charming
Your shopping techniques are amazing
Celebrity erudition disarming
Tall little Sally, my darling
Your panic's so charming
Tall little Sally, my darling
Yura, viruchai! (Yura viruchil!)
Ai, woo woo woo
Oh, not me, not you
Ai, woo woo woo
Oh, not me, not you
Sitting in a Russian bath house on the Avenue B
No matter how much we sweat, we just can't agree
Ai ai ai ai ai, a-woo woo woo
Ai ai ai ai ai, not me, not you
The lyrics of "Avenue B" by Gogol Bordello seem to be filled with contrasting ideas and themes. The song tells the story of the singer sitting in a Russian bathhouse on Avenue B, New York, with a group of people who, despite sweating together, cannot seem to come to an agreement. This can be seen as a metaphor for a larger issue in society, where people from different backgrounds struggle to find common ground. The singer then speaks of Sally, who plays with magic pebbles and is seen as charming but panicked, possibly suggesting that people are complex and multi-faceted beings.
The lyrics also make reference to historical events, with the mention of equipment being sold to Chechnya rebels and the line "Nobody learns no nothing from no history." This can be seen as a commentary on the cyclical nature of history and the lack of learning from past mistakes. The use of different languages such as Russian and Chechen gives the song a worldly feel, which emphasizes the idea that the problem of disagreement is a universal one.
Overall, "Avenue B" can be interpreted as a commentary on human relationships and the difficulties in finding common ground, as well as a commentary on history and the ways in which society repeats past mistakes.
Line by Line Meaning
Ai ai ai ai ai, woo woo woo
Expressing frustration and confusion
Ai ai ai ai ai, not me, not you
Indicating a lack of responsibility
Ai ai ai ai ai, a-woo woo woo
Repeating the frustration and confusion
Sitting in a Russian bath-house on Avenue B
Setting the scene for the song
No matter how much we sweat, we just can't agree
Acknowledging a disagreement between two or more parties
Ai, razminku yershikom provodim my
We're doing warm-ups with our legs
Nobody learn no nothing from no history
Expressing frustration with humanity's inability to learn from past mistakes
Tall little Sally plays with magic pebbles
A reference to someone who is easily distracted by nonsensical things
Dasha sells equipment to the Chechnya rebels
A reference to someone who is involved in questionable or dangerous dealings
Ya vyhozhu iz anala v astral
I come out of the anal into the astral
Tam mnogo chego slyshal no ne zapisal
I've heard a lot but didn't write anything down
Nesmotrya na Se.Sheh.Ah ne poterayl azarta
Despite being disappointed with society, they haven't lost motivation
Buhayu strogo kazhdoe vosmoye marta
Every 8th of March (International Women's Day), they celebrate strictly
And never agree
Reiterating the earlier disagreement
Sally, all empires fall, even trends they fade away
Addressing Sally and expressing that all things come to an end
Even complete strangers (asshole) can lead you astray
Warning against trusting strangers
But god damn it, this round is on me
A sudden shift in tone, indicating a desire for camaraderie
Tall little Sally, my darling
Expressing affection for someone
Your panic's so charming
Complimenting Sally's reaction to stress
Your shopping techniques are amazing
Praising Sally's ability to shop
Celebrity erudition disarming
Indicating that celebrity knowledge is surprising
Yura, viruchai! (Yura viruchil!)
Yura (a name) is called upon to help; Yura has helped
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: ELIOT FERGUSON, EUGENE HUTZ, OREN KAPLAN, REA MOCHIACH, SERGEY RYABSTEV, YURI LEMESHEV
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@jacobboyle2556
***** From Ultimate Guitar.
Sitting in Russian bath house on the Avenue B
Am E F E Am (Am)
No matter how much we sweat we just can't agree
Am E F E Am (Am)
Ai razminku yorshikom provodim mi
Am E F E Am (Am)
No body learns no nothing from no History
Am E
Tall little Sally plays with magic pebbles
E Am
Dasha sells equipment to the Chechnian rebels
Am E
ya vihozgu iz anala v astral
E Am
mnogo chevo slishal no ne zapisal
Am E
nesmotrya na Si-Sheh a ne poteryal azarta
E Am
buhayu strogo kazdoye 8-e marta
Am E
sitting in the bath house on the avenue B
F E Am STOP!!!
and never agree...
Bm F# G F# Bm
Sally all empires fall... even trends they fade away
Bm F# G F# Bm
even complete (Stranger) asshole can lead you astray...
C#m G# A G# C#m
but god damn it, next round is on me
C#m G# A G# C#m
Nobody learns no nothin' from no history
Am E F E Am (Am)
oh ooh ooh ooh
Am E F E Am
Ay Ay Ay Ay Ahh, Not me, Not you.
Am E F E Am (Am)
Ay Ay Ay Ay Ahh oh ooh ooh ooh
Am E F E Am STOP!!!
Ay Ay Ay Ay Ahh, Not me, Not you.
Am E E Am
Tall little sally my darlin' your panic is so charming
Am E E Am
Tall little sally my darlin' oh your panic is so charming
Am E E Am
your shopping techniques are amazing celebrity erudition's disarming...
Am E E Am
Tall little sally my darlin' your panic is so charming
@alexanderthesomewhat
This is my personal favorite song that this band made. It's the first song I heard from Gogol Bordello and I loved them ever since.
@geoffmead9081
This worth a listen just for the accordion solo.
@singbackwards
Юра, выручай!
@user-sz6bs7vw6p
(Юра выручил)
@russellsolomon6138
Ай, разминку ёршиком проводим мы....
Я выхожу из анала в астрал
Там много, чего слушал, но не записал
Несмотря на США, не потерял азарта
Бухаю строго каждое восьмое марта
@jamesbond4931
сегодня 8е марта) спецом искал эту песню
@KristinPedemonti
Each track is BETTER than the next? How is it possible when EVERY track is Insanely AWESOME?! <3 Gogol Bordello!!!!
@schnook11
Was in radio studio in St.Louis with Eugene; the DJ asked me what song to play--I chose this one from his list of choices. Eugene disagreed--wanted them to play a more wild song! I don't care; I still love Ave. B!
@tommybootlegger
We think alike apparently lol
@LucasHartwell
I am going to see them at Bonnaroo, I can not wait!