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.
Passport
Gogol Bordello Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
This time you ain't getting what you want
This time you're doing only what you must
This time you're doing only what you must
Where is your friend now officer
That sharp good-looking lieutenant
Border patrol good-looking lieutenant
that got vacation cause he shot my friend
That sharp good-looking lieutenant
His wife got acne and his children cry
His children cry: Assassino . . .
The song 'Passport' by Gogol Bordello is a commentary on the flawed aspects of border control and bureaucracy. The lyrics critique the power dynamics at play when a person attempts to cross the border and the ways in which corruption can influence the events that take place. The singer of the song is equipped with a passport, which in theory, should facilitate their smooth passage. However, the passport officer still has the ability to create difficulties, and the singer is aware of this. Despite this, they are determined to stand their ground and demand fair treatment.
Line by Line Meaning
I got a passport officer
I am presenting my passport to the immigration officer
This time you ain't getting what you want
I refuse to be mistreated, denied entry or held back
This time you're doing only what you must
The officer must stick only to their duty of checking my documents
This time you're doing only what you must
The officer must stick only to their duty of checking my documents
Where is your friend now officer
I want to ask the officer about their colleague who was involved in harming my friend
That sharp good-looking lieutenant
The officer's colleague, who is identified as the lieutenant
Border patrol good-looking lieutenant
The lieutenant is a member of the border patrol team
that got vacation cause he shot my friend
The lieutenant was given a break from work as a result of shooting my friend
Where is your friend now officer?
I am asking if the officer knows the whereabouts of my friend
That sharp good-looking lieutenant
Repetition of previous line
His wife got acne and his children cry
The lieutenant's family is suffering as a result of his actions at work
His children cry: Assassino . . .
The lieutenant's children refer to him as an 'assassin'
Contributed by Carter A. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Colette Bembenek
You tell em Gogol ! Wonderful band....... that accordian and violins are primo. Mmmmmm-m-m-m-m! Aye !
bloodaGe Ron
I finally did as a billioner ... I ll buy just a Aston Martin for Christmas
taylor kinsey
absolutely one of my favorites.
Bari Jusinov
AWESOME MUSIC !!! Gogol Bordello, best punk band :)))
Кирилл Щербаков
Ну шо тут сказатi?
Слава Украïне!
sergio da silva
tks m8 for posting this song....love it...
161 .S3.
the song is about an assasinated imigrant by a police officer cause he didnt have the papers on him the time he was stopped.
longdock133
@93bari correction, gypsy punk rock
George Bennett
i'd like it, but there are 69 likes and 0 dislikes. very good karma there. great song.
Squim
@sghembow tis understandable. they don't sound very punk. they originally labled their music as synthetic, or something like that, because the accordion is technically a synthesizer, but then they adopted the gypsy punk title. whatever you call it, its fucking tasty.