The image of the group is mostly formed by Vyacheslav Butusov, its invariable frontman, lead guitar and composer. The lyrics were written mostly by Ilya Kormiltsev, who also wrote lyrics for several other notable "Ural rock" bands of the period.
The band's official site is www.nautilus.ru.
Their history starts in 1978, when three students of Sverdlovsk Institute of Architecture, Vyacheslav Butusov (vocals, guitar), Dmitry Umetsky (bass, backing vocals), and Igor Goncharov (drums) started playing rock-n-roll together for fun. Their first more or less complete, though amateur, recording was made in 1982.
This debut album, entitled "Переезд" (pronounced "pereyezd"; Russian for "crossing" or "moving on") was inclined heavily towards rock-n-roll or even hard rock in the vein of Led Zeppelin, which was completely abandoned by the time of recording the next album. The breakthrough came in 1986 with their third LP called "Разлука" ("razluka"; Apartness). Nautilus Pompilius became true nationwide stars, their brand of keyboard-driven post-punk with new wave elements and catchy melodies bringing them huge success. As ninety-nine per cent of Russian rock were politically engaged, the lyrical image of the band was also important. Nautilus created both pamphlets criticizing the Communist regime, such as "Скованные одной цепью" (Chained Together) or "Шар цвета хаки" (Khaki-Colored Globe), and emotional ballads, the most popular among them "Я хочу быть с тобой" (I Want To Be With You). The biggest hits of this period are still well-known in Russia. Butusov and Umetsky led the band to a cult status, but then Dmitry suddenly quit Nautilus in 1988.
In 1989, after a year and a half of almost uninterrupted touring, many line-up changes and a couple of live recordings, the band broke up while still enjoying enormous popularity and even some official recognition. This decision was unwelcome among fans, but it brought Butusov and Umetsky together once more. They started the band from scratch, but this attempt was unsuccessful and they parted ways soon having made only demos for what was later released as "Человек без имени" ("chelovek bez imeni"; Man Without A Name). But then Ilya Kormiltsev, the man behind the lyrics, decided to join Butusov again. The band had a composer and a lyricist, so the writing and recording began with help of a completely new line-up including Igor Djavad-zade, a Tajikistan-born drummer of some renown due to his involvement in successful jazz projects, and Oleg Sakmarov, the flutist of perhaps the most popular Russian band of the time, Аквариум.
The following three years saw the band change its style to guitar-driven rock and making two further albums. The biggest hit of that period was 1991's medieval-styled ballad "Прогулки по воде" ("progulki po vode" - Walking Upon Water) with lyrics about Jesus walking upon water and preaching to his disciple St. Andrew.
In 1994 Nautilus returned to the mainstream scene with the album "Титаник" (Titanic). The line-up was revised once more, with members of 1988 superstar line-up Albert Potapkin (drums) and Alexei Mogilevsky (keyboards, saxophone) returning to the band, the former since 1992 and the latter since 1994. The next effort was their perhaps most succesful CD entitled "Крылья" ("krylia" - Wings), the sombre title track becoming an instant hit. The band toured Russia and abroad, reaching ever larger audiences, but then finally broke up after one more album "Яблокитай" ("yablokitay" - Apple-China, a pun on the Russian word for "orange" - апельсин, which is borrowed from Dutch where it means literally "Сhina-apple") which didn't appeal to fans as much as the previous two.
Vyacheslav Butusov himself is still fairly popular in Russia and performs with a new band called Ю-Питер.
Во время дождя
Nautilus Pompilius Lyrics
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От нечего делать, во время дождя.
Петь до утра, в ожиданьи рассвета, какая тоска!
Я зажмурил глаза и придумал тебя.
.
Ты стоишь у порога в белом плаще,
Слишком поздно пытаться тебя придумать назад,
Твои тонкие пальцы лежат на кнопке звонка.
Что мне делать с тобой, что нам делать теперь?
Ты войдешь в этот дом и останешься в нем.
У тебя больше нет никого
Кроме того, кто придумал тебя.
Моя жизнь - как вокзал, этот хлам на полу -
Память о тех, кто ждал свои поезда.
А тебе больше некуда ехать, на, выпей вина.
Как жестоко с моей стороны придумать тебя.
Я же знал, что любовь - это игры с огнем,
Но как жить без огня, если дождь за окном?
Ты войдешь в этот дом и останешься в нем,
Ты уйдешь вместе с тем, кто придумал тебя
The lyrics to Nautilus Pompilius's song Во время дождя (During the Rain) describe the singer's imagination during a rainy day. The first verse suggests that the singer created the person they are singing about out of boredom. They sing about singing until morning, waiting for dawn, and feeling a sense of sadness. The singer closes their eyes and imagines this person into existence.
The second verse introduces the person standing at the threshold in a white coat, with water dripping from their dark hair onto the floor. It seems like it would be too late to try and imagine them back into their previous state. The person's delicate fingers rest on the doorbell button, indicating a desire to enter.
The chorus asks what they should do now and ponders the future with this person. The singer acknowledges that there is no one else in the person's life except for the one who imagined them into existence.
The final verse compares the singer's life to a train station, cluttered with memories of those who waited for their trains. However, there is nowhere else for this person to go, so they should have some wine and stay. The singer admits to the cruelty of creating this person, but they also express the necessity of love, comparing it to fire and highlighting the difficulty of living without it when faced with rainy days. They conclude by saying that this person will stay with the one who imagined them, but they will also leave with the same person.
Overall, the lyrics convey a sense of longing, imagination, and the complexities of love and relationships.
Line by Line Meaning
Я придумал тебя, придумал тебя,
I created you, created you,
От нечего делать, во время дождя.
Out of boredom, during the rain.
Петь до утра, в ожиданьи рассвета, какая тоска!
To sing until morning, longing for dawn, what sadness!
Я зажмурил глаза и придумал тебя.
I closed my eyes and imagined you.
Ты стоишь у порога в белом плаще,
You stand at the doorstep in a white cloak,
С черных волос на паркет стекает вода.
Water drips from your black hair onto the parquet.
Слишком поздно пытаться тебя придумать назад,
It's too late to try to imagine you back.
Твои тонкие пальцы лежат на кнопке звонка.
Your slender fingers rest on the doorbell button.
Что мне делать с тобой, что нам делать теперь?
What should I do with you, what should we do now?
Ты войдешь в этот дом и останешься в нем.
You will enter this house and stay in it.
У тебя больше нет никого
You no longer have anyone else
Кроме того, кто придумал тебя.
Except for the one who imagined you.
Моя жизнь - как вокзал, этот хлам на полу -
My life is like a train station, this mess on the floor -
Память о тех, кто ждал свои поезда.
Memories of those who were waiting for their trains.
А тебе больше некуда ехать, на, выпей вина.
And you have nowhere else to go, here, drink wine.
Как жестоко с моей стороны придумать тебя.
How cruel of me to imagine you.
Я же знал, что любовь - это игры с огнем,
I knew that love is playing with fire,
Но как жить без огня, если дождь за окном?
But how can one live without fire when it's raining outside?
Ты войдешь в этот дом и останешься в нем,
You will enter this house and stay in it.
Ты уйдешь вместе с тем, кто придумал тебя
You will leave together with the one who imagined you.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
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