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.
Утро Полины
Nautilus Pompilius Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Звуки ленивы и кружат, как пылинки, над её головой.
Сонные глаза ждут того, кто войдёт и зажгёт в них свет.
Утро Полины продолжается сто миллиардов лет.
И все эти годы я слышу, как колышется грудь.
И от её дыханья в окнах запотело стекло.
И мне не жалко того, что так бесконечен мой путь.
Я знаю тех, кто дождётся, и тех, кто, не дождавшись, умрёт.
Но и с теми и с другими одинаково скучно идти.
Я люблю тебя за то, что твоё ожидание ждёт
Того, что никогда не сможет произойти.
Пальцы Полины словно свечи в канделябрах ночей,
Слёзы Полины превратились в бесконечный ручей,
В комнате Полины на пороге нерешительно мнётся рассвет,
Утро Полины продолжается сто миллиардов лет.
И все эти годы я слышу, как колышется грудь.
И от её дыханья в окнах запотело стекло.
И мне не жалко того, что так бесконечен мой путь.
В её хрустальной спальне постоянно, постоянно светло.
The lyrics of "Утро Полины" by Nautilus Pompilius speaks about the morning of a person named Polina. Her hands are described as a forgotten song being played on a record player, and the sounds around her are swirling lazily like dust particles above her head. The lyrics suggest that Polina is waiting for someone to come and brighten up her sleepy eyes. The morning of Polina continues for billions of years, as the lyrics say, although time seems endless while waiting for something that may never happen.
The singer of the song speaks about hearing Polina's chest swaying for all these years, and how her breathing has fogged up the windows. It is explained how it doesn't bother him that his path is infinite, and in Polina's bedroom, it is always bright, and he loves her for her waiting. The lyrics suggest that there are people who wait and will eventually find what they are looking for, while many others wait their entire lives and never find what they hope for. The singer loves Polina because she waits, even though what she hopes for may never be realized.
Polina's fingers are compared to candles in the nights, and her tears have become an infinite stream. The morning of Polina continues for billions of years, and the singer hears the sound of her breathing and feels the dampness on the windows. He loves that his path is long and undefined, and in Polina's crystal clear bedroom, it is always bright.
Line by Line Meaning
Руки Полины, как забытая песня под упорной иглой.
Polina's hands are like a forgotten song under a stubborn needle.
Звуки ленивы и кружат, как пылинки, над её головой.
The lazy sounds swirl around her head like specks of dust.
Сонные глаза ждут того, кто войдёт и зажгёт в них свет.
Sleepy eyes wait for one to come in and light them up.
Утро Полины продолжается сто миллиардов лет.
Polina's morning continues for a hundred billion years.
И все эти годы я слышу, как колышется грудь.
And all these years I hear how the chest sways.
И от её дыханья в окнах запотело стекло.
And her breath makes the windows foggy.
И мне не жалко того, что так бесконечен мой путь.
And I don't mind that my path is so endless.
В её хрустальной спальне постоянно, постоянно светло.
In her crystalline bedroom it's always, always bright.
Я знаю тех, кто дождётся, и тех, кто, не дождавшись, умрёт.
I know those who will wait and those who will die without waiting.
Но и с теми и с другими одинаково скучно идти.
But it's equally tedious to walk with both.
Я люблю тебя за то, что твоё ожидание ждёт
I love you for the fact that your expectation waits
Того, что никогда не сможет произойти.
For that which will never be able to happen.
Пальцы Полины словно свечи в канделябрах ночей,
Polina's fingers are like candles in the chandeliers of the night,
Слёзы Полины превратились в бесконечный ручей,
Polina's tears turned into an endless stream,
В комнате Полины на пороге нерешительно мнётся рассвет,
At Polina's room, the dawn hesitantly lingers at the threshold,
Утро Полины продолжается сто миллиардов лет.
Polina's morning continues for a hundred billion years.
Writer(s): бутусов в.г., кормильцев и.в.
Contributed by Annabelle D. Suggest a correction in the comments below.