"Rasputin" | ||||
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Single by Boney M. | ||||
from the album Nightflight to Venus | ||||
B-side | "Never Change Lovers in the Middle of the Night" (Europe, Australia, Mexico, Japan, Colombia, Canada, New Zealand) "Heart of Gold" (Brazil) "Nightflight to Venus" (Poland, Chile) "Painter Man" (Europe, Turkey, Yugoslavia, Madagascar, Bolivia, India) "He Was a Steppenwolf" (Rhodesia, U.S., South Africa) | |||
Released | 28 August 1978 | |||
Recorded | May 1978 | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 4:43 (single version) 5:51 (album version) | |||
Label | ||||
Songwriter(s) |
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Producer(s) | Farian | |||
Boney M. singles chronology | ||||
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Audio video | ||||
"Rasputin" on YouTube |
"Rasputin" is a song by Germany based pop and Eurodisco group Boney M. It was released on 28 August 1978 as the second single from their third studio album Nightflight to Venus (1978). Written by the group's creator Frank Farian, along with George Reyam and Fred Jay, it is a song about Grigori Rasputin, a friend and advisor of Tsar Nicholas II of Russia and his family during the early 20th century. The song describes Rasputin as a playboy, mystical healer, and political manipulator.
The core of the song tells of Rasputin's rise to prominence in the court of Nicholas II, referencing the hope held by Tsarina Alexandra Fyodorovna that Grigori Rasputin would heal her hemophiliac son, Tsarevich Alexei of Russia, and as such his appointment as Alexei's personal healer. Rasputin gained tremendous influence from this position, particularly with Alexandra. This is also retold in the song: "For the queen he was no wheeler dealer". It also claims that Rasputin was Alexandra's paramour: "Ra Ra Rasputin, lover of the Russian queen, there was a cat that really was gone". This was a widespread rumour in Rasputin's time, with which his political enemies intended to discredit him. It stemmed from Rasputin's closeness to the Tsarina. "Rasputin" starts to retell contemporary accounts of his powerful personality: "He was big and strong, in his eyes a flaming glow..." "He could preach the bible like a preacher, full of ecstasy and fire..." The song depicts Rasputin as being extremely popular with the Russian elite, something that is historically supported: "to Moscow chicks he was such a lovely dear". The song also depicts Rasputin as being sexually promiscuous, another contemporary rumour: "But he was real great when he had a girl to squeeze." "...though she'd heard the things he'd done..." "Russia's greatest love machine". The song claims that Rasputin's political power overshadowed that of the Tsar himself in "all affairs of state", which was one of the main arguments of his contemporary rivals. The bridge of the song states that when his purported sexual escapades and political acts became intolerable, "men of higher standing" plotted his downfall, although "the ladies begged" them not to. Although the song states "he was a brute", it claims that the ladies "just fell into his arms."
The end of the song recounts a modified version of a popular description of the events that culminated in Rasputin's assassination, as perpetrated by Felix Yusupov, Vladimir Purishkevich, and Dmitri Pavlovich, on 16 December 1916 (O.S.). The song accurately states that the conspirators asked him "Come to visit us", and then recounts a widely popular account of the assassination in Yusupov's estate: that Rasputin's assassins fatally shot him after he survived the poisoning of his wine.
Historian Simon Sebag Montefiore has described the song as "an excellent introduction to Russian court politics in the early 20th century." [1] While the song accurately re-tells many of the unfavorable contemporary rumours that damaged Rasputin's reputation and led to his assassination, there is no verifiable evidence to suggest that he had an affair with Alexandra.
Frank Farian's American friend Bill Swisher, who was a soldier in Germany at the time, provides spoken vocals at the bridge in the form of a newsreader. Swisher also guested on Boney M. singles such as "Ma Baker" and "El Lute".
AllMusic 's journalist Donald A. Guarisco described it as "a tribute to the legendary Russian historical figure that uses balalaikas to create its textured rhythm guitar hook." [2] Its melody caused a debate in the 1970s due to its similarity to the traditional Turkish song "Kâtibim", but the band denied there was any borrowing. [3] [4]
The song rose to the top of the charts in Germany and Austria and went to No. 2 in the United Kingdom and Switzerland. It was also another No. 1 hit for Boney M. in Australia, giving them their second (and last) chart-topper in that country (the other one being "Rivers of Babylon").
AllMusic's Donald A. Guarisco called the track "the oddest and most unusual and interesting combination of musical elements" from Nightflight to Venus , then picked it as one of his "track picks" from the album. [2]
Although the song was written and performed in English, with single German and Russian words – "But the kasatschok he danced really wunderbar!" – it enjoyed great popularity in the Soviet Union, and is credited with reviving the fame of Rasputin there. [5] The song was omitted, however, from the Soviet pressing of the album and Boney M. were barred from performing the song during their ten performances in Moscow in December 1978.[ citation needed ] During their visit to Poland in 1979, the band performed the song despite being asked not to by government officials. The show in Sopot was broadcast on national TV the next day after the song was edited out of their performance, but it was broadcast on the radio live and in full. [6] [7]
The song has been covered by several other bands in varying musical styles. Finnish band Turisas recorded a folk metal version, while American band Boiled in Lead covered it as a folk punk song. The British comic book Nikolai Dante cited a lyric from the song for the title of its story called "Russia's Greatest Love Machine" in the 1997 issue of 2000 AD . The Washington, D.C.-based dance/rock band Ra Ra Rasputin takes its name from the song. [8] A Spanish version by Fangoria was included on their compilation album Dilemas, amores y dramas (2003). [9]
The song was featured extensively in a trailer for 2021's The King's Man entitled "Official Rasputin Dance Video." [10] The video focused heavily on the character Rasputin, who is portrayed in the movie by Welsh actor Rhys Ifans. [11] The song does not appear in the final movie. [12]
The song was briefly referenced in the Doctor Who episode, entitled "The Power of the Doctor", where the Master manages to adopt the identity of Rasputin and takes control of the Russian Imperial Court, and after ordering the Russian Imperial Family out of the Winter Palace, he brings in several Daleks and Cybermen, before trapping the Doctor in a device disguised as a chandelier, which then begins to play the song, which he then dances to.
The song was featured in the 5th episode of the 6th season of Black Mirror , entitled "Demon 79". [13]
The album pressings of Nightflight to Venus feature the title track segued into "Rasputin". Initial LP pressings included the full-length, 6:26 version of "Rasputin", [14] most notable for an instrumental interlude in the third verse between the lines "though he was a brute, they just fell into his arms" and "Then one night some men of higher standing ..." that was later cut out. The second LP pressing featured a 6:03 version, subsequent pressings a 5:51 version. Boney M.'s single edit is completely different from the edit (same with the instrumental version released in 2021) used for Frank Farian's Gilla recording in German that followed in November 1978 (without success).
The German and Benelux pressings were backed with "Painter Man"; for most other territories the B-side chosen was "Never Change Lovers in the Middle of the Night". The UK pressings had a 5:32 version; most countries faded it to 5:02, while the French Carrere Records release had a 4:45 version. In the United Kingdom, "Painter Man" was issued as an A-side single in February 1979, giving the group a No. 10 hit. In Canada, "Rasputin" was the A-side and became a major hit, topping the Canadian RPM magazine's Adult Contemporary singles chart for two weeks beginning 24 March 1979, and peaking at No. 7 on RPM's Top 100 pop singles chart that same week. [15] [16] Despite the Canadian success, the song failed to chart in the United States.
In late January 2021, over 40 years since it was released as a single, the song went viral on TikTok, also appearing on Spotify's "Viral Hits" playlist. [17] [18] The accompanying dance originated from the 2010 video game, Just Dance 2 . [19]
Weekly charts
| Year-end charts
|
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
---|---|---|
Australia (ARIA) [55] | Platinum | 70,000‡ |
Canada (Music Canada) [56] | Platinum | 150,000^ |
France | — | 500,000 [57] |
Germany Maxi single | — | 40,000 [58] |
Italy (FIMI) [59] | Gold | 50,000‡ |
Netherlands (NVPI) [60] | Gold | 100,000^ |
United Kingdom (BPI) [61] | Platinum | 600,000‡ |
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. |
"Rasputin" | ||||
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Single by Turisas | ||||
from the album The Varangian Way | ||||
Released | 21 September 2007 | |||
Recorded | 2007 at Sound Supreme Studio, Hämeenlinna | |||
Genre | Folk metal | |||
Length | 3:54 | |||
Label | Century | |||
Songwriter(s) |
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Producer(s) | Mathias "Warlord" Nygård, Janne Saska | |||
Turisas singles chronology | ||||
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Music video | ||||
TURISAS – Rasputin (OFFICIAL VIDEO) on YouTube |
Finnish folk metal band Turisas recorded a cover of Rasputin, released on 21 September 2007 through Century Media. [62] The band played the cover live for a few years and finally decided to record a studio version of it because of positive feedback from fans. [63] A music video was shot as well.
A limited edition 7" picture vinyl features "The Court of Jarisleif" as the B-side.
Different regions contained different B-sides. Canadian, South American, Asian and some European releases featured "Never Change Lovers in the Middle of the Night," the US release featured "He Was a Steppenwolf." The Polish and Chilean releases featured "Night Flight to Venus" and remaining European releases featured "Painter Man" as the B-side.
"Rasputin" | ||||
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Single by Majestic x Boney M. | ||||
from the album The Magic of Boney M. (Special Remix Edition) | ||||
Released | 26 February 2021 | |||
Recorded | 2021 | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 3:06 | |||
Label |
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Songwriter(s) |
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Producer(s) | Majestic | |||
Majesticsingles chronology | ||||
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Audio video | ||||
"Rasputin" on YouTube |
On 26 February 2021, and after the resurgence of the song on TikTok, the North London DJ and producer Majestic released a revamped remix of the song credited to Majestic x Boney M. It has charted on the UK Singles Chart, US Billboard Hot Dance and Electronic Songs chart and across Europe. This version only contains lyrics from the first verse and first chorus of the original track.
Weekly charts
| Year-end charts
|
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
---|---|---|
Australia (ARIA) [107] | Platinum | 70,000‡ |
Belgium (BEA) [108] | Gold | 20,000‡ |
Denmark (IFPI Danmark) [109] | Gold | 45,000‡ |
Germany (BVMI) [110] | Gold | 200,000‡ |
Hungary (MAHASZ) [111] | 3× Platinum | 12,000‡ |
Italy (FIMI) [112] | Platinum | 70,000‡ |
Poland (ZPAV) [113] | Gold | 25,000‡ |
Spain (PROMUSICAE) [114] | Platinum | 60,000‡ |
Switzerland (IFPI Switzerland) [115] | Platinum | 20,000‡ |
United Kingdom (BPI) [116] | Platinum | 600,000‡ |
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. |
"Rasputin" has inspired multiple songs and has been featured in films, video games and television programmes.
Boney M. are a disco group that specialises in R&B, reggae, disco and funk, created by German record producer Frank Farian, who was the group's primary songwriter. Originally based in West Germany, the four original members of the group's official line-up were Liz Mitchell and Marcia Barrett from Jamaica, Maizie Williams from Montserrat, and Bobby Farrell from Aruba. The group was formed in 1976 and achieved popularity during the disco era of the late 1970s. Since the 1980s, various line-ups of the band have performed with differing personnel.
"Rivers of Babylon" is a Rastafari song written and recorded by Brent Dowe and Trevor McNaughton of the Jamaican reggae group The Melodians in 1970. The lyrics are adapted from the texts of Psalms 19 and 137 in the Hebrew Bible. The Melodians' original version of the song appeared on the soundtrack album for the 1972 movie The Harder They Come, which made it internationally known.
"Belly Dancer (Bananza)" is the fourth single from R&B singer Akon's debut studio album, Trouble. "Belly Dancer (Bananza)" peaked at number 30 on the Billboard Hot 100. Outside of the United States, "Belly Dancer (Bananza)" peaked within the top ten of the charts in the United Kingdom. The song samples "The Lunatics (Have Taken Over the Asylum)" by Fun Boy Three and "Body Rock" by Treacherous Three, and borrows from the chorus of "For What It's Worth" by Buffalo Springfield. It was used in the 2009 teen comedy film Fired Up!. A remix of the track, featuring Kardinal Offishall, was later included as a B-side to "Pot of Gold".
"Million Voices" is a single by Swedish DJ and producer Otto Knows. The song was released in Belgium as a digital download on 31 May 2012. The song has charted in Belgium, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom and Sweden.
Nightflight to Venus is the third studio album by Euro-Caribbean group Boney M., and was released in July 1978. The album became a major success in continental Europe, Scandinavia, and Canada, topping most of the album charts during the second half of 1978 and also became their first UK number one album. In Canada, it received a nomination for a 1980 Juno Award in a category 'International Album of the Year'.
"9 PM (Till I Come)" is a song by German DJ and producer ATB from his debut studio album, Movin' Melodies (1999). It was co-written by ATB, Angel Ferrerons, Julio Posadas and Yolanda Rivera. It features vocals by Spanish model Yolanda Rivera and a pipe organ hook created on guitar. The track's hook would later be reworked into the single "Don't Stop!" in 1999, which also featured on Movin' Melodies and also proved very popular.
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"All the Right Moves" is the lead single by American band OneRepublic from their second studio album Waking Up (2009). It was released to mainstream radio on September 24, 2009 and released for digital download on October 6, 2009. It is the band's first single of the album for all countries except Austria and Germany, where "Secrets" serves as the first single from the new album.
"Barbra Streisand" is a song by Canadian-American DJ duo Duck Sauce. It was released on September 10, 2010. The song topped the charts in Austria, Belgium, Finland, the Netherlands, Norway, Scotland, and Switzerland and peaked within the top ten of the charts in Australia, Denmark, France, Germany, Israel, Italy, Ireland, Spain, Sweden, and the United Kingdom. On November 30, 2011, the song received a nomination at the 54th Grammy Awards for Best Dance Recording. It was also featured on Just Dance 3 for the Nintendo Wii and the Xbox Kinect.
"Need U (100%)" is a song by British musician and DJ Duke Dumont. It features the vocals from British singer A*M*E. It was released as a digital download in the United Kingdom on 31 March 2013, and entered at number one on the UK Singles Chart. The song has also charted in the Netherlands, Belgium and Ireland and reached the number one position on the Billboard Hot Dance Club Songs chart in the United States. The song was written by Duke Dumont, A*M*E, and MNEK, and it was produced by Dumont with additional production by Tommy Forrest. The song was nominated for the 2014 Grammy Award for Best Dance Recording.
"Hey Brother" is a dance song by Swedish DJ and record producer Avicii from his debut studio album, True (2013). American bluegrass singer Dan Tyminski provides vocals for the track. It was written by Avicii, Ash Pournouri, Salem Al Fakir, Vincent Pontare and Veronica Maggio. "Hey Brother" sees Avicii giving his brother advice.
"Stole the Show" is a song by Norwegian DJ and record producer Kygo, featuring vocals from American singer Parson James. It was released on 23 March 2015, becoming a hit in a number of countries and the biggest commercial success of Kygo besides "Firestone". Later, on 21 August 2015, a solo version by James was released. This version was included in his EP, The Temple.
"More Than You Know" is a song by Swedish dance music duo Axwell & Ingrosso featuring uncredited vocals from Kristoffer Fogelmark. The song was released in Sweden as a digital download on 27 May 2017 as the tenth single from their debut studio album of the same name. The song was written by Sebastian Ingrosso, Salem Al Fakir, Axel Hedfors, Vincent Pontare and Richard Zastenker. The song peaked at number two on the Swedish Singles Chart.
"Without You" is a song by Swedish DJ Avicii, featuring vocals from Swedish singer Sandro Cavazza. The song was released on 11 August 2017 as the lead single from Avicii's final EP, Avīci (01). "Without You" is Avicii's seventh Swedish number-one single, reaching number one upon release in 2017 and again after Avicii's death in April 2018.
"In My Mind" is a 2012 song by Australian house music producer Ivan Gough and house music duo Feenixpawl, featuring the vocals of indie pop musician Georgi Kay.
"Lose Control" is a song by Italian production trio Meduza, English singer Becky Hill and English production trio Goodboys, released as a single by Virgin Records on 11 October 2019. It reached number 11 on the UK Singles Chart. As of November 2023, the song has amassed more than 870 million streams on Spotify.The song also appears in Meduza's recent released album MEDUZA.
"Head & Heart" is a song by British DJ and producer Joel Corry and British singer MNEK. It was released as a single on 3 July 2020. The song reached number one on the UK Singles Chart in July 2020, becoming the first chart-topper for both Corry and MNEK in their native country. The song has also entered the US Billboard Hot 100; it is the first and second entry on the chart for Joel Corry and MNEK, respectively. The song was nominated for Song of the Year at the 2021 Brit Awards.
"Take You Dancing" is a song by American singer Jason Derulo. It was released as a single on July 21, 2020, by Atlantic Records, a sister of his previous home label Warner Records. The song was written by Teemu Brunila, Derulo, Emanuel "Eman" Kiriakou, Sarah Solovay and Shawn Charles.
"The Business" is a song by Dutch DJ and producer Tiësto, with uncredited vocals from James "Yami" Bell. It was released on 25 September 2020 as the lead single from his seventh studio album Drive.
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"Rasputine" by Boney M was hotly debated in the 1970s due to its similarity to the "Katibim," a traditional Istanbul tune, but this similarity was denied by the band. It has been suggested that the song was derived from an old Arab song called "يا عذولي لا تلمني" That was composed by the Arab composer Othman Almosoully.