#Rasputin boney m album full#

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.

in Australia, giving them their second (and last) chart-topper in that country (the other one being ' Rivers of Babylon').ĪllMusic's Donald A. The song rose to the top of the charts in Germany and Austria and went to No. Guarisco described it as 'a tribute to the legendary Russian historical figure that uses balalaikas to create its textured rhythm guitar hook.' Its melody has been compared to that of the traditional Turkish song ' Kâtibim', but the band denied any similarity. singles such as ' Ma Baker' and ' El Lute'.ĪllMusic 's journalist Donald A. 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. 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. 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. 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.). Although the song states 'he was a brute', it claims that the ladies 'just fell into his arms.' 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. 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 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'.

#Rasputin boney m album full#

'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'. It stemmed from Rasputin's closeness to the Tsarina. This was a widespread rumour in Rasputin's time, with which his political enemies intended to discredit him. 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 is also retold in the song: 'For the queen he was no wheeler dealer'. Rasputin gained tremendous influence from this position, particularly with Alexandra. 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. Grigori Rasputin, the subject of the song The song describes Rasputin as a playboy, mystical healer, and political manipulator. 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. It was released on 28 August 1978 as the second single from their third studio album Nightflight to Venus (1978).

' Rasputin' is a song by Germany-based pop and Euro disco group Boney M. 'Rasputin' (Sopot Festival 1979) on YouTube ' Rivers of Babylon' / ' Brown Girl in the Ring'

'He Was a Steppenwolf' (Rhodesia, U.S., South Africa) ' Painter Man' (Europe, Turkey, Yugoslavia, Madagascar, Bolivia, India) 'Never Change Lovers in the Middle of the Night' (Europe, Australia, Mexico, Japan, Colombia, Canada, New-Zealand) For the Jack Lucien song, see Rasputin (Jack Lucien song). This article is about the song by Boney M.