Last week, I came across a YouTube video of the musician Sting doing a version of his song “Russians.”
It is a simple arrangement with Sting on a classical guitar accompanied by a single cello. A touching, quiet and solemn version.
Sting introduces it by saying he once thought the song was no longer relevant, but “In the light of one man’s bloody and woefully misguided decision to invade a peaceful, unthreatening neighbor this song is once again a plea for our common humanity…”
This led me to dig out my old CD version of The Dream of the Blue Turtles, the album on which it first appeared. I listened to the entire album. As I often discover when listening to music from my past, I am transported back to memories of a particular time period while at the same time I am processing the music through the changes I have lived through since the music was new.
Blue Turtles was Sting’s first solo album released in June 1985, after leaving the Police. Five songs were released as singles: “If You Love Somebody Set Them Free,” “Love Is the Seventh Wave,” “Fortress Around Your Heart,” “Moon Over Bourbon Street” and “Russians.” To my ears, the album still holds up.
“If You Love Somebody Set Them Free” was the biggest U.S. hit, charting at No. 3. It is interesting that, of the five singles, “Russians” charted highest in Great Britain. Critics have speculated that perhaps the song was more meaningful for those in Europe living closer to what was at that time still the Soviet Union.
I remember those times.
An April 8,1985, Los Angeles Times story reminds me of some details: NATO planned to deploy 572 Cruise and Pershing 2 missiles to counter 414 Soviet triple warhead SS-20 missiles which western intelligence believed were already in place. This planned deployment aroused a great backlash among some people in Europe. Protests erupted. 300,000 people marched across West Germany, and 20,000 demonstrators surrounded a US base in England where some of the missiles were to be placed.
Air Force Magazine suggests that by sending the missiles, the United States was responding to European concerns. Nevertheless, the US soon owned the problem. For many of the protestors, President Reagan was especially vilified as a warmonger.
The original 1985 version of “Russians” has a verse: “Mr. Reagan says we will protect you/I don’t subscribe to this point of view” which is missing in the newer, what I’ll call “Ukrainian version” of the song. This suggests which side Sting took in the protests. I suppose this earlier lyric is one reason Sting later on felt the song was no longer relevant.
Eventually, agreements were worked out between the Soviets and the the United States with the Intermediate Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty, which eliminated all ground-launched missiles within certain ranges. This treaty lasted 30 years until Russia violated it and the United States pulled out in 2019. Russia’s leader in 2019 was Vladimir Putin.
The overall theme of the song “Russians” is no one wins a nuclear war, and our only hope is that “The Russians love their children, too.” The difference between the newer “Ukrainian” version and the original one is more a plea for our “common humanity” rather than nuclear disarmament.
These are troubling times. Just as they were back in 1985 and, really, all the years of all the centuries before that. We can and should do what is possible to help alleviate the conflict and suffering in Ukraine. Is it not true that most people want to live in peace? The dilemma is to decide what is the best course of action when the hunger for power overcomes the desire for peace. Let’s continue to hope and pray that leaders and all people will learn to love their children more than the lust for power.
