This has always been a choke-me-up-in-a-good-way song. I understand that Viktor Razinov went to one of Billy's New York concerts a couple years back. Knowing Viktor was in the audience, Billy played "Leningrad" live, which he doesn't do often.
I think what touched Billy was that Viktor traveled all across Russia to see ALL of his shows, though they only met at the Leningrad concert. Alexa hated the weather, and spent the entire trip being a real bitch, and hardly ever even smiled. According to Billy, she was unbearable to manage. I'm not sure exactly what it was that Viktor did that made her laugh for the first time while in that country, but the fact that he did made lifelong friends of both he and Billy .
Victor was born The spring of '44 And never saw His father anymore The child of sacrifice Child of war Another son who never had A father after Leningrad Went off to school And learned to serve his state Follow the rules And drank his vodka straight The only way to live Was drown the hate The Russian life was very sad And such was life in Leningrad I was born in '49 A cold war kid in the McCarthy times Stop 'em at the 38th parallel Blast those yellow reds to hell Cold war kids were hard to kill Under their desks in an air raid drill Haven't they heard we won the war What do they keep on fighting for? Victor was sent To some red army town Served out his time Become a circus clown The greatest happiness He'd ever found Was making Russian children glad When children lived in Leningrad. The children lived in Levittown Hid in the shelters underground Til the soviets turned their ships around Torn the Cuban missiles down And in that bright October sun We knew our childhood days were done I watched my friends go off to war What do they keep on fighting for? So my child and I came to this place To meet him , eye to eye and face to face He made my daughter laugh Then we embraced We never knew what friends we had Until we came to Leningrad.
i'm guessing the bloke means "still" as if to say "it doesn't matter that i wasn't present when it was released", 'still' meaning 'i'm only 11, but REGARDLESS..... i still dig it'......................................... what's wrong with that?
James Edgar YES, JAMES, YOU ARE RIGHT. SEEING BILLY & VICTOR'S SMILES AND EMBRACE...THIS SONG IS BRILLIANT, I LOVE IT SO AS WELL AS BILLY JOEL. HE IS MOST BRILLIANT, BEYOND MY "GRASP." I WANT TO MEET HIM.
No way! There are plenty of great storytellers who are lyrically and musically talented that exist in the modern world. Great singer-songwriters exist in indie rock, and there's great poetry in the rap genre. Even pop songs of today can have depth. Stuff like this is being made today, you just gotta keep looking for it. Cheers. :)
This is a long write - it's not Spam or anything, it's just an elongated paragraph about how this song affects my family and I: My Father plays Billy Joel songs all the time. And, in meeting him a few times, upon shaking his hand just once - he said to Mr. Joel something along the lines of "How can you play piano so well, if you have such stubby little hands?" To this day, the song "Prelude: Angry Young Man," is "the bane" of my Dad's existence. My Father managed to play 32nd notes ONCE on stage on a gig he had with one of my relatives. He still gets aggravated by it, but nonetheless - Billy Joel is an excellent writer and composer, and I just recently showed this song to my Dad, who lived during this time period. He not only loved the lyrics, but he loves the song as well. As to why he had never even heard the song, was beyond me - because Billy Joel is one of his idols. This song brings even myself to tears, because of current tensions today and how it only takes two people, to start a war. Two people, and (a bunch of what are, essentially) other sold out businessmen - who sit in fancy chairs at a table in Congress. You can call me a Pessimist, but as far as pessimists go, I have to say this: "Progress, far from consisting in change, depends on retentiveness. When change is absolute there remains no being to improve and no direction is set for possible improvement: and when experience is not retained, as among savages, infancy is perpetual. Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it." - George Santayana
I was born in 2001 (a few weeks before *another* famous event, in fact) and even though I've heard about many of the events that occurred throughout the 20th century in school, it's a much different experience to see it represented in music. You really get to understand how people truly felt during those times, and I think Russians by Sting is another amazing example of that. I think it's largely due to how music was written back then. I hate to be one of those "back in my day" blokes, but let's face it- if someone today wrote a song about any current issue, it would be incredibly cringey. I heard a song about cancel culture on the radio the other day and it was one of the most irritating songs I've ever listened to. Even if the artist had a point, how you make an argument can be just as important as the argument itself. That's why Leningrad is a song that stands out to me so well, because Billy Joel understands there's more to songwriting than just describing things that exist. Do you think We Didn't Start the Fire would be as popular if it was just him listing off every year in human history?
Love your comment here. I’m Gen-X and you have an interesting perspective. One of Billy Joel’s talents has always been his ability to write such memorable and unexpected melodies. It does feel like a lot of pop music forgets to do that. His lyrics, while beautifully written, always seem to come second. So that, even after all these years, we’re left with a song that can be enjoyed on a musical level even if the subject matter (in this case: politics) is no longer relevant or might just be intellectually interesting. Another note on his lyrics: he always manages to find the human connection, which is timeless.
B. Joel is a phenomenal musician, lyricist and composer, and I could fill a page with his exceptional original titles. Your list, for me, is just a good start. Cheers.
I absolutely love this album it is absolutely awsome fantastic every tracks on the album awsome and fantastic I love the album so much i cant get enough of it I wish the would get the recognishin that deserves the should be underrated and I'm sorry for saying that because the album is fantastic
The parallel key change from D major to D minor for the bridges (or are they choruses?) are dramatically beautiful. And the coda modulates to A major. Elegant.
Well, it was a bit bleak for them during the worst stretches of the Cold War...and it had to have been tough for someone as gentle and easygoing as Viktor, being told he had to hate people who lived half a world away and had never hurt him. No wonder he was glad to turn his back on all that nonsense after his military stint was over and concentrate on making people happy.
I am Russian and I am not really sure what to think of it... It is not about the "Russian life was very sad" (which it was for some time... Russia went through hell on earth which does not even compare to Americas worst nightmares)... However, Russians, despite all of the messed up events that happened, actually describe the past 60 years as a time of greatness and joy. It definitely wasn't capitalism but most older people say that life meant more than it does today with the way things are in the country (to them), However, the younger generation highly values capitalism. It really depends on who you talk to. Russia is doing very well right now (despite what you hear on mainstream news...).
@@jenniferschillig3768 Yes, this song is very touching, but I must add that propaganda existed in the US (still does) towards Russia and in Russia towards the US... The Cold War never ended, it simply evolved.
@@poloska9471 "Russia is doing very well right now", is the line that Russian propaganda keeps spreading in order to occupy neighboring nations with their misery and unbelievable poverty. Russian people living on 100usd equivalent retirement, and 99% of people are living on 200-300usd monthly equivalent salary, and this asshat actually manages to announce "russia is doing very well right now". If you want to know what Russian self-hatred looks like, you've just seen it in these "patriotic" propaganda comments. Indeed Russian life is still very sad, and it's made even sadder by commentary that relays state propaganda.
Title: Leningrad Artist: Billy Joel Submitter: jjasloot Viktor was born in the spring of '44 And never saw his father anymore A child of sacrifice, a child of war Another son who never had a father after Leningrad Went off to school and learned to serve the state Followed the rules and drank his vodka straight The only way to live was drown the hate A Russian life was very sad And such was life in Leningrad I was born in '49 A cold war kid in McCarthy time Stop 'em at the 38th Parallel Blast those yellow reds to hell And cold war kids were hard to kill Under their desk in an air raid drill Haven't they heard we won the war What do they keep on fighting for? Viktor was sent to some Red Army town Served out his time, became a circus clown The greatest happiness he'd ever found Was making Russian children glad And children lived in Leningrad But children lived in Levittown And hid in the shelters underground Until the Soviets turned their ships around And tore the Cuban missiles down And in that bright October sun We knew our childhood days were done And I watched my friends go off to war What do they keep on fighting for? And so my child and I came to this place To meet him eye to eye and face to face He made my daughter laugh, then we embraced We never knew what friends we had Until we came to Leningrad Title: Lenigrad Artist: Billy Joel
1989, 1990... Freedom won the evil, East and West shook their hands. Everybody believed in peace, friendship and harmony between every world's states, the superpowers and minor countries. In Poland, during our peaceful revolution of 1989, we sing very popular rock song: "It's just gonna be so beautiful, it's just gonna be normal...", an unofficial anthem of those days. We believed it really would be like that. It's sad that our modern world is so different...
Maybe it's not always "so beautiful" or "normal", but things are significantly better than they were in the past, and if we all keep working to it, they will get better and better. Wish ya well
Respect Russia. My cousin study there since she left her boyfriend. My friends from there too. Used to hate Russia but no....... never hate Russia again.
Prayers for all the people living in war and in tyranny. whether you're from Ukraine, Russia, Israel, or Palestine. The many good people, that live in this relentless and unforgiving world, do not deserve to suffer.
When will the world finally wake up and realise that russia was our saviour and friend, and not our enemy. There really is no need for gangsters playing at being gangsters on a global scale.
Victor was born The spring of '44 And never saw His father anymore The child of sacrifice Child of war Another son who never had A father after Leningrad Went off to school And learned to serve his state Follow the rules And drank his vodka straight The only way to live Was drown the hate The Russian life was very sad And such was life in Leningrad I was born in '49 A cold war kid in the McCarthy times Stop 'em at the 38th parallel Blast those yellow reds to hell Cold war kids were hard to kill Under their desks in an air raid drill Haven't they heard we won the war What do they keep on fighting for? Victor was sent To some red army town Served out his time Become a circus clown The greatest happiness He'd ever found Was making Russian children glad When children lived in Leningrad. The children lived in Levittown Hid in the shelters underground Til the soviets turned their ships around Torn the Cuban missiles down And in that bright October sun We knew our childhood days were done I watched my friends go off to war What do they keep on fighting for? So my child and I came to this place To meet him , eye to eye and face to face He made my daughter laugh Then we embraced We never knew what friends we had Until we came to Leningrad.
This is probably one of the greatest songs that Billy Joel has ever written. Victor's father died during World War II. Very good song.
This has always been a choke-me-up-in-a-good-way song.
I understand that Viktor Razinov went to one of Billy's New York concerts a couple years back. Knowing Viktor was in the audience, Billy played "Leningrad" live, which he doesn't do often.
I think what touched Billy was that Viktor traveled all across Russia to see ALL of his shows, though they only met at the Leningrad concert. Alexa hated the weather, and spent the entire trip being a real bitch, and hardly ever even smiled. According to Billy, she was unbearable to manage. I'm not sure exactly what it was that Viktor did that made her laugh for the first time while in that country, but the fact that he did made lifelong friends of both he and Billy .
Wow, interesting.......
Thanks to Wikipedia
There is a very small list of songs that choke me up EVERY time. This is one of them. Knowing the story makes it so much more bittersweet.
One of his more underrated songs
Victor was born
The spring of '44
And never saw
His father anymore
The child of sacrifice
Child of war
Another son who never had
A father after Leningrad
Went off to school
And learned to serve his state
Follow the rules
And drank his vodka straight
The only way to live
Was drown the hate
The Russian life was very sad
And such was life in Leningrad
I was born in '49
A cold war kid in the McCarthy times
Stop 'em at the 38th parallel
Blast those yellow reds to hell
Cold war kids were hard to kill
Under their desks in an air raid drill
Haven't they heard we won the war
What do they keep on fighting for?
Victor was sent
To some red army town
Served out his time
Become a circus clown
The greatest happiness
He'd ever found
Was making Russian children glad
When children lived in Leningrad.
The children lived in Levittown
Hid in the shelters underground
Til the soviets turned their ships around
Torn the Cuban missiles down
And in that bright October sun
We knew our childhood days were done
I watched my friends go off to war
What do they keep on fighting for?
So my child and I came to this place
To meet him , eye to eye and face to face
He made my daughter laugh
Then we embraced
We never knew what friends we had
Until we came to Leningrad.
Thanks. This touched me.
歌詞のアップロードありがとうございます。Thank you good job
Billy Joel has been my favorite artist for years. Frankly, because no one tells a story quite like him.
Except Warren Zevon
Song deserves way more views than it has.
One of the few songs that gives me chills.
There are a few: Sting's - 'Russians' for example.
I am 11, and this song still touches my heart. Thank you Billy for this.
+ISpeakToday So?
i'm guessing the bloke means "still" as if to say "it doesn't matter that i wasn't present when it was released", 'still' meaning 'i'm only 11, but REGARDLESS..... i still dig it'......................................... what's wrong with that?
Greaat!! 😄
16 now
6 years later and this song still good to ya?
Such a great song. Never forget the past.
Storm Front came out when I was 10yrs old... This song made me cry then, still does now...
What a fantastic song!!!!
I hope people give this song more thought. It is not to be interpreted as a message, but rather as a history lesson from a certain point of view.
I agree, Andrey. Good people everywhere.
Yes. And we should love America even more. Stop preaching. You’re probably a liberal and you people hate this great country.
@ferzy09 please elaborate
a TRULY MAJESTIC BALLAD !!! especially the INSTRUMENTAL END !!!
Yes, you said what I always wanted to say about this song, Thank you, you Took the words right out of my Mouth.....
This song makes me cry...
It is very sad, But very
Beautiful~
Yes, it's very sad - until the end when Billy and Viktor met and embraced. This just underscores what an utterly brilliant songwriter Billy Joel is.
James Edgar YES, JAMES, YOU ARE RIGHT. SEEING BILLY & VICTOR'S
SMILES AND EMBRACE...THIS SONG IS BRILLIANT, I LOVE IT SO
AS WELL AS BILLY JOEL. HE IS MOST BRILLIANT, BEYOND MY "GRASP." I WANT TO MEET HIM.
Totally agree
A very good song. By a great musician and a great lyrycist
Shivers from beginning to the end...!!!!
What a songwriter..!...
we in mexico love you Billy the songs you sing get in to the hart of us here
THANK YOU BILLY~ FOR EVERYTHING YOU WRITE & DO~
好きな歌です。
his video to this one is awesome. true talent!
Love you, Billy Joel ❤
Is it just me or are others realizing that songs of this quality are no longer being written. Not for a long time in fact.
Agree! However, they would be written if the media were not on an all out war against our hearts and souls.
I know! I'm 13 and I agree pop suuuucks
I am in the same boat as you. Being a teenager who knows what good music is instead of this rap and pop junk is hard.
No way! There are plenty of great storytellers who are lyrically and musically talented that exist in the modern world. Great singer-songwriters exist in indie rock, and there's great poetry in the rap genre. Even pop songs of today can have depth. Stuff like this is being made today, you just gotta keep looking for it. Cheers. :)
salvadormarley What does that mean?
One of the many great songs that the piano man ever wrote.
I like him I grow up with him
we never knew what friends we had.............
This is a long write - it's not Spam or anything, it's just an elongated paragraph about how this song affects my family and I:
My Father plays Billy Joel songs all the time. And, in meeting him a few times, upon shaking his hand just once - he said to Mr. Joel something along the lines of "How can you play piano so well, if you have such stubby little hands?" To this day, the song "Prelude: Angry Young Man," is "the bane" of my Dad's existence. My Father managed to play 32nd notes ONCE on stage on a gig he had with one of my relatives. He still gets aggravated by it, but nonetheless - Billy Joel is an excellent writer and composer, and I just recently showed this song to my Dad, who lived during this time period.
He not only loved the lyrics, but he loves the song as well. As to why he had never even heard the song, was beyond me - because Billy Joel is one of his idols. This song brings even myself to tears, because of current tensions today and how it only takes two people, to start a war. Two people, and (a bunch of what are, essentially) other sold out businessmen - who sit in fancy chairs at a table in Congress.
You can call me a Pessimist, but as far as pessimists go, I have to say this:
"Progress, far from consisting in change, depends on retentiveness. When change is absolute there remains no being to improve and no direction is set for possible improvement: and when experience is not retained, as among savages, infancy is perpetual. Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it." -
George Santayana
There is only one song like this. This one.
This master piece just came at the right time, the joy of a time of peace in the West....
I was born in 2001 (a few weeks before *another* famous event, in fact) and even though I've heard about many of the events that occurred throughout the 20th century in school, it's a much different experience to see it represented in music. You really get to understand how people truly felt during those times, and I think Russians by Sting is another amazing example of that.
I think it's largely due to how music was written back then. I hate to be one of those "back in my day" blokes, but let's face it- if someone today wrote a song about any current issue, it would be incredibly cringey. I heard a song about cancel culture on the radio the other day and it was one of the most irritating songs I've ever listened to. Even if the artist had a point, how you make an argument can be just as important as the argument itself. That's why Leningrad is a song that stands out to me so well, because Billy Joel understands there's more to songwriting than just describing things that exist. Do you think We Didn't Start the Fire would be as popular if it was just him listing off every year in human history?
Love your comment here. I’m Gen-X and you have an interesting perspective. One of Billy Joel’s talents has always been his ability to write such memorable and unexpected melodies. It does feel like a lot of pop music forgets to do that. His lyrics, while beautifully written, always seem to come second. So that, even after all these years, we’re left with a song that can be enjoyed on a musical level even if the subject matter (in this case: politics) is no longer relevant or might just be intellectually interesting. Another note on his lyrics: he always manages to find the human connection, which is timeless.
Chokes me up a bit too this number. Great friggon track.
This is the first album I listened to when I was a kid.
This song is 😭
This is my favorite song I done ever listen to. Yee haw
For me this is one of his most memorable and brilliant ones. The other two are Goodnight Saigon and Piano man.
B. Joel is a phenomenal musician, lyricist and composer, and I could fill a page with his exceptional original titles. Your list, for me, is just a good start. Cheers.
The greatest American storybook.
Billy Joel is the best protest artist en more, ever before!
I absolutely love this album it is absolutely awsome fantastic every tracks on the album awsome and fantastic I love the album so much i cant get enough of it I wish the would get the recognishin that deserves the should be underrated and I'm sorry for saying that because the album is fantastic
Billy helps us remember those scary drills under our desks in grammar school...
I like this song & I like his song.
This song makes me sad. The last song that comes from a personal side of a song written
The parallel key change from D major to D minor for the bridges (or are they choruses?) are dramatically beautiful. And the coda modulates to A major. Elegant.
This amazing Song reminds me of my Love Olga Linder, she died last November and she was Born in Leningrad
Thomas Legrand I am so sorry for your loss
His HS music teacher and his chorus are on this song.
I truly want to know what Russians think of this song. Especially the part "a Russian life was very sad".
Well, it was a bit bleak for them during the worst stretches of the Cold War...and it had to have been tough for someone as gentle and easygoing as Viktor, being told he had to hate people who lived half a world away and had never hurt him. No wonder he was glad to turn his back on all that nonsense after his military stint was over and concentrate on making people happy.
I am Russian and I am not really sure what to think of it... It is not about the "Russian life was very sad" (which it was for some time... Russia went through hell on earth which does not even compare to Americas worst nightmares)... However, Russians, despite all of the messed up events that happened, actually describe the past 60 years as a time of greatness and joy. It definitely wasn't capitalism but most older people say that life meant more than it does today with the way things are in the country (to them), However, the younger generation highly values capitalism. It really depends on who you talk to. Russia is doing very well right now (despite what you hear on mainstream news...).
@@jenniferschillig3768 Yes, this song is very touching, but I must add that propaganda existed in the US (still does) towards Russia and in Russia towards the US... The Cold War never ended, it simply evolved.
Is it just me or is there a lot of clipping in the audio? No way the original master sounds like this, right?
@@poloska9471 "Russia is doing very well right now", is the line that Russian propaganda keeps spreading in order to occupy neighboring nations with their misery and unbelievable poverty. Russian people living on 100usd equivalent retirement, and 99% of people are living on 200-300usd monthly equivalent salary, and this asshat actually manages to announce "russia is doing very well right now". If you want to know what Russian self-hatred looks like, you've just seen it in these "patriotic" propaganda comments. Indeed Russian life is still very sad, and it's made even sadder by commentary that relays state propaganda.
Damn it, Billy! How the fuck do you do it...
For we all are the same people, the Human Race, we aught to be one socially in peace.
I don’t think he’s going to be doing this song live any time soon.
Title: Leningrad
Artist: Billy Joel
Submitter: jjasloot
Viktor was born in the spring of '44 And never saw his father anymore
A child of sacrifice, a child of war
Another son who never had a father after Leningrad
Went off to school and learned to serve the state
Followed the rules and drank his vodka straight
The only way to live was drown the hate
A Russian life was very sad And such was life in Leningrad
I was born in '49
A cold war kid in McCarthy time
Stop 'em at the 38th Parallel
Blast those yellow reds to hell
And cold war kids were hard to kill
Under their desk in an air raid drill
Haven't they heard we won the war
What do they keep on fighting for?
Viktor was sent to some Red Army town
Served out his time, became a circus clown
The greatest happiness he'd ever found
Was making Russian children glad
And children lived in Leningrad
But children lived in Levittown And hid in the shelters underground
Until the Soviets turned their ships around
And tore the Cuban missiles down
And in that bright October sun
We knew our childhood days were done
And I watched my friends go off to war
What do they keep on fighting for?
And so my child and I came to this place
To meet him eye to eye and face to face
He made my daughter laugh, then we embraced
We never knew what friends we had
Until we came to Leningrad
Title: Lenigrad
Artist: Billy Joel
Makes me think of all my Russian ancestors that died... amen may they rest in peace.
1989, 1990... Freedom won the evil, East and West shook their hands. Everybody believed in peace, friendship and harmony between every world's states, the superpowers and minor countries. In Poland, during our peaceful revolution of 1989, we sing very popular rock song: "It's just gonna be so beautiful, it's just gonna be normal...", an unofficial anthem of those days. We believed it really would be like that.
It's sad that our modern world is so different...
Maybe it's not always "so beautiful" or "normal", but things are significantly better than they were in the past, and if we all keep working to it, they will get better and better. Wish ya well
"The Cold War ended for me right then and there." - Billy Joel after meeting Viktor Razinov and touring Russia in 1987.
Respect Russia. My cousin study there since she left her boyfriend. My friends from there too. Used to hate Russia but no....... never hate Russia again.
Go ahead a clean that up...
Now i want a Douwe Egberts cup of coffee....
Never aggresion against Russia 💕🇷🇺💕
レニングラード(現サンクトペテルブルク)はナチスドイツ軍に包囲されて悲惨な目にあったからなぁ…
Thank you for your input MARCO Jr
Sad listening to this knowing Russia is invading Ukraine. Prayers for Ukraine. Some things never change unfortunately.
Prayers for all the people living in war and in tyranny. whether you're from Ukraine, Russia, Israel, or Palestine. The many good people, that live in this relentless and unforgiving world, do not deserve to suffer.
When will the world finally wake up and realise that russia was our saviour and friend, and not our enemy. There really is no need for gangsters playing at being gangsters on a global scale.
@Alan H I'm Left and completely agree.
How so?
Slava Ukraine 🇬🇧🇺🇦👊
lolololol
me too i agree
Слава СССР!!Слава России!!Слава Русскому оружию!!
Victor was born
The spring of '44
And never saw
His father anymore
The child of sacrifice
Child of war
Another son who never had
A father after Leningrad
Went off to school
And learned to serve his state
Follow the rules
And drank his vodka straight
The only way to live
Was drown the hate
The Russian life was very sad
And such was life in Leningrad
I was born in '49
A cold war kid in the McCarthy times
Stop 'em at the 38th parallel
Blast those yellow reds to hell
Cold war kids were hard to kill
Under their desks in an air raid drill
Haven't they heard we won the war
What do they keep on fighting for?
Victor was sent
To some red army town
Served out his time
Become a circus clown
The greatest happiness
He'd ever found
Was making Russian children glad
When children lived in Leningrad.
The children lived in Levittown
Hid in the shelters underground
Til the soviets turned their ships around
Torn the Cuban missiles down
And in that bright October sun
We knew our childhood days were done
I watched my friends go off to war
What do they keep on fighting for?
So my child and I came to this place
To meet him , eye to eye and face to face
He made my daughter laugh
Then we embraced
We never knew what friends we had
Until we came to Leningrad.