Russia's top hits of the 90s - part one

When the USSR disappeared, the country's music industry - like any other cultural industry - underwent tremendous changes. In the past, singers could be verbally "shot" by censors for being too Western or wearing an indecently short skirt (which was not), and songs could be banned for being "mystical". wrong implication - Now the artists came on stage almost in bikinis, and performed such verses that would probably give Soviet critics a heart attack.

For all CIS people 90s turned out to be a shock, but for most artists, they became breath of fresh airThere were a lot of new big names, pop hits with uncomplicated poetry, and latex, leather and denim - truly American attributes! In today's article, we decided to recall the most colorful and still sparkling hits that marked the most difficult decade for the country - they are top 5 pop songswho determined 90s in Russia. So - time to get nostalgic for the discos of my youth... .

Combination - American Boy (1990)

Girl group «Combination» (or as it is fashionable to say today "Girl Band") became the brightest representative of the Russian music scene of that time. It was pure nonsense: indecently bright and spectacular girls sang songs on topics relevant to the society of the time. Back then, many guys wanted to become "cool" bandits, and young beauties dreamed of a career (ahem, let's call it that) as "models". Just because it was prestigious... In the 90s many young ladies dreamed of a prince on a white horse more than ever before - and the composition «American Boy» is dedicated to that very thing.

With a reference to the "American dream," this song described the most current fantasies of young beauties, but in a rather sarcastically:

"I play the balalaika
It's the most Russian instrument
I dream of living in Jamaica
There are no balalaikas in Jamaica..."

If future generations suddenly want to experience 90s spiritthen this track will come in very handy. Considering its unreal drive, we are sure that it will be on the ear for a long time.

Car-Man - London, Good Bye (1990)

We would characterize this song as. "90s pop lyrics". It is tender and melodic, but at the same moment it is not devoid of drive or subtext. The protagonist says goodbye to London, stating that "he is a stranger here". Of course, each listener will see his own message in this, for example - it can be regarded as a hint that Soviet citizens didn't like it so much abroad, where many of them were so eager to go during the Soviet regime. Or to see something more sacred in these lines, veiled…

The song is still played on the radio (mostly on retro waves), and even the younger generation of the early 2000s will easily sing the unobtrusive melodic verse, which makes the song feel like it's a song that's still on the radio. nostalgia:

“London, goodbye!
Goodbye London, I'm a stranger here.
London, goodbye!
London, goodbye, it's time to go home ... "

Combination - The Accountant (1992)

As we said above - «Combination» became famous and gained people's love thanks to her unpretentious but very truthful songs touching on the social and economic situation in the country. In the 90s, many people - even representatives of unremarkable professions - were left in a bad situation (both financially and in terms of their own safety). Given how popular small business had become, it seemed that accountants would be worth their weight in gold. It is like IT specialists today - enviable husbands in a word (but, of course, here many depended on ambition and connections, so only a few were lucky).

A song about an accountant and it's not just about members of this profession. As a result, the line "accountant, my dear accountant" went viral and became a kind of winged expression.

Kai Metov - Position #2 (1993)

Before he became a star of post-Soviet discos, Kai Metov became a victim of those who liked to profit from other people's names. However, nobody really knew the name of the performer himself - or rather, they did not know that Kai and Metov are spelled separately, not consecutively (as some cassette distributors sinned). With Metov's songs for a long time traveled around the country and performed by crooks!

Regarding "Position numero uno."then this track literally elevated Methov to the pedestal of people's love! It is impossible to count how many times the artist performed with this hit song, and how many covers (including parodies) were made to it today.

Dune - The Land of Limonia (1990)

To round out the first part of our selection, we decided to end with the iconic "Limonia Country." groups "Dune" - a rather peculiar band, it's worth noting, who managed to make a big name for themselves during the 90s. And how? Simple: the songs were based on acute social issues that are relevant for almost every citizen of the former USSR.

What kind of country is this, and why "Limonia" and not, say, "Orange"? It is no secret that often millions are called "lemons", and at that time capitalism began to flourish (we would even say braid the country like ivy) in the country. So there you have it smash hit! Despite the humorous-sarcastic overtones, the track is still loved by the general public.