You must be like Putin

When I was Russia, digging through a bargain bin, the cover of a particular CD caught my eye. It was by the group Singing Together (Rus. Поющие вместе / Poyushchiye vmeste) and featured a picture of President Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin (Rus. Президент Владимир Владимирович Путин) with each arm around a beautiful woman. I wanted to buy it but didn't have any money on me at the time. Recently I stumbled upon the CD on a Russian mp3 site, and downloaded the title track Just Like Putin (Rus. Такого, как Путин / Takogo, kak Putin), and the English version You Must Be Like Putin. The songs are about a girl who has a rubbish boyfriend and decides that her ideal man must be like President Putin. It is not known what the true motivations behind the song were; whether it was a Kremlin (Rus. Кремль / Kreml') scheme to boast Putin's popularity among the young, or simply a bit of fun. The record company also released a compilation CD, Songs About Putin (Rus. Песни о Путине / Pesni o Putine) featuring Just Like Putin , as well as shouty hardcore metal song entitled Putin is a Murderer (Rus. Путин - убийца / Putin - ubiytsa).

You Must Be Like Putin! (RapidShare)


Another hit of 2005 was Black Eyes (Rus. Чёрные глаза / Chyornyye glaza) by Aydamir Mugu and Aslan Tlebzu (Rus. Айдамир Мугу и Аслан Тлебзу). I don't know where in Russia they are from, but they do not ethnic Russian names. They are possibly from the Caucasian area of Russia, or Georgia, or maybe around Tatarstan. The sticker on the CD says it was a 'Summer Super Hit', and rightly so, as you couldn't walk down the main street of a city in Russia without hearing it blasting out of every kiosk. Like all good Russian pop it features an accordion and questionable singing ability.

Chyornyye glaza