| "Russians" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single by Sting | ||||
| from the album The Dream of the Blue Turtles | ||||
| B-side | "Gabriel's Message" | |||
| Released | November 1, 1985 | |||
| Format | 7", 12" | |||
| Genre | Soft rock | |||
| Length | 3:58 | |||
| Label | A&M | |||
| Writer(s) | Sting | |||
| Producer | Sting and Peter Smith | |||
| Sting singles chronology | ||||
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"Russians" is a song by Sting, from his debut solo album, The Dream of the Blue Turtles, released in 1985. It was also released as a single. Sting cautions about the repercussions of the Cold War including the mutually assured destruction doctrine ("there's no such thing as a winnable war/It's a lie we don't believe anymore"). Hence he hopes that the "Russians love their children too", since he sees this as the only thing that would save the world from a holocaust brought on by nuclear weapons ("Oppenheimer's deadly toy").[1]
The famed Russian news broadcaster Igor Kirillov says at the beginning approximately the following: "...The (British) Prime Minister described the talks with the head of the delegation, Mikhail Sergeyevich Gorbachev, as a constructive, realistic, practical and friendly exchange of opinions...", referring probably to the meeting of Mikhail Gorbachev and Margaret Thatcher in 1984. The Soviet leader at the time was Konstantin Chernenko.
"Russians" uses a theme from the Lieutenant Kijé Suite by Russian composer Sergei Prokofiev.[2]
The song was a hit in France, where it peaked at #2 for three weeks and remained on the top 50 for 19 weeks. It is currently the 636th best-selling single of all time in France.[3]
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In his 2010 interview with World Entertainment News Network Sting admitted that the song was inspired by watching the Soviet TV via satellite:
I had a friend at university who invented a way to steal the satellite signal from Russian TV. We'd have a few beers and climb this tiny staircase to watch Russian television... At that time of night we'd only get children's Russian television, like their 'Sesame Street'. I was impressed with the care and attention they gave to their children's programs. I regret our current enemies haven't got the same ethics. [4]
Sting performed the song at the 1986 Grammy Awards. His performance of the song was released on the 1994 album Grammy's Greatest Moments Volume I.[5]
In the comedy Peep Show, the character Jeremy Osborne ponders "Do you think he really wondered, Sting, if the Russians loved their children too?" to which Mark Corrigan replies "No, it’s a rhetorical question like, 'can you feel the force?' or 'do they know it's Christmas?'." [6]
A parody of the song appeared in the satirical TV show Spitting Image which featured increasingly abstract concepts for the sake of rhyming, and referenced Sting's previous career as a schoolteacher.
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| Country | Certification | Date | Sales certified | Physical sales |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| France[7] | Gold | 1985 | 500,000 | 476,000 |
| Chart (1985) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Dutch Mega Top 100[8] | 8 |
| French SNEP Singles Chart[8] | 2 |
| Irish Singles Chart[9] | 11 |
| Swedish Singles Chart[8] | 16 |
| Swiss Singles Chart[8] | 13 |
| UK Singles Chart[10] | 12 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100[11] | 16 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks[11] | 34 |
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