Korobeiniki

Simple arrangement of Korobeiniki melody

"Korobeiniki" (Russian: Коробейники, English translation: Peddlers) is a nineteenth-century Russian folk song that tells of a meeting between a peddler and a girl, in which they haggle over the price of goods in a veiled metaphor for courtship.

Outside Russia, "Korobeiniki" is widely known because of its appearance in Nintendo's 1989 version of Tetris and is often referred to as "The Tetris Song", or "The Tetris Type A Theme" (after the game mode it played in).

History

The song "Korobeiniki" is based on a poem with the same name by Nikolay Nekrasov, written and printed in the Sovremennik magazine in 1861.^[1] Due to its increasing tempo and the dance style associated with it, it quickly became a popular Russian folk song.^[2]

Korobeiniki were peddlers with trays, selling fabric, haberdashery, books and other small things in pre-revolutionary Russia.^[3] Nekrasov's poem is a sad story about the love between a peasant girl, Katya, and a young peddler. They meet each other in a rye field at night where he has promised her a good deal on the goods he carries, before they are sold in the market at day. Only the night knows what happens between them in the rye field, but she is not so simple and does not take any of the goods which he offers her. What is the point, she figures, to have all that without him – her first and only love? She takes only a small turquoise ring, as a memory, and he promises to marry her when he comes back from his commerce trip. He continues his journey and she waits for him with caution. His business goes very well and he makes a lot of money, but on the way back he is killed and robbed by a forest ranger whom he asks for directions. So he never comes back to marry Katya. The song is the beginning of the original poem; it only recounts Katya's first meeting with the young peddler when their relation is getting off to a happy start.

Lyrics

Tetris arrangements and modern cover versions

"Korobeiniki"  as featured in Tetris in MIDI format.

After arrangements of "Korobeiniki" first appeared in Spectrum Holobyte's Apple IIgs and Mac versions of Tetris, the song was re-arranged in 1989 by Hirokazu Tanaka^[5] as the "Type A" accompaniment in Nintendo's Game Boy version. It has since become closely associated with the game in Western popular culture. In 2008, UGO listed the song as the 3rd best videogame music of all time.^[6]

Though Tetris Holding LLC holds a sound trademark on the song for use in video games,^[7] the song has appeared in Dance Maniax 2nd Mix under the title "Happy-hopper".

Other versions include:

• Doctor Spin's 1992 novelty Eurodance cover (under the name "Tetris") reached #6 on the UK singles chart.
• The string quartet Bond included a version on their 2000 debut album Born called Korobushka which they often perform at their live concerts.
• American rock band Ozma released a rock version on their 2001 album The Doubble Donkey Disc, used in 2013 on the movie Kick Ass 2.
• Norwegian trance producer 2PM released a version in 2003, though unlike its predecessor “C’mon” it failed to chart.
• German trance group Scooter sampled it in 2007 in their song "Whistling Dave" from the album Jumping All Over the World.
• An Italian house remix of the song was featured in the 2005 compilation album by Gigi D'Agostino, Disco Tanz.
• It was also performed and recorded by the California-based vocal ensemble Chanticleer on their 1997 album "Wondrous Love" under the name "Oy, Polná, Polná, Koróbuskaha".
• The American instrumental power metal band Powerglove recorded their own version of the song, simply entitled "Tetris", on their debut EP Total Pwnage (2005).
• In 2009, a crust-folk band from Portland, Oregon called the Dapper Cadavers covered the song, titling it "Korobushka" on their EP, The Fall of the Dapper Cadavers.
• British dubstep producer Doctor P made a remix of the song, which was released in 2011.
• A trance cover arranged by Ryu* is featured on the Exit Trance release Exit Trance Presents FamiTrance EX (EXIT TRANCE PRESENTS ファミトランス EX, EXIT TRANCE PRESENTS Famitoransu EX, 2009) under the title "Korobushka". The song was later included on his album Ageha as "Korobushka (Ryu*Remix)".
• The PlayStation Portable title Ape Escape Academy (Ape Academy in Europe) also features this song in one of the 'Camp-Side Fire' mini-games (essentially a short rhythm game-like sequence), also under the title 'Korobushka'.
• Ronan Murray has recorded an arrangement of the tune for pipe organ
• A sung version is included as the opening theme in the Borat Sagdiyev TV series.
• Canadian fingerstyle guitarist Ewan Dobson performs an acoustic guitar version of the song on his first album.^[8]
• In 2010, the British novelty band Pig With The Face Of A Boy used the melody for their recording A Complete History Of The Soviet Union As Told By A Humble Worker, Arranged To The Melody Of Tetris. The English language lyrics superimpose the game Tetris upon Russian history from the days of Imperial Russia before the Russian Revolution of 1917, to the years of the Soviet Union, to the present day Russian Federation. The band has produced a video of the song that, as of 10 December 2014, has had over 4.8 million views on YouTube.^[9]
• The Timbers Army sings this melody with altered lyrics during Portland Timbers games, usually accompanied by a simple dance with a large visual effect.^[10]
• Lowell, Massachusetts metal/video-game music band Vomitron covered it on their latest release "No NES For The Wicked"
• In the anime Hetalia: Axis Powers (based on a Japanese webcomic about anthropomorphic countries), the instrumental part of Russia's version of the ending theme has a very folkloric rendition of Korobeiniki.
• The Electronic Live PA act Muzik 4 Machines also performs a live version of the theme on several YouTube videos.
• Smooth McGroove has released a version of the melody in the acapella style for which he is famous.^[11]
• The song is sampled in Gucci Mane's 2012 song "Get It Back" featuring 2 Chainz, taken from Gucci's mixtape, Trap Back.
• Canadian electronic music producer Brado Popcorn released two versions of the song, entitled "Obi One I Kirk (Korobeiniki) Instrumental" on his "A Tribute to the Music of Tetris" album, released in 2014.^[12]
• YouTube personality Hank Green used the tune but added his own lyrics in the song "The Man Who Throws The Tetris Piece".^[13] The song was then covered in a rock style by Bill Martin (aka Doctor Noise) and his band at the time, Hang 'Em High. Hank subsequently collaborated with the band and the YouTube community to create a music video for the rock version. ^[14]

References

External links

• "Korobeiniki" by the Red Army Choir of the Soviet Union. Soloist: V. Shtefouts (Vasily_Ivanovich_Shtefutsa)
• Barynya performance
• Sheet music
• Sheet music by Michael Gluck