Songfacts®:

·         Sting wrote "Russians" during the Cold War, a tense time when Russia and the United
States felt threatened by the nuclear missiles they had pointed at each other. His lyrics
rhetorically ask if Russians love their children too, and question why the Russians and the
Americans would participate in the Cold War. >>

·         The melody was inspired by Russian composer Sergei Prokofiev's Romance melody from the
Lieutenant Kije Suite (compiled from the 1933 film Lieutenant Kije).

·         To Americans, Russia was the "Evil Empire" out to destroy them. This song finds
compassion amid the rhetoric, a viewpoint rarely heard at the time.
Not everyone agreed with Sting's sympathetic stance. Police drummer Stewart Copeland is the son of
a CIA operative and had a very different outlook. But as Copeland explained, no matter how cogent
his arguments, Sting could refute them with an indefensible lyric like "Russians love their
children too." Said Copeland, "You can't argue with a poet."

·         "Oppenheimer's deadly toy" refers to the atomic bomb. Robert Oppenheimer was an American
physicist who was considered "The father of the atomic bomb." He later regretted his creation,
saying he intended it to be used for energy in peace time. >>

·         Sting recalled in Lyrics By Sting: "In this political climate a friend of mine, who was
doing research at Columbia University in New York, had a computer system sophisticated enough to
intercept the Soviet's TV signal from their satellite above the North Pole.

·         On a Saturday night in New York City we could watch Sunday morning programs for the kids
in Russia. The shows seemed thoughtful and sweet, and I suddenly felt the need to state something
obvious in the face of all this rhetoric: Russians love their children just as we do."

·         Sting originally wanted to record this song in Russia with the Leningrad State Orchestra.
He told Record in 1985: "I feel very strongly that in order to relax East-West tension, you can't
leave it to the politicians anymore - they've proved themselves totally inept:

·         lt's up to individuals to make contact with one's counterpart behind the so-called Iron
Curtain in order to ascertain and confirm that they are human beings and not demographic
sub-robotic morons.

·         So I felt that it was important to go to the Soviet Union and perhaps meet fellow
musicians and do something together. Unfortunately I came up against the bureaucracy that
politicians put in front of you. It's not easy to get into the Soviet Union to make a record - and
it should be. I'd love to take this band to Russia. I think it would freak them out."
He added: "It's not a pro-Soviet song, it's pro-children. It's a very obvious statement to me but
one that isn't being made. The wheels were set in motion but it's taken a very long time to do
because of the politics of going through the Politburo and having them sanction it. My feeling is
that you have to make contact with our potential enemies, people you might be expected to kill or
be killed by."

·         The song started trending after Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukraine. In response, on March
5, Sting posted a video of himself performing "Russians" in aid of Help Ukraine.
"I've only rarely sung this song in the many years since it was written, because I never thought it
would be relevant again," he said at the beginning of the performance. "But, in the light of one
man's bloody and woefully misguided decision to invade a peaceful, unthreatening neighbor, the song
is, once again, a plea for our common humanity.

·         For the brave Ukrainians fighting against this brutal tyranny and also the many Russians
who are protesting this outrage despite the threat of arrest and imprisonment - We, all of us, love
our children. Stop the war."
On March 25, he posted this version to YouTube and the major streaming services, with profits going
to helpukraine.center, an organization providing humanitarian aid for victims of the war.

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                            ·         Sting (Gordon Sumner) - RUSSIANS

·         In Europe and America there's a growing feeling of …………….
Conditioned to respond to all the threats
In the rhetorical speeches of the ………………….…………………….
Mister Krushchev said, "We will bury you"

·         I don't ……………………..…………………………. to this point of view
It'd be such an ignorant thing to do
If the Russians love their children too

·         How can I save my little boy from ………………….……………….'s deadly toy?
There is no monopoly on common sense
On either side of the political fence
We share the same biology, regardless of ………………….……..

·         ……………………..………………………………………… when I say to you
I hope the Russians love their children too
There is no historical precedent
To put the words in the mouth of the president?

·         There's no such thing as a …………………….……………………. war
It's a lie we don't believe anymore
Mister Reagan says, "We will protect you"
I don't subscribe to this point of view

·         …………………………………………………………………when I say to you
I hope the Russians love their children too

·         We share the same ………………………., regardless of ideology

·         ……………………………………………………………., me and you
Is if the Russians love their children too

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·         Writer/s: Gordon Sumner, Serge Prokofieff
Publisher: CONCORD MUSIC PUBLISHING LLC
Lyrics licensed and provided by LyricFind