When making a cover version of a song in another language, why puzzle over translating the lyrics so that they would mean the same thing? You can simply keep the melody and write a whole new text with whichever words fit. That’s probably what the creators of the following tracks were thinking. And now we have these bangers that are both very reminiscent of the originals and absolutely different from them in terms of meaning:

Tic, Tic Tac vs The Boy Wants to Go to Tambov (Мальчик хочет в Тамбов)

This kind of absurd song about a boy who desperately wants to go to Tambov, a city in Central Russia, but for some reason can’t, was a huge hit in the nineties. It’s inspired by the Brazilian band Cappapicho’s song Tic, Tic Tac about the great Amazon river.

Obviously, the original version has nothing to do with the Russian city. But it does include a line that goes “bate forte o tambor” meaning “hit the drum hard”. Tambor (“the drum”) sounds like Tambov, so Russian songwriters played with the lyrics and told a completely different story.

Murat Nasyrov, a Russian singer with Uyghur roots, performed The Boy Wants to Go to Tambov. The video for the song deserves an honorable mention, since for some reason it includes characters from… The Addams Family. Uncle Fester plays the xylophone and Morticia Addams dances on the beach. It’s a must-see.

Venus vs Shisgara (Шизгара)

If you’ve heard the original song by Shocking Blue, you can probably guess why the Russian version was titled Shisgara. If you can’t, here’s a hint: this meaningless word sounds like a refrain you can hear in Venus.

The cover song was created by the band Doctor Watson and became a hit across the former Soviet states. The lyrics aren’t very specific and it’s not quite clear who or what Shisgara is, but basically – it’s about trying to bring back the good old memories.

One Way Ticket vs Blue Frost (Синий иней)

Blue Frost, alternatively titled the Blue Song, is about the pursuit of a dream and happiness. And also, well, about all things blue: frost, sky, eyes… The general mood is kind of similar to the original song performed by Neil Sedaka and made famous by the disco band Eruption. One Way Ticket also mentions “the blues” and describes a journey.

Its Russian version is still popular, especially during winter. Blue Frost became popular in its rendition by the band Zdravstvyi, Pesnya (see them performing it in 1979 above). Don’t they look stylish?

Get to know the Russian music scene by checking out our other stories – on tunes that made a comeback, must-know pop singers, or cult rock locations in St. Petersburg.