“Good evening, from Ukraine” and “Oy u luzi chervona kalina” are heard on radio, television, during football matches, and in public institutions. They lift people’s spirits and support them. Let’s figure out which songs have become a symbol of the indestructible spirit and strength of the Ukrainian people.
“Oh at Luzi’s red viburnum”
Ukrainian folk song and march of the Ukrainian Sich Riflemen. In 2022, the song became a symbol of Ukrainian resistance. It was recorded by many Ukrainian performers. Andrey Khlyvnyuk, leader of the Boom Box group, sang a song on Sofiyskaya Square and filmed a video. It went viral and people started making covers and posting them on social networks in solidarity with Ukraine.
Pink Floyd – Hey Hey Rise Up (feat. Andriy Khlyvnyuk of Boombox)
Pink Floyd created a cover of “Oy u luzi chervona kalina” called “Hey, Hey, Rise Up!” In April, the song took first place on the iTunes charts in 25 countries. In December, group leader David Gilmore posted on Facebook that they had raised $600,000. The money was sent to a charity fund to help Ukrainians.
Muesli UA – “Vova, *bash, b*tch”
The song is based on the catchphrase of the head of the Pyatikhatskaya agricultural company and the president of the Ingulets football club, Alexander Povoroznyuk, which he voiced in an address to the President of Ukraine Vladimir Zelensky. The track became a hit and topped the Ukrainian Spotify and Apple Music charts. The song is a cry from the heart not only of the President of the Football Club, but also of millions of Ukrainians.
PROBASS ∆ HARDI – “Good evening, from Ukraine”
The song “Good evening, from Ukraine” was released in the fall of 2021. The phrase was said by the vocalist of the Ukrainian band DakhaBrakha Mark Galanevich during a performance in the USA. During Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the track went viral and became a symbol of indestructibility, and people use the phrase as a greeting during a meeting.
Jockii Druce – “Show vi, bro”
Designers Stefania Verejci and Danja Nesterevich wanted to create a video that would cheer people up. They approached rapper Jockii Druce with the idea. The video contains many fragments of cartoons, memes, videos with celebrities, photos of people with pets from the metro. The song encourages you not to give up and convinces you of quick victory.
Kalush Orchestra – Stefania
The song Stefania is the winner of Eurovision 2022. The track was dedicated to the mother of the band’s frontman Oleg Psyuk, whose name is Stefania. After performing in the finals, the group called for saving Mariupol and Azovstal. Oleg said that there is not a word about the war in the text, but people still associate the track with Mother Ukraine and call it the anthem of war.
Chico & Qatoshi – “Help the ZSU”
The joint track Chico and Qatoshi created in three days to support the Armed Forces of Ukraine. The song encourages both the soldiers at the front and the civilians in the rear. The track went viral via TikTok.
Palindrome & Ship Her Son – “Sleep”
According to the musicians, this is aggressive industrial hip-hop with a call to action to cope with stress. Palindrome and Ship Her Son wrote the song a year before the full-scale invasion and put into it the message that there is war in each of us. The track describes the state of every Ukrainian: one day – crying, another day – laughter.
Ed Sheeran & Antytila – 2step
The song was a remake of a track from the British musician’s latest album. The leader of the Antibodies group, Taras Topolya, sang a verse in Ukrainian about how the war began for his family and millions of Ukrainians. The video was filmed in the Kharkov region, Irpen and Kyiv. Proceeds from views on YouTube are donated to charity.
Khristina Solovy – “Ukrainian Fierce”
In March, the Ukrainian singer released a cover of the Italian folk song Bella Ciao. Kristina Solovey dedicated the song to Ukrainian defenders. In her version, the singer remembered Javelins, Bayraktars and TRO. She named her Ukrainian tour after the title of the song – “Ukrainian Fury.”
Stas Korolov – “What a day of war”
Stas Korolev released the song in the summer of 2022. The musician was inspired to create the song by the author of the visual, Alina Vesna. The girl opened Google to find out what day of the war it was. They started reading the most popular queries that started with the word “what.” After which the singer and the musicians created an entire song, and screenshots of these requests were used in the video.
Enji Kreida – “The Enemy”
In May 2022, the group released the song “Vrazhe” with lyrics by Lyudmila Gorova. The clip received 10 million views on YouTube. After the release of the “Enemy” video, Russian propagandists made a video where they list and illustrate the supposed advantages of living in russia.
SKOFKA — Just a hymn
Ukrainian rapper Skofka wrote a track called “Chuti anthem”, which talks about Irpen, Bucha and other cities destroyed by the occupiers. The song became one of the most popular military hits in 2022. The musician dedicated the track to his friend Valentin Valentinovich Konovodov, who died at the front. Skofka sings about the struggle of the defense forces against the Russian occupiers during the war. Four months later, a Russian copy of the composition appeared online, justifying the war crimes of the Russian army.