Beatles – "Back in the U.S.S.R." (1968)

 

Let me hear your balalaikas ringing out

Come and keep your comrade warm

The balalaika is a Russian stringed instrument with a characteristic triangular shape:

Balalaikas come in a variety of sizes.  The prima and second balalaikas are the most common, but there are also piccolo, alto, bass, and contrabass balalaikas.

There are balalaika orchestras consisting solely of different-sized instruments.  Such orchestras often play arrangements of classical compositions as well as folk songs.

A big-ass contrabass balalaika

Click here to listen to the Osipov State Russian Folk Orchestra, a renowned balalaika orchestra, performing “Waltz of a Faun” – which was composed by Vasily Andreyev, the creator of the modern balalaika.

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The standard balalaika has only three strings.  Two of those strings are tuned to the same note, and the third string is tuned a perfect fourth higher.

When you’ve only got three strings to work with, why would you tune two of them to the same note?  

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“Back in the U.S.S.R.” is the first track on The Beatles – which is usually referred to as “the white album.”

John, George, and Ringo were pretty sick of the bossy Paul by that time.  In fact, Ringo walked out on the group while they were working on “Back in the U.S.S.R.”  (Paul ended up playing drums on that track.)

Ringo and Paul

Most people think of “Back in the U.S.S.R.” as a parody of the Beach Boys’ hit, “California Girls.”  But the record alludes more directly to Chuck Berry’s “Back in the U.S.A.”

Click here to listen to the newest member of the 2 OR 3 LINES “GOLDEN DECADE’ ALBUM TRACKS HALL OF FAME, “Back in the U.S.S.R.”

 Click here to buy the record from Amazon.