Song Name: Svyaschennaya Voina (known in English as "A Sacred War" or "Holy War")
Year of Release: 1941
Written By: Alexander Alexandrov and Vasily Lebedev-Kumach
Released by: Red Banner Red Army Song and Dance Ensemble of the USSR
Key Lyrics: "Вставай страна огромная, Вставай на смертный бой, С фашистской силой тёмною, С проклятою ордой (Arise, vast country/Arise for a fight to the death/Against the dark fascist force/Against the cursed horde)."
"Гнилой фашистской нечисти/Загоним пулю в лоб/Отребью человечества/Cколотим крепкий гроб! (We'll drive a bullet into the forehead/Of the rotten fascist filth/For the scum of humanity/We shall build a solid coffin!)"
Description: The song's lyrics were first published in newspapers 2 days after the war reached the Soviet front, and after they were published, Alexander Alexandrov began composing music for it. Two days after it had been published, a group of musicians from the Red Banner Red Army Song and Dance Ensemble of the USSR performed and recorded the song at the Belorussky Station in Moscow before going off to fight. Though the song initially was not popular, as its lyrics described an intense fight instead of a quick victory, German gains during the invasion caused the song to become more widely played; in fact, it was broadcast every morning after the Kremlin clock sounded. The song eventually became indispensable to soldier morale, as they would play it during tough battles.
Why It Was Important: The song's lyrics call for Soviets to take up arms against the invading German forces, to be willing to fight to the death, and to annihilate the invaders and keep them away from their country. The line, "Black wings dare not fly over the Motherland," alludes to the German Luftwaffe, and the fact that many civilians took up arms and gave up their lives in the fight against Nazi Germany in battles such as Stalingrad perfectly encapsulates the song's call to give up your life for your country. Overall, the fact that the song was played during difficult defensive battles showed that it perfectly embodied the wartime experience of Soviets who were willing to fight to the death to protect their country against the German invasion.
Recordings:
"The Sacred War" - The Alexandrov Red Army Choir (1942) (live performance by the Red Army Choir)
"Священная война" - Soviet Patriotic Song (The Sacred War) (YouTube rendition)