Rasputin

Hey Hey Hey Hey!

Rasputin by Boney M.

Recommended by Ashley

She says, "This is my favorite song to dance to on Just Dance. It's a Masterpiece."

What's not to love? This song has all the elements for success. Catchy melody, memorable lyrics, and snazzy instrumentals.

In all honesty, this song is just a big party. That fiddle is full of ecstasy and fire. You have to tap your foot along and maybe even dance a little bit. (Or a lot. No judgment.) And don't even try to keep yourself from joining in on those "Hey! Hey!"s.

Then the lyrics...hilarious. Somewhat unnatural phrasing, perfect rhymes, the occasional foreign word, and a vaguely sexual undercurrent. Awesome.

Plus - and I'm not even joking here - they tell a very clear story. I'm all about that. Rasputin's introduced in the first verse. Then we learn about his outrageous lifestyle. I really feel like I know the guy by the time we finally hear (SPOILER ALERT!) of his demise.

I love the call-and-response style of the verses. I'm not usually crazy about spoken interludes, but this one earns points for historical accuracy. This whole song is the biography of a real human! And even if the rumors aren't accurate to real life events, they are by all accounts actual rumors that spread through Moscow during Rasputin's life.

I think it's worth mentioning that this is a song about 19th-century Russia produced in Germany in 1976. I don't know how much that actually matters, but I feel like it explains a lot.

I've had some earworms on this blog, but this diddy takes the cake. I promise, for better or for worse, you will not be able to get that chorus out of your head for days. (Honestly, why would you want to?)

Plus, it's my favorite song to dance to on Just Dance, too.

Overview:

Genre:
I...um. Pop / Euro Disco

Favorite Lyrics:
Ra Ra Rasputin
Russia's greatest love machine.

Oh, those Russians.

Verdict:
Wunderbar

(Note: I embedded the version above because it's easier to digest than the album version, which is almost 6 minutes long.)