Korobeiniki
Encyclopedia
"Korobeiniki" also known as the Tetris song is a nineteenth-century Russia
n folk song that tells of an incident between a peddler and a girl "haggling" over a price, with the details only being said in metaphor. In western culture, the song is primarily known for being used as the "Type A" music in the 1989 Game Boy
version of the puzzle game Tetris
.
magazine in 1861. Due to its increasing tempo and the dance style associated with it, it quickly became a popular Russian folk song.
Korobeiniki were peddler
s with trays, selling fabric, haberdashery, books and other small things in pre-revolutionary Russia
. Nekrasov's poem is a sad story about the love between a peasant girl, Katya, and a young peddler. They meet each other in a rye field at night where he has promised her a good deal on the goods he carries, before they are sold in the market during the day. Only the night knows what happens between them in the rye field, but she is not so simple and does not take any of the goods which he offers her. What is the point, she figures, to have all that without him – her first and only love? She takes only a small turquoise ring, as a memory, and he promises to marry her when he comes back from his commerce trip. He continues his journey and she waits for him with caution. His business goes very well and he makes a lot of money, but on the way back he is killed and robbed by a forest ranger whom he asks for directions. So he never comes back to marry Katya. The song is only the very beginning of the original poem; it only recounts Katya's first meeting with the young peddler when their relation is getting off to a happy start.
"Korobeiniki" was re-arranged in 1989 by Hirokazu Tanaka
and used as the "Type A" music in the Game Boy version of Tetris. It has since become closely associated with the game in Western
popular culture
. In 2008, UGO
listed the song as the 3rd best videogame music of all time. Though Tetris Holding LLC holds a sound trademark
on the song for use in video games, the song has appeared in Dance Maniax
2nd Mix under the title "Happy-hopper".
Others include:
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
n folk song that tells of an incident between a peddler and a girl "haggling" over a price, with the details only being said in metaphor. In western culture, the song is primarily known for being used as the "Type A" music in the 1989 Game Boy
Game Boy
The , is an 8-bit handheld video game device developed and manufactured by Nintendo. It was released in Japan on , in North America in , and in Europe on...
version of the puzzle game Tetris
Tetris (Game Boy)
Tetris is a puzzle video game that was included as a pack-in title with the Game Boy at the handheld's release in 1989. It is a portable version of Alexey Pajitnov's Tetris. It was the first game compatible with the Game Boy Game Link Cable, a pack-in accessory that allowed two Game Boys to link...
.
History
The song "Korobeiniki" is based on a poem with the same name by Nikolay Nekrasov, written and printed in the SovremennikSovremennik
Sovremennik was a Russian literary, social and political magazine, published in St. Petersburg in 1836-1866. It came out four times a year in 1836-1843 and once a month after that...
magazine in 1861. Due to its increasing tempo and the dance style associated with it, it quickly became a popular Russian folk song.
Korobeiniki were peddler
Peddler
A peddler, in British English pedlar, also known as a canvasser, cheapjack, monger, or solicitor , is a travelling vendor of goods. In England, the term was mostly used for travellers hawking goods in the countryside to small towns and villages; they might also be called tinkers or gypsies...
s with trays, selling fabric, haberdashery, books and other small things in pre-revolutionary Russia
Russian Empire
The Russian Empire was a state that existed from 1721 until the Russian Revolution of 1917. It was the successor to the Tsardom of Russia and the predecessor of the Soviet Union...
. Nekrasov's poem is a sad story about the love between a peasant girl, Katya, and a young peddler. They meet each other in a rye field at night where he has promised her a good deal on the goods he carries, before they are sold in the market during the day. Only the night knows what happens between them in the rye field, but she is not so simple and does not take any of the goods which he offers her. What is the point, she figures, to have all that without him – her first and only love? She takes only a small turquoise ring, as a memory, and he promises to marry her when he comes back from his commerce trip. He continues his journey and she waits for him with caution. His business goes very well and he makes a lot of money, but on the way back he is killed and robbed by a forest ranger whom he asks for directions. So he never comes back to marry Katya. The song is only the very beginning of the original poem; it only recounts Katya's first meeting with the young peddler when their relation is getting off to a happy start.
Lyrics
| Russian lyrics | Transliteration | English translation |
|---|---|---|
| Oy polnym polna mоya korobushka Yest' i sitets i parcha. Pozhaley, dusha-zaznobushka, Molodetskogo plecha. Vyydu, vyydu v rozh' vysokuyu, Tam do nochki pogozhu, Kak zavizhu chernookuyu, Vse tovary razlozhu. Tseny sam platil nemalyye, Ne torguysya, ne skupis', Podstavlyay-ka gubki alyye, Blizhe k molodtsu sadis'. Vot uzh pala noch' tumannaya, Zhdyot udalyy molodets. Chu, idyot! – prishla zhelannaya, Prodayot tovar kupets. Katya berezhno torguyetsya Vsyo boitsya peredat', Paren' s devitsey tseluyetsya, Prosit tseny nabavlyat'. Znayet tol'ko noch' glubokaya, Kak poladili oni. Raspryamis' ty, rozh' vysokaya, Taynu svyato sokhrani! Oy legka legka korobushka Plech ne rezhet remeshok A vsego vzyala zaznobushka, biryuzovyy perstenyok Dal ey sittsu shtuku tseluyu, Lentu aluyu dlya kos, Poyasok – rubashku beluyu Podpoyasat' v senokos... Vse poklala nenaglyadnaya V korob, krome persten'ka: "Ne hochu hodit' naryadnaya Bez serdechnogo druzhka!" To-to, dury vy, molodochki! Ne sama li prinesla Polushtofik sladkoy vodochki? A podarkov ne vzyala! Tak postoy zhe! Nerushimo Obeshchanʹitse dayu: Oporozhnitsya korobushka, Na Pokrov domoy pridu I tebya, dusha-zaznobushka, V bozhʹyu tserkovʹ povedu!" Vplotʹ do vechera dozhdlivogo Molodets bezhit begom I tovarishcha vorchlivogo Nagonyaet pod selom. Staryy Tihonych rugaetsya: "Ya uzh dumal, ty propal!" Van'ka tol'ko uhmylyaetsya - Ya-de sittsy prodaval! |
Oh, my crate is so full, I've got chintz Chintz Chintz is glazed calico cloth printed with flowers and other patterns in different colours. Unglazed calico is called "cretonne". The word Calico is derived from the name of the Indian city Calicut to which it had a manufacturing association.-History:Chintz was originally a woodblock printed,... and brocade Brocade Brocade is a class of richly decorative shuttle-woven fabrics, often made in colored silks and with or without gold and silver threads. The name, related to the same root as the word "broccoli," comes from Italian broccato meaning "embossed cloth," originally past participle of the verb broccare... . Take pity, oh sweety, Of this lad's shoulder I will, I will go out into the tall rye, I will wait there till the night comes, Once I see the dark-eyed lass, I will showcase all my goods. I paid no small price myself, So don't bargain or be stingy, Bring your scarlet lips to me, Sit closer to this fine lad. The foggy night has already come, The daring lad is awaiting, Hark, it's her! The desired one has come, The merchant is selling his goods. Katya is haggling with care, She is afraid to pay too much, A lad is kissing his lass, Asking her to raise the price. Only the deep night knows, What they agreed upon. Straighten up now, oh tall rye, And keep their secret scrupulously! Oh, my crate is so light, The strap is no longer cutting into my shoulders! And all my lass took Was one turquoise Turquoise Turquoise is an opaque, blue-to-green mineral that is a hydrous phosphate of copper and aluminium, with the chemical formula CuAl648·4. It is rare and valuable in finer grades and has been prized as a gem and ornamental stone for thousands of years owing to its unique hue... ring. |
Modern cover versions
as featured in Tetris Tetris Tetris is a puzzle video game originally designed and programmed by Alexey Pajitnov in the Soviet Union. It was released on June 6, 1984, while he was working for the Dorodnicyn Computing Centre of the Academy of Science of the USSR in Moscow, Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic... in MIDI Musical Instrument Digital Interface MIDI is an industry-standard protocol, first defined in 1982 by Gordon Hall, that enables electronic musical instruments , computers and other electronic equipment to communicate and synchronize with each other... format. |
"Korobeiniki" was re-arranged in 1989 by Hirokazu Tanaka
Hirokazu Tanaka
is a Japanese composer and musician, best known for his scores for various video games produced by Nintendo. He is also the current President of Creatures, Inc.-Video game soundtracks:*Radar Scope *Space Firebird...
and used as the "Type A" music in the Game Boy version of Tetris. It has since become closely associated with the game in Western
Western world
The Western world, also known as the West and the Occident , is a term referring to the countries of Western Europe , the countries of the Americas, as well all countries of Northern and Central Europe, Australia and New Zealand...
popular culture
Popular culture
Popular culture is the totality of ideas, perspectives, attitudes, memes, images and other phenomena that are deemed preferred per an informal consensus within the mainstream of a given culture, especially Western culture of the early to mid 20th century and the emerging global mainstream of the...
. In 2008, UGO
UGO
UGO Entertainment, Inc. is a website providing coverage of online media in entertainment targeting males age 18–34. The company is currently based in New York, New York, United States. On July 24, 2007 it was announced that Hearst Corporation would acquire UGO Entertainment...
listed the song as the 3rd best videogame music of all time. Though Tetris Holding LLC holds a sound trademark
Sound trademark
A sound trademark is a non-conventional trademark where sound is used to perform the trademark function of uniquely identifying the commercial origin of products or services....
on the song for use in video games, the song has appeared in Dance Maniax
Dance Maniax
Dance Maniax is a game from the Bemani series of rhythm games, published by Konami, with songs mostly from the Dancemania series of music, and shares many songs with Dance Dance Revolution...
2nd Mix under the title "Happy-hopper".
Others include:
- Doctor SpinDoctor SpinDoctor Spin was a pseudonym used by Andrew Lloyd Webber and record producer Nigel Wright for their 1992 hit single "Tetris". Their identities were not widely publicised at the time...
's 1992 novelty EurodanceEurodanceEurodance is a genre of electronic dance music that originated in the late 1980s or early 1990s primarily in Europe. It combines many elements from House, Techno, Hi-NRG and especially Italo-Disco...
cover (under the name "Tetris") reached #6 on the UK singles chartUK Singles ChartThe UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
. - The string quartet BondBond (band)Bond is an Australian/British string quartet that specialises in classical crossover music...
included a version on their 2000 debut album BornBorn (album)Born is the first album released by the classical crossover string quartet Bond. The album was a huge commercial success, reaching Gold in fourteen countries and Platinum in twelve. The album was also no...
called Korobushka which they often perform at their live concerts. - AmericanUnited StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
rock bandRock BandRock Band is a music video game developed by Harmonix Music Systems, published by MTV Games and Electronic Arts. It is the first title in the Rock Band series. The PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 versions were released in the United States on November 20, 2007, while the PlayStation 2 version was...
OzmaOzma (band)Ozma is a rock band from Pasadena, California. The band's sound is a mix of new-wave–influenced power pop and Casiotone-driven melodies sustained by heavy guitar riffs. The complexity of Ozma's songs grew considerably during the band's initial nine-year history...
released a rockRock musicRock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
version on their 20012001 in musicSee also:* 2001 in music Record labels established in 2001-Events:*January 1**Comeback of Guns N' Roses in House of Blues**Hum disbands.*January 17 – Bass player Jason Newsted leaves Metallica after 14 years with the band....
album The Doubble Donkey DiscThe Doubble Donkey DiscThe Doubble Donkey Disc is Ozma's second full length studio album.-Track listing:# "Flight of Yuri Gagarin" – 2:24# "No One Needs to Know" – 4:06# "Korobeiniki" – 2:18...
. - GermanGermanyGermany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
tranceTrance musicTrance is a genre of electronic dance music that developed in the 1990s.:251 It is generally characterized by a tempo of between 125 and 150 bpm,:252 repeating melodic synthesizer phrases, and a musical form that builds up and breaks down throughout a track...
group ScooterScooter (band)Scooter are a German hard dance band founded in Hamburg, who have sold over 25 million records and earned over 80 gold and platinum awards. Scooter are considered the most successful single-record German act with 23 top ten hits. The band is currently composed of members H.P. Baxxter, Rick J....
sampled it in 20072007 in musicThis is a list of notable events in music that took place in the year 2007.-January:*January 1 - George Shearing is knighted for services to music in the Queen's New Year Honours List. Evelyn Glennie becomes a Dame...
in their song "Whistling Dave" from the album Jumping All Over the WorldJumping All Over the WorldJumping All Over the World is the thirteenth studio album by German techno group Scooter, released in Germany in 2007. Five singles have been released from it: "The Question Is What Is the Question?", "And No Matches", "Jumping All Over the World", a remix of "I'm Lonely" and a new version of "Jump...
. - German industrialIndustrial musicIndustrial music is a style of experimental music that draws on transgressive and provocative themes. The term was coined in the mid-1970s with the founding of Industrial Records by the band Throbbing Gristle, and the creation of the slogan "industrial music for industrial people". In general, the...
group Eisenfunk also made a cover version that can be heard on their album 8-bit. - An Italian house remix of the song was featured in the 2005 compilation album by Gigi D'AgostinoGigi D'AgostinoLuigino Celestino Di Agostino , better known by his stage name Gigi D'Agostino, is an Italian DJ, remixer and record producer...
, Disco TanzDisco TanzDisco Tanz is a compilation album compiled and remixed by Italian house DJ Gigi D'Agostino, release in 2005 through Noise Maker records.-Remixes:The album features remixes of a number of popular songs both new and old:...
. - It was also performed and recorded by the California-based vocal ensemble ChanticleerChanticleer (ensemble)Based in San Francisco, California, Chanticleer is a full-time classical vocal ensemble in the United States. Over the last three decades, it has developed a major reputation for its interpretations of Renaissance music, but it also performs a wide repertoire of jazz, gospel, and other venturesome...
on their 1997 album "Wondrous Love" under the name "Oy, Polná, Polná, Koróbuskaha". - The American instrumentalInstrumentalAn instrumental is a musical composition or recording without lyrics or singing, although it might include some non-articulate vocal input; the music is primarily or exclusively produced by musical instruments....
power metalPower metalPower metal is a style of heavy metal combining characteristics of traditional metal with speed metal, often within symphonic context. The term refers to two different but related styles: the first pioneered and largely practiced in North America with a harder sound similar to speed metal, and a...
band PowerglovePowerglove (band)Powerglove is an American power metal band. They are known to play metal versions of classic video game themes. The band is named after the Power Glove, a NES controller accessory.-Early years, Total Pwnage and Metal Kombat :...
recorded their own version of the song, simply entitled "Tetris", on their debut EPExtended playAn EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...
Total Pwnage (2005). - In 2009, a crust-folk band from PortlandPortland, OregonPortland is a city located in the Pacific Northwest, near the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2010 Census, it had a population of 583,776, making it the 29th most populous city in the United States...
, OregonOregonOregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...
called the Dapper Cadavers covered the song, titling it "Korobushka" on their EP, The Fall of the Dapper Cadavers. - A tranceTrance musicTrance is a genre of electronic dance music that developed in the 1990s.:251 It is generally characterized by a tempo of between 125 and 150 bpm,:252 repeating melodic synthesizer phrases, and a musical form that builds up and breaks down throughout a track...
cover arranged by Ryu*Ryutaro Nakahara, known by his stage name Ryu, is a musician and DJ working for Konami. In 2000, Ryu, along with kors k won a contest started by Konami, in which composers are to make music such that the winners would get their songs in the next beatmania IIDX installment...
is featured on the Exit TranceExit TranceExit Trance is a compilation series released in Japan specializing in the Japanese J-Trance genre, a niche sub genre of J-Pop. The most prominent influence of J-Trance is to be found in Trance added to this are elements from Rave, Drum and bass and Speed core....
release under the title "Korobushka". The song was later included on his album Ageha as "Korobushka (Ryu*Remix)". - The PlayStation PortablePlayStation PortableThe is a handheld game console manufactured and marketed by Sony Corporation Development of the console was announced during E3 2003, and it was unveiled on , 2004, at a Sony press conference before E3 2004...
title Ape Escape AcademyApe Escape AcademyApe Escape Academy, also known as Ape Academy in Europe and Piposaru Academia: Dossari! Sarugee Daizenshuu in Japan, is a game for the PlayStation Portable system that consists of a collection of 45 mini-games, many of which borrow from elements of Ape Escape 2. The game was first released in Japan...
(Ape Academy in Europe) also features this song in one of the 'Camp-Side Fire' mini-games (essentially a short rhythm game-like sequence), also under the title 'Korobushka'. - Ronan MurrayRonan MurrayRónán Murray is an Irish musician. From a musical family, his earliest piano lessons were with his late father, Ciarán. Rónán attended Blackrock College, a school for boys in south Dublin where his musical gifts were further nurtured. He was chapel organist during his school days there...
has recorded an arrangement of the tune for pipe organPipe organThe pipe organ is a musical instrument that produces sound by driving pressurized air through pipes selected via a keyboard. Because each organ pipe produces a single pitch, the pipes are provided in sets called ranks, each of which has a common timbre and volume throughout the keyboard compass... - A sung version is included as the opening theme in the Borat Sagdiyev TV series.
- Canadian fingerstyle guitaristFingerstyle guitarFingerstyle guitar is the technique of playing the guitar by plucking the strings directly with the fingertips, fingernails, or picks attached to fingers, as opposed to flatpicking ....
Ewan DobsonEwan DobsonEwan Dobson is a Canadian fingerstyle guitarist and Candyrat Records recording artist.-Style:He is noted for the intensity and viruosity of his fingerstyle playing, his influence from video game music as well as his use of extended technique....
performs an acoustic guitar version of the song on his first album. - The British novelty band Pig With The Face Of A BoyPig With The Face Of A BoyPig With The Face Of A Boy is a musical comedy band based in London, England.They perform original comic songs, and describe themselves as "the world's best neo-post-post-music hall anti-folk band". The duo consists of Dan Woods, on vocals and accordion, and Donald Newholm, on vocals, guitar,...
used the melody for their recording A Complete History Of The Soviet Union As Told By A Humble Worker, Arranged To The Melody Of Tetris. The English language lyrics superimpose the game TetrisTetrisTetris is a puzzle video game originally designed and programmed by Alexey Pajitnov in the Soviet Union. It was released on June 6, 1984, while he was working for the Dorodnicyn Computing Centre of the Academy of Science of the USSR in Moscow, Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic...
upon Russian history from the days of Imperial Russia before the Russian Revolution of 1917, to the years of the Soviet UnionSoviet UnionThe Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
, to the present day Russian Federation. The band has produced a video of the song that, as of 08 November 2011, has had over 2 million views on YouTube. - The Timbers ArmyTimbers ArmyThe Timbers Army is an independent supporters group of Portland Timbers, a football club in Major League Soccer—the top tier of the United States soccer pyramid. Its members are known for their loud, enthusiastic support and the raucous atmosphere they create at Timbers games...
sings this melody with altered lyrics during Portland TimbersPortland TimbersPortland Timbers may refer to any of four distinct professional soccer teams:*Portland Timbers, a Major League Soccer expansion team that began playing in 2011....
games, usually accompanied by a simple dance with a large visual effect. - brentalflossBrentalflossbrentalfloss is an American songwriter, lyricist, and singer, who has achieved some notoriety mainly on YouTube.-Early life:...
a singer who makes videos on YouTubeYouTubeYouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
through a series called the With Lyrics Series, where he adds lyrics to music from popular video games, created a Tetris With Lyrics and to this day remains his most viewed video on a channel with over 100,000 subscribers. - The Electro-Tech artist known as Muzik 4 Machines also performs a live version of the theme on several Youtube videos.