Dorogoi Dlinnoyu;
Дорогой длинною; By That Night Road Long
Now the song is widely regarded as a folk one, sometimes even a Gypsy one. It is sometimes performed in the gypsy manner. However, the song is not old. Initially the lyrics and the music for this worldwide famous Russian romance were written by the Russian composer Boris Ivanovich Fomin (1900 - 1948). The song was written especially for the singer and poetess Elisabeth Borisovna Belogorskaya, who performed on stage with lyrical songs, and for whose concerts the composer Fomin worked as an accompanist for years. Later a new version of the lyrics appeared with the text finalized by the now forgotten poet Constantine Podrevskiy (1888 - 1930). Officially it is believed that the song dates from 1924, but the existence of two text variations make some explorers believe that it appeared already in 1917. However, the most famous Russian performer of the song "By The Night Road Long" became the phenomenal Alexander Vertinskiy, with the version written by Boris Fomin. The romance became world famous though with the text by Podrevskiy.
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Since 1924 the first version of the romance was included in Vertinskiy's repertoire and soon after Elizabeth Belogorskaya and Tamara Tsereteli did bring the song with the words that were written by Podrevskiy. This version became extremely liked by the Russian emigrants, who left the country after the revolution of 1917. The reason for this was not only the soulfulness of the poem and the melody, but also, as it seemed to them, the explicit anti-Soviet tendency of the words. Especially in Paris, among the Russian exiles, the romance was performed constantly in the restaurant of Nastya Polyakova. However, in the spring of 1929, at the All-Russian Musical Conference in Leningrad the romance as a kind of music was recognized as a counter-revolutionary genre and banned. After this declaration this Fomin's work soon officially was forgotten. But in the small halls, it still sounded, for a specific "non-Soviet" audience.
With the Russian migration to the West, the romance moved to the USA. To the somewhat altered melody of the song "By The Night Road Long", the American architect, writer and musician Eugene Raskin, whose parents were of the Russian origin, wrote the English words to the song, and in 1962 the song appeared under the title "Those Were The Days". Already the same year the song was released by the American folk trio "The Limeliters", on their album "Folk Matinee". In 1964 the performance of Raskin's "Those Were The Days" in the London club "Blue Angel" was heard by Paul McCartney, a member of the famous group "The Beatles". McCartney was impressed by the song, and only a couple of years later, in 1968, as starting to do solo projects and produce young performers, he offered the song in a new version and arrangement for the beginning Welsh singer Mary Hopkin.
In August of the same year, the song "Those Were The Days", performed by Mary Hopkin took the prestigious second place in the national hit parade, and the single became a record achievement in the history of the recording company "Apple". |
Vika Tsyganova performs "Dorogoy Dlinnoyu"
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The company released Mary's debut album in four languages in addition to the English version: it was published in French, German, in Italian and in Spanish. The English version was released in Argentina, the United States and in Poland. Subsequently the single with the popular song was reprinted several times and in different countries. Eventually the song "Those Were The Days" became the symbol of the 60's and when the leader and vocalist of the cult American blues band Grateful Dead, Jerry Garcia, died in 1995, it was said that the song had been written especially for him and for his generation.
In the summer of 1995 Paul McCartney's first wife, Cynthia, chose this song for the only single in her entire life, while the last time she sang was thirty years earlier, in the choir for the plate of "The Beatles" - "Yellow Submarine".
In Russia the song has been widely regarded as a folk one for a long time. It is a drinking song, commonly known and performed.
There are several accordion arrangements. By E. Derbenko, V. Podgovniy and others.
Performers: Alexander Vertinskiy, Tamara Tsereteli, Mary Hopkin (in English), Pesnyary ensemble, Boris Shtokolov, Edita Piekha, Renat Ibragimov, Alexander Malinin, Vika Tsyganova, LiubAnya Duo (instrumental), Ivan Rebroff, Alexandrov Ensemble, Nani Bregvadze, Taisiya Povaliy & Gleb Matveychuk, Madeleine Leaper (in French), Placido Domingo (in English), Oleg Pogudin, Metodie Bujor, Eduard Khil, Tatiana Bulanova, Teresa Teng (in Chinese), Engelbert Humperdinck (in English), Jemma Khalid, Eugeny Dyatlov, and many others.
SCORE FOR ACCORDION (B. Fomin version)
In the summer of 1995 Paul McCartney's first wife, Cynthia, chose this song for the only single in her entire life, while the last time she sang was thirty years earlier, in the choir for the plate of "The Beatles" - "Yellow Submarine".
In Russia the song has been widely regarded as a folk one for a long time. It is a drinking song, commonly known and performed.
There are several accordion arrangements. By E. Derbenko, V. Podgovniy and others.
Performers: Alexander Vertinskiy, Tamara Tsereteli, Mary Hopkin (in English), Pesnyary ensemble, Boris Shtokolov, Edita Piekha, Renat Ibragimov, Alexander Malinin, Vika Tsyganova, LiubAnya Duo (instrumental), Ivan Rebroff, Alexandrov Ensemble, Nani Bregvadze, Taisiya Povaliy & Gleb Matveychuk, Madeleine Leaper (in French), Placido Domingo (in English), Oleg Pogudin, Metodie Bujor, Eduard Khil, Tatiana Bulanova, Teresa Teng (in Chinese), Engelbert Humperdinck (in English), Jemma Khalid, Eugeny Dyatlov, and many others.
SCORE FOR ACCORDION (B. Fomin version)
Russian text:
Ехали на тройке с бубенцами, А вдали мелькали огоньки . Эх, когда б, соколики, за вами, Душу бы развеять от тоски! Припев: Дорогой длинною Да ночкой лунною, Да с песней той, Что вдаль летит звеня. Да с той старинною Да семиструнною, Что по ночам Так мучила меня. Да, выходит, пели мы задаром, Понапрасну ночь за ночью жгли. Если б мы покончили со старым, Так и ночи б эти отошли. Припев: В даль родную новыми путями Нам отныне ехать суждено. Ехали на тройке с бубенцами Да теперь проехали давно. Припев: |
Transliteration:
Ekhali na trojke s bubencami A vdali melkali ogonki Ehkh kogda b sokoliki za vami Dushu by razveyat ot toski Pripev: Dorogoj dlinnoyu Da nochkoj lunnoyu Da s pesnej toj Chto vdal letit zvenya Da s toj starinnoyu Da semistrunnoyu Chto po nocham Tak muchila menya Da vyhodit peli my zadarom Ponaprasnu noch za nochyu zhgli Esli b my pokonchili so starym Tak i nochi b ehti otoshli Pripev: V dal rodnuyu novymi putyami Nam otnyne ekhat suzhdeno Ekhali na trojke s bubencami Da teper proekhali davno Pripev: |
English text:
Driving in a troika, fast and sleigh belled, The small distant flitting lights, we saw. Ekh, if to the place, where young men dwelled, That the soul could relieve from bore! Refrain: By that night road long, And with the moon along, And with that song Which ringing flew afar. And with that ancient one, That tortured me for fun In the night time, That seven-stringed guitar. It appeared we had sung for nothing Vainly we did burn night after night If, with the bygones, we`d finished bluffing, These nights would have finished also right. Refrain: The new ways make the same distance new-felt, There we must ride from now on. Driving in a troika, fast and sleigh belled, We have driven through that past time long! Refrain: Translation by accordeonworld |
Sources:
https://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/Дорогой_длинною ; http://oleg-pogudin.elegos.ru/forum/18-376-1 ;
http://cyclowiki.org/wiki/Дорогой_длинною_(песня) ; https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Those_Were_the_Days_(song) ;
https://www.the-paulmccartney-project.com/song/those-were-the-days/ ; https://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/Фомин,_Борис_Иванович_(композитор) ; https://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/Подревский,_Константин_Николаевич ;
https://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/Дорогой_длинною ; http://oleg-pogudin.elegos.ru/forum/18-376-1 ;
http://cyclowiki.org/wiki/Дорогой_длинною_(песня) ; https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Those_Were_the_Days_(song) ;
https://www.the-paulmccartney-project.com/song/those-were-the-days/ ; https://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/Фомин,_Борис_Иванович_(композитор) ; https://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/Подревский,_Константин_Николаевич ;