Niet Molotoff
"Niet Molotoff"[a] ("No, Molotoff") is a Finnish propaganda song composed by Matti Jurva , and written by Tatu Pekkarinen .[1] Niet Molotoff was composed during the Winter War to boost morale and to mock the Soviet Union and the Red Army.
"Niet Molotoff" was first recorded in 1942 by Jurva and Kristalli-Tanssiorkesteri, the song was conducted by George de Godzinsky, and the orchestral accompaniment was arranged by Robert von Essen .[2] The song was made well-known by Solistiyhtye Suomi in 1989.[3][4]
Contents
[edit]"Niet Molotoff" is named after Vyacheslav Molotov, the Soviet Minister of Foreign Affairs. The song's chorus declares Molotov's justifications for the Winter War to be "worse" than the "lies" of Nikolay Bobrikov, who was a Governor-General of Finland notorious for his attempts to promote the Russification of Finland, later being assassinated for his actions. The song ridicules the Red Army's slow advance and their failed plans to quickly occupy Helsinki as they struggled to even breach the Mannerheim line, claiming Soviet officials lost their previous boastful attitude as the war went on. It also mocks Molotov having a countryside estate, where the Soviet political officials would retreat to. These would include "Stalin[,] other charlatans" and possibly Reds who had fled to Petrozavodsk after the Finnish Civil War.
Many Russian-language words are used in the song in place of Finnish-language alternatives.
The melody of the song is based on a Russian folk song called Ukhar-kupets (Ухарь-купец),[5] from which the Yiddish song "Daloy Politsey" is also derived.
Parodies
[edit]During the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022, a Ukrainian parody of Niet Molotoff was created. The Ukrainian version of the song is titled "Njet Vladimir", in reference to Vladimir Putin.[6][3]
Lyrics
[edit]Original Finnish lyrics[7] | English translation |
---|---|
Finlandia, Finlandia, |
Finlandia, Finlandia, |
See also
[edit]Notes
[edit]- ^ The title is sometimes rendered as "Njet Molotoff" and "Nyet Molotoff". The word niet directly comes from Russian нет, meaning 'no'. It is used to mock the Russian language; the Finnish word for 'no' is ei.
References
[edit]- ^ Marjo Kaartinen, Hannu Salmi & Marja Tuominen (2016). Maamme: itsenäisen Suomen kulttuurihistoria. Veli-Pekka Lehtola: Kuoleman ja elämän rintamat. Helsinki: Suomalaisen Kirjallisuuden Seura. p. 201. ISBN 978-952-222-686-0.
- ^ "Molotohvin koktaili" (PDF). Artie Music (in Finnish). Retrieved March 13, 2020.
- ^ a b "Kun Molotoffista tuli Vladimir". Sotaveteraanit.fi (in Finnish). Retrieved 2024-05-18.
- ^ "Niet molotoff". Archived from the original on 2019-01-10.
- ^ Аркадий Северный - Ухарь-купец (И.С.Никитин), retrieved 2022-10-22
- ^ Halonen, Antti (16 July 2022). "Ukraina teki oman versionsa suomalaisesta tunnetusta sotalaulusta – kertosäkeessä tylyt terveiset Putinille". Iltalehti (in Finnish).
- ^ "Njet Molotoff". heninen.net. Retrieved 2024-05-18.