Russian Smoking Songs and Cigarette Music

In Russia too, smoking has been heavily restricted. In many places, smoking is prohibited, and not everyone struggles with that. But in music, the cigarette has never left, and smoking has harmed no one. Without filters or warnings: these are Russian songs about tobacco to inhale deeply.

And also about not smoking, but that’s only at the end.

Pack of Cigarettes: Пачка сигарет

From Kino’s Viktor Tsoj ( Виктор Цой), the first big hit for Russian smoking songs. From 1989, from Звезда по имени Солнце (Star Named Sun).

    Если есть в кармане пачка сигарет,
    Значит всё не так уж плохо на сегодняшний день.

    If there’s a pack of cigarettes in your pocket,
    that means today isn’t so bad after all.

There’s also a vital video with Kino, a version with Soviet artists, and an amazing montage. Lyrics; lyric video with translation.

How Much Nicotine: сколько никотина

Tsoj’s pack of cigarettes also appears in the version by Легальный Бизне$$. A more modern twist on the original (1999).

Я уверен, что я жив, остального я не знаю. I’m sure I’m alive, the rest I don’t know. Also don’t know сколько никотина в одной сигарете, how much nicotine is in one cigarette. But I do know that it’s as dangerous for me as for a horse (столь же он опасен для меня, сколько для лошади). But/so Всё будет круто en хорошо, everything will be cool and fine ( lyrics).

See also the clip with cars and roads and the rap by Лигалайз.

Keeps Me Alive: заставляет жить

Lizer also has a pack in his pocket (2018). With similar powers to Tsoj, or perhaps even stronger.

    Пачка сигарет в моём кармане
    Заставляет жить меня этот день.

    A pack of cigarettes in my pocket
    makes me live through this day.

Which is why бросить курить (quitting smoking), если честно (to be honest), не хочется (don’t want to). Мы с ними никогда не расстанемся, we’ll never part ( lyrics).

Watch the clip on YouTube, если честно a bit more interesting than the one below. There’s also a video by FanCloud (2018), a Russian-English subtitled version (2018), and a clip with just English.

Parody and Pack of Joints

Lizer’s pack of cigarettes got a critical parody. ‘Я романтизирую никотин’: I romanticize nicotine. Watch the clip (2018) on YouTube, couldn’t/wasn’t allowed here. By Anton Oestimov, channel Пикули (Pikuli), see VK and YouTube.

Slava KPSS thought cigarettes were still too tame and made it (with Curomushka) a Пачка косяков (pack of joints) (2019). Listen on YouTube or Spotify ( lyrics). Versions of this appear in this film experiment (2019) and this phone video (2019).

Passion for Smoking: Страсть к курению

The duo Буерак ( Buerak) from Novosibirsk may not be into joints, but they aren’t men for nicotine patches either (2016).

    Курить очень нравится мне каждую среду
    Одну сигарету и вторую сигарету
    Пускаю дым я кольцами в субботу к обеду
    Когда курю сигарету, курю сигарету

    I love to smoke every Wednesday
    One cigarette, then another
    I blow rings of smoke on Saturday before lunch
    When I smoke a cigarette, I smoke a cigarette

    ( Lyrics)

There’s a curious smoking clip in color (2017) and a charming one in black-and-white (2016).

Smoking Fine: 2000 Bucks

On July 1, 2002, a Russian Tupolev and a cargo Boeing collided over Überlingen (southern Germany), killing 71 people. 2000 баксов за сигарету (2000 bucks for a cigarette) is actually more about that crash than about the cigarette.

However: because a colleague wanted to smoke, air traffic controller Peter Nielsen was left alone, making fatal mistakes. That had fatal consequences for Nielsen himself. In 2004, he was killed by Vitali Kalojev, who had lost his wife and two children in the crash. See Eight years in prison for Russian who killed air traffic controller (Trouw, 2005), and this article with a long title (Nieuwsblad, 2017). Filmed as Aftermath (2017), with Arnold Schwarzenegger as Kalojev.

The two thousand bucks (or bucks) is the fine for smoking on the job. Explanation in Смысл песни 2000 Баксов За Сигарету — Год Змеи (Диспетчера) (В смысле, 2020, 3 m). See also at Какой смысл (2019).

A version of the lyrics begins with Опять туман and another begins with Бывает так; along with this clip. Also a video with smoke and dollar bills.

From Год Змеи, the band of Диспетчера / Alexey Markovnikov.

Only You Don’t Change: ты одна не изменяешь

One more then. The last one, and then it’s really over. A loving farewell by Arkady Severny ( Аркадий Северный) (1939-1980).

    Сигарета, сигарета, ты одна не изменяешь
    Я люблю тебя за это, ты сама об этом знаешь

    Cigarette, cigarette, only you don’t change
    That’s why I love you, and you know it yourself

    ( Lyrics, lyrics with translation, karaoke version)

See also Severny’s (really the last one) Сигарета ‘Прима‘, Что-то сигарета гаснет, and Дым кольцами, three titles for the same song (1977).

More Cigarettes and Smoking

• Джизус – Мальборо Голд (2020), see Пошлая Молли (2018)
• Скубут – Табак (2020)
• дедовский свитер – вышел покурить (2020)
• Всего лишь сигарета (2019), see also The Cigarette Duet – Red Lamp x Катапульта (2017)
• Pyrokinesis – Сигаретка без кнопки (2019)
• Настасья Самбурская – Сигаретка (2019)
• MOTELBLVCK ft. CMH – Запах Сигарет (2019)
• SHENA? – Сигарета (2019)
• Универсамчик – Давай покурим перед сном (2018)
• Метель – Сигарета (2017)
• ZippO – Куришь часто (2013)
• Земфира – Сигареты (2010)
• Ефрем Флакс – Давай закурим (1943); see also «Давай закурим» | «Let’s light up a cigarette» (Red Army Choir) (Russian Comrade, 2020)

Сегодняночью (2002) offers coffee with it.

We Don’t Smoke: мы не курим

Non-smoking and quitting smoking in YOYO – Бросить курить (Lyric Video) (2020). Ты мне обещаешь вечно бросить курить: you promised me you’d quit smoking forever ( lyrics).

Listen further to:

• Курить бросаем вместе (Quitting Together, 2018)
• Песня о вреде курения (Song About Smoking Harm, 2015)
• Я бросил курить (I Quit, 2013)

so you can say (truthfully or not), along with Vostochny Okrug, Нет мы не курим (No, we don’t smoke).

Most of the music here is also in an R1 playlist on YouTube (in order of posting).
See also Best Russian Music and Russian Song Lyrics.

last updated 27-03-2021