Leningrad (song)
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Leningrad is a 1989 song written and performed by American singer and songwriter Billy Joel. The song was originally released on his album Storm Front on the Columbia Records label, and went on to be released as a single, and was also released on his Greatest Hits, Vol. 3 compilation. The song title is derived from the former name of St. Petersburg, Russia (see Leningrad).
[edit] Synopsis
The song was written by Joel about a Russian clown named Viktor, whom he met while touring the Soviet Union in 1987. Throughout the song, major items of Viktor's and Joel's lives are compared to show the cultural difference of the United States of America and the Soviet Union.
In the song, Joel expresses Viktor's life as one of many children who lost fathers during World War II from the Soviet Union. He was enlisted into the Red Army, and then became a circus clown, bringing joy to the Russian children.
Joel described his childhood life as being "born in '49, a cold war kid in McCarthy time." He describes his life briefly of living in Levittown, and the fear of the Cuban Missile Crisis. Joel also makes a reference to the Korean War, widely considered a proxy war to the Cold War.
In the end, the two become friends and hug.
The song later was re-released in 1991 as a tribute to Freddie Mercury, the lead singer of Queen who died of AIDS and it went all the way on the "Bohemian Rhapsody" Treble A-side along with These Are the Days of Our Lives to number 1 in the british charts.
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