Life has become better

"Life has become better" (Russian: Жить ста́ло лу́чше, tr. Zhit' stálo lúchshe, IPA: [ʐɨtʲ ˈstalə ˈlut͡ʂʂɨ]) is a widespread version of a phrase uttered by former Soviet Communist Party General Secretary Joseph Stalin at the First All-Union Meeting of the Stakhanovites on November 17, 1935. The full quote from Joseph Stalin was, when translated into English,

Living has become better, comrades. Living has become happier. And when life becomes happier, work becomes more effective. ... If we lived badly, unattractive, unhappy, then there would be no Stakhanov movement in our country.

"Жить стало лучше"
Song
LanguageRussian
Writtenc. 1936
Songwriter(s)Vasily Lebedev-Kumach
Composer(s)Alexander Alexandrov

[1]

Song

In approximately 1936 the words were used in the chorus of a song of the same name, with music by Alexander Alexandrov and words by Vasily Lebedev-Kumach. The opening bars of the song and some sequences share a notable resemblance to those of the State Anthem of the Soviet Union, as the two songs had the same composer, and elements of the song "Life Has Become Better" were used in composing the State Anthem.

Alexandrov apparently liked the opening bars of this piece. He used them again, with only minor alterations, just a few years later in the tune for the "State Anthem of the Soviet Union" (1944-1991). The Russian Duma officially readopted the Aleksandrov's Soviet Anthem as the National anthem of Russia on December 2000, as part of a political compromise. [2] New words were written by Sergey Mikhalkov.

Lyrics sample
Russian Transliteration English
Звонки, как птицы, одна за другой

Песни летят над Советской страной.

ПРИПЕВ (повторяется дважды):

Весел напев городов и полей -

"Жить стало лучше,Жить стало веселей!"

 Zvonki, kak ptitsy, odna za drugoy

Pesni letyat nad Sovetskoy stranoy.

PRIPEV (povtoryayetsya dvazhdy):

Vesel napev gorodov i poley -

"Zhit' stalo luchshe, zhit' stalo veseley!"

 Resounding, like birds, one after the other,

Songs fly over the Soviet country.

CHORUS (repeated twice):

Beautiful is the melody of towns and fields

"Living has become better, living has become happier!"

See Also

References
  1. "Жить стало лучше, жить стало веселее"
  2. Russian Duma Approves National Anthem Bill
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