Silviya Y

The Beatles, one of the most iconic bands in the history of music, had a profound impact on the world during the 1960s and beyond. While their popularity was undeniable, there was a curious and somewhat clandestine aspect of Russians listening to their “forbidden music.” The Fab Four themselves "loved the idea" that their music was enjoyed by Russians, despite the cultural barriers and political tensions of the time. Paul McCartney, one of the legendary members of The Beatles, recently shed light on their music's underground popularity in Russia during a time when Western music, including The Beatles, was strictly forbidden. McCartney shared these insights on the 'McCartney: A Life In Lyrics' podcast, specifically while discussing the band's famous track, ‘Back in the U.S.S.R.’  During the 1960s to the 1980s, The Beatles' music, along with that of other Western artists, faced a ban in Russia. The state-controlled media heavily censored and regulated the content that the Soviet citizens could consume. Anything from the West, especially rock 'n' roll music like that of The Beatles, was considered subversive and forbidden. Paul McCartney reminisced about this era, stating, "Everyone in Russia goes back to the Beatles period and remembers having to smuggle records or it was all very, you know, little rooms where you could play, and you didn't want people to know. You didn't want the authorities to know that you were listening to this forbidden group, which really, we loved the idea of that – that we were getting smuggled along with Levi's jeans. This was like true cultural arrival."