The song dates to Russia’s twentieth-century “Time of Troubles” — the period marked by Civil War and foreign interventions that fell during the years 1918-1921. In the midst of widespread political, military, and economic crises Bolshevik leaders routinely enlisted sympathetic artists, writers, and other “cultural workers” to produce propaganda materials that could be used to generate popular support for the Reds’ cause. With the re-capture of Kiev from Polish and Ukrainian troops in June 1920, Red Army commanders found themselves in possession of a small squadron of airplanes left behind by the fleeing Polish troops. The planes would soon be put to use in both training and reconnaissance missions. In the meantime, German and Khait were commissioned to produce a song about the bravery and heroism of pilots that might inspire the ranks and, perhaps, encourage a few individuals to volunteer for flight training. In an attempt to kindle the composers’ own creative efforts, the pair were taken out to the aerodrome where the planes were stored and treated to a series of flights. German and Khait delivered the new song the following day.

In subsequent years, “Ever Higher” (or, “Avia-march,” as it is also known) soared to widespread popularity. Throughout the 1920s, the song was prominently featured at public rallies, military displays, and aviation spectacles. In August 1933 the USSR’s Revolutionary Military Council (Revvoensovet) issued a decree establishing “Ever Higher” as the official anthem of the country’s Military Air Forces (VVS). To this day the song remains one of the most recognized and popular tunes from the Soviet period.

A recording of “Ever Higher” can be downloaded here from “Soviet Music” (“Советская музыка”) an excellent on-line repository containing more than 4,200 (!) audio clips of Soviet-era tunes.

Here’s an English translation of the Russian lyrics:¹

We were born to make fairy tales come true,
To conquer vast distance and space,
Our reason has made steel wings for our hands,
And throbbing engines our hearts have replaced.

[Refrain]:

Ever higher, higher, and higher
We aim the flight of our birds
The tranquility of our borders
Breathes in each propeller.

Throwing our willing planes to the heavens,
Or making unprecedented flights,
We feel our air force is growing stronger,
Our world’s first, proletarian fleet.

[Refrain]

Our keen glance pierces every atom,
And resolution clads every nerve,
Believe us: to every ultimatum
Our air force is prepared to respond

[Refrain]

ScP

1. Adapted from the translation found in James von Geldern and Richard Stites, Mass Culture in Soviet Russia: Tales, Poems, Songs, Movies, Plays, and Folklore, 1917-1953 (Bloomington, IN: Indiana University Press, 1995), 257-258

The threat has passed! Peace has been restored!

Awakened to the impending doom of total war, the saber-rattler in Melbourne has stepped back from the precipice! Yielding to the unified voice of those millions who desire Internet harmony, Mr. Holman has turned his sword-like challenge into a ploughshare of cooperative and solicitous thoughts!

We extend fraternal greetings to Mr. Holman for his wise and beneficent decision! We rejoice in our return to the collective labor of constructing an air-minded blogosphere!

May children know only happiness and joy!

May clouds of war never darken the horizon!

May there always be sunshine!

Though we remain ever vigilant!

Without warning, without a formal declaration, Brett Holman, the autocrat of Australian airmindness, has perpetrated an act of stunning aural aggression! He has revealed his true bellicose nature!

The toady of Trenchard has responded to my peace-loving post of the Handsome Family’s “Amelia Earhart versus the Dancing Bear” with an unwarranted and premeditated provocation! In a shameless surprise assault launched from his South Pacific lair, he has attempted to overwhelm my pop-cultural defenses by linking to three aviation-related music videos on his blog! With cunning and duplicity the salivating cur has brazenly challenged me to a YouTube duel!

Posting the Lucksmiths was a clever and unexpected ploy! And the ethereal (though highly tangential) Lisa Gerrard almost lulled me into complacency! But the lickspittle Holman erred grievously! He invited the People’s scorn and wrath by unleashing the gaseous OMD! How quickly the sycophants of 80s synth-pop forget! The Avia-Corner is alert to such tactics and prepared to do battle!

War has commenced!

The lackey of Curzon will rue the day that he launched his sneak attack! My vast reserves of airplane songs will (metaphorically) darken the heavens above! He and his minions will cower beneath my air-music armada just like the sub-human creature-things in Pink Floyd’s “Goodbye Blue Sky”:

Panic and despair will seize his very being! Woe will befall his blighted website as I unleash a campaign of total sonic war! The belligerent saber-rattler well knows that “the bomber will always get through.” And the devastation that I inflict with Motörhead’s “Bomber” is fearsome, indeed!:

Holman shall find no shelter from my wrath in the wake of his predacious first strike! My Dictatorship of the Air is well armed with a vast stockpile of deadly weapons and warriors, none more lethal than this “Jet Pilot” from System of a Down!:

SURRENDER, Holman! ALL IS LOST!

“I am become deaf, the destroyer of bandwith…”

“Oh! Come, oh! Come,
Come up in my airplane
It’s just like a bird
It stays up in the air as it should.
Oh! Come, oh! Come,
Come on, little old Suzanne
You’ll go crazy honey
When you’ve seen my little bird”

Although the musical styles, genres, and instrumentation have changed a great deal since the first decade of the twentieth century, aviation’s ability to inspire new songs has remained a constant feature of popular culture. Every generation, it seems, has had its own tunes about the airplane.

For those born and raised in the last half of the twentieth century (i.e. anyone reading this post) a few well-known and well-worn songs instantly spring to mind, including:

Steve Miller Band, “Jet Airliner” (and “Fly Like an Eagle”)
Peter, Paul, & Mary, “Leaving on a Jet Plane”
Rush, “Fly by Night”
Frank Sinatra, “Come Fly with Me”
REO Speedwagon, “Time for Me to Fly”

These, however, don’t even begin to scratch the surface…

In this post, I’ve put together a short list of some more recent songs (and a few neglected older ones) that you may not know, but may well enjoy. They’re presented in no particular order so listen to them and rank them yourself.

[Note: Click on the “iTunes” link following each title to sample or purchase these songs on-line.]

The Smashing Pumpkins, “The Aeroplane Flies High (Turns Left, Looks Right)” [iTunes]
Love ‘em or hate ‘em, The Smashing Pumpkins were one of the top draws of the 1990s before succumbing to a nasty break-up in 2000 that involved enough compromising material for several VH-1 exposés. With the band recently re-formed (or should that be “reformed?”) and back in the studio, expect to start hearing their old stuff on the radio soon. In the meantime, here’s one you may not know. First appearing as a b-side tune on the 1998 cd single “Thirty-Three,” “The Aeroplane Flies High (Turn Left, Looks Right)” has been re-released on Rarities and B-Sides, a 114-track compilation of demos, outtakes and, of course, b-sides available only through digital download.

Björk, “Aeroplane” [iTunes]
The only artist in this list who’s supposed to have an umlaut in her name, Iceland’s Björk has enjoyed lasting critical and commercial success despite her idiosyncratic voice and ever-shifting musical styles. “Aeroplane” is from her 1993 debut solo album Debut. (No, this isn’t the song that was made into the video about the bear.)

Alien Sex Fiend, “Hurricane Fighter Plane” [iTunes]
Long before goth became a fashion statement for angst-ridden American suburbanite teenagers, the 80s British deathrock band Alien Sex Fiend was making a living being goth. OK, they probably weren’t making a *great* living, but they were doing it first. This is their cover of “Hurricane Fighter Plane,” originally recorded by the 60s avant-garde group The Red Krayola.

Red Hot Chili Peppers, “Aeroplane” [iTunes]
As is true of many songs with “airplane” in the title, this one spells it “aeroplane.” And as is true of many songs about airplanes, this one’s not actually about aviation, but something else: the power of music to lift one’s spirit like, well, an aeroplane.

Motörhead, “Bomber” [iTunes]
Inspired by Len Deighton’s növel of the same name aböut a 1943 Allied bombing raid över Nazi Germany, this classic title track from Motörhead’s 1979 double-album is perfect for thöse folks whö prefer their aviatiön-inspired röck-n-röll to have a metal edge. Tö get the full sönic effect, turn the völume tö “11”.

Afroman, “Airport” [iTunes]
In this radical departure from his artistic oeuvre focusing on reefer, malt liquor, Cadillacs, and women, former airport baggage handler turned MTV hip-hop star Joseph Foreman (AKA “Afroman”) provides fans with a post-9/11 cri de coeur about the perils of “flying while black.” This track sounds best when accompanied by a blunt and a 40 oz. Or not.

Kinky, “Airport Feelings” [iTunes]
Combining Latin-favored techo-pop beats and driving percussive rhythms, the five-piece Mexican dance funk band Kinky has garnered world-wide acclaim for their unique sound and carnivalesque live performances. “Airport Feelings” (one of their few songs sung in English rather than Spanish) captures well the band’s high energy and infectious vibe.

Orchestral Manoeuvers in the Dark, “Enola Gay” [iTunes]
If you thought that sappy synthesizers and vapid lyrics were de rigueur for the “New Wave” of the early eighties, that’s because you’ve never heard the saccharine synthesizers and too-clever-by-half lyrics of this classic tribute to the B-29 that dropped the bomb on Hiroshima.

Dash, “Plane Song” [iTunes]
Nawhlins native and regional favorite Dash (AKA Dash Rip Rock) has been a staple on the club circuit in the Southern US since the late 1980s. Despite never catching the break they needed to move on to bigger things, they’ve recorded a number of good tunes, including this one. “Plane Song,” a send-up of one former band member’s fear of flying, appeared on Dash’s 2003 disc Sonic Boom.

Ass Ponys, “Fighter Pilot” [iTunes]
Another hard-luck indy band, the Cincinnati-based Ass Ponys appeared on the verge of commercial success in the mid-90s after signing with A&M records. Their first major label release, Electric Rock Music (1994) fared well, garnering them airplay, videos, and an MTV appearance. Unfortunately, a band reshuffle, dour lyrics, and little label support for their follow-up, The Known Universe, got them sent back down to the minors in 1996…the same year that “Macarena” topped the U.S. charts for a record-setting 14 straight weeks. Go figure. This excellent tune, “Fighter Pilot,” turns up on the band’s 2000 (indy label) album Some Stupid with a Flare. Lord only knows where and when that embarrassing video of you doing the Macarena will turn up…

BONUS SONG!:

Cake, “I Bombed Korea” [iTunes]
OK, airplanes only figure tangentially in this tune. But it’s the only Cake song that comes close to qualifying for the list. And I like Cake. You should, too.

Want more?

I’ve compiled a collection of nearly 100 songs about airplanes, flying, pilots, and other such subjects. If you’d like a follow-up, let me know and I’ll write another post listing and linking to additional tunes.

ScP