Matthew Levy

How Billy Joel's "Leningrad" Helped Bridge the Gap to Russia

As a classic rock fan with an affinity for songs with cultural and historical references—like Neil Young’s “Cortez the Killer”—Billy Joel’s “Leningrad” suits my musical interests. “Leningrad” not only contains historical references but, by depicting the similarities between Americans and Russians during the Cold War, it has also influenced the political and cultural landscape between the two countries at the time of and in the time following its release. “Leningrad”, unlike other American pop-cultural depictions of Russia, achieves this by conveying a positive representation of Russia and as a result contributed to the lessening of tension between the two countries.

“Leningrad” is a 1989 song inspired by a Russian man and circus clown named Viktor that Joel became friends with while touring the Soviet Union in 1987. Through the lyrics Joel tells the story of Viktor’s life, beginning with his birth amidst a devastating World War II battle, the Siege of Leningrad. He continues by describing Viktor’s life growing up without a father and as a victim of the war, like many other Russian children of the time, and having endured years of regimented schooling and state military service. By summarizing the sadness of Viktor’s adult life and Russians’ use of vodka to drown away the sadness, Joel creates a sympathetic story recognizing the Russian struggle. Joel then describes his own life being defined by war in a similar way, referencing U.S. Senator Joseph McCarthy—a politician whose anti-Russian policies dominated the Cold War. Joel sings of his memories of hiding under desks and in underground shelters over fears that the Russians would attack—alluding to the Cuban Missile Crisis. Joel effectively communicates that the lives of both Russians and Americans were defined by war—detailing a shared struggle and experience. He also makes clear that despite the conflict and views of Russians being America’s barbaric, cold-hearted enemies, Russians were actually similar to Americans and could be our friends: “we never knew what friends we had until we came to Leningrad.” Joel came to this realization during his 1987 tour of Russia when Viktor made Joel’s daughter laugh.

Former President of the Soviet Union Mikhail Gorbachev’s glasnost policy—designed to increase Soviet openness to the outside world—resulted in Joel becoming the first American to tour the Soviet Union since 1961. Joel, on his tour that inspired “Leningrad”, opened political barriers through opportunities that other American rock stars declined the opportunity to take—underscoring the boldness of his action and the magnitude of a barrier that Joel overcame and documented for the world to listen to by producing “Leningrad”. Furthermore, other artists like Sting created songs like “Russians” that continued to pit Americans against Russia, upholding the propaganda fed to Americans since the start of the Cold War around 40 years earlier.

Who would choose to tour the “Evil Empire” and face accusations of conspiring with the enemy? Who would produce a song intended to resonate with Russians that also represents their similarity to Americans? Joel’s “Leningrad” presents a view of Russians that no other American musician and few other American pop cultural creations have done. Joel’s “Leningrad” was intended for the Russian audience in addition to the American audience, ultimately garnering more attention from Russians and Europeans than Americans. His allusion to Tchaikovsky, a world-famous Russian composer, combined with his references to the struggles that Russians faced during the mid-late 20th century Soviet Union created both a sense of Russian pride and a sweeping emotional sadness—”Leningrad” serves as a painful reminder of the past. Over time, this song has served as a memory of the past for Russians and serves both Russians and Americans as a piece of pop culture that asks the question found in Joel’s lyrics “what do they keep on fighting for?” Joel’s “Leningrad” accelerated the Russian and American realizations of the Cold War’s futility and, in the long run, has served to improve relations between the two countries.