The Soundtrack of Solidarity – Music for Ukraine

On April 3, 2022, during the Grammy Awards, Ukraine’s current president Volodymyr Zelenskyy held a virtual speech about the role of music in times of war. His words are a fitting introduction to the following analysis, especially considering their context. The Grammy Awards is an annual ceremony originating in 1959, in the United States, with the purpose of honoring remarkable musicians.(62) It is often called “music’s biggest night,” and Zelenskyy was present there through a pre-taped recording, since he was still fighting the Russian invasion in his home country. “The war. What is more opposite to music? The silence of ruined cities and killed people.” This is how the president’s speech started. He emphasized the contrast between the “dead silence” that bombardments leave behind, and the music still played in Ukraine.

Our musicians wear body armor instead of tuxedos. They sing to the wounded in hospitals. Even to those who can't hear them. But the music will break through anyway. We defend our freedom. To live. To love. To sound.

Zelenskyy’s rhetoric played on hopeful tunes, carrying an emotional message. It is noteworthy that besides the viewers watching the Grammy Awards on TV or online, the live audience consisted mostly of the nominees of the ceremony, today’s most famous musicians. They were all urged to “fill the silence with [their] music,” as the president ended his speech by asking for songs which show the story of Ukrainians and the “truth” of their war. That Zelenskyy was allowed to speak up in this context is particularly telling of the influence that the solidarity movement for Ukraine gained in the music world, and in the West in general. Given the first few months of the armed conflict with Russia, what songs have filled the silence that Zelenskyy speaks of? Countless tunes were heard, adding to what may be called a “soundtrack of solidarity”. In the following sub-chapters, I will focus on a few examples that supported Ukraine so far. I will explore their relation with anti-war protests and with the public’s collective memory of this conflict. The first section will discuss the National Anthem of Ukraine, the second will investigate the implications of Ukraine’s winning Eurovision entry, and the third will center on Western pop music, especially Tom Odell’s Another Love. Lastly, a short and critical reflection on the “truths” that these songs convey will address the one-sided narratives that music in times of war often displays.

The State Anthem of Ukraine

Ever since the beginning of the war, Shche Ne Vmerla Ukrayina, the national anthem of Ukraine, has been heard in countless spaces all around the world, gathering communities of solidarity with this Eastern European country. The anthem is a particularly important song for the Ukrainian nation, being one of its emblems, together with their blue and yellow flag, the trident on their coat of arms, or the sunflower, symbol of peace and their national flower. As the solidarity movement for Ukraine became increasingly more influential in the West, these symbols became familiar to ever more foreigners. Already at the end of February and in early March 2022, anti-war protests in Stockholm, Sweden, in front of the Russian Embassy in Warsaw, Poland, in Tokyo, Japan, and in London, the United Kingdom, to name just a few examples, involved groups waving blue and yellow banners and together singing the State Anthem of Ukraine. Even in Moscow, Russia, some dared to sing this hymn in public, with the risk of being arrested. Concert halls as well echoed with the sound of Ukraine’s anthem, performed by professional orchestras across Europe. Other continents joined too, for example through the West Australian Symphony Orchestra, the Toronto Symphony Orchestra in Canada, or the Queens Symphony Orchestra from the United States. There are also regions in which the general population did not join the solidarity movement for Ukraine through song or other means. There are counter-movements too, or groups stating their neutrality regarding the Russo-Ukrainian war, but I focus on the social movement supporting the latter country and on the roles that music plays in it.

Charity concerts were also held in numerous countries, gathering funds for various causes supporting those affected by the war. A remarkable occasion is when Amelia Anisovych, a seven years old Ukrainian who performed Let it Go from the film Frozen in a bomb shelter in Kyiv, managed to exit the country and was invited to sing the State Anthem of Ukraine on stage, opening a charity concert in Łódź, Poland. Many other similar events included performances of this national hymn, just like other orchestras played instrumental versions of it, or countless other anti-war protests involved groups singing the anthem (probably not all of them recorded and posted online). In other words, the events mentioned above do not form a complete list of all the times and spaces in which the State Anthem of Ukraine was performed since February 24, 2022, but they illustrate some relevant examples.

As the first song to be heard on the “soundtrack of solidarity” for Ukraine since the start of the war, Shche Ne Vmerla Ukrayina was performed in contexts that told of its importance for nationals and supporters alike. Looking at performances from the streets outside this war affected country, one notices how foreigners are singing the lyrics even if they do not all know the language as well. This shows how the anthem can bring other nationals closer to the nation of Ukraine. Furthermore, entire musical orchestras rehearsed the instrumental of this song, which is also telling of the reach that Shche Ne Vmerla Ukrayina has in the international solidarity movement for Ukraine. Since this song’s influence, however, goes further back in time, it is also worth delving into the origins of the anthem, the historical references from its verses, and other significant contexts in which it was chanted on the streets (at the Euromaidan protests), reflecting the connection between Ukrainians and their anthem. This will also involve a discussion on how the hymn’s lyrics and accompanying melody play on the collective memory of nationals, as well as foreigners singing along, and will explore the idea of “official” and “unofficial” state anthems.

Historical Context, Text, and Melody

The State Anthem of Ukraine was adopted in 1992, but its verses and melody have older origins.(63) Mykhailo Verbytsky composed the music in 1863, initially for solo performances, and afterwards “for orchestra to accompany a patriotic poem.”(64) The text was written by Pavlo Chubynsky, in 1862.(65) He was “a prominent ethnographer in the Kyiv region,”(66) and his background shows in the lyrics of this national hymn, which was also the anthem of the “short-lived” Ukrainian National Republic, before the Soviet era.(67)

In his poem “Shche Ne Vmerla Ukrayina” (which means “Ukraine is Not Yet Dead”), Chubynsky expresses the mixture of hope and desperation felt by Ukrainians over their continuous struggle to rule their own land. Both the melody and lyrics were similar to Polish and Serbian anthems. The song was widely sung around the country as the “Hymn to Ukraine.”(68)

Time, however, also brought changes to the original text of Chubynsky.(69) After gaining independence, the Ukrainian government even sponsored multiple writing competitions for finding new lyrics for the anthem’s melody.(70) The outcomes, however, were not fitting alternatives, so versions performed nowadays as the State Anthem of Ukraine are still based on Chubynsky’s poem.(71)

Even if not everyone might identify with its patriotic message, translations of Shche Ne Vmerla Ukrayina are also available for non-Ukrainian speakers seeking to understand its lyrics, which arguably gain a new meaning when sung by foreigners, in solidarity. Looking at Appendix I and the text of the State Anthem of Ukraine, one notices lyrical imagery “typical [for] a national anthem conceived in the nineteenth century and adopted in the twentieth century,” according to Philip Bohlman, ethnomusicologist.(72) It is divided in three stanzas and the chorus, repeated between them, which is also a common structure for this kind of composition.(73) Ukraine’s fight for independence is emphasized ever since the title and first lines of the anthem. This nation “has not perished, neither her glory, nor freedom,” but there is an implied threat to these values, explicitly called “enemies” in the following lines. Against their foes, as Bohlman writes, “the collective ‘we’”(74) calls to all Ukrainians “and the universal recognition of freedom as worthy of nationalistic struggle”(75) is also a typical element for a national anthem. The word “brothers” is repeated in the first verse and the refrain, along with other expressions that address Ukrainians as a whole, emphasizing the shared heritage of their Cossack origins.(76) Their liberty is something to die for, if needed, as the chorus chants. The second stanza of the anthem bonds the people of Ukraine to the places that border their country: “We’ll stand together for freedom from the Sian to the Don”(77) refers to Western and Eastern rivers, respectively, and the frontier regions surrounding them. The Black Sea and the river Dnipro are also mentioned, along with personifying familial terms that bond Ukrainians to their “motherland,” making the sea “smile,” and the “grandfather” river “rejoice.”(78) Once again, these elements are “typical of the age of rising nationalism.”(79) The third and last verse pictures a promising future, in which the nation’s endurance “will be rewarded, and freedom’s song will resound throughout all of Ukraine.”(80) Geographical landmarks are named here too, indicating a larger perspective: the freedom’s hymn is “echoing off the Carpathians, and rumbling across the steppes,” with its message of  Ukraine’s “fame” and “glory” reaching different countries too.(81)

Whether they understood the lyrics or not, the State Anthem of Ukraine was indeed heard and sung by an increasingly wider international public, in the months following February 24, 2022. The text arguably plays on the collective memory of Ukrainians, who share a national history, and have to face horrendous threats to their national freedom. Outside this imagined community, however, the anthem also came to be recognized in larger social groups. As orchestras performed instrumental versions of this national song, music, beyond words, could become a unifying factor in the solidarity movement for Ukraine. No matter what one’s nationality is or how familiar one is with the Ukrainian language, the anthem’s melody can still be enjoyed by any listening ear, bonding groups in their support for this Eastern European country. A closer analysis of its musical notation, however, reveals a few more typical traits that connect it with other national anthems from similar times and contexts.

There is little that is Ukrainian about the melody and the form of the  song itself. The minor mode might be more likely in Eastern than in Central Europe, and the relative absence of upbeats reflects the similar absence of articles in the Ukrainian language.(82)

The melody is composed in the G minor key (see Appendix II), which is relatively common, and often associated with more somber feelings than any major key.(83) A song, however, is more than musical notations on a piece of paper. Returning to Nicholas Cook’s view, music involves performance.(84) The instances in which the State Anthem of Ukraine was performed as time went by can also tell of how Ukrainians identify with this song, or what national memories it can remind of.

Even though views on its origins might differ, many historians agree that “Ukraine is a unique country with its own culture, heritage, traditions and language,”(85) and with a national identity that is continuously shaped by notable events. Performances of Shche Ne Vmerla Ukrayina also contribute to this process. By singing the anthem together, groups act in further shaping its meaning. In the solidarity movement for Ukraine, this song not only bonds the national community, but also foreigners who sing it in an act of support for Ukrainians, who are devastated by war. Sonic bonding gathers an international social movement under the same cause.

Furthermore, repeatedly performing the State Anthem of Ukraine can connect past and present national groups singing for the liberation of their motherland. In Renée Vulto’s words too, “repeatedly singing the same repertoire of songs over time can establish connections between past and present performers – both the practices and their songs become part of a shared social memory.”(86) In light of this idea, it is worth briefly reflecting on another relatively recent series of protests that involved numerous performances of the national anthem of Ukraine.

Sounding Past and Present Struggles

Ignited in November 2013 due to the Ukrainian president’s decision to not sign a Treaty of Association with Europe and instead further tie the country’s connections with Russia, the Euromaidan is a series of protests demanding political change in Ukraine.(87) This time of civil unrest, lasting into 2014 as well and culminating with a revolution, is another example of the national struggle of being torn between Europe and Russia.(88) Citizens who were supporting a European direction were against the president’s choice. Therefore, protests erupted in the capital city, especially in the Maidan public square, and they also relied on music for voicing political messages, through concerts and singing.(89) Ruslana, an influential Ukrainian musician who won Eurovision in 2004, also took part in the Euromaidan, and sang the State Anthem of Ukraine together with other protesters.(90) With this occasion as well, Ukrainians arguably came to identify with their national anthem. “On New Year’s Eve 2013, hundreds of thousands of protestors, including the future president of Ukraine, Petro Poroshenko, joined Ruslana in singing [this song].”(91) Marking and linking historic events through time, Shche Ne Vmerla Ukrayina was sung in several contexts calling for change, imagining the future of a free Ukraine, and promoting national ideals for which participating groups could strive for.

By repeatedly singing together their national anthem in the Euromaidan protests, as well as with other occasions, Ukrainians create more collective memories tied to this song. Since the Euromaidan demonstrations are relatively recent, memories of it can also come to mind when singing the anthem in 2022, in the face of the war against Russia. The two events are related because they both indicate Ukraine’s position: confronting a Russian past and present, and trying to build a bridge between its nation and a more European or Western future. Other recent conflicts can probably also be added here, as the parallel with the Euromaidan is just one example of how the State Anthem of Ukraine can bring together several landmarks in the nation’s collective memory. To return to the 2022 solidarity movement with Ukraine, however, I will only further reflect on how other political songs can become emblematic for a nation, even if they are not officially considered a national anthem.

Official and Unofficial Anthems

Exploring how songs display national narratives, Philip Bohlman claims that all modern music “has the potential to narrate the nation,”(92) which is especially the case for national anthems of any kind. He argues that today’s music evolved alongside the rise of “the modern nation and nationalism,”(93) and then describes cases in which folk or political songs became “unofficial” or “quasi-national anthems.”(94) Music from this genre is especially well known on a national level, and nationals can come to identify with unofficial anthems more than they could with the official one.(95) Therefore, even if they “do not have the top-down sanction to represent the nation beyond its borders,”(96) unofficial anthems can still fulfill “ritual functions” similar to the ones intended for the emblematic hymn found on national records.(97) One of the examples mentioned by Bohlman is how Three Lions is an unofficial anthem frequently sung at football competitions in England instead of God Save the Queen, the official national song.(98)
 
Considering the movement of solidarity for Ukraine, a notable example of a national folk song which arguably fits into the unofficial anthem category is Oy u luzi chervona kalyna, translated as The Red Viburnum In The Meadow. This song became viral online in showing support for those affected by the war. The musician Andriy Khlyvnyuk of Boombox sang it in Kyiv’s Sofiyskaya Square, and the video-recording of him attracted the attention of Pink Floyd. The famous band adapted Khlyvnyuk’s vocals in Hey Hey Rise Up, their first new release in almost thirty years. Another initiative is that of a Ukrainian refugee, the singer Elizaveta, who gathered 300 Lithuanians to perform The Red Viburnum In The Meadow together, in a sign of solidarity with Ukraine. 

Turning further back in time, Bohlman also emphasizes the role of Ukraine’s Eurovision entries in the country’s national struggles.(99) Ruslana’s music was influential in the Euromaidan protests. Furthermore, the Eurovision entry from 2005, when this competition was hosted in Kyiv due to her winning performance from 2004, was also the unofficial anthem of Ukraine’s Orange Revolution: Razom Nas Bahato by Greenjolly.(100) The details of this event will not be discussed here, but it is worth noting how Eurovision entries can carry a strong political message for the nations that they represent, at least in the case of Ukraine. The song Stefania by Kalush Orchestra is no exception, especially due to the ongoing war in their home country and the folkloric themes found in their song.

No genre is more widely associated with the nation and nationalism than folk song. Its association with tradition and the past – with the imagination of myth and the premodern traces of the nation – nonetheless belies its modernity and its narrative potency to proliferate as new and fertile genres and subgenres.(101)

Ukraine’s entry to Eurovision in 2022 combined folklore with rap and other modern influences too. The analysis goes on, with this interesting mixture as the next more detailed track.