Many of us have seen the ad by now, that awesome one where people give up on air conditioning units and instead, adopt a natural, pure way to cool the world – drinking Lipton Ice Tea… yummy! Who wouldn’t want a more natural way to cool the world down?
If you haven’t seen it, here’s the extended version. Watch it and know that you’re life is worth a little more for seeing it:
In the current heat and humidity I’ve been experiencing here in Auckland, Aotearoa (NZ) it inspires me to shut off the air-con and grab a Lipton Ice Tea so I can feel better about cooling the world naturally. Brilliant!
And that piece of music, it’s so catchy! I wouldn’t blame you if you’re dying to know what it is, it’s just so happy and cheerful. This is where the irony starts to play out 
The song is called “Along the Village” and was written in 1933. Both the composer and lyricist were Russian and proud to be so. Guess who was in power in Russia in 1933 – Stalin. Guess what else was taking place – the state was confiscating grain from around the country and it was causing a famine, people were starving to death. In the face of that though, the state was doing things that were worth celebrating and there were proud communist Russian musicians more than willing to sing the praises of the state’s work and show people joy, people like Mikhail Isakovsky, an official Hero of Socialist Labor and the writer of the lyrics for this song.
So what is the song about pray tell, a song that would inspire such happiness? In the face of Russia’s second great famine, what would inspire people to write music that carries so much gusto, passion and joy? I’m glad you asked.
Along the Village is a song written to celebrate the electrification of the village, an initiative carried out by the state while people starved to death during the famine. Can anyone else spot the irony with that song being used in this ad?
But let’s not allow the irony of a song about electricity curb our enthusiasm for cooling our world naturally with Lipton Ice Tea, let’s get on board and sing along in English! Courtesy of Google translate – here are the lyrics in our mother tongue:
Along the village from house to house, and strode off hasty pillars;
roared, played the leads – we have not seen ever,so we have not seen in the dream, the sun lit up the pine, To the joy of friendship with the peasant, to ensure that everyone – Star under the ceiling.
The sky is poured, the wind is beating all the sick and the village palisades of lights and in the countryside and the fun and beauty, and I envy the village of heaven.
Along the village from house to house, and strode off hasty pillars; roared, struck up the wires — We have not seen this ever.
Ok, so the translation isn’t that smooth, but you get the drift.
It’s easy to see why Isakovsky got the USSR State Prize twice for his cheerful songs, the award of Hero of Socialist Labor and the Order of Lenin 4 times – he did the state a great service and now he’s done Lipton Ice Tea a great service, so next time you lift a sweet Lipton Ice Tea to your lips to cool down remember Isakovsky and the wonder of electricity, that amazing invention that lit up the village in Russia in 1933 and now powers all those amazing air-conditioning units. Yummy! 
Related posts:
