This has been going round in my head for a while now, wanting to write something about Grigori Yefimovich Rasputin, a man so famous people only use his surname. Many probably don’t know his first name and few know his middle name. Yes, the one and only Rasputin!

As the title of the blog suggests, I will be looking at who Rasputin actually was, what kind of man the myth-making machine made him, and will be interspersing this with as many versions as I can find of the utterly awesome Boney M song about Russia’s greatest love machine. We’ll kick off with the original:

This song was my introduction to the man Rasputin, with Boney M’s “Nightflight To Venus” being one of our family’s car cassettes. It took me a while to get the lyrics right, even thinking the chorus was, “Ra Ra Rushatees!”. Yeah, I don’t know why either. This song has a lot of truth in it, a lot of sensationalism and an incredible amount of groove. Seriously, this song is so good, I think it’s difficult to screw it up, as we shall see.

Anyway, whilst I could do a whole blog on the brilliant Boney M, this time I want to talk about Rasputin. Let’s check the lyrics against the truth!

Rasputin did live in Russia a long time ago, 1869 to 1916 to be exact. He was big, standing at an impressive 6ft3 (193cm), probably strong (citation needed!) and there is something about the eyes. Whether or not most people were scared of him, and the ladies in Moscow swooned over him, I’m not sure. But he was quite the ladies man, so…

It seems he was a charismatic preacher but I think the “Mad Monk” moniker is unfair. For starters, he wasn’t a monk, having never been ordained. And considering the influence he had within the Russian royal family, I reckon he had a fairly good grip on his sanity. I can’t find out where Mad Monk came from, but I presume the Hammer film, Rasputin the Mad Monk, at least helped to spread the fictional title. It’s a good film from what I remember, with Christopher Lee on particularly good form. Rasputin, Dracula, Lord Summerisle – the man could certainly bring charismatic characters to lordly life.

Let’s bring in the first cover of Boney M’s hit, this one by the exceptional and endearing Aurora. I love what she does with the song. A little change here and there, but it’s almost like she’s just playing around.

Next fact-check: were Rasputin and Queen Alexandra lovers? This too seems to be a flight of fancy. He had some sway over Nicholas and his wife, but it doesn’t seem like there was any rumpy-pumpy going on there. However, it does appear to be the case that he had quite a sexual appetite, played around a lot, and had a big chopper. His foot-long member is supposed to reside in a pickle jar in the Museum of Erotica in St Petersburg. Hmm, not sure I really want to know the truth with that. I’ll just settle for Rasputin being a great love machine, possibly Russia’s foremost man between the sheets in that period. Ra Ra Rasputin, indeed!

The healing powers he was rumoured to have in relation to the tsarina’s hemophiliac son, Alexei, have no doubt been exaggerated. But again, there is a grain in truth in it all, I suspect. Reading up on Wikipedia, it seems that this is one part of the Rasputin mythos that leads to vigorous debate. Hyponosis, simple power of suggestion, a calming influence on the boy and his mother, faith healing – all are put forward as possibilities. Who knows? It seems certain though that, as Boney M remind us, the tsarina believed he was a holy healer who would heal her son.

And here I’ll slip in the second cover, which is a bit of a curio. Rasputin, played on a hundred year old organ. Bet you didn’t see that one coming! Please have a read of the comments below this video. One thread gets into a heated to-and-fro over Rasputin’s death. Damn, they really need the lyrics to know how he died! “Oh, those Russians!”

But this miraculous healing power that gained him surprising access to the royal family, would also be his downfall. Being the new boy in court and so popular, is never a good thing. He inevitably made enemies amongst the Russian nobility. “And the demands to do something about this outrageous man became louder and louder!” While he was in the right place at the right time to gain influence with the royal family, he was then in the wrong place at the wrong time when things blew up for Russia in general. Rasputin must have been an easy scapegoat to target the anger. A boozing womaniser who was supposed to be a man of god? A man with the power of hypnosis who had suddenly found favour with the tsar? Quite an easy job to carry out a character assassination. And then they went one step further and actually murdered the poor chap.

Third cover coming at you now. This one is a favourite of mine, as it showcases the immense talent of the Ayoub Sisters. I love the last chorus, where they reverse the cello and violin.

So, how did the big man meet his end? Prince Felix Yusupov, a noble, gathered a bunch of his fellows and conspired to kill Rasputin. His version of the events is the story that has made its way into popular belief, an incredible tale of Rasputin being extremely difficult to kill. Once again, who really knows? My gut feeling is that Yusupov wanted to depict Rasputin as a demon with supernatural powers. If they just shot him, it might be seen as a cowardly act. Pretty sure the animated version isn’t accurate. Too much green psychedelia.

Next cover is one for the YouTube generation. I like the vocals in this one, with the singer giving it a bit of fire.

You’ve probably seen the film or the trailer for the new Kingsman movie. I haven’t seen any of the series, but this one caught my attention because of… yes, Rasputin dropping in, played by Rhys Ifans. It looks like they’ve really gone for the “Dude was evil!” angle, just as Guillermo del Toro did in Hellboy. Makes me feel sorry for the chap, to be honest. He was a holy healer who got lucky. Granted he abused his position thereafter, but then got offed by the local toffs. And then posthumously gets elevated (knocked down?) to being an uber-evil man of mystical powers. Let the poor man rest in peace!

The next cover is from a guy who does these wonderful medieval covers of famous songs. It once again shows that the song Rasputin is fantastic, whatever the genre.

I encourage everyone to read up on Rasputin, as the legend/truth is quite fascinating. I’m reminded of him coming up in a GCSE history lesson and feeling a buzz. How could someone from such a cool song be mentioned by my teacher!?

Wikipedia has a good run-down, as usual. And History Co-Operative has a nice Fact or Fiction section.

Who was Grigori Rasputin? The Story of the Mad Monk Who Dodged Death

And I am still not finished with the covers! Seriously, there are so many. Here’s one from an artist who I find adorable. She does short snippets of songs and presents them with such a sweet smile.

I mentioned Christopher Lee and Rhys Ifans have played Rasputin on film, but I must also give a shout out to Alan Rickman, who gave a more subtle interpretation of the man in Rasputin: Dark Servant of Destiny (1996). The title is a bit bloated but it’s worth a watch for Rickman’s performance and seeing Ian McKellan as the tsar, pulling at his moustache.

And yet another cover! I may be wrong but I think these are actual Russian ladies singing. The male singer is not as kinetic as Boney M’s Bobby Farrell, but he is actually singing. This may be heresy but I found Farrell’s prancing around a bit distracting. Sorry! He was a legend but too much for me. Quirky fact: Bobby Farrell died on the same date and same city as Rasputin (30th December, St Petersburg).

What would Rasputin think if someone told him, “In about sixty years time, a Euro-Carribean pop group, managed by a German, will sing a song about your life, and it will become a massive hit, and then years later it will become famous for a whole new generation as people dance to it on a new invention of the age.”? He’d probably have responded, “You’re mad!”. “Funny you should say that…”

8th cover coming at you. This one is fun! The West Cork Ukelele Orchestra!

And number 9. I have to share this one as Taii is so talented, and I love hearing the bass lines for songs. You have to give Frank Farian credit for “writing” such a catchy, memorable and gripping song (the band deny the similarity but it does sound suspiciously familiar to a Turkish folk song, Kâtibim). Although popular in Russia, Boney M were prohibited from playing it when performing in Moscow in 1978. Anyway, bring that bass!

My tenth and final cover of Rasputin is a bit of a find in the vast universe of YouTube. A class of people in Singapore learning the ukelele, I believe, and enjoying themselves. Rasputin has truly traveled far and wide!

And that’s it for today. Hope you enjoyed this light look at Rasputin: The Man, The Myth & The Song. Please tune in for more interviews (got two lined up), hopefully a Throwback Thursday, and a new series of blogs that will give appreciation to a giant of the fantasy genre.

Please take care everyone. Sadly, COVID is still hammering countries all over the world. We can only hope 2022 is the year the pandemic becomes an endemic. Be kind, stay safe and Ra Ra see you next time!