"Back in the U.S.S.R."
Song by The Beatles
From the album The Beatles
Album released	22 November 1968
Recorded	22 and 23 August, 1968
Genre	Rock
Song Length	2:43
Record label	Apple Records
Producer	George Martin
Track Number	Track 1 of Disc 1

"Back in the U.S.S.R." is a song by The Beatles written by Paul McCartney (John Lennon shares songwriting credits), and which opens the double-disc album The Beatles (a.k.a. The White Album). The UK single cover for Back in the USSR. This is an album cover. ... The Beatles (L-R, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, Ringo Starr, John Lennon), in 1964, performing on The Ed Sullivan Show promoting their first U.S. hit song, I Want To Hold Your Hand, and ushering in the British Invasion of American popular music. ... The Beatles is a double album, released by the Beatles in 1968. ... November 22 is the 326th day (327th on leap years) of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1968 was a leap year starting on Monday (the link is to a full 1968 calendar). ... 1968 was a leap year starting on Monday (the link is to a full 1968 calendar). ... Musical genres are categories which contain music which share a certain style or which have certain elements in common. ... Rock and roll (also spelled Rock n Roll, especially in its first decade), also called rock, is a form of popular music, usually featuring vocals (often with vocal harmony), electric guitars and a strong back beat; other instruments, such as the saxophone, are common in some styles. ... A record label is a brand created by companies that specialize in manufacturing, distributing and promoting audio and video recordings, on various formats including compact discs, LPs, DVD-Audio, SACDs, and cassettes. ... Apple Records was founded in 1968 by the musical group known as The Beatles, comprising John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr. ... In the music industry, record producer designates a person responsible for completing a master recording so that it is fit for release. ... For the author, see George R. R. Martin. ... A song is a relatively short musical composition for the human voice (possibly accompanied by other musical instruments), which features words (lyrics). ... The Beatles (L-R, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, Ringo Starr, John Lennon), in 1964, performing on The Ed Sullivan Show promoting their first U.S. hit song, I Want To Hold Your Hand, and ushering in the British Invasion of American popular music. ... Paul McCartney, as photographed by John Kelley for the 1968 LP The Beatles (aka The White Album). Sir James Paul McCartney, MBE (born 18 June 1942) is a British singer, musician, composer, producer and animal rights activist who first came to prominence as a member of The Beatles. ... John Lennon John Winston Lennon, later John Ono Lennon, (October 9, 1940–December 8, 1980), was best known as a singer, songwriter, and guitarist for The Beatles. ... The Beatles is a double album, released by the Beatles in 1968. ...

The song describes: a bad flight from the United States to the Soviet Union on board a British BOAC airplane; the "superior" beauty of Soviet women over those of the Western world; the sound of balalaikas ringing; and the incredible fortune of returning to a communist state. After technical problems with the Comet, BOAC resumed jet service with imported Boeing 707s. ... The term Western world can have multiple meanings depending on its context. ... Balalaika The balalaika (балала́йка) is a stringed instrument of Russian origin, with a characteristic triangular body and 3 strings (or sometimes 6, in pairs). ... A Communist state is a state governed by a single political party which declares its allegiance to the principles of Marxism-Leninism. ...

The song was a parody of Chuck Berry's Back in the U.S.A. and the Beach Boys' California Girls, also containing a reference to Georgia on My Mind. The title was inspired in part by Harold Wilson's "I'm Backing Britain" campaign. Chuck Berry Charles Edward Anderson Berry (born October 18, 1926), better known as Chuck Berry, is a highly influential American guitarist, singer and composer. ... Back in the U.S.A. is a song by Chuck Berry. ... The Beach Boys 1976 album 15 big ones The Beach Boys are a pop music group formed in Hawthorne, California in 1961, whose popularity has lasted into the twenty-first century. ... California Girls is the title of a song written by Mike Love and Brian Wilson and recorded by The Beach Boys for their 1965 album Summer Days (And Summer Nights!!). The song also has a well-known cover version by former Van Halen lead singer David Lee Roth. ... Georgia on My Mind is a song written by Stuart Gorrell and Hoagy Carmichael; it has become the state song of the U.S. state of Georgia. ... This article is about the British politician. ...

A conservative American backlash against the song rapidly ensued, citing the song as evidence of left-wing Beatle propaganda. McCartney's recent confession of having used LSD (combined with Lennon's assertion that the Beatles were "bigger than Jesus") made The Beatles the target of a new anti-rock campaign. A flustered McCartney responded: "Back In The USSR is a hands-across-the-water-song...They like us out there. Even though the bosses in the Kremlin may not, the kids do."

"Back in the USSR" was released by Parlophone as a single in the UK in 1976. It featured the song "Twist and Shout" on Side B. Parlophone is a record label which was founded in Germany prior to World War I by the Carl Lindstrom Company. ... 1976 is a leap year starting on Thursday (link will take you to calendar). ... Twist and Shout is a song originally by Phil Medley and Bert Russell. ...

Ringo Walks

The "White Album" sessions allowed the four members to work on separate projects at the same time and, as a result, keep tensions to a minimum. However, during the recording session on 22 August 1968, tempers flared, and Ringo walked out and announced that he had quit. August 22 is the 234th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (235th in leap years), with 131 days remaining. ... 1968 was a leap year starting on Monday (the link is to a full 1968 calendar). ...

"Back in the U.S.S.R." and "Dear Prudence", the first two tracks of the album, were then recorded without Ringo, with Paul playing the drums instead. Ringo would then return to the group. The next session he played might possibly be the 8 September 1968, for Helter Skelter. The stereo mix of that song includes Ringo shouting "I've got blisters on my fingers!" which might be taken from the 22 August session for "Back in the U.S.S.R." September 8 is the 251st day of the year (252nd in leap years). ... 1968 was a leap year starting on Monday (the link is to a full 1968 calendar). ... This article is about the Beatles song. ...

External links

• Song lyrics
• All Music Guide review
• Alan W. Pollack's Notes On...

			The Beatles
Band members: John Lennon - Paul McCartney - George Harrison - Ringo Starr John Kelley photo of John Lennon from the The Beatles white album. ... John Kelley photo of Paul McCartney from the The Beatles white album. ... The Beatles (L-R, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, Ringo Starr, John Lennon), in 1964, performing on The Ed Sullivan Show promoting their first U.S. hit song, I Want To Hold Your Hand, and ushering in the British Invasion of American popular music. ... From The Beatles White album This work is copyrighted. ... John Kelley photo of Ringo Starr from the The Beatles white album. ... John Lennon John Winston Lennon, later John Ono Lennon, (October 9, 1940–December 8, 1980), was best known as a singer, songwriter, and guitarist for The Beatles. ... Paul McCartney, as photographed by John Kelley for the 1968 LP The Beatles (aka The White Album). Sir James Paul McCartney, MBE (born 18 June 1942) is a British singer, musician, composer, producer and animal rights activist who first came to prominence as a member of The Beatles. ... George Harrison MBE (February 24, 1943 – November 29, 2001) was a popular British songwriter, musician and film producer best known as a member of the Beatles. ... Ringo Starr as photographed by John Kelley for the 1968 LP The Beatles (aka The White Album). Richard Starkey, MBE (born July 7, 1940) known by his stage name, Ringo Starr, is a popular British musician, best known as drummer for The Beatles. ... Management: Brian Epstein - Apple Records Brian Samuel Epstein (September 19, 1934_August 27, 1967) was a British businessman, best known as the manager of the Beatles. ... Apple Records was founded in 1968 by the musical group known as The Beatles, comprising John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr. ... Production: George Martin - Geoff Emerick - Long-term influence - Discography - Bootlegs For the author, see George R. R. Martin. ... Geoff Emerick (born 1946) is a recording studio audio engineer, who is best known for his work with the Beatles albums Revolver, Sgt. ... The Beatles influence on rock music and world culture was -- and remains -- profound. ... My Bonnie / The Saints, by Tony Sheridan & The Beatles, the first Beatles record to be released. ... The Beatles are one of the most bootlegged bands in music history. ... See also: History of the Beatles - Paul is Dead rumours - Beatlesque - Beatlemania - British Invasion - Classic rock era The Beatles were a hugely successful band in the 1960s, consisting of John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr (Richard Starkey), with global sales exceeding 1. ... The Paul Is Dead rumour started with a series of events in the 1960s that led fans of the popular rock band The Beatles to believe that bassist Paul McCartney was actually dead and replaced with a look-alike. ... Beatlesque (pronounced ) is a term used to describe rock and pop bands and musicians who make music similar to that of The Beatles, a British rock-pop music band from the 1960s. ... Beatlemania is the name of various tribute groups dedicated to singing songs from The Beatles. ... The British Invasion was an influx of rock and roll performers from Great Britain who became popular in the United States, Australia and elsewhere in 1964 ending the years immediately afterward. ... Classic rock was originally conceived as a radio station broadcasting format and although loosely defined, it generally includes the music from rock bands formed between the mid-1950s and 1990, with a predominant focus on the period between the 1970 and 1990 or thereabouts. ...