Rasputin and the Glorious Overview

The song Rasputin written by Frank Farian and performed by Boney M is a piece of the times. Those times were the 1970s, a time of sin and no punishment, a philosophy the original Rasputin lived and died by. Even though most of the claims in the song are factually inaccurate, like how he was poisoned, they still paint the picture of his life in an effective way.

You can draw interesting parallels between Rasputin, as depicted in the song, and the normal American in the seventies. They both hated war, had sexual liberation and committed sin yet still went to church regularly. The song continuously chants his name in a mantra type form, as if he was to be worshiped.

The times represented are not those of a czar ruled Russia, but a war torn United States. The Cold War was at its peak in the seventies, an espionage war with the nation that was home to the infamous Rasputin. A lot of interest was poured into Russia in this song, it was as if they were trying to discover why Russia was the way it was at the time. Why was it Communist? Symbolically Rasputin was Russia's greatest love machine, meaning none that were as great came after him, resulting in loveless Communism.

The song Rasputin was a teaching tool, a look back, an appreciation, a parallel. It encapsulated two different times, one where Rasputin was almost king, and one where Rasputin was god.