Boney M - Rasputin

Boney M - Rasputin
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Au milieu des années 1970, Frank Farian, un producteur qui travaille pour la marque allemande Hansa, fait réaliser en studio par des chanteuses et des musiciens de séances "Baby Do You Wanna Bump ?" sous le nom de Boney M, alors une coquille vide. Le titre connaît un grand succès aux Pays-Bas. Pour profiter de l'aubaine, il assemble un groupe à la va-vite pour en assurer la promotion en boîte et à la télévision. Il engage des choristes antillaises, dont l'une a succédé à Donna Summer dans la comédie musicale Hair.
L'image de Boney M — trois filles prosternées et offertes aux pieds d'un maître vaudou aux allures de proxénète — a été pour beaucoup dans le succès phénoménal que remporta le groupe en Europe avec des titres comme "Daddy Cool" (1977), "Ma Baker" (1978) et surtout leur version du classique reggae des Melodians "Rivers of Babylon" (1978), troisième meilleure vente de 45 tours de toute l'histoire des classements britanniques. Après "Rasputin" (1978) et une reprise du "Painter Man" de The Creation (1979), le groupe connaîtra son dernier tube avec "Hooray ! Hooray ! It's A Holi-Holiday !" (1979).
Durant la vague disco, Boney M a vendu environ 50 millions de disques. Disparu, il se reformera cependant régulièrement (les membres n'étant plus ceux d'origine excepté Bobby Farrell) pour assurer le service après-vente de ses compilations.

There lived a certain man in Russia long ago
He was big and strong, in his eyes a flaming glow
Most people looked at him with terror and with fear
But to Moscow chicks he was such a lovely dear
He could preach the bible like a preacher
Full of ecstacy and fire
But he also was the kind of teacher
Women would desire

RA RA RASPUTIN
Lover of the Russian queen
There was a cat that really was gone
RA RA RASPUTIN
Russia's greatest love machine
It was a shame how he carried on

He ruled the Russian land and never mind the czar
But the kasachok he danced really wunderbar
In all affairs of state he was the man to please
But he was real great when he had a girl to squeeze
For the queen he was no wheeler dealer
Though she'd heard the things he'd done
She believed he was a hole healer
Who would heal her son

(Spoken:)
But when his drinking and lusting and his hunger
for power became known to more and more people,
the demands to do something about this outrageous
man became louder and louder.

"This man's just got to go!" declared his enemies
But the ladies begged "Don't you try to do it, please"
No doubt this Rasputin had lots of hidden charms
Though he was a brute they just fell into his arms
Then one night some men of higher standing
Set a trap, they're not to blame
"Come to visit us" they kept demanding
And he really came

RA RA RASPUTIN
Lover of the Russian queen
They put some poison into his wine
RA RA RASPUTIN
Russia's greatest love machine
He drank it all and he said "I feel fine"

RA RA RASPUTIN
Lover of the Russian queen
They didn't quit, they wanted his head
RA RA RASPUTIN
Russia's greatest love machine
And so they shot him till he was dead

(Spoken:) Oh, those Russians...