Beatles: Back In The U.S.S.R. Meaning

Song Released: 1968

Back In The U.S.S.R. Lyrics

Flew in from Miami Beach BOAC
Didn't get to bed last night
All the way the paper bag was on my knee
Man, I had a dreadful flight
I'm back in the USSR
You don't know how lucky you are, boy
Back in the USSR, yeah

Been away so long I hardly...

1. 1TOP RATED

   #1 top rated interpretation:
   Chapi

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   Nov 23rd 2008 !⃝

   I would like to underline that Georgia was one of the soviet republics and not a province of Russia. And "Georgia on my mind" in the text of the song concerning the USSR may mean republic of Georgia which from the very beginning (70 years of being as a soviet republic) had been fighting for independence and freedom.

2. 2TOP RATED

   #2 top rated interpretation:
   anonymous

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   Oct 11th 2008 !⃝

   In an interview years later, McCartney simply said that when he listened to the beach boys, he thought they "sounded like California." Back in the USSR, he said, was an attempt to parallel the Beach Boy's sound, but with the twist of making the song "sound like Russia." Obviously the decision to choose the USSR was grounded in the era's world politics. I think the Beatles, in attempting a song like this, were paying tribute to the Beach Boys, who were a profound influence on them.

3. 3TOP RATED

   #3 top rated interpretation:
   CaptainVegetable

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   Feb 3rd 2009 !⃝

   One of my colleagues, now in his fifties, emigrated to Canada from the former USSR. His story is that the Beatles were supposed to be allowed into Moscow to perform, but that the reaction of the screaming fans to the arrival or their plane was seen as very non-communist and Brezhnev decided not to let them disembark. "Back in the USSR" was supposedly written about this incident.
4. anonymous

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   Jan 22nd 2016 !⃝

   Sadly the song is about a pack of fags, who thought they liked girls, but did no... So they set out for the frozen tundra to have a good time, equipped with a bunch of electric blanket... So they could cuddle in the nude and have a good time... Sadly they did not realize there was no electricity, and they all froze to death... Lau dee dah!

   This interpretation has been marked as poor. view anyway
5. anonymous

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   May 26th 2012 !⃝

   Actually georgia eas not a state but s temporary part of russia st the time. They were independant before that and regained independace in '91. Its a seperate country with a completely different language

   This interpretation has been marked as poor. view anyway
6. anonymous

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   Jul 26th 2011 !⃝

   First of all, Republic of Georgia was former USSR country and NOT Russian province (Thanks to God). Georgia was occupied in the beginning of 20th century by Russia revolutionaries and country was forced to join USSR. Georgia has nothing to do with Russia.
   The original lyrics are about US state but The Beathles used to refer to Republic of Georgia.
7. Littletree

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   Jul 4th 2011 !⃝

   I think its a Pastiche of the Beach-Boys but trying to send the opposite message(The Beach-Boys as "All American"etc).I heard paul plays all instruments including drums on this one(he and Ringo had a ding-dong and Ringo stormed out),with the others singing harmony.Also on close listen to it i`m sure he`s alternating the line "Im back in the USSR" with "Im Backing the USSR".I think it was altered to hide its Political content(Such a statement may have not gone down too well in the US).Both he and Lennon were supporters of Chairman Mao at one time or another.I don`t know if these sentiments of Paul`s are genuine or they are supposed to be ironic.I think its a Pro-Communist Anthem and regardless of if you are a Communist or not,its a Masterpeice.
8. Winnipegger

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   Oct 19th 2009 !⃝

   The Beatles never played in the USSR, jamespaul, you're thinking of Germany, where they played Hamburg in the days before they became famous.
9. jamespmccartney

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   Oct 18th 2009 !⃝

   this song is both a Mock and a tribute. it is Mocking the Beach Boys, becouse they started to think they where better then the Beastles and the Beatles where just putting them in there place. Its a Tribute for the Country that made them Famouse becouse, if you read anything on the beatles life, you know that they started their real fame from th U.S.S.R. before being sent back to liverpool becouse George was to young to play in the band there. the whole thing about the U.S.S.R. girls, in between each verse is that while they where in Russia they realy got to know the Locals (and I mean REALLY got to know them.)

   This interpretation has been marked as poor. view anyway
10. mensoelrey

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    Oct 2nd 2008 !⃝

    It's just making fun of the USSR by borrowing from Chuck Berry's "Back in the USA" title and style. "Georgia's always on my mind" is a hilarious allusion to the old song "Georgia on My Mind": Georgia was a state of the USSR and the original song was of course about the US state of Georgia. So they go from making fun of the USSR to talking about hot Ukraine and Moscow girls and then say "come and keep your comrade warm". Quite a funny song.
11. anonymous

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    Sep 20th 2008 !⃝

    "Since the Beach Boys were (successfully) sued by the publishers of Chuck Berry's "Sweet Little Sixteen" for plagiarizing that song with 'Surfing USA'"
    
    Were they? Chuck Berry AND Brian Wilson wrote this song.
12. anonymous

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    Sep 17th 2008 !⃝

    'Georgia on my mind' is a funny play on words (concepts). Georgia is both a US state and a Russian province (it was a Russian province back then.)
13. anonymous

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    Aug 16th 2008 !⃝

    Everybody's been so busy with the Beach Boys imitation mocking thing that nobody paid attention to the line that says "That Georgia's always on my mind" Ray Charles wrote a song called "Georgia On My Mind" and one day my dad pointed out that they used that. Just a little fun fact there if you see the relation.
14. anonymous

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    Sep 27th 2007 !⃝

    In 1968, the Beach Boys became the first rock group to play
    behind the Iron Curtain when they performed in Prague, Czechoslovakia. This event inspired the Beach Boys pastiche
    "Back in the USSR". Since the Beach Boys were (successfully) sued by the publishers of Chuck Berry's "Sweet Little Sixteen" for plagiarizing that song with "Surfing USA", the Beatles based their pastiche on Chuck's "Back in the USA" as a further joke. "California Girls" is also (obviously) a lyrical influence. The result is a masterpiece, which stands up to the Beach Boys classics, while thoroughly in their style.
15. anonymous

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    Jun 9th 2007 !⃝

    To the person who said the Beach Boys were seen as inferior by the Beatles I would suggest reading the anthology book in which McCartney states that he thinks Pet Sounds is a record which any music lover must listen. Furthermore he regularly mentions in interviews how Pet Sounds influenced the Beatles to do Sgt Peppers. Clearly he has/had a lot of respect for the Beach Boys.
16. anonymous

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    Feb 1st 2007 !⃝

    "The song was written for a concert in the U.S.S.R. when the Iron Curtain was about to fall. It was their last tribute, so to speak for the U.S.S.R. now becoming the country known as Russia."
    
    Now this is stupid. This was written twenty years before the end of the Iron Curtain and in the middle of the Cold War. read a history.
    
    
    "
17. anonymous

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    Jul 1st 2006 !⃝

    The song was written for a concert in the U.S.S.R. when the Iron Curtain was about to fall. It was their last tribute, so to speak for the U.S.S.R. now becoming the country known as Russia.

    This interpretation has been marked as poor. view anyway
18. CroftD1

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    Mar 14th 2006 !⃝

    You're all a little right. I'll just add something...It was the HEAT of the COLD War and the US and GB were against the USSR so the Beatles thought it would be funny to tease the gov'ts and right a song Pro-Russia. And of course it struck a HUGE contraversy. It was written in the same vein as California Girls by the Beach Boys following even closely the lyrics just flipping them to fit the USSR provinances. And by the way Brian Wilson is VERY tallented and I don't consider him inferrior just a lot different from say John or Paul. Not trying to argue, just trying to stick up for him!

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