Dark Is The Night: A Soviet Hymn About Hope

Be it in the form of an anthem of empowerment against enemy forces, or just a grave reminder of the fragility of human life, music has always found its way into theaters of war throughout man’s history.

Such songs seemed to reveal the personal side of army life, which was more often than not indiscernible in the roar of warfare.

‘Dark Is The Night’ is one such window into the soul of a Soviet soldier who, like every other person, longs for home and the people he is fighting for.

Composed by the prolific Nikita Bogoslovsky for a 1943 war film titled ‘Two Soldiers’, the song was originally performed by Mark Bernes in the film, who plays the role of a distraught soldier longing for his wife and baby.

It was Bernes’ performance that spoke volumes to the Soviet masses about the tragedy of war, which in turn allowed for the song to gain traction.

Even though the authorities shunned its propagation, Dark Is The Night became a symbol for millions of Soviet people: something that humanised their age-old struggle against the Nazi forces.

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