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"Life has become better, life has become happier"[a] is a widespread version of a phrase uttered by Soviet leader Joseph Stalin at the First All-Union Conference of Stakhanovites on 17 November 1935.[1] The full quote from Joseph Stalin was, when translated into English is:
Living has become better, comrades. Living has become happier. And when life becomes happier, work becomes more effective. … If we lived badly, unattractive, unhappy, then there would be no Stakhanov movement in our country.[2]
In modern Russian the phrase is used in an ironical sense.[2]
| "Life's Become Better" | |
|---|---|
| Song | |
| Language | Russian |
| Written | c. 1936 |
| Songwriter(s) | Vasily Lebedev-Kumach |
| Composer(s) | Alexander Alexandrov |
In 1936, the words were used in the chorus of a song of the same name, with music by Alexander Alexandrov and words by Vasily Lebedev-Kumach. The opening bars of the song and some sequences share a notable resemblance to those of the State Anthem of the Soviet Union, as the two songs had the same composer. Alexandrov apparently liked the opening bars of this piece. He used them again, with only minor alterations, just a few years later in the tune for the State Anthem (1944–1991).[citation needed]
| Russian original[3][better source needed] | Romanization of Russian | English translation |
|---|---|---|
Звонки, как птицы, одна за другой, |
Zvonki, kak pticy, odna za drugoj, |
Jingly, like birds, one by one, |
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