Paul is Dead (La Folie song)
| "Paul is Dead" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by La folie | ||||
| B-side | "Apocalypso" | |||
| Released | July 3, 1980 | |||
| Recorded | June 1980 | |||
| Studio | The Fallen Alien, Seliska-na-Tsyr | |||
| Genre | Post-punk | |||
| Length | 7:58 | |||
| Label | Independent | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Yegor Sitnikov, Artem Shevchuk | |||
| Producer(s) | Vova Nesterov | |||
| La folie singles chronology | ||||
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"Paul is Dead" (Soravian: Павел немає; Pavel nemaye, "Pavel is gone") is a song written and independently released by the Soravian post-punk band La folie on July 3, 1980. The song came to symbolise resistance against the Soravian government and the ZVNP during the Sostava War as well as accompanying independence movements in the various states that declared independence in the early 1980s.
La folie were already an influential band in Soravia, winning the 1974 Euclovision Song Contest with "Thank God, I'm Home", the country's first victory at the contest. Between 1974 and 1978, the band had various deals with broadcasting company Radiotelevizor Libertas, which it used to announce music and broadcast live performances. In 1978, the band's frontman Yegor Sitnikov came out against the party's operations, and their contracts with Libertas were quickly terminated. The band's large underground following allowed them to keep releasing music independently of the country's existing music censorship. The releases culminated with Paul is Dead and its corresponding B-side Apocalypso in 1980.
The song's title, content and cover satirically mock the state's reaction to the death of Pavel Klemenko in 1940, generally regarded as an ineffective statesman while in office, but his affiliation with the ZVNP from an early stage garnered him respect and adoration amongst the party's latter governments. The single was released on the 40th anniversary of his death, and after its release the band went on a two-year hiatus on self-imposed exile in Estmere. La folie's popularity and affiliation with anti-government movements saw the song adopted by many groups as a song of resistance and independence and quickly became one of the most recognisable songs in Western Euclea.
The single has gone on to have a massive cultural effect on bands that emerged after Soravia's censorship was loosened following the conclusion of the Sostava War. La folie returned to Soravia in 1982, releasing another single, Natsluzh, a few months later. Its near-universal recognition as well as the cultivation of the general national spirit in the 1980s has seen the song affectionately referred to as "The People's Anthem". On March 6, 1982, it became the first song to be aired on Zortelekom Radio, which would later succeed Libertas after its activities ceased in 1983.
Track listing
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Paul is Dead" | 7:58 |
| 2. | "Apocalypso" | 3:12 |