Stop! I think to myself

The song dates back to 1989 by the researchers ^[1] , although according to the information provided by the author of the song Igor Talkov in the book “Monologue” , it already existed in August 1988 , when along with the songs “The Kremlin Wall” and “Enemy of the People” it was unauthorized Talkov at the Luzhniki Sports Palace ^[2] at the concert “Look Introduces!”, Which ended with a scandal and a ban on Talkov from ever participating in the “Look” program ^[3] .

The song was included in many concert programs of Talkov and the Lifebuoy band, including the musical performance “The Court” where Talkov performed on behalf of “a person from the people” Potapych.

For the first time the song was published in the studio version in 1993, after the murder of Talkov , in the album "This World" .

Researcher of song poetry Igor Talkov, Doctor of Philology Ilya Nichiporov wrote that in the poem “Stop! I think to myself ... ”the lyrical hero is presented by Talkov as an irrepressible lonely seeker who seeks truth in studying the national fate of his time. He realizes that “something is wrong here”, just as the hero of the song “My Gypsy”, Vladimir Vysotsky, realized. The researcher notes that in Talkov’s work, the turns of the historical path from the era of Joseph Stalin to Perestroika are represented by the “tragedy” ones and depicted in sharp satirical forms, where portraits of Soviet leaders are grotesque ^[1] .

Archpriest, Professor Alexander Polovinkin at an international conference noted that Talkov, as a historian , in the poem “Stop! I think to myself ... ”he pointed out the fundamental variability and unexpected turns of the Soviet period in the history of Russia . All the leaders of the Soviet state in the song are equally negative ^[4] .

The literary critic Heinrich Mitin wrote in the newspaper Tomorrow that in the song Stop! I think to myself, ”Talkov not only criticized Lenin, Khrushchev (“ corn genius ”), Brezhnev's“ idol of fools, ”surrounded by“ orders from head to toe ”), which was allowed by publicity , but also criticized Perestroika, which was not allowed. The critic wrote that it is unlikely that the "rebuilding bastards" (a quote from the lyrics) rejoiced at the appearance on the stage of a bard singing this and received with enthusiasm by the people ^[5] .

• In studio albums: “This World” ( 1993 ), “Scene” ( 2001 ), etc.
• In concert albums: “Concert on February 23, 1991 in the Luzhniki Stadium” (1993), “The Court” (2001), etc.