Andrei Sakharov was a phenomenal scientist and activist. Initially working on the Soviet Atomic Bomb project in the late 40s, he came to the realisation that his actions could untimately lead to the destruction of all mankind, and became one of Russia's leading anti-proliferation campaigners, much to his personal and political chagrin. He was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1975 (collected by his wife as he was unable to leave the Soviet Union), and remained essentially under house arrest until December 1986 when Gorbachev's policies of perestroika and glasnost freed him.
This song fell out of reading Sakharov's biography (The Making of Andrei Sakharov by George Bailey) alongside Brett Easton-Ellis's American Psycho. A chance sighting of the Russian Pacific Fleet singing on Michael Palin's Pole to Pole, gave me a fascination with the low, eerie humming that they used, and a Soviet-sounding Accordion melody soon followed.
In a nutshell the song is about those of us who make things that (intentinally or not) go on to destroy people. From guns and knives to DIY equipment and quicklime, I became fascinated with the thought that you could unwittingly create or supply something that someone else uses to kill.
So, all in all, a dark little number. The only lift being the chorus where the protagonist attempts to shake off their guilt. Unsuccessfully, of course.
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