"AIDS" was written with the deliberate intention of stirring controversy. After an argument with her musical producer, who claimed her first album lacked a marketable number of hits, Zemfira was forced to write and include new songs. "AIDS" was one of these new additions.
Zemfira emerged in the Russian musical scene at the end of the 1990s, an instant sensation with her eponymous first album. She began writing songs and playing the guitar from an early age, with iconic rocker Viktor Tsoi and Radiohead's lead singer Thom Yorke serving as her biggest inspirations. After moving to Moscow from her native Ufa, she was discovered by musical producers and soon began recording songs for her debut record.
"AIDS" was written with the deliberate intention of stirring controversy. After an argument with her musical producer, who claimed her first album lacked a marketable number of hits, Zemfira was forced to write and include new songs. "AIDS" was one of these new additions.
The song is surprisingly catchy and positive, despite its subject matter and hopelessness. The lyrics are told from the perspective of a young woman who has discovered her lover contracted the titular disease. The chorus is the repeated line, "У тебя СПИД, а значет мы умрем/U tebya SPID, a znachit my umryom" (You have AIDS, and that means we're going to die).
Controversy aside, "AIDS" is a love song, a loud declaration of trust and emotional connection, however fatal the circumstances surrounding the lovers. It’s one of the songs that helped Zemfira establish herself as a powerful addition to the world of Russian rock music.
