Editing Back in the U.S.S.R. (section)

{{Short description|1968 song by the Beatles}}
{{about|the Beatles song|other uses|Back in the USSR (disambiguation)}}
{{Distinguish|Back to the USSR{{!}}''Back to the USSR''}}
{{Use British English|date=June 2011}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2022}}
{{Infobox song
| name       = Back in the U.S.S.R.
| cover      = File:Back in the USSR single.png
| cover_size = 
| alt        =
| caption    = Picture sleeve for the song's 1976 UK single release
| type       =
| artist     = [[the Beatles]]
| album      = [[The Beatles (album)|The Beatles]]
| EP         =
| written    =
| published  = 
| released   = {{Start date|1968|11|22|df=y}}
| format     =
| recorded   = {{nowrap|22–23 August 1968}}
| studio     = [[Abbey Road Studios|EMI]], London
| venue      =
| genre      = [[Rock and roll]]{{sfn|Campbell|2008|p=175}}{{sfn|Hertsgaard|1996|p=355|ps=: "'Back In The USSR' was straight-ahead rock 'n' roll{{nbsp}}..."}}
| length     = {{Duration|m=2|s=43}}
| label      = [[Apple Records|Apple]]
| writer     = [[Lennon–McCartney]]
| composer   =
| lyricist   =
| producer   = [[George Martin]]
| misc          = {{Extra chronology
| artist = [[The Beatles]] UK
| type = single
| prev_title = [[Yesterday (Beatles song)|Yesterday]]
| prev_year = 1976
| title = Back in the U.S.S.R.
| year = 1976
| next_title = [[Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (song)|Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band]]
| next_title2 = [[With a Little Help from My Friends]]
| next_year = 1978
}}
{{External music video
 | {{YouTube|nS5_EQgbuLc|"Back in the U.S.S.R. (2018 Mix)"}}
 | type = song
}}
}}
"'''Back in the U.S.S.R.'''" is a song by the English rock band [[the Beatles]] and the first track of the 1968 double album ''[[The Beatles (album)|The Beatles]]'' (also known as the "White Album"). Written by [[Paul McCartney]] and credited to the [[Lennon–McCartney]] partnership,{{sfn|Miles|1997|pp=422–423}} the song is a [[parody]] of [[Chuck Berry]]'s "[[Back in the U.S.A.]]" and [[the Beach Boys]]' "[[California Girls]]". The lyrics subvert Berry's patriotic sentiments about the United States, as the narrator expresses relief upon returning home to the [[Soviet Union]] (officially named Union of Soviet Socialist Republics – USSR).

The Beatles recorded "Back in the U.S.S.R." as a three-piece after [[Ringo Starr]] temporarily left the group, in protest at McCartney's criticism of his drumming and the tensions that typified the sessions for the White Album. Instead, the other Beatles created a composite drum track from numerous takes. McCartney's singing was based on [[Jerry Lee Lewis]], while the bridge features a Beach Boys–style celebration of girls from various parts of the USSR. The song opens and closes with a [[tape loop]] of an aircraft landing on a runway.

Released three months after the [[Warsaw Pact invasion of Czechoslovakia|Warsaw Pact's invasion of Czechoslovakia]], the Beatles' sympathetic portrayal of the USSR prompted condemnation in the West from both the [[New Left]] and the political right. In 1976, backed by "[[Twist and Shout]]", it was issued as a single to promote the compilation album ''[[Rock 'n' Roll Music (album)|Rock 'n' Roll Music]]''. It peaked at number 19 on the [[UK Singles Chart]] and number 11 in Ireland. In 2003, McCartney performed the song in Moscow's [[Red Square]]. [[Elton John]] and [[Billy Joel]] have also released versions recorded during concerts in Russia.