What Is The Song In The King's Man Red Band Trailer?
There are many movies in the running for "longest delay for release ever," but it's possible that "The King's Man" takes the cake. Originally scheduled for November 15, 2019, the latest in the Kingsman franchise has seen its release move several times from it's initial date. As of now, "The King's Man" is set to debut on December 22, 2021.
As you might imagine, that many release dates also means a fair share of trailers over the more than two years. A few trailers were released between July 15, 2019 and now, but we've finally gotten a red band (and hopefully final) trailer today that places its focus firmly on the action.
One question you might find yourself asking is this: What kind of music did they choose to pump up Ralph Fiennes, Harris Dickinson, Djimon Hounsou, Gemma Arterton, and the rest of the team as they take on Rhys Ifans as notorious, real life Russian historical figure Rasputin? Could it be Queen, AC/DC, or Metallica? Was it "Rasputin" by Boney M? Actually, the answer is pretty close to that, but not quite.
It turns out, the latest "The King's Man" trailer went the other way entirely with a little Russian choir song. The classic Russian 1860 song is called "Kalinka," and, in short, it absolutely rips as a trailer theme.
Kalinka - from Russian choir to internet meme
The trailer is very simple. We're introduced to Rasputin (Rhys Ifans) whom the Duke of Oxford (Ralph Fiennes) has sought out in hopes of an introduction with the czar. In short, things don't go well. We see a brief image of what we're assuming is a very dead Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife Sophie — you know, just the reason for the start of the first World War. While it's not entirely known how influential Rasputin was in reality over the events leading up to that war, the film seemingly takes the perspective that he's exactly dangerous enough for the Kingsman to eliminate him.
There are knife fights, sword fights, cane fights, gun fights, decapitations, plane explosions, and a lot of cursing for the reminder of the near two-minute trailer. Most of all, there is "Kalinka."
"Kalinka" was first composed by Ivan Larionov who, together with the choir Agrenev-Slavyansky, first popularized the song. However, it found a more worldwide audience much later, thanks to Professor Alexander Vasilyevich Alexandrov who brought attention to his interpretation after taking on the proverbial road.
If the song sounds familiar to you but you're not sure why, it is possible you are a nightcore fan. Nightcore is an extremely specific genre of music where songs are pitch-shifted and turned into Eurodance anthems — they also tend to turn up online in videos with anime girls. And, yes, there is a nightcore version of "Kalinka" that has made the rounds.
However, "Kalinka" now has a new way of being remembered — as the song in the red band trailer for "The King's Man" where Ralph Fiennes fights off Rasputin's men with a cane.
"The King's Man" hits theaters on December 22.