Million Roses


"Dāvāja Māriņa meitenei mūžiņu" is a Latvian song composed by Raimonds Pauls with lyrics by Leons Briedis. It was performed at the 1981 Mikrofona aptauja by Aija Kukule and Līga Kreicberga.
The song is one of Pauls's most popular ones. It has been covered by several artists, most notably by Russian Alla Pugacheva in 1982 with lyrics by Andrei Voznesensky as "Million Scarlet Roses".

Alla Pugacheva cover

Pugacheva's cover was written by Andrei Voznesensky as "Million Scarlet Roses", and Voznesensky drew inspiration for the Russian lyrics from the life of Georgian painter Niko Pirosmani who allegedly once filled with flowers a square of a hotel where Margaritta Dé Sevre, a French actress whom he had affection over was staying. The song is also the opening and title track of Pugacheva's album of the same name released in Japan in 1983.

Other covers

Recordings

Numerous further covers are lyrically based on Andrei Voznesensky lyrics :