{"id":17917,"date":"2022-07-04T18:03:55","date_gmt":"2022-07-04T16:03:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.radiotimes.com\/?p=1673588"},"modified":"2022-07-04T18:36:12","modified_gmt":"2022-07-04T16:36:12","slug":"the-undeclared-war-soundtrack-whats-the-song-in-episode-1","status":"publish","type":"rss_feed","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/rss_feed\/the-undeclared-war-soundtrack-whats-the-song-in-episode-1\/","title":{"rendered":"The Undeclared War soundtrack: What\u2019s the song in episode 1?"},"content":{"rendered":"

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By Flora Carr\n \t\t<\/p>

Published: Monday, 04 July 2022 at 12:00 am<\/p>

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Channel 4 cyberattack drama The Undeclared War<\/a> is set in the near-future in 2024, and follows a young genius hacker, Saara, who arrives at the GCHQ Malware Department on the same day of\u00a0a well-timed cyberattack that takes down the country\u2019s internet.<\/p>\n

The synopsis reads: \u201cWhen a routine stress test of internet infrastructure goes awry, 21-year-old GCHQ intern Saara Parvin (played by Hannah Khalique-Brown) suddenly finds herself operating on the invisible frontier of high-stakes cyber warfare.\u201d<\/p>\n

The source of the cyberattack in unknown, but the\u00a0Head of Operations at GCHQ, Daniel Patrick (played by Simon Pegg), soon suspects the Russian state.<\/p>\n

The Undeclared War episode 1<\/a> features various memorable moments, including a \u201ctoo good to be true\u201d ending as Saara seemingly averts a second cyberattack.<\/p>\n

Many of these moments are soundtracked by a musical refrain, which replays throughout the episode and adds an eerie quality to the season opener.<\/p>\n

But what is the name of the song that plays in The Undeclared War episode 1, and what do the lyrics mean?<\/p>\n

What\u2019s the song in The Undeclared War episode 1?<\/strong><\/h2>\n
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Saara in The Undeclared War<\/span><\/figcaption> Channel 4<\/i><\/span><\/div>\n

In the first episode of The Undeclared War, a haunting track plays at multiple different points in the episode, including when Saara (Hannah Khalique-Brown) arrives at GCHQ for her internship at the Malware Department.<\/p>\n

The song that features multiple times in The Undeclared War episode 1 is \u2018Under the Willow\u2019, a Russian folk song. (You can listen to a version of the track<\/a> here.)<\/p>

Composer Debbie Wiseman created her own orchestration for the track for The Undeclared War, but the song\u2019s tune and lyrics are traditional.<\/p>\n

The traditional lyrics (translated into English) are:<\/p>\n

Under the green willow<\/em>The wounded cossack was lying<\/em>Oy du, under the green one<\/em>The wounded cossack was lying.<\/em><\/p>\n

A raven bird over him was flying,<\/em>Began croaking loudly.<\/em>Ay du, raven wouldn\u2019t fly<\/em>Hadn\u2019t he smelled a good bite.<\/em><\/p>\n

Black raven, don\u2019t croak over my head,<\/em>I am still a cossack alive.<\/em>You\u2019d better fly to my father\u2019s and mother\u2019s home,<\/em>Give the kerchief soaked in my blood<\/em>To my young and lovely wife.<\/em><\/p>\n

Tell them, raven, that I\u2019d got married<\/em>To another girl.<\/em>That I\u2019ve found a bride<\/em>In the open field, across the river.<\/em><\/p>\n

Was our wedding quiet, subdued,<\/em>Under the willow bush,<\/em>Oy du, quiet, subdued<\/em>Under the willow bush\u2026<\/em><\/p>\n

The matchmaker was the saber sharp,<\/em>The best man was bayonet of damask steel.<\/em>Oy du, saber sharp<\/em>And the bayonet was the best man.<\/em><\/p>\n

A swift bullet married us fast<\/em>And motherland wed us.<\/em>Oy du, swift bullet<\/em>and motherland us wed.<\/em><\/p>\n