How the White Eagle hit song was created.

"How pleasant are the evenings in Russia" - that's the charming name given to the band's biggest hit "White Eagle.". The song became a hit for the entire Russian people, and how many cover versions were created - it is impossible to count.

The composition was first performed in 1998 The most interesting thing is that at the time of its release, the public had no idea who the band was - White Eagle. And the most interesting thing is that at the time of its release, the public had no idea what kind of band White Eagle was. The thing is that until the end of the 90s the biography of the band was deliberately shrouded in mystery.

The story of the hit's emergence

В 1996 Alexander Dobronravov was on a business trip to U.S.A.where he stayed for almost several years. During this time, the composer worked hard and sometimes returned home to his homeland for a short time. And during one such return, Alexander brought a couple of poetry collections to read at his leisure in New York, to find inspiration. Among the books were the works of his old friend, the poet Victor Pelenagre.

"Our friendship started even ten years before this song was written. We had even collaborated earlier. Curiously, I had already left the flat, but suddenly decided to come back and take a book of Vitya's poems with me. It was some kind of sign from above..." - recalled Dobronravov.

The composer started working on the future hit on a warm summer evening in a New York. But before he had to reread a mass of poems by other poets. From Dobronravov's memoirs:

"Some poems caught my fancy, some made absolutely no impression... And then I got to that very book with Vitya's works. As soon as I saw the first line of 'How pleasant are the evenings in Russia', I immediately realised that this was what I had been looking for for so long...".

And so came a hit that hasn't been silenced decades later. But how did the song come to be to Vladimir Zhechkovthe leader of the group. "White Eagle."?

How Zhechkov heard the song

At the time of the hit. "White Eagle." did not yet exist: the collective was founded in 1997-м businessman Vladimir Zhechkov. However, he was already familiar with DobronravovTherefore, Vladimir offered Alexander to collaborate on his own musical project:

"Volodya offered me to become a producer and arranger in his band," Dobronravov recounted.

"White Eagle." - a band founded more out of boredom than a desire to be closer to the music. In 1997. Vladimir Zhechkov was rich and successful: he had magazines and TV channels, as well as his own advertising agency, which actively promoted the alcoholic drink. The fact is that it was the name of the drink that gave the name to the musical group.

"At some point I got bored... So I decided to sing out of boredom! No-one believed that I could conquer the stage. But I proved that I was capable not only of running a business, but also of being an artist. You could say that the band was founded for fun. As they say: you have money, you don't need brains!"

Vladimir Anatolievich never hid the fact that the band was a kind of entertainment for him. He didn't take the project seriously. Nevertheless, there are some timeless things in the White Eagle's songbook, and one of them was "How pleasant are the evenings in Russia".

"Volodya came to me to listen to the songs, to choose something for himself. This was the tenth or twelfth song. I don't remember exactly. Volodya's face changed immediately. I wanted to switch the song, but he asked me to rewind to the beginning. In the end we listened to it several times before Volodya stood up and said loudly: "This song is for recording. Immediately!" - Dobronravov recounted.

Success

The warm heartfelt song quickly found success, in which the Alexander Dobronravov I didn't even doubt it.

"I knew from the beginning that this song had a big future! It's like a time bomb, you know? It is very close to the Russian public, and I am eternally happy that this creation has found an echo in the hearts of millions...".

After the release of the hit, the band Zhechkova wanted to see all over the country! However, before 1999 years she remained mysterious and virtual.

covers

We bring to your attention the most interesting and successful ones versions a smash hit.

https://youtu.be/z_1oZmtB66k

https://youtu.be/SimweruMeXE

Interesting facts

• Despite the song's resounding success, Zhechkov was in no hurry to show his face to the public. Only at the very end 90-х he recruited musicians with whom the White Eagle went on tour. At first, as a soloist. Michael Faibushevichbut he was later replaced Leonid Lyutvinsky.
• Alexander Dobronravov played the role of composer during the recording of the disc "Because you can't be beautiful like that.". Another hit by the band bears the same name.

https://youtu.be/qkYc7e7cyVc

• In his own words. Dobronravovahe cried in the studio after he wrote it.