The song "Metro" appeared on the first and so far the only album of Leap Year, released in 2000 under the title "...who returns".
This happened after ten years of existence of the group, which appeared as an amateur group of very young people. The composition of the VG included Ilya Kalinnikov (voice, guitar, songwriter), Dmitry Guguchkin (solo guitar), Ilya Sosnitsky (keyboards). The idea of the album arose in Kalinnikov's mind in the summer of 1993 during rehearsals in the music room of school No. 4 in the city of Fryazino, although it would be more correct to speak of it not as an album, but as a cycle of songs united by a certain theme, put into the title.
By the way, many noted that the group's performance style is very reminiscent of "Time Machine" (some still believe that "The Best Love Song" is the fruit of Makarevich's creative torment). In part, this can be explained by the fact that the first mentor and producer of VG was Alexander Kutikov, bass player and one of the vocalists of "Time Machine". Their collaboration, which arose in 1996, did not lead to any practical results, but gave Ilya Kalinnikov important experience in show business. Also under the influence of Kutikov, the song "Quiet Light" was born, which later became the title theme of the series "Truckers", and the final version of "The Best Love Song".
It is interesting that the song "Metro", which made the group famous, was the last one on the album, although its main musical motive appeared somewhere at the end of 1997 in the final solo part played by Kalinnikov to a completely different song. Over time, it became clear to Kalinnikov that the new composition would be called "Metro", which he spoke about somewhere in the spring of 1999. But the matter did not go further than conversations, and soon Kalinnikov was persuaded to work as a sound engineer on the set of one film. A few weeks later, Masha Hopenko, the director of the group, found him, after which the following dialogue took place:
Old man, where's your subway song? Ready?
- No, here is the text ... Here is the film ...
- Old man, what are you, oh$#$? What movie? In September, the collection "Farewell to Arms" with new songs is released. The place is already full. Quit your movie and go write.
Kalinnikov returned to Fryazino, and the group set to work. The song was recorded in a few days and nights, the text was completed during the recording (moreover, the line about Windows and the default was born as a joke). However, the version that came out one rainy September morning did not suit either the musicians themselves or authoritative listeners. The group took up the alteration, but then the terrorist attacks took place in Moscow, which finally knocked Kalinnikov out of the creative track, in which he had difficulty holding on anyway. He stopped wanting to hear anything about "Metro", drank vodka with the accomplices of the group and reasoned where it all would lead. Some of this led to the fact that as soon as everyone came to their senses, the second version of "Metro" was recorded, brighter, more guitar, more "formatted". But he also did not leave an impression of himself as the final one. (True, this second version was still published on a collection in an appendix to some magazine and even got on some non-capital radio stations).
The last version of "Metro" known today was recorded by a band that pulled themselves together in March 2000. True, sometimes during concerts, musicians, going out for an encore, perform the full version of the song, containing eight verses.
Kalinnikov himself admits: "When I wrote "Metro", I even said to myself: that's it, no more songs, it exhausted me so much. Then - in September 99 - we played it only once and threw it on the shelf. "We" are those who could serve in intelligence, play a movie, who could do something, and now stupidly goes to the subway, no one knows why there, no one knows why back.If you add up everything that people think about in the subway, and then take the arithmetic mean - that's what this song will be about. And also about love, the most hopeless love in the world."
The first broadcast of the song took place on April 5, 2000 at 00:15 on Avtoradio. Then it went to other radio stations. And especially well on "Our Radio", where, after a week of broadcasts, "Metro" took 9th place in the "Chart Dozen". Four weeks later, the first one, which had six more weeks to go. In total, the song lasted four and a half months in the designated hit parade, for some weeks it did not reach the absolute record on the chart.
By the way, some note that "Metro" is surprisingly similar to Cesaria Evora's song "Consedjo". However, the VG musicians themselves consider this a coincidence.
Cesaria Evora
The video for the song "Metro" was not filmed, although there were proposals. Kalinnikov explains this by the fact that "Metro" is a song-story that evokes in each person his own personal associations and emotions, and if you impose your own idea, your own video sequence on people, this will not benefit the songs. In addition, all the scripts that were offered to the musicians were banal.
Now the group periodically performs, sometimes recording new songs, however, there is no talk of a new album.
Kalinnikov: "Albums, discography, a career on the stage - was not an end in itself for me. I will say more: I am very distrustful of everything that sings and dances on stage. Five concerts later, I suddenly thought how I got here, why I am here, but what about dreams? Are they over or what? I'm 34, and I have not yet fallen in love with a black student from the south of France, I have never (never!) been arrested for diving in a fountain in Trafalgar Square! Who am I? The author and lead singer of the group "Leap Year"? Survived! I never stopped working with the band, but I reorganized my life a lot then. I understand, of course, that if people were interested in me, it was only as a (excuse the expression) "songwriter". But all life is more than songs. This is my important discovery. I give it to you!"
In 1988, the Leap Year group emerged as a "concept" in the mind of Ilya Kalinnikov, when he contemplated the industrial landscape from the window of the Fryazino-Moscow electric train, trying to write a song. He thought it would be nice to call this song "Leap Year". Then he thought that it would be nice to call the group that. It so happened. And it was too late to change anything.
In 1990, the Leap Year group arose as a group of very young people with a rhyming
by internal messages and equally directed vectors of efforts. The truth since then (and before these) has existed (and exists) in a formulated capacity quite rarely. Yes, and people came and went, but that's another story. And the song "Leap Year" remained unfinished.
The Leap Year team included Ilya Kalinnikov (vocals, solo guitar, songwriter), Ilya Sosnitsky (keyboards), Pavel Seryakov (bass
Guitar), Dmitry Guguchkin (solo guitar), Dmitry Kukushkin (guitar).
1995, January - "Best Love Song" was born. The first person to mix the song was Alexander Kutikov ("Time Machine"). The first version of the song remained on the collection “101 Hits. Issue 4". (1997).
In winter, the song "Quiet Light" was born, again under the influence of Alexander Kutikov, who hinted, as in the case of "The Best Love Song", that more hits were needed. 1998
January - first radio broadcast ("Best Love Song" of the 1997 recording). March 1999 - lead guitarist Dmitry Guguchkin left the band. March 2000 - the final version of the song "Metro" was recorded.
2000, the night of April 5 - the first radio broadcast of the song "Metro", "Autoradio", Moscow. In the same year, with the song "Metro", the group rotated on the leading Moscow radio stations, incl. "Our Radio", enters the "Chart Dozen" hit parade, and then wins it, was
tavayas on the first line for 7 weeks. In the same year, the first studio album was recorded and released.
In 2004, the group disappears from the field of view of fans and critics and ceases its musical activities. The group of musicians breaks up before the end of 2006. At the end of 2006, the band reassembled with a renewed line-up and began preparations for the release of their second studio album. Its release is scheduled for August 2007.
April 12, 2011, 14:18Leap Year is a rock band from Fryazino near Moscow. Critics note its closeness to the national stage, warmth, sentimental lyricism, "rare sincerity and confidence in the songs of the Leap Year", among which the "Best Love Song", "Metro", "Quiet Light", "Cinema" and others received particular fame. “We invented Windows, we defaulted” became actually popular. In 1988, the Leap Year group arose as a "concept" in the mind of Ilya Kalinnikov, when he contemplated the landscape from the window of the Fryazino-Moscow train and composed a song. He thought it would be nice to call this song "Leap Year". Then he thought that it would be nice to name the group like that. And so it happened. And the song "Leap Year" remained unfinished. In 1990, the Leap Year group emerged as an amateur group of very young people. The Leap Year team included Ilya Kalinnikov (voice, guitar, songwriter), Dmitry Guguchkin (lead guitar), Ilya Sosnitsky (keyboards). In 1994, Pavel Seryakov (bass guitar) joined the group. In 2000, Dmitry Kukushkin (bayan, guitar) joined the group. 1995, January - "Best Love Song" was born. The first mentor and producer of the group was Alexander Kutikov ("Time Machine"). Their cooperation, which arose in 1996, did not lead then to practical results, but gave Ilya Kalinnikov important experience in show business. (1997). In winter, the song "Quiet Light" was born, again under the influence of Alexander Kutikov, who hinted, as in the case of "The Best Love Song", that more hits were needed. 1998, January - first radio broadcast ("Best Love Song" of the 1997 recording). March 2000 - the final version of the song "Metro" was recorded. 2000, the night of April 5 - the first radio broadcast of the song "Metro" on "Autoradio", Moscow. In the same year, with the song "Metro", the group is rotated on all leading Moscow radio stations, including "Our Radio", enters the "Chart Dozen" hit parade, and then wins it, remaining on the first line for 7 weeks . In the same year, the album "Which Returns" was recorded and released. 2000, August - an experienced concert manager Alexei Kan joins the group, and from that moment the concert activity of the Leap Year group begins. Alex Kahn has been the permanent administrator of the group since 2000 to this day. 2000, October - The group receives an invitation from Alla Pugacheva to take part in the "Christmas Meetings". The band gets a rare opportunity at Christmas Meetings to perform not one, but two songs (Best Love Song, Metro). The performance in "Christmas Meetings" brings the group national success. 2001, March - the song "Quiet Light" becomes the title song of the popular TV series "Truckers". In the same 2001, "Leap Year" was nominated for the "Ovation" award, became the winner of the "Song of the Year" and the winner of the "Stopud Hit" award. In 2002, Ilya Kalinnikov was awarded the Golden Star of Autoradio. In 2002, the song "Kino" appeared on the air of radio stations, in 2003 - "Bringing Good Luck", in 2004 - "Who's Here?", in 2005 - "Nobody but You", in 2006 - "Call!". In 2003, Ilya Kalinnikov invited Mikhail Mitin (drums) and Dmitry Shumilov (bass guitar) - the musicians of the legendary Polite Refusal - to record one of the songs. From that moment on, Mikhail Mitin became the permanent drummer of the Leap Year group. In 2005, the group disappears from the field of view of fans and critics, stopping performances in Moscow. Ilya Kalinnikov refuses the idea of recording a new album. The band continues to tour and only perform at private events. 2006, June - Pavel Seryakov and Ilya Sosnitsky leave the group (they organized the project "Today in the World"). 2006, August - Dmitry Guguchkin (bass guitar) returns to the group. The keyboard player is replaced by Ilya Murtazin. 2006, October - "Leap Year" resumes concert activity. Young musicians join the group - Yuri Vanteev (trumpet) and Renat Khalimdarov (trombone). Leap Year never had a producer, and not a penny was invested in traditional show business promotion. 2007, September - Ilya Kalinnikov is awarded the second "Golden Disc" from the National Federation of Phonographic Producers for the album "Which Returns". February 2008 - The band releases a reissue of their debut album. All songs remixed, 4 bonus tracks added.
The songs of the Leap Year group were firmly "registered" on all kinds of radio stations and appealed to so many listeners. Everyone has heard such hits as "Metro" and "The Best Love Song".
Today the soloist of this popular group Ilya Kalinnikov came to visit us.
Ilya, I always wanted to ask: for a person who composes poetry and music himself, how does the process of writing a song go? How do hits come about?
Songs are composed at the moment of some indefinite state of mind. You just grab something by the throat, sit down, take a piece of paper, and you get lines, motives. First, the main theses come to my mind, I usually start composing not from the beginning, but from the middle. Then I take the guitar and try to connect the text with the melody into a single whole. For me, the meaning is always primary, the song should be a short story. I think the success of our songs is that they bring out the good in your past, they are suitable for people of all ages. It is no coincidence that the audience from 17 to 57 comes to our concerts.
Why were no video clips made for your well-known 100% hits "Metro" and "Best Love Song"?
In my opinion, clips for these songs cannot be shot. “Metro” and “The Best Love Song” are story songs that evoke in each person their own personal associations and emotions. If you impose your idea, your video sequence on people, it will not do the songs good. In addition, all the scenarios that we were offered were banal.
-Do you ride the subway yourself?
Not anymore, I bought a car. For me, riding the subway has become a very hectic, one might even say, unpleasant experience. People constantly learn, begin to show excessive attention. As soon as you enter the car, you immediately hear shouts: “Oh, Leap Year! Underground!" Therefore, for those who aspire to become very famous and popular, I can give good advice: guys, don't waste your time! Popularity is the lack of peace, free time, personal life, the right to be alone. You can truly appreciate these benefits only when they are no longer there. Tours alone are insanely exhausting ...
-Do you like your profession?
If you mean the profession of an artist, then I have never considered and will not consider myself as such.
We just play for people, share our thoughts, feelings, attitude with them. And we like it.
-In which cities does the public receive Leap Year the warmest?
Yes, in principle, everywhere a pleasant atmosphere. In Moscow, usually the performances go very well, in Tula too. Yes, and in your city after the concert, people for another 40 minutes came up for autographs, said warm words. Honestly, as a star, I feel funny. I'm really not the right person for this. I have no ambitions, I didn’t come out in face and figure either, I have never been sociable by nature. Therefore, I am pleased when such a positive comes from the audience.
-Pugacheva invited your group to the "Christmas meetings"?
Yes. Alla Borisovna just liked our songs, and she invited us to shoot. Therefore, let no one think that we paid her.
- Ilya, where did you learn to sing, and in general, how did your musical formation happen?
And I didn’t learn to sing at all, I just played for myself what I wanted. I have always focused on the fact that I liked my work myself. I have no special education. We record music in amateur conditions on personal equipment, which we have been collecting from the world for several years. We do not use the services of a producer, we decide everything ourselves.
-What kind of music do you like to listen to?
My tastes in this regard are very varied. The main thing is that the music is of high quality.
-Which of your colleagues on stage are you friends with?
We have friendly relations with many. For example, with the group "Beetles". Although we meet randomly, mostly at airports. Unfortunately, there is simply not enough time for true friendship.
-Do you go to concerts of other performers?
Very rarely, again due to lack of time. In addition, for some reason during the concert it is difficult for me to relax, I am in an exciting state, even if the concert is not mine. In addition, I had enough vivid impressions from attending a concert of my favorite group, Polite Refusal, for a long time.
-How do you feel about all kinds of rumors and gossip published in the media?
Of course, if this is a merciless lie, distorted facts, then, of course, it is negative. But a person who has chosen a public profession for himself should be ready to discuss his personal and creative life, there is no getting away from this.
- Ilya, what are your plans for the future?
Since I am a believer, I never think about plans. Nobody knows what awaits him. This is God's Providence. When I need to do something, I will feel it. In general, I would like to lose weight by 20 or at least 10 kilograms, maintain physical and psychological health, and have more rest.
-Wish something to our readers?
May all your dreams come true. They must come true, the main thing - do not dream about the unrealizable!
Denis Bessonov
