The mention of a «night train» (elektrichka) in the text nods to one of the biggest hits of Russian pop — the song «Elektrichka,» performed by Alyona Apina.
About the Song «Elektrichka»
«Elektrichka» was recorded by Alyona Apina in 1997 and became one of that year’s biggest hits. The music was written by Oleg Molchanov, with lyrics by Arkady Slavorosov. The song was commissioned by Studio Soyuz for one of its dance compilations.
The story of how the song was chosen is a good one: the studio sent Apina a cassette with several tracks, and when they called to ask her opinion, she was too embarrassed to answer honestly and just picked the first song at random — which happened to be «Elektrichka.»
The song was originally meant to have five verses, but composer Molchanov decided to cut that down and have each verse open with the line «It’s autumn in the city, rain and slush.» As the author himself put it: «In show business, the worse, the better. You don’t need high poetry, you need a hook that grabs people.»
Apina recorded the song in one take and initially forgot about it, until radio rotation reminded her the track existed. «Elektrichka» won the «Golden Gramophone» award right after its release and held top spots on Russian and CIS charts for a long stretch. Its popularity was so great that it was even translated into Serbian and Korean.
About Alyona Apina
Alyona Apina (born Elena Yevgenyevna Lyovochkina, on August 23, 1964, in Saratov) is a Soviet and Russian pop singer, composer, and lyricist. Honored Artist of the Russian Federation (2002), winner of the «Ovation,» «Golden Gramophone,» and «Song of the Year» music awards.
From 1988 to 1991, she was a soloist in the popular group Kombinatsiya, performing hits like «Russian Girls,» «American Boy,» and «Bukhgalter» («The Accountant»). In 1991, she left the group and started a solo career.
By the mid-1990s, Apina was already a well-known performer, with hits like «Ksyusha,» «Lyokha,» «The Flying Dutchman,» and «Uzelki» («Little Knots»). In 1994, she staged Russia’s first musical, «Limita,» set to songs by Mikhail Tanich.
Alyona Apina’s best-known hits:
- «Uzelki» (1996)
- «Elektrichka» (1997)
- «Ksyusha»
- «American Boy» (with Kombinatsiya)
- «Bukhgalter»
- «Lyokha»
- «The Flying Dutchman»
- «Moonlit Nights» (a duet with Murat Nasyrov)
At the time the novel is set (1996), Alyona Apina was at the peak of her popularity as a solo performer, though «Elektrichka,» the song that would become her signature hit, was still a year away, arriving only in 1997.