The song «Yellow-Eyed Night» (lyrics by Lev Oshanin, music by Alexei Mazhukov), performed by singer Birute Petrikyte, seemed like a strange event on Soviet television — a brief, groundbreaking moment that went largely unnoticed.
Origins and Performers
«Yellow-Eyed Night» was first performed in 1979 by Lithuanian singer Birute Petrikyte. It was her rendition that turned the song into a genuine hit of Soviet pop music. Petrikyte’s crystalline, pure voice perfectly captured the song’s lyrical mood, and together with «The Music of Love» it brought her nationwide fame across the USSR.
The Songwriters
Lev Ivanovich Oshanin (1912–1996) was an outstanding Soviet lyricist, author of more than 70 poetry collections and numerous song hits. Among his best-known works: «Roads,» «The Volga Flows,» «Song of Restless Youth,» «In Our Courtyard,» «May There Always Be Sunshine,» and many others. Winner of the First-Degree Stalin Prize (1950).
Lev Oshanin was born in Rybinsk to a noble family. Despite his non-proletarian background, he established himself as a celebrated Soviet poet. During the Great Patriotic War, he traveled to perform at the front, and his poems became the basis for many wartime and postwar songs. «Yellow-Eyed Night» is one of the master’s later works.
Alexei Sergeyevich Mazhukov (1936–2011) was a Soviet composer, Honored Artist of the Russian Federation (1996). Born in the Chuvash ASSR, he graduated from the Moscow Conservatory in composition. He worked as a conductor and arranger in various pop orchestras, including Eddie Rosner’s ensemble. He wrote the music for many popular Soviet songs performed by stars such as Alla Pugacheva, Iosif Kobzon, Muslim Magomayev, Sofia Rotaru, and others.
Birute Petrikyte — the First Performer
Birute Petrikyte was a Lithuanian pop singer born in Klaipeda. She received a musical education at the conservatory and, in the mid-1970s, became a soloist with the vocal-instrumental ensemble «Nerija.» In 1979 she performed «Yellow-Eyed Night,» which brought her nationwide popularity and an invitation to the final concert of «Pesnya-79.»
Despite her striking start and considerable potential, Petrikyte never became a Soviet pop megastar. At the peak of her popularity, she stepped back from the big stage for a time, and later formed a musical project with her daughter Angelika and brother Rolandas. The singer also organized the international pop-song festival «Palanga» and the children’s festival «Clean Seashore.»
In 2008, together with her husband Igor, she opened the restaurant «Birutės uostas» in Klaipeda. In 2014, Klaipeda held a concert marking Petrikyte’s 60th birthday, where she performed a duet with Valery Leontiev.
Cultural Significance
«Yellow-Eyed Night» is one of those songs that make up the golden fund of Soviet pop music. Its lyrical melody and romantic lyrics made the piece popular across several generations of listeners. For many, this song became a symbol of the romantic era of the late 1970s and early 1980s in the USSR.