The secret meaning of Mikhail Muromov's song "Apples in the Snow": Why did the audience cry when he performed it at concerts

2024 Author: Richard Flannagan | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-15 23:55

Many still remember the time when the hit "Apples in the Snow" performed by one of the brightest Soviet pop singers of the 80s - Mikhail Muromov, was number 1 at all significant concerts and competitions. A stunning musical composition and the velvet voice of an idol literally conquered a huge country overnight. But there was a lot of controversy about the text of this song - someone considered it a complete nonsense and a set of words, while someone saw in it the deepest tragic meaning. What secret does the song contain, why the audience cries when listening to it and why, instead of flowers, baskets of apples are still brought to the singer's concerts, then - in our publication.

Mikhail Muromov came to the big stage quite late, at the age of 35. But already in 1987, the 37-year-old composer, having written his main hit - "Apples in the Snow", became the most popular artist of the Soviet stage. It should be noted that Muromov owes his dizzying success to the poet Andrei Dementyev, the author of poems that have become a musical hit. Somehow Andrei Dmitrievich, like a neighbor, brought Muromov a book of his selected poems. And the musician literally in a month, having chosen 12 poems from a collection, put them to music. The young composer made the greatest bet on the song "Fly away". But when on the phone he played several melodies to Dementyev with a guitar, he enthusiastically declared: The poet was not mistaken. It was they who became the singer's calling card and helped Muromov get on the big stage of the Soviet stage.

But with television, Mikhail somehow did not work out for a long time. The editors were haunted by the text: if apples are in the snow, then why does the hero pick them from the branches? They took the hit off the air about eight times, arguing that the song was practically about nothing. No arguments, such as that this is such an allegory, had an impact on the officials from the broadcasting. Then the performer had to conduct a deeper step-by-step semantic analysis of the text, explaining that the song is about parting. Behind the "apples" are hidden relationships, behind the "snow" are the insoluble contradictions of the couple. And the verbal phrases “shine a farewell light”, “you warm them with tears” emphasize the drama of the situation.

Meanwhile, while they were figuring out what and what, "Yabloki" were already living their lives with might and main. They were constantly broadcast on the radio, played on cassette tape recorders, Muromov's concerts were sold out. The savvy people, also not really understanding the meaning of the song, began to compose versions of the stories in the text themselves.

Invented legend as a business card

As a result, a legend was born, which became the hallmark of the hit. According to this legend, the song tells that a girl who was waiting for a guy from Afghanistan came to the platform to meet him with a basket of apples from her garden. The train arrives. Long-awaited meeting. The girl hands the guy a basket, but he cannot take it - in the war, the guy's hands were torn off. The basket fell out of the hands of the girl, frozen in horror. And apples are scattered on the snow-covered platform …

Well, who could not be moved to tears by this story? … Moreover, this version was not groundless. The Afghan war passed through many Soviet families with pain, tears and suffering. It was 1987. There was still a year left before the withdrawal of troops. And one can only imagine how many emotions and what kind of "Apples in the Snow" by Mikhail Muromov aroused in people who faced the bitterness of the loss of their sons and lovers, it would seem, in a time of peace for the country. By the way, the Afghan warriors have always respected Muromov himself and his work. The singer has been to Afghanistan more than once with concerts and has dedicated an entire album to the heroes of someone else's war called "Guys from Afgan". His soulful battle songs of this cycle were quickly sold into quotes, and in 1992 Mikhail even received a medal of "Glory" from the Democratic Youth Organization of Afghanistan.

The real story of Yabloko

But Yabloko also has a real story that inspired the songwriter Andrei Dementyev to write these lines. It is much more prosaic and mundane. By the way, the poet described a real, but not at all tragic incident. One day in winter, he and the company drove to his friend's dacha to wish him a happy birthday. Sneaking into the backyard, the friends laid out apples and bottles of champagne on a snow-covered bench, improvising a festive table. And this surprise for the birthday man turned out to be so unforgettable for everyone that Dementyev wrote poetic lines about apples in the snow.

And what is most curious about this story is that the poet wrote his "Apples" before the USSR got involved in the military conflict in Afghanistan, and before our guys began to die in a foreign land.

And today I would like to advise our readers to listen again to this wonderful hit of the 80s era, and decide for themselves which option, in your opinion, suits him best.

It seems that no matter what opinion you come to, the majority will agree that the song "Apples in the Snow" is not at all a meaningless set of phrases, otherwise these lines and this vivid image would not have sunk into the souls of listeners who are already more For 33 years they continue to sing along to the author and performer.

And according to Mikhail Muromov himself, this hit brought him not only incredible popularity, but also a lifetime supply of vitamins. After all, people carried to his concerts, however, they continue to carry now not flowers, but baskets of apples.

Mikhail Muromov is 70

Now it would probably be appropriate to touch on a little the topic of the hero's personal life, and to find out why he appeared so late on the Soviet stage and, where he disappeared so unexpectedly, at the peak of his fame. But in the late 80s it was difficult to imagine a more recognizable performer on the stage than Mikhail Muromov, who easily gathered huge halls and stadiums of spectators. That is why it was a shock for many when the singer decided to leave the stage.

Childhood and adolescence

Mikhail was born on November 18, 1950 into an intelligent Moscow family of scientific workers. In childhood, under the influence of his parents, the boy showed interest in the exact sciences and graduated from a physics and mathematics school. Mikhail was also fond of sports, attended the boxing section and was seriously engaged in swimming. Above all, he was also passionate about music. By the end of his studies, he had a guitar and cello music school under his belt. The young prodigy already in the fourth grade began to compose some melodies, and by the eighth he created the vocal group "Crystal Cacti", for which the very young Mikhail himself composed the lyrics and musical accompaniment.

When the question of choosing a university for admission arose, of course, the desire of the parents played an important role. Mikhail entered the Moscow Institute of Chemical Technology at the Faculty of Biochemistry, and in 1971 he transferred to the Technological Institute of the Meat and Dairy Industry. Then, at the insistence of his mother, he went to graduate school. But the parents, who were very proud of their offspring, had no idea that success would come to a young man in a completely different field of activity. Since 1969, the young man, in parallel with his studies at universities, sang in the vocal-instrumental ensemble "Slavyane", which gave Muromov a great stage experience and, as they say, a start in life.

Returning from service in 1973, the young man thought about his future, in which he did not see himself as a research assistant. Therefore, he radically decided to change his life. For several years he worked as a head waiter in a night restaurant. Having saved up some money, he bought himself a synthesizer, organized a small recording studio in his apartment. It was within its walls in 1982 that he created the music for the film "Just Horror". In the same year, Muromov also recorded his debut song in a duet with Olga Zarubina - "The Blue Wing Bird".

However, after a successful debut, his songs began to be mercilessly cut from television. Many masters of the Soviet stage saw him as a serious competitor. But, everything changed after the release of "Apples in the Snow", which instantly became a hit number 1 in the whole country for a long time. It became more and more difficult to pretend that Muromov did not exist on television. In addition, the presenter of the "Wider Circle!" Program helped the singer. Olga Molchanova, who invited the singer to her program and with whom Muromov had a long affair.

In 1988, the stately and attractive singer came out to the public with new hits of a lyrical nature - "Strange Woman" and "Ariadne", instantly falling in love with millions of Soviet women. New horizons opened up for him, including he was invited to the concerts of "Song of the Year". Over the next few years, Mikhail Muromov toured the USSR extensively. But, the unexpected disappearance of the singer from the big stage gave rise to many rumors, dirty gossip. Alas, fame and popularity have another side of the coin … Yes, indeed, Muromov had to struggle with addictions, addiction to alcoholism for a very long time, and he did not hide it.

Nevertheless, having managed to scramble out of the abyss, Muromov not only stepped out of the shadows, but also returned to the stage. Having released a number of good tracks, the musician again became an important part of the national stage. But, of course, he failed to return to its former glory. Now Mikhail Muromov continues to tour with concerts and writes new songs.

A few words about personal and intimate

- Mikhail Muromov says with a smile, recalling his past adventures.

Real legends circulated about the personal life of the womanizer Muromov. It is still not clear what of this can be considered true, and what is only part of excellent PR. In any case, there were many women in Mikhail's life who were ready for anything for him. However, only one of them managed to become the wife of Mikhail Muromov. A girl named Tamara was far from show business, she worked at a chemical plant. Having met Michael, she was beside herself with happiness. Mikhail did not delay the marriage proposal, and the young couple registered their marriage in 1973, which broke up three years later. The reason was obvious - the singer was fond of other girls, unable to resist numerous temptations.

The children of Mikhail Muromov are a separate story. Officially recognized by him - four. Four illegitimate sons, born of different women, whom he supported financially until their majority - Mikhail, Konstantin, Pavel, Arthur were born at different periods of his life. But from numerous fleeting intrigues during the tour, as the singer himself declared at the time of his legendary youth: But to believe or not to believe this statement is a private matter for everyone. After all, PR was and is an integral part of show business.

And finally, we can only wish the future hero of the day new creative horizons and their achievements.

The 80s of the last century became the finest hour for the “silver voice of Russia” singer and composer Sergei Penkin. Read about this unique artist, his difficult path to the national stage in our publication: For what Sergey Penkin got into the Guinness Book of Records and why he became a student of Gnesinka only 11 times.