The song “17 Years” by Vladimir Shakhrin seems to me the most touching composition that any of the representatives of Russian rock dedicated to his soulmate. The leader of the Chaif group wrote it for his wife Elena.
In a few lines, masculinely, without banal expressions and romantic sighs, even without the phrase “I love you”, he more than convincingly made it clear that he still admires the woman with whom he has lived for many years.
Vladimir met his future wife when he studied at a construction college. They first met while working out at the gym:
I saw her dancing on the beam, doing some gymnastic exercises on the beam. I was smitten with this grace and charm, quite actively began to look after her, we had a stormy romance, which was carefully watched by the whole hostel and our entire institution. It was in 1976…
Some time later, they got married and, despite all the difficulties of life with a rock musician, saved the marriage, raising two daughters (the very “children” whom the author in the chorus urges to believe that their “mother is seventeen again”).
The history of the song “17 years” – CHAIF
The composition “Seventeen Years” Vladimir Shakhrin wrote for his wife after seventeen years of marriage. He described the song in these words:
This is our love story with my wife Lena. Many people can try it on. I’m told how this song plays the role of a serenade for lovers. So it is – 17 years together – this is a serenade.
In 1994, the song of the CHAIF group became one of the four tracks of the maxi-single “Let everything be as you wish.” Then came the release of the album of the same name, recorded at the SNC studio and released by Fili. The record was produced by Sergey Galanin.
I must say, there is an interesting story associated with the phrase “Let everything be as you want” (I am not sure of the authenticity of which). They say that Mike Naumenko, whose work Shakhrin admired, left it to Vladimir as an autograph either on a book or on a poster.
Also, one cannot help but recall the wonderful cover version of “17 Years”, sounded in the film “Dandies” by Valery Todorovsky.
Lyrics of the song “17 years” – CHAIF
I see, I see you like this again
In a daring miniskirt that my peace
My dream was turned into a joke
Into you, I beg you
Chorus:
Let everything be the way you want
Let your eyes, as before, burn
I’m with you again tonight
Well, by the way, well, by the way, next night, next night,
If you want, I’ll be with you again
You’re seventeen, you’re seventeen again
Your every birthday wants to add, but I will say no.
Your portrait, your children, I will tell them about:
“Children, your mother is seventeen again, you just believe, but you will understand
after”.
Vases in our house, they rarely have flowers
In May there will be tulips again, I remember you love them so much
I’ll write my best song if fate wills
And I will play it first for you, of course for you
Song Quotes
Men say about her that this is the song that I would like to sing to my girlfriend, and women would prefer that they sang it to them.
Vladimir Shakhrin
… We were told a lot and they say that this is pop music, but, firstly, it doesn’t seem so to me, but by and large it’s absolutely unprincipled how the song “Let everything be as you want” will be called – a rock song or a pop song . The main thing is that we play it with pleasure, and the audience likes it.
Vladimir Shakhrin
