The title “No matter how winter happens” was given to the 10th episode of the animated series “New Prostokvashino”, published on the YouTube channel “Soyuzmultfilm” on the eve of the new year 2019. It covered a song from the cartoon "Winter in Prostokvashino", written 35 years ago. The refrain of the text in the cover version did not coincide with the title of the episode, but sounded the same as in the original - "If there was no winter."
For more than three decades, the song "If there was no winter" has been a real symbol of New Year's holidays and winter entertainment. Together with her, a cheerful commotion comes into the house, a joyful expectation of change and a good mood.
Actors who voiced the roles of the main characters took part in the musical remix for the New Year's series "New Prostokvashino" (2018). Modern performers supported the format of the "folk" song, and Uncle Fedor's mother (Yulia Menshova) sang not alone, but in a collective. Garik Sukachev (dog Sharik) and Ivan Okhlobystin (postman Pechkin) helped her.
Scoring work in animation requires adherence to a certain format. Everything is signed by frames, literally by seconds. The music should be more conventional, like a toy and a little fabulous, and the text should be simple, succinct and short. These are the tasks set in 1984 by the film director Vladimir Popov before the songwriters for "Prostokvashino".
The composer Yevgeny Krylatov and the poet Yuri Entin succeeded. They worked a lot in the cinema and wrote about 70 children's songs in the creative community. Thanks to the light dance melody and the wonderful refrain “if only if it’s like it,” the song, as they say, “became heard” not only among children, but also among adults. Together with the inhabitants of the village of Prostokvashino, everywhere the inhabitants of our country sang about the beauties and fun of the Russian winter: "If there was no winter in cities and villages, we would never have known these merry days!"
It so happened that the song went beyond the cartoon and found an independent life. Such pieces of music are said to have "left the screen." But in the concert version "If there was no winter" sounds a little differently than from the studio. The lyrics of the song are performed in full. Indeed, because of the cartoon format, only 2 out of 4 verses, written by the wonderful children's poet Yu. Entin, were included in the film. To preserve the danceable character of the music, it began to sound slower. According to the composer E. Krylatov, unexpectedly for him, even the elements of a "gypsy" appeared in the melodic drawing.
The first concert performance belongs to Valentina Tolkunova, who in 1984 did the voice acting for Soyuzmultfilm. "If there was no winter" was included in the repertoire of professional singers Lyudmila Ryumina and Marina Devyatova, Olga Rybnikova, a participant in the Internet project "People's Makhor". In 2018, on the TV show "You are super", viewers heard the wonderful voice of young Vasilisa Ponomareva: "If there was no winter, there is no secret, we would fade from the heat, we are tired of summer."
Among the performers of the song are musical groups: pop-folk groups "Che te nho" and "Balagan Limited"; show groups "Solaris", Kvatro, "Factory". Together with other fragments from cartoons based on scripts by E. Uspensky, "If there was no winter" was included in the anthology of children's songs "Turetsky Choir". In neo-music, the song is presented by Varvara Vizbor, performed by Jasmine in the television project "Property of the Republic".
As an attribute of creating a New Year's mood, E. Krylatov's music is played annually in festive concerts (Sati Casanova, Nyusha, Nikolai Baskov and others). Participants of the theatrical show “Just the Same” (Natalie) and the TV show “Best of All” (Alexander Panayotov) tell us how much joy the real Russian winter gives us, in the words of Yu. Entin.
Representatives of the parody and alternative music genre (Murzilki Int, Sergey Shnurov and Alisa Vox), as well as popular DJs Dj Smash, Dj Electron and others turned to their favorite children's song. During the Soviet period, songs from "Prostokvashino" were released on children's records of the "Melodia" company in collections of songs from cartoons, were released on magnetic tapes and audiocassettes "Svema". In the 2000s, Twic Lyrec made CD recordings.
Today "If there was no winter" can be heard not only in the recording or on the stage. She accompanies professional clips and amateur playcasts, sounds in karaoke, exists in the form of parodies and rework, various cover versions and ringtones for gadgets.
The life of an unpretentious children's song, written several decades ago, continues. Sometimes, on the eve of your favorite holiday, you catch yourself on the fact that in the hustle and bustle of everyday life, inhaling the smell of pine needles and tangerines, with pleasure you begin to purr under your breath: "If there was no winter, but all the time summer, we would not know this New Year's commotion!"
