Musical Hits From Polish Cinema
Sentimental ballads and hip-hop protest songs, rock hits and lyrical lullabies, remixed classics and mocking parodies… Now you can enjoy a compilation of the most famous signature tunes from the history of Polish cinema and television.
‘Już Taki Jestem Zimny Drań’ (I’m Simply a Cold Bastard) by Eugeniusz Bodo (1934)
Although the Polish cinema of the Interwar period was not exactly one of the most significant when it came to world cinematography, Polish filmmakers nonetheless really enjoyed making films, especially melodramas, patriotic opuses as well as comedies. For musical films, it was actually one of the best periods in Polish cinema – mainly thanks to Henryk Wars.
In the 1920s and 1930s, this remarkably creative composer almost monopolised the film music-composition market, working with all of the most prominent directors of the day. It was no accident – Wars had a talent for catchy melodies that worked great on the big screen, but which were also able to thrive off of it. He is the creator of Miłość Ci Wszystko Wybaczy (Love Will Forgive You Everything), Umówiłem Się z Nią na Dziewiątą (I Have a Date with Her at Nine), Sex Appeal, Ach, Jak Przyjemnie (Ah, How Lovely!), and Już Taki Jestem Zimny Drań (I’m Simply a Cold Bastard) – a hit sung by Eugeniusz Bodo in the film Pieśniarze Warszawy (A Songster of Warsaw), directed by Michał Waszyński.
‘Jak Przygoda, To Tylko w Warszawie’ (If an Adventure, Then Only in Warsaw!) by Irena Santor (1953)
Before the Polish cinema could even get a chance to recover from its collapse during World War II, it was already being used as a tool of political propaganda. The communist rulers of the 1950s dreamed of films which would educate and shape political attitudes while at the same time attracting the masses.
After a series of low turnouts, they stopped being offended by the ‘middle-class’ film genres associated with pre-war cinema, and musicals also began appearing alongside melodramas on the big screens.
Przygoda na Mariensztacie (An Adventure in Marienstadt) (1953) was their combination. In Leonard Buczkowski’s film, politics were the background for the throes of passion as well as the life dilemmas of two young people in love. Written by the pre-war master Ludwik Starski, Przygoda na Mariensztacie combined socialist realism with a musical formula. The history of the rebuilding of Warsaw as well as the birth of a new Poland was dressed in the genre costume of a romantic comedy, which – along with the above-mentioned song – made the film especially popular.
‘Hi Lili, Hi Lo’ by Leslie Caron (1953)
Even though Hi Lili, Hi Lo is a hit that technically belongs to the classics of Hollywood, it has to be included amid the hit songs of Polish cinema because its creator was Bronisław Kaper, who was from Poland – and became one of the greatest Hollywood composers of the golden age.
During his career, he was nominated for an Oscar four times; however, he had to recognise the superiority of his rivals three times. Still, he did win once – in 1954, he was awarded for his score to Charles Walters’ Lili. The American Film Academy had no other choice anyway – the song Hi Lili, Hi Lo, composed by the Pole a year earlier, became a hit hummed by millions of cinema fans across the pond.
‘Nim Wstanie Dzień’ (Before Sunrise) by Edmund Fetting (1964)
While Jak Przygoda, To Tylko w Warszawie stemmed from the socialist realism trend in Polish cinema, this hit on our list emerged from a rebellion against it. The beautiful ballad Nim Wstanie Dzień was the leitmotif of the film Prawo i Pięść (The Law and the Fist) directed by Jerzy Hoffman and Edward Skórzewski, who – as documentary filmmakers – opposed the socialist realist doctrine, which commanded the camera to ‘look the other way’ when it came to the real social problems.
The story about a former prisoner of Auschwitz who tries to stop a hospital looting in the Recovered Territories became a part of history. This was not only thanks to the excellent acting by Gustaw Holoubek, and the script by Józef Hen – which was labeled as the first Polish Western – but above all, also due to the song composed by Krzysztof Komeda, written by Agnieszka Osiecka, and uniquely sung by Edmund Fetting.
‘Ballada o Pancernych’ (The Ballad of the Tank-Men) by Edmund Fetting (1967)
The last two of the mentioned artists have one more film hit under their belts. I am talking about a song that everyone in Poland most likely knows – Ballada o Pancernych, which opens each episode of the cult television series Czterej Pancerni i Pies (Four Tank-Men and a Dog), directed by Konrad Nałęcki.
It was Osiecka who wrote the song about troubled rains ravaging the orchard, and about the Armoured Corps riding the tank Rudy 102 being homesick. The music was composed by Adam Walaciński. Thanks to the elegant, almost dispassionate interpretation of Fetting, millions of Poles sang along to the melody of the show’s theme song. And not only that – Fetting’s hit also had foreign versions: both in Germany and in the Czech Republic, where Nałęcki’s series was shown in a dubbed version, national versions of the ballad were recorded.
‘W Stepie Szerokim (In the Broad Steppe)’ by Leszek Herdegen (1969)
But the 1960s theme song hit list doesn’t end there! It wouldn’t be complete without this one hit. W Stepie Szerokim, sung by Leszek Herdegen, also known under the title Pieśń o Małym Rycerzu (Song of the Little Knight), is a composition made by Wojciech Kilar for a text by Jerzy Lutowski.
The story of the legendary little knight – Colonel Michał Jerzy Wołodyjowski, known from the pages of Sienkiewicz’s The Trilogy – in 1969 became the leading element of the series prepared by Jerzy Hoffman. It’s hard to say whether the series owed its popularity more to the opening song, or the song to the series.
It is an undisputable fact that W Stepie Szerokim enjoyed the popularity of viewers for several decades. Then, after many years, it became an unofficial anthem of Polish volleyball fans – who, during matches of the national team, encourage volleyball players to fight, reminding them of the invincible little knight from Sienkiewicz.
‘Czterdzieści Lat Minęło’ (Forty Years Have Passed) by Andrzej Rosiewicz (1975)
The golden age of TV series continued into the next decade, and one of its highlights was Jerzy Gruza’s Czterdziestolatek (A 40-Year-Old) – a story about the engineer Karwowski, a hapless loser who was entering his ‘golden years’ in front of an audience of millions. Here, a comedy of manners was met with political satire, and the history of the Karwowski family became part of a social panorama depicted in a slightly tongue-in-cheek way.
Czterdziestolatek was an instant hit, and although critics complained that it was only a series of extensive sketches, the public disagreed. The gigantic popularity of the series made the accompanying song – written by Jerzy Matuszkiewicz, sung by Andrzej Rosiewicz – an everlasting signature hit.
‘Ta Noc do Innych Jest Niepodobna’ (This Night is Unlike Any Other) by Maanam (1981)
This adventure story from Krzysztof Rogulski would be rather unremarkable if it were not for these two elements: a vision of the Polish People’s Republic in the early 1980s that tested and subverted the limits of censorship, and… the music.
The story of a boy who, after escaping from a health care facility, robs a dishonest millionaire so that he can have enough money to go to Warsaw was dressed in a curious musical costume. Its author was Marek Jackowski, the leader of the Polish rock band Maanam.
Jackowski wrote five songs for the film: Moja Miłość Jest Szalona (My Love is Crazy), Stoję, Czuję Się Świetnie (I’m Standing, I Feel Just Great), Och, Ten Hollywood (Oh, Hollywood), Tango Domy Centrum (Tango Department Stores), Oddech Szczura (A Rat’s Breath). Maanam, along with Kora, also appeared onscreen, becoming an important element of the film’s plot.
The film Wielka Majówka (Great May Day Picnic) included a song from their earlier single – and it was Ta Noc do Innych Jest Niepodobna, the song that was most associated with Rogulski’s film.
‘Uciekaj Moje Serce’ (Run Away, My Heart) by Seweryn Krajewski (1982)
Music once again decided the fate of another title from our list – the TV series Jan Serce (Jan Heart). In 1982, Radosław Piwowarski presented a sort of anti-series to television audiences. Instead of the adventures of a hero, his Jan Serce told a story about the unfulfilled love of a sewer worker from Warsaw’s Wola District. This protagonist was clumsy, but touching – winning the hearts of audiences across the nation.
The story about ordinary, good people gained enormous popularity also thanks to the music of Seweryn Krajewski, the leader of the band Czerwone Gitary (The Red Guitars) – who, in his heyday, was adored by millions. His personal charm and sensitivity meant that Uciekaj Moje Serce (with lyrics by Agnieszka Osiecka) became a great hit in Polish music.
‘Meluzyna, Czyli Historia Podwodnej Miłości’ (Melusine, the Story of an Underwater Love) by Małgorzata Ostrowska (1985)
Before the two mermaids from the film The Lure swam out of the River Wisła to go crazy on Warsaw’s dance floors, another one was already there. Melusine – the mythical fish-woman (much like a mermaid), whose roots date back to legends from the 14th-century – became the heroine of an undying song of Polish cinema in the mid-1980s.
Its authors were the unrivalled composer Andrzej Korzyński and director Krzysztof Gradowski. It was in the director’s adaptation Professor Inkblot’s Academy that the song about Melusine was heard for the first time; it was performed by a rock ‘n’ roll star of that time – Małgorzata Ostrowska. The singer herself also appeared onscreen, playing the role of Queen Aba.
Her Meluzyna, Czyli Historia Podwodnej Miłości not only gained popularity with time, but even managed to become legendary… so much so, that several decades after the premiere of the film, Małgorzata Ostrowska decided to include it in her concert repertoire.
‘Tylko Kołysanka’ (Only a Lullaby) by Przemysław Gintrowski (1995)
The 1990s were a time of paradoxes in Polish cinema. The Polish People’s Republic’s film financing system was gone for good, and new systems had not yet been created. There was a lack of money and good movies. On the other side of the coin, Polish pop songs were doing great. Suffice it to say that bands such as Wilki or IRA recorded their greatest hits then, Kazik too kept a high average, and the great personalities of Katarzyna Nosowska and Artur Rojek were also visible on the music scene.
The cinema just had to exploit them. And it was exactly in the 1990s that it most often utilised music stars to promote new films. But this applied not only apply to new pop and rock stars, but also to the bards of the Solidarity movement.
Przemysław Gintrowski was one of them. He was known as being a steadfast artist who also had some experience with music for film. He was the author of the theme song to the television series Zmiennicy (Subs). And although in the comedy series his grave vocals seemed somewhat out of place, a few years later, in the film Tato (Daddy) from Maciej Ślesicki, they fit perfectly. Gintrowski’s booming voice and his predilection for dramatic tones determined the success of Kołysanki, a gloomy and beautiful ballad that echoed in the mind long after the screening of Maciej Ślesicki’s film.
‘Jeśli Wiesz, Co Chcę Powiedzieć’ (If You Know What I Want to Say) by Kasia Nosowska (1996)
The second half of the 1990s was a time of the greatest boom in the movie song market, and one of the reasons for this was the television programming of that era. It was in these very last years of the 20th century that Polish television tried to compete for the viewers of the ‘MTV generation’, and programmes such as 30 Ton Lista, Lista Przebojów (30 Ton List, Singles Chart) and Clipol appeared on the TV channel TVP 2. Watched by millions, they became superb tools for promoting films – it was enough to invite popular musicians.
One of the hits that was regularly featured in both Clipol and 30 Ton was Kasia Nosowska’s song Jeśli Wiesz, Co Chcę Powiedzieć – a single promoting her solo album puk, puk (Knock, Knock). It was this song that was included (an instrumental and original version) on the soundtrack of the film Gry Uliczne (Street Games), Krzysztof Krauze’s drama-thriller about a journalistic investigation into the death of Stanisław Pyjas. Scenes from this film comprised the music video for Nosowska’s song, and thanks to the extraordinary popularity of her single, the film – one of the most interesting made in Poland in the 1990s – also gained popularity.
‘O Sobie Samym’ (About Me) by Robert Gawliński (1996)
Readers of today’s generation of 30- to 40-year-olds, exactly those who watched Clipol, may also remember another song from our list. In 1996, O Sobie Samym, a love ballad by Robert Gawliński, was always on TV, becoming a great television and radio hit.
It was an even bigger one than the movie it was made for: Prowokator (Provocateur), Krzysztof Lang’s historical action movie, won two awards at the Gdynia Film Festival (for Michał Lorenc’s music and Dorota Roqueplo’s costumes), but despite the excellent cast, it turned out to be quite the box-office flop. The song immortalized Robert Gawliński, and it remains one of his greatest hits to this day.
‘Kiler’ (The Hitman) by Elektryczne Gitary (1997)
A year later, Polish cinema and music became convinced of the great promotional power of its synergy thanks to Juliusz Machulski’s film Kiler (The Hitman). Before the comedy about a Warsaw taxi driver mistaken for a serial killer hit the screens, it was promoted by a song by the band Elektryczne Gitary. And although critics could have been annoyed with the crude melody, banal arrangement and somewhat amateur vocals of Kuba Sienkiewicz, audiences fell in love with the song.
They did not stop loving it even after the premiere of the film, as evidenced by the presence of the song Kiler at the very top of the charts on the prestigious Radio Three Chart, LP3. Even though this hit sounded out of place compared to the rest of the programme, it was nonetheless a testimony to its era.
The major popularity of the song was in this case a derivative of the enormous success of the film, which attracted over two million viewers to cinemas and became one of the most popular Polish films of the decade.
‘Sztos’ (Lit) by Kazik (1997)
This list would would be sadly incomplete without this artist. Perhaps because Kazik’s songs were found on the soundtracks of several Polish films, and he himself received an award at the National Film Art Festival ‘Prowincjonalia’ for music to the film Rozdroże Cafe (Crossroads Cafe) directed by Leszek Wosiewicz.
The filmmakers fell in love with Kazik because his music perfectly described subsequent Polish epochs – the song Krew Boga (The Blood of God) introduced a punk element of rebellion in Pasikowski’s film Kroll. Many years later, Kazik’s Arahja described the ‘divided society’ in Być Jak Kazimierz Deyna (Being Like Deyna), and Tata Dilera (Dealer’s Dad) blended in perfectly with the series Ślepnąc od Świateł (Blinded by the Lights).
Still, the most recognisable musical piece by Kazik is Sztos – a song that years ago promoted the action comedy from Olaf Lubaszenko, but in the end turned out to be more sprightly than the film it was supposed to accompany.
‘Szczęśliwego Nowego Jorku’ (Happy New York) by Artur Gadowski (1997)
In the same year, another hit movie was fighting for the sympathy of audiences and moviegoers. The song Szczęśliwego Nowego Jorku, composed by Marek Kościkiewicz and sung by Artur Gadowski (the leader of the IRA group), was supposed to promote the film comedy by Janusz Zaorski about the plight of Polish emigrants overseas.
Made on the basis of the books Szczuropolaków (Rat-Poles) and Cudu na Greenpoincie (A Miracle in Greenpoint) by Edward Redliński, the film, despite its comedic inclinations, was so acrid in its storyline that its distributors decided to promote it through music. In addition to the title song by Gadowski, the album from the film also includes the hits of such bands as Golden Life, Aya RL, T. Love, and Raz Dwa Trzy.
‘Dumka na Dwa Serca’ (A Dumka for Two Hearts) by Edyta Górniak, Mietek Szcześniak (1999)
And here we have the greatest theme song of recent decades and in general, one of the greatest hit songs in the entire history of Polish cinema. The piece, written by Jacek Cygan and composed by Krzesimir Dębski, was created to promote the greatest film hit of the 1990s – Jerzy Hoffman’s super-production Ogniem i Mieczem (With Fire and Sword). It fulfilled its task flawlessly. Not only did the film attract a record number of 7.1 million viewers to theatres, but the song almost never left the singles music chart.
Cygan and Dębski managed to create a sentimental masterpiece. The story of the tragic love between Skrzetuski and Helena combined shameless emotionality with musical motifs referring to the film’s theme. This special waltz – sung by Edyta Górniak and Mietek Szcześniak, who were at the peak of their careers – softened the public’s hearts, causing many people to ‘secretly wipe their tears’ before ever even watching the film.
However, in the cinemas, disappointment awaited the fans of the song – Dumka na Dwa Serca was absent in Hoffman’s film.
‘Duże Zwierzę’ (The Big Animal) by Myslovitz (2000)
When, in the second half of the 1990s, Janusz Morgenstern discovered an old, unrealised script by Krzysztof Kieślowski based on the prose of Kazimierz Orłos, he instantly knew that this text could not go to waste. It was Duże Zwierzę (The Big Animal), a story about a man who one day adopted a stray camel, resulting in him becoming a victim of social ostracism. Despite being written in 1973, it turned out to be surprisingly up-to-date – also thanks to the adaptation of Jerzy Stuhr, who directed the film version of Duże Zwierzę.
His film was accompanied by one of the best soundtracks of its time – music for it was written by Abel Korzeniowski, a phenomenally talented composer of the young generation, and the song promoting the film was recorded by the band Myslovitz. Their Polowanie na Wielbłąda (Camel Hunting), a melancholic ballad about the need for tolerance and closeness, appeared on television music programmes and became the insignia for Stuhr’s film.
The band from Mysłowice created one more song related to the work of Kieślowski – in 2006, the album Happiness Is Easy included the song Gadające Głowy 80-06 (Talking Heads 80-06), which is a tribute to and at the same time a musical adaptation of the famous documentary by Krzysztof Kieślowski.
‘To My’ (That’s Us) by Mylslovitz (2000)
Artur Rojek’s band, which was at its peak of popularity at the turn of the millennium, also attracted artists of a less noble repertoire. Waldemar Szarek, who in the 1990s earned the reputation of being a specialist in youth cinema, wanted a piece of it – and in 2000, he introduced his next film to cinemas.
The film To My is a story about love dilemmas and life challenges awaiting the young heroes who are about to graduate from high school. This coming-of-age story would not have been remembered for so long if it were not for the single To My by Myslovitz. Released in January 2000, it promoted Szarek’s film, climbing to the top of the Radio Three Charts, LP3. And today, when only a few remember Szarek’s film, the song by Artur Rojek and his band can still be heard on radio playlists.
‘W Pustyni i w Puszczy’ (In the Desert & Wilderness) by Beata Kozidrak (2001)
The beginning of the new century was the beginning of the end of the great fashion for movie tunes as well as for promoting blockbusters through the use of songs. But the history of the Polish film song would be far from complete without mentioning the band Bajm and its frontwoman Beata Kozidrak, an icon of pop culture in the 1990s (and earlier).
Already in 1988, Kozidrak appeared in the children’s film Panu Kleksie w Kosmosie (Professor Kleks in Space), where she sang the song Ratujmy Kosmos (Let’s Save Space) – but her best-known film tune was the song promoting the film W Pustyni i w Puszczy directed by Gavin Hood, which hit the cinema screens in 2001. Rhythmic drums, African instruments and Kozidrak’s vocals singing about catching dreams and the wings of hope made the film a hit at the Polish box office.
‘Biały Miś’ (A White Teddy Bear) by Tymon & The Transistors (2004)
While most of the signature songs on this list were created with the intention of exploiting their marketing qualities, Biały Miś was a deeply integral part of the movie Wesele (The Wedding) from Wojtek Smarzowski. If it were not for the songs of Tymon Tymański or of the band, The Transistors, resounding from the screen, Smarzowski’s comedy would be neither biting nor funny.
Tymon Tymański and his band not only wrote new songs for Wesele and created a classic disco polo theme song, but also appeared on the screen as a wedding band that sang with equal gusto about a white teddy bear for a girl who is already with another boy, and about an ‘unspeakably beautiful village’ that smells like cow dung. Tymański’s derisive songs quickly became classics of Polish film music, and the film’s fame – growing over the years – only strengthened the status of the soundtrack he wrote.
‘Kicy, Bidy i Bokha’ (So Much Poverty, So Much Hunger) by Elżbieta Towarnicka & Kayah (2013)
It is quite rare in Polish cinema for a film premiere to give new life to great music from years past. Remarkably, this actually happened quite recently – in 2013, when the film Papusza, directed by Joanna Kos-Krauze and Krzysztof Krauze, was released. The biographical story of Papusza, a famous Romani poetess, not only reminded us of her turbulent fate, but also demanded a position for and the memory of Roma culture.
This is also thanks to the music written by Jan Kanty Pawluśkiewicz, who many years earlier composed a symphonic poem based on the poems of the Romani poetess. His Harfy Papuszy (Papusza’s Harps), moving and incredibly beautiful, was also heard in the Krauzes’ film.
And although, for the purposes of promoting the film, the distributor invited a contemporary star, Kayah, to make the song, we recommend reaching for the original recording of the song Ile Bied, Ile Głodów performed by Elżbieta Towarnicka. Her crystalline voice makes Papusza’s text haunting, and whose voice is well known to fans of Podwójnego Życia Weroniki (The Double Life of Veronique), in which Towarnicka sang the main character’s solo parts.
‘Niesiemy dla Was Bombę’ (We’re Carrying a Bomb for You) by donGURALesko (2014)
In times when most signature songs are commissioned by marketers and calculated to increase the popularity of a movie, this song captivates with its emotional authenticity. Niesiemy dla Was Bombę is the result of the spiritual closeness of two riveting artists: donGURALesko and the director Krzysztof Skonieczny.
When in 2014, Skonieczny’s debut film Hardkor Disko (which he himself almost entirely financed) hit the screens, it was accompanied by one of the best hip-hop songs of that season – Niesiemy dla Was Bombę. donGURALesko wrote it after watching the first version of the film, infatuated with its untamed energy of a generational rebellion.
The music video, made by Skonieczny, became not only an invitation to participate in the film’s screening, but also a story about a generation raised in a state of constant civil war who is planning to put an end to the old world.
‘Wszystko, Czego Dziś Chcę’ (Everything I Want Today), Brodka & A_GIM (2018)
Although most contemporary theme songs do not have as much authenticity as the above-mentioned song, there are some real gems amongst songs that are created with the intent to promote. One of them is Wszystko, Czego Dzis Chcę by Monika Brodka and A_GIM, a cover of the great hit promoted in the early 1980s by Izabela Trojanowska.
Its new version was created on the occasion of the premiere of the series Rojst by Jan Holoubek. The Showmax company that produced it, for which it was the first original production carried out in Poland, decided to attract attention by creating a hit song that is also a reference to the era in which the series takes place. In this way, thanks to Brodka and A_GIM and the directing talents of Michał Marczak, a video was created that invited us on a tour of the dark and tempting world of the 1980s, while at the same time giving us a glimpse into the stylish, sophisticated story.
‘Jeszcze w Zielone Gramy’ (We’re Still Playing Green) by Daria Zawiałow (2017)
A new version of a classic hit. Jeszcze w Zielone Gramy by Daria Zawiałow is an original interpretation of one of the masterpieces of Polish music – the song by Wojciech Młynarski. A story of life as a series of trials and tribulations, unfulfilled longings and inappropriate dreams that won’t stop… These are some of the best lyrics that Polish songs have to offer.
Młynarski’s song, sung by Daria Zawiałow, was conceived as a promotional tool for Kinga Dębska’s film Plan B, a melodrama about unhappy people passing each other on the streets of Warsaw in search of love. And although the song quickly won the hearts of many fans, it lacked the bitterness of life that echoed so clearly in the interpretations of Młynarski and the band Raz Dwa Trzy (One Two Three)’s beautiful version.
‘Dwa Serduszka, Cztery Oczy’ (Two Hearts, Four Eyes) by Joanna Kulig (2018)
Last but not least, we have a song that certainly does not need any further explanations for its presence on this list. This folk song, recorded in 2018 by Joanna Kulig, became a sort of trademark of Paweł Pawlikowski’s Oscar-winning Cold War. The melody in the trailer was captivating, and once it caught your ear, it was impossible to shake. Two artists were ‘guilty’ for making the song so catchy – Joanna Kulig, who flawlessly executed the jazz piece, bringing to it a lot of innocence and emotion, and Marcin Masecki, who turned a folk song into a jazz miniature full of zeal and musical elegance.
Thanks to the Oscar nomination for Pawlikowski’s film, Dwa Serduszka, Cztery Oczy was resurrected and reminded everyone of the hidden treasures of folk art, which remains littleknown to this day.
Originally written in Polish by Bartosz Staszczyszyn, Jun 2020, translated by Agnes Dudek, Sep 2020