It is difficult to be otherwise, since the political objective invented yet even the good Eurovision Song Contest. This is what some time watching mostly for fun (and a little bit for this strange feeling that the Anglo-Saxons call "guilty pleasure", caused by contact with the pop culture event, which is so silly and kitschy, that even begins to fascinate) at the time of their birth in the mid-50s of the last century was quite serious gravity. Representing the Italian TV Sergio Pugliese threw szefującemu the European Broadcasting Union the Swiss Marcel Bezençonowi idea for an international festival, which was to help the injured continent anew to rebuild relations between the countries, whose citizens are just shooting each other on the fronts ended after barely a decade before the war.
Festival in Opole. At the dawn of subversive
When this role was to act as the festival of Eurovision, it is not surprising that before the musical pop culture erected political task also on our side of the iron culture, where by definition all it was much more involved in the formal system and subject to the control of power. Paradoxically, not so obvious at times in the case of the most important events for the Polish audience - the National Festival of Polish Song in Opole. That's right, a co-organizer of this event from the very beginning in 1963 was the Polish Radio and Television, which had its consequences. But it is worth remembering that it was at its inception, it was in some way a festival anti-system or subversive. It is not, of course, about the political system of the country, but the relationship to showbiznesowego mainstream. Opole invented by enthusiasts in the persons of journalists Matthew Święcickiego and George Grygolunasa and mayor Karol Musiol from the start has been boycotted by the then Polish celebrities entertainment. They came to them while representatives of what today we would call a kind of "offem" - the contractor involved in the student movement, cabaret and big beat scene. Thus, suddenly this premiere event explosion of such talents as the one hand, previously known only to the initiated Ewa Demarczyk, Wojciech Młynarski the team cabaret STS, the other successes Karin Stanek and Czeslaw Niemen.
Opole, that defiant spirit tamed
This defiant spirit of Opole quickly, however, has been tamed - in PRL ruled by Wladyslaw Gomulka was no room for a derogation from the socialist standards so and entertainment had to be the cropped under the socialist line. When Niemen came back from foreign travels transformed with a polite boy garniturku in color, like racial hippie superstar, done his difficulties during appearances before the cameras. And his thrilling performance on the stage of the Opole song "Strange World" was obśmiane in official media on duty by critics. Even worse was the team Breakout. When visited in Opole with songs from his debut album, shown in TV only singer Mira Kubasińska - the other members pointed out that they have too long hair. Flew out of the frame even though it tried to somehow pin up and hide the length of their hair.
In the official transmission of the festival there was no place for such deviations. The girl had to look like a girl, a man - as a man. The music itself was thought to provide the viewer a pleasant and uncomplicated entertainment.
"Joy in the morning," the radio station
Do not change this even liberal course of the next party team led by Edward Gierek. With a coarse Gomułka Polish suddenly we had become the 10th economic power of the world. In the shops there were coca-cola and jeans. But mischance just in terms of entertainment companion Edward was as conservative as his predecessor. Opole became so "a celebration of Polish song", and winning on the tracks like awarded in 1974 "Joy morning" Group I. The song begins with the words, "How well do you get up at dawn ..." zohydziły then works address system, playing it to the bitter end on reaching the first shift workers. An anecdote says that the responsibility for this text Jonah Kofta half-jokingly, half-seriously after years in an interview apologize for this song. Although at the same time it was after this festival through Kabaretonu he could sometimes show the power of what he thought of the society. The best example of capital program Laskowik and Smoleń "On the back of the shop," mocking all the absurdities of the late Gierek period - from supply shortages after the television propaganda success. It was easy to say that it was just a clever safety valve - people have to see that the government allows himself sometimes to do with her jokes, and then again politely get back to work. The point is that they do not come back - "On the back of the store," appeared in the Opole in 1980. Several weeks later, in Poland broke strikes, which gave rise to the "Solidarity".
Sopot safety valve
As mentioned valve better check another festival. International Song Festival in Sopot recorded the alliance of socialist countries, and when in the era Gierek promoted briefly to the rank of the Eurovision Song Contest, suddenly became an event on the scale of our capabilities, which would open the eyes skeptics - in 1979 occurred in the stars such as Boney M and Demis Roussos. Perhaps in the country was increasingly difficult to buy meat and sugar was rationed, but no one could say that the government can not provide the citizen with entertainment at the highest level.
In the far less sophisticated indoktrynował Festival Soviet Song in Zielona Mount. There was no doubt about what it meant. But it does not change the fact that in the late 70s the main prize of the Golden Samovar won there, such as the singer Małgorzata Ostrowska (later a group of Lombard) and Urszula Kasprzak (later known simply as Ursula). Whatever you think of this event was just another opportunity to come onto the Polish stage.
As the song went to the army
the absolute zenith marriage of entertainment and official ideology was the Soldier's Song Festival in Kolobrzeg. In the 70s here in the middle of the holiday you could listen Two Plus One, Skaldi and Krzysztof Krawczyk. Apparently it was clear that this song harnessed to the propaganda machine, but at a time when television was only two channels (one of which gave only a few hours a day), and that millions of viewers had a seat to listen to songs about the song, which went to military or chabrach the training ground. Yes instrumentally treated entertainment but intensified vigilance audience. Sometimes to a fault. When in the 80s exploded independent youth culture, even a punk festival in Jarocin used to be seen as an event that was supposed to be a kind of safety valve spuszczającym a couple of generations of martial law.
To get rid of the optics needed to fall festivals socialism. Although ... are you sure? To find out if that is not the end, it is sufficient to recall even the emotions that makes us Eurovision - a place in this competition is still often treated as a test of the Polish position if not in the whole of Europe, at least in our part of the continent.
festival in Opole and milestones Polish pop culture
1963 - Eve Demarczyk sings "Carousel with Madonnas" to the word line Miron Białoszewski and music Zygmunt Konieczny. The singer known so far mainly patrons Krakow the Piwnica becomes an instant star of stage and one of the biggest phenomena in the history of Polish songs.
1967 - "Strange World" Czeslaw Niemen symbolically brings Polish music youth of the era naive bigbitu adulthood. One of the most controversial and at the same time the most famous moments in the history of the Opole festival.
1971 - Marek Grechuta and team Anawa conquering Opole bravura performance monumental trance song "Procession." Delighted audience picks up vocal theme of this song and choral singing forcing the team to return to the stage, and one embodiment of the composition.
1980 - Maanam and cut almost to zero Bark perform at the festival Opole "Divine Buenos" and "Lust money." Not win any prizes beyond the enthusiastic response from the audience, which becomes the harbinger of a gigantic career of the group.
1981 - Jan Pietrzak sings on the stage of the festival song "Let Poland was Polish." Since then, Polish roads had time to strongly confound and porozjeżdżać, but then the song sounded like a new "Dabrowski's Mazurka".
1985 - the second prize at the festival won the team Bolter song "Give me this night. " Simple dance number becomes a big hit, and Bolter after years grows to become one of the most important godfathers of our familiar disco.
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