Musical clashes of two different worlds no longer arouse such surprise. However, it was different almost three decades ago, when Kazik Staszewski invited the legendary Violetta Villas to cooperate. Today, it can be said that they blazed certain trails in Polish popular music, and the history of their duo’s creation is as original as the artist herself.
Rockman and entertainer in one track
He was already perceived as a bard of Polish rock, who was known for his accurate lyrics describing reality. And she was the diva of Polish song, which still aroused great admiration and was known for her extravagant manner.
The guitarist of Kult, Piotr Morawiec, came up with the idea of cooperation with Violetta Villas. The musicians wanted her to perform a revue part in the interpretation of the interwar hit “Love Me and I’ll Be Yours” by Henryk Wars and Andrzej Włast. The pathetic and exalted manner that the singer was known for, according to them, perfectly suited this song. In one of the interviews quoted by “”, Kazik Staszewski mentioned the unusual beginnings of cooperation with the diva:
I went to her house in Magdalenka and she held me at the gate for about 40 minutes. She finally came out – in a white fur coat. I’m usually quite direct with people in the music industry, and I don’t feel stage fright when dealing with older people, but then it was different: I understood what a legend of a star meant. Also because Violetta was very convinced of her stardom. I just felt like a schoolboy all the time.
Reportedly, Villas also asked Staszewski if he was the same Kazik who sang “All artists are prostitutes”. Of course, she got the title wrong, which is actually “All Artists Are Prostitutes.” Finally, she agreed to this duet and performed the part of the harbor whore. Apparently, she did very well the first time, but when she left the studio, she found that something was wrong.
“There were no computers at that time, so the version she did not accept had to be deleted and re-recorded on the only trace left on the tape. Only the 13th attempt was considered correct. I had absolutely no idea what it was about, because I thought they were all great ” – Kazik said years later.
And such a version was included on the album “Tata Kazika 2”, which was Kult’s second album, on which the band played Stanisław Staszewski’s songs. The song is still considered to be one of the most popular bands to this day and they are happy to play it during concerts. The interpenetration of musical styles and genres is common today. Typically, young artists are much more willing to such collaborations, but also celebrities recognized for decades are interested in such collaborations.
In 2020, Beata Kozidrak decided to experiment with rap and performed her own interpretation of the song “Without Pressure” by the hip-hop group Zipera. In Radio Four, she said that she was not afraid of crossing borders. However, she had a different opinion 20 years earlier, when in an interview with “Machina” she spoke unflatteringly about the Polish hip-hop environment.
The situation described above perfectly reflects the moods that prevailed at that time between artists creating in different styles. Therefore, what Kazik Staszewski and Violetta Villas did in 1996 could shock and at the same time arouse admiration in the musical community.
Source: Gazeta
Bruce is a talented author and journalist with a passion for entertainment . He currently works as a writer at the 247 News Agency, where he has established himself as a respected voice in the industry.
