77-year-old Maryla Rodowicz is still professionally active. The queen of Polish song made her debut at the Festival of Young Talents in Szczecin in 1962. Six years later, she performed on the famous Opole stage with the songs “Take my dresses” and “What people will say”. He has over 20 studio albums to his credit. She has given concerts outside Poland, including in the United States. Her performance in Los Angeles in 1984, however, was not successful.
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“Jurek, cucumber, sausage and string”. Rodowicz was not satisfied with Osiecka’s text
Maryla Rodowicz was invited to The World Song Festivalduring which songs from different countries were presented. Winning the competition could bring the singer a lot of benefits, but to get to the podium, a song was needed, and not just any song. Rodowicz wondered for a long time what song would impress the Americans. It had to be something original, something that would capture your heart. The choice fell on the waltz. Then Rodowicz contacted Seweryn Krajewski.
When Seweryn writes a waltz, just kneel down. His waltzes are something so beautiful and so overwhelming…
– said Maryla Rodowicz, whose words she quotes.
The artist presented the singer with many songs, but none of them had “that something”. Finally, he decided to present her a waltz, which was originally made for Jerzy Połomski. When Maryla Rodowicz heard this piece, she knew that this is what she wanted to present in the USA. Krajewski stated that Połomski had been in the United States for a long time and it was hard to predict when he would return, so he decided to give Rodowicz a piece and compose another one for Połomski.
However, another problem arose. A text has already been written for the beautiful waltz. Agnieszka Osiecka wrote words to the song, but Rodowicz did not like it. One of the lines read: “Jurek, cucumber, sausage and string”. The dramatic waltz was completely out of sync with the singer’s lyrics. She asked Osiecka, with whom she was friends, to write the text again, which the poet agreed. In consultation with Rodowicz, Osiecka wrote the text “Long live the ball”. The song still had to be translated into English, which was done by Jerzy Siemasz (“Long Live the Ball”).
“Poland”, not “Holland”. Rodowicz’s trip to the USA was not successful
Maryla Rodowicz practiced the English version of “Long live the ball” for a long time. Her accent and pronunciation were perfect. Together with Seweryn Krajewski, who also received an invitation as a composer, she flew to the USA. At the festival in Los Angeles, however, many things went wrong.
Upon arrival, it turned out that the stage was not ready, so rehearsals could not take place on it. Festival participants practiced in the corridors. The orchestra, which was supposed to perform songs for vocalists, was not prepared enough to be able to play as the artists would like. The musicians were not prepared for “harder” playing, which resulted in softening the sounds. It was the same with the choir. Another problem for Rodowicz and Krajewski turned out to be the guitarist’s equipment, on which the musician could not play the characteristic distortion – he writes. To make matters worse, the Polish artists could not come to an agreement with the orchestra. The man treated Rodowicz and Krajewski with contempt. This was probably due to the maestro’s conviction that Polish artists had communist motives. Nevertheless, Rodowicz did not give up and presented her musical skills to the American audience.
Before Maryla Rodowicz went on stage and sang “Long live the ball”, another unpleasant incident took place. The singer was announced as an artist from the Netherlands. It was probably due to a misunderstanding. The words “Poland” and “Holland” sound similar, but there is no denying that it was a huge mistake of the announcer who misled the audience.
The performance of the Polish singer on the American stage was outstanding. It met with an excellent reception from the audience, the artists also heard words of appreciation from other participants of the competition. Rodowicz hoped that the jurors would also have a similar opinion about her performance. She hoped to score high in the competition. However, the performance was not well received by the judges. Rodowicz and Krajewski received only a distinction.
Rodowicz insisted. Or “Long live the ball” or nothing
After the festival is over the artists were invited to an evening banquet where they were to meet people from the industry. However, neither Rodowicz nor Krajewski took with them recordings, photos or e-mails that could help them establish contacts. Rodowicz was approached by a man who worked at Universal Studios, asking about materials and inviting him to the recording studio. The artist did not take up the offer. The next day she was to return to Poland to go on holiday with her family. Seweryn Krajewski, on the other hand, had already signed a contract with Polish clubs in Chicago.
A year later, Rodowicz wanted to present Long Live the Ball at the festival in Opole. No one in Poland knew this song, so the director of the event did not agree. He stated that the artist could perform, but with a song that was popular on the radio at the time. Rodowicz, however, was stubborn and gave an ultimatum: either he will perform in Opole with the song “Long Live Bal”, or he will not appear at all. The case became so serious that it went to the Ministry of Culture. Rodowicz had to explain why she did not want to perform in Opole with another piece.
I said: because I have a good number called ‘Long Live the Ball’, although no one knows it. But believe me, it’s a really beautiful song. And finally agreed, graciously
– recalls the artist, whose words are quoted by the portal.
In 1985, Rodowicz performed at the famous Opole festival with a piece of her choice. The song received a good reception and was awarded the journalists’ award. Currently, it is one of the most popular works in the artistic output of Maryla Rodowicz.
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.
