The 19th National Festival of Polish Song in Opole took place on June 25-28, 1981. On the first day, during the “Hits of the Season” concert, there was no shortage of hits that have permanently gone down in history. On stage he presented, among others: Maanam with the song “Szare miraże”, Jan Pietrzak with “Żeby Polska jest Polskiej”, as well as Krystyna Prońko, who performed the legendary “Psalm of those standing in line” at the opening of the festival. Both singers were also supposed to compete against each other two days later, during the premiere competition.
Maryla Rodowicz was supposed to perform at the premiere in Opole. “My legs gave way under me”
The fact that there was a conflict between the artists was hotly gossiped behind the scenes. Rodowicz explained what the reason was in her autobiography “Long Live the Ball”. On June 27, Rodowicz was to present the song “Hej, Żeglujże, Żeglarzu” on stage. Krystyna Prońko, on the other hand, came to Opole with the song “Ołapa mi nazwa”. The rules of the competition were clear: the artists were to perform premiere songs that had never been presented on the air before.
However, my friend Prońko heard my ‘work’ on a radio broadcast. And she reported me
– Rodowicz. Just before the concert, journalist Andrzej Jaroszewski approached her and informed her that the organizers had received a “protest”. They demanded that Rodowicz’s song be disqualified, not only because of the song itself, but also because of the connections between Maryla Rodowicz and one of the jury members. At that time, the artist was associated with Krzysztof Jasiñski, who, however, did not speak after her performance.
He said: ‘We don’t know how to behave because your friend is very stubborn, and it’s on paper, so we decided not to consider you in the competition. Of course you can come out and sing whatever you want.’ My legs gave way under me. As if someone had hit me in the head
– in “Long live the ball”. Rodowicz performed the song, but it was not taken into account. The “Premieres” competition in 1981 ended quite unexpectedly, because for the first time in history the jury did not award any prize, but only distinguished two songs: “I don’t have a time for you” by Hanna Banaszak and “Too much I see” sung by by Felicjan Andrzejczak.
Maryla Rodowicz about the conflict with Krystyna Prońko. “She informed on me”
This was not the first and not the last conflict between Prońko and Rodowicz. The author of “Long Live the Ball” also mentioned a concert at which both of them were to perform. However, the organizers decided that they would advertise the event only with Maryla’s face. Krystyna Prońko also did not like this, as she claims.
She denounced me for this, and it wasn’t the first time
– she recalled. This time the accusation concerned “arrangements with the director”, Krzysztof Jasiński, who was supposed to do the singer a favor and promote her. The conflict apparently continues to this day and there are still rather cold relations between the singers. 32 years have passed since Maryla Rodowicz’s autobiography was published, but so far she has not commented on her friend’s words.
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.
