A song is good for everything
When my parents upgraded my old cassette player to a brand new Grundig model produced by Zakłady Radiowe Unitra named after Kasprzak, I peed myself with joy. The RMS 451 model had two speakers and broadcast in stereo. I would lock myself in my room in the evenings, turn off the light, and for half the night I couldn't tear my ears away from those crystal clear sounds, as I thought at the time.
The first song I recorded on my new equipment was Tina Turner's "What's Love Got to Do with It", which debuted on the Trójka charts. I remember it like it was yesterday. August 18, 1984.
I listened to Niedźwiecki's list passionately, from its first chart in April 82, which was won by Jon & Vangelis with the beautiful song "I will find my way home". The podium was also occupied by the equally iconic "O! Nie rób tego szum" by Maanam and "For Those about to Rock (We Salute You)" by AC/DC.
For one of my birthdays, my parents gave me a Unitra Fonika WG 417 Stereo Lux adapter. It was a very simple model with two red speakers attached. However, it played wonderfully. I remember buying my first record in a bookstore in Jeziorna – today it is Żabka – with my pocket money. It was a compilation by the piano duo Marek and Wacek. I listened to it for hours, just like another vinyl I dug out of a flea market with the music for the 1972 film Cabaret with my beloved Liza Minelli.
Back in elementary school, in the basement of my block, in an unused laundry room, we set up a neighborhood club with kids from neighboring blocks, where we spent a lot of time fooling around, listening to music, and dancing. Maanam, Budka Suflera, and Republika reigned supreme. To the sounds of "Szał niebiech cielech" I kissed a girl for the first time.
As far as I can remember, I have always loved Kora and Maanam. If I had to take only one Polish artist to a desert island, it would be Kora, and if I was allowed to choose only one Polish song, it would be "Krakowski spleen". I get goosebumps every time I listen to it.
In my early youth I went through periods of fascination with various English-speaking artists and I am in love with them to this day. I love Sting for his "Brand New Day", Madonna for "Like a Virgin", Electric Light Orchestra for "Secret Messages", Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark for "Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark", Bee Gees for "Horizontal". And if I had to take only one album to a desert island, it would probably be "So" by Peter Gabriel.
During my studies, my dear group mate, Maciek, who always looked with contempt at my unambitious musical choices, tried to get me back on track by handing me the album "LA Woman" by The Doors and making me promise to listen to it to the end. I fulfilled my promise and I have to admit that it's worth taking advantage of your uncles' "good advice" sometimes, especially when it comes to music.
Not that I'm going anywhere yet, but I also have my playlist for the so-called final journey. My loved ones know that the ceremony will have to start with "My Way" by Frank Sinatra.
In recent years, my greatest musical discoveries have been Michael Buble performing covers of other artists with his original, soft and sentimental voice, and Adele, who disappeared for a long time, but has just returned with her new album and the song "Easy on me", which is simply mind-blowing.
I listen to and watch Eska TV every day, where Dua Lipa, Bieber, Katy Perry, Ed Sheeran, Shawn Mendes, Podsiadło, Zawiałow, Sanah, Bednarek, Sobel and Mata currently reign supreme. I like all of them.
I listened to music on a cassette recorder and an adapter, then I moved to a cassette Walkman, then came the DVD era, after that the iPod, and finally Spotify came and turned everything upside down, making me addicted to itself, together with Google, Facebook, Netflix, Kuchnia TV, TVN24 and Gazeta Wyborcza, without which my life would be hard to imagine.
According to Spotify, which, like every year, just before the end of the year sent me a musical summary of 2021 yesterday, I listened to music for an average of 45 minutes a day, which is longer than 75% of its over 200 million users worldwide. In 2021, my most listened to artist was Krzysztof Krawczyk, and the song was "Nie pytaj o Polskę" by Obywatela GC.
Of all the pleasant things that happen to me in life, music is one of the most important, although it only comes third on the podium.
You can live without music, but what kind of life would that be?
