My city and in it… Warsaw anthem
Czesław Niemen is an unquestionable icon of Polish music. Composer, multi-instrumentalist, author of texts and voice - literally and figuratively - of several generations. Even though the artist was interested in different genres, drawing on trends such as psychedelia or progressive rock, he is associated primarily with sentimental ballads and protest-songs.
Niemen was born in Stare Wasiliszki (now Belarus), however - over time and with the development of his career - Warsaw has become his home and arena of his greatest successes. Nothing unusual, that one of his greatest hits is about the capital - sung to the words of Marek Gaszyński "A dream about Warsaw”.
Stadium nightmare
Album "Dream about Warsaw", containing the capital hit, was released in 1995 year. In year 2004 the song became the unofficial anthem of the Legionnaires, played on Łazienkowska Street before each match of the Warsaw team. Spilling out of thousands of fans' throats, “I am just like you…”Encouraged the players to fight and - as it turned out - exceptionally irritated the artist's widow.
Małgorzata Niemen - who fights for the property rights to the artist's legacy, while remaining in constant conflict with his family and friends, she decided, that the choral singing of Legia fans resembles "roars", and the musical ritual repeated before each meeting strikes the memory of the deceased v 2004 year of my husband. It's not hard to guess, that the widow's militant attitude was not met with the sympathy of the general public. Both fans, and Niemen's fans recognized it, that the actual intention of the late artist's wife is not to care for his legacy, but financial claims. Marek Gaszyński also took the floor in the discussion. The author of the text "Snu…”And Niemen's friend acknowledged it aloud, that the musician not only would not mind, but he would be proud of it, that his piece starts football matches.
Parisian longings
"Dream about Warsaw" is the first, a joint song by Niemen and Gaszyński. The idea for the composition was born - as the author of the text recalls - in the middle of the years 60., when the Niemen, being in Paris, he was preparing a record for French-language versions of his old songs. Additionally, there is room for one more track on the disc - a moving one, inflatable, but devoid of words.
Niemen asked Daszyński to write the text for the already finished music. When asked about it, what topic he would raise - the artist replied shortly: "About Warsaw".
Even though Niemen was not (then) associated with the capital, while in Paris (thus a world center of cultural events, a cult art center and a variety fair in one) he realised, how much he misses his country. Warsaw was a symbol of everything, which was the most important for him - for a man from the East lost after World War II. The song became a proof of patriotism and great love for Poland, in phrases which Warsaw looked as beautiful as never before. Simply - perfect.
"Sen o Warszawy" was published in 1966 of the year in the form of a mini-album containing four songs. 29 years later, the capital's song was on the first, compilation authorized by Niemen. In 2004, so in the year of the artist's death, "Dream about Warsaw" was sung for the first time by Legia fans. Since then, the song has been gaining more and more popularity - it was used in films and commercials, the characteristic sound also turned out to be an inspiration for young artists, who covered it and sampled it an infinite number of times. "Its…”Has become the musical showpiece of the capital, however, the conflict between the artist's widow and Legia fans seemed to finally bury the idea, make a song that describes in color, make beautiful Warsaw official, the capital's anthem.
Music over divisions
And yet it worked! 16 February 2014 year, w 75. the anniversary of Czesław Niemen's birth, for the first time, the cult "Dream. Dream."…”. For the first time and not the last, because from that day - every week, every Friday at 16.00 - the song will be played from the town hall building on Plac Bankowy.
The choice was obvious - Niemen's song, among numerous works about the capital, is the most popular, ljubljana, uncontroversial, timeless, catchy and arousing only positive emotions. And besides - Warsaw is exceptionally beautiful in it.
"Sen o Warszawy" will not become - against the efforts of some Warsaw councilors and despite the support of the majority of the city's inhabitants - the official anthem of the capital. However, it will be "an announcement of the coming weekend" - played periodically, the musical monument to Niemen, positive accent and symbol, which even the most fierce antagonist of capital city is able to convince about it, that Warsaw is a dream city.