Watch out!
Beware! The Poland’s new export hit has fallen short of expectations to conquer
the Eurovision festival (thanks for Jamie, aka Island1, for sharing the link to
a brilliant pithy commentary). Hopes for the top award have been dashed, the
Polish song ended up ranked fourteenth.
When it
first appeared in the Polish media half a year ago, it promptly aroused ample
controversies, surrounding both suggestive lyrics and the video clip, allegedly
oozing with sex. Some critics approached it reservedly, other dubbed it soft
pornography.
Popularity
of the song has been explained by its simplicity and catchiness. Cross my
heart, I don’t find it catchy, nor kitschy (which might be construed as a
compliment). The form is uncanny, however the blend of hip-hop and folk music
is certainly not my kind and not my style. Forty million views on youtube
(including several millions in days subsequent to posting) may speak for
themselves, but I’d interpret the figure as a manifestation of curiosity rather
than genuine appreciation of the song.
Until
today, I’ve been finding the idea behind taking this song to the Eurovision
festival as our export hit mind-boggling. I have confessed to recognise bawdy songs generally appeal to audience and Poland’s most precious assets are undoubtedly charming women (they stand out in terms of beauty against other
nations), but bringing the two notions together could have been bound to result
in a massive flop…
The outcome
has not filled me with disgust. Celebrities all over the world show off their
bodies to nurture their popularity and not infrequently to mask deficiencies in
their talents. Yet, even if emanating with sexuality is the daily bread, I dare
to doubt if artists representing Poland on any event abroad, even if it is the
‘celebration of campness’, should follow suit. If Poles are to win any
international music contest, they should be capable of getting ahead without
invoking the most primeval instincts (busty girls doing I don’t know what,
cause I’m not from the countryside, but looking ambiguously) and substance
ought to triumph over form!
I pledge
not to have seen yesterday’s finals of the contest, but when I compare it to
what the festival stood for 20 years ago when Edyta Górniak scored the second
award or 40 years ago, when Eurovision turned out to be a stepping stone (not a
Waterloo) for the Swedish band Abba, it seems popular culture is going
downhill…
Against the
media-fuelled fad, I didn’t even root for Donatan and Cleo. Had they won, I
wouldn’t have felt pride. They ended up fourteenth and serves them right,
proper rank for what they embodied… Such stance is entirely patriotic, but I’m
reluctant to blindly embrace everything that is Polish just on account of its
Polishness…
1 comment:
http://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-27371264
And politics. Holland got zero points from Ukraine, because Dutch MEP Hans van Baalen was shouting on the baricades in Kiev, and run of to safe Brussels, according to a lot of Dutch People.
Best regards, Alexander
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