Boobs letdown

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…