From rousing patriotic mazurkas to subtle anti-communist pop music all the way to 21st-century gangsta rap po polsku , there are plenty of great tunes to choose from the history of Polish music. Whether you've just started learning Polish, plan on visiting or staying long term in Poland, dipping your toe into this ocean music is a great way to get a better understanding of the nation's history, culture and sense of humour! Chances are if you're reading this, Polish isn't your first language and you've used Google Translate at least once in your life. For this reason, we've translated a few lines for you here and there to give a reasonably non-robotic understanding of the Polish lyrics. 

Brathanki - Czerwony Korale

Folk music in Poland differs from region to region, but it's in the Góral mountain region of southern Poland where you will find the unique sound of heavily-embellished man-choirs and accompanying violin. It's this black-hatted festivity that inspired the 2000 hit single  Czerwony Korale  (ENG: Red Beads) from the appropriately-named folk music group Brathanki (ENG: Brothers). The verses are from the perspective of a woman who is swept off her feet by a dancing mountain cassanova and is then jilted for some woman named Kryśka! The chorus, sung by the male choir, describes the red bead-necklace that she wears as she weeps for being danced about! Musically, it is rather different from your standard Polka vibes and sounds rather Balkan throughout. At your local pub or nightclub, you are bound to hear this thrown in as a novelty amongst wall-to-wall disco polo classics.
 

Czerwone korale Czerwone niczym wino Korale z polnej jarzębiny I łzy dziewczyny I wielkie łzy

Red beads Red like wine Beads from a field of Rowan trees And a girl's tears And big tears

   

Mela Koteluk - Melodia Ulotna

Mela Koteluk began her career as a back-up singer for German hard rockers Scorpions, before deciding to strike out on her own in the early 2000s. However, it would take until 2012 for her to get a full studio album together,  Spadochron , which would debut at number 1 on the Polish charts. The song  Melodia Ulotna (ENG: Flying Melody) is a driving indie-folk ballad about a person's loneliness and the pursuit of intimacy with strangers. Although Koteluk sings exclusively in Polish, her voice and the accompanying music has transcended international borders and has garnered her a fanbase worldwide.

Ulatuje myśl, melodia Liście z drzew na ziemi śpią Uratuję dziś melodię Wezmę jedną z nich ze sobą spać

A thought flies, a melody The leaves from the trees on the ground are asleep I will save the melody today I'll take one of them to sleep with me

Mieczysław Fogg - To Ostatnia Niedziela

No Polish song list would be complete without a tune from the rather eccentric-sounding Mieczysław Fogg. This inter-war Sinatra-Aznavour-esque golden boy is best remembered by this rousing tango, the Argentinian dance/music style that was hugely popular in Poland at the time - something of an anomaly! 'This is the Last Sunday' is a tale of heartache told by a man knowing that his time with his lover is coming to an end, and he yearns for one final moment together before it's all over. There's a certain amount of ambiguity in this song. Is there someone else she has left him for? Was their time together never to last? Maybe neither of them want to go? So brooding are the lyrical themes of this song, that it was known for a long time as the  Suicide Tango .
 

To ostatnia niedziela Dzisiaj się rozstaniemy, Dzisiaj się rozejdziemy Na wieczny czas...

This is the Last Sunday Today, we will part Today, we will split For an eternity...

   

Marek Grechuta - Dni Których Nie Znamy

Marek Grechuta is considered to be the Polish version of Bob Dylan, though this guy could actually sing! The comparisons are mainly drawn upon from the fact that Grechuta was an incredible lyricist. In this, his best-known track, he takes an introspective look at the small and often-forgettable moments in our lives are more important and more profound than major life events. If you don't catch his lyrics, you can't deny that irresistible string-line response in the chorus!

ze wazna sa tylko te dni, ktorych jeszcze nie znamy Waznych jest kilka tych chwil, tych na ktore czekamy

Important are the days that we do not notice There are less-important moments that we still wait on

 

 

Bemibek - Podaruj Mi Troche Slonce

Psychedelic bossanova act Bemibek sounds like it could have been recorded at Copacobana studios in Rio Di Janeiro. The Warsaw-based group, formed in 1970, skatted their way to the heights of popularity in Poland and elsewhere behind the iron curtain. Their biggest hit, 'Give Me a Little Sunshine' was released in 1972 and was a welcome beam of optimism in the dreary life of Communist Poland. In the music video, lyrics and performance perfectly juxtapose the greyness of the Polish off-season.
 

Podaruj mi trochę słońca Idą deszczowe dni, idzie mokry czas A Ty tyle słońca masz... Tyle go masz w Twoim głosie Myślach Twych i w uśmiechu Tyle go masz, Że otworzyć mogłabyś sklep!

Give me a little sunshine! Rainy days are coming, the wetness is coming And you have so much sun... You have that much in your voice Your thoughts and smile You have so much, That you could open a shop!

   

Jerzy Stuhr - Śpiewać Każdy Może

The translated title Anyone Can Sing sounds like a bouncy, inclusive kindergarten song. The song is in fact an off-key, cynical polka-tango about how little musical talent it takes to impress people. Comedian Jerzy Stuhr, who is best known for the PRL-comedies Kingsajz and Seksmisja , delivered this unforgettable performance at the Sopot Song Festival in 1977, which was kind of like the Communist bloc's version of Eurovision. How very appropriate!
 

Śpiewać każdy może, Trochę lepiej, lub trochę gorzej, Ale nie oto chodzi, Jak co komu wychodzi. Czasami człowiek musi, Inaczej się udusi!

Anyone can sing Some better, some worse But that is not the point: Moreso, what it does for someone. Sometimes a person must Otherwise they will suffocate!

 

 

Kult - Polska

Kult knew they were writing an anthem of their own when they chose the name 'Polska'. However, this is far from Mazurek Dąbrowskiego . Written in 1987, the brass-backed rock shuffle reflects the cynical mindset of many Poles during communism. Frontman Kazik Staszewski describes the shabby appearance of Poland in the 1980s, comments on how unfriendly and antagonistic people seemed to be, as well as reflecting on the violence security services and militia at concert events. The line "Zaczepia mnie pijanych meneli wielu / Jutro spotkają się w kościele" (ENG: I get harrassed by drunken bums / Tomorrow I will see them at church) highlights the hypocrisy in values between alcoholism and being an observant catholic. It wasn't until 1992 that the song was officially released, as the regime surely would not have tolerated such good music!