the POLSKI blog

18 Dec, 2009

Dear Santa….

Posted by: Michał In: cultural beast| famous Poles

I just want one CD for Christmas. I know it’s almost a year old, but I’ve only just been told about it. (Yeah, thanks, ‘friends’ for keeping me up to date). And I instantly fell in love with it.

Mieczyslaw Fogg was a very famous Polish crooner, whose career spanned half a century. He first started singing before the war and kept performing well into the 1980s. Always well-groomed, well-mannered, he appealed to the melancholic middle-aged ladies, who always dreamed of having a husband like him.

Needless to say, when I was a teenager it wasn’t particularly cool to listen to him. Actually, it wasn’t cool at all.

Fast forward twenty-odd years to 2008 and Fogg is back in fashion, but this time among the hip, twenty-something crowd.

Several young Polish artists re-recorded or remixed some of his old songs and released an album called Cafe Fogg. If you’re familiar with the Verve Remixed series, Cafe Fogg is in many ways very similar to that.

Here’s my absolute favourite, Bo to sie tak zwykle zaczyna (That’s the way it usually begins). The original song was remixed by The Bumelants and I love it:

Here’s another one I like – a song called Kiedy będziesz zakochany (When you’re in love), re-recorded by Novika:

Dear Santa! Got it?!

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8 Responses to "Dear Santa…."

1 | Seb HaighNo Gravatar

December 22nd, 2009 at 12:07 pm

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Hi Michal,

I wonder if your readers might be interested in picking up outrageously cheap Christmas tree from the Christmas Shop at 13 Stroud Green Road

…At the end of the Finsbury Park Bus Station.
…Near the Big Yellow Car Wash.

The Christmas Shop
13 Stroud Green Road, Finsbury Park
London, N4 2AL

http://www.allinlondon.co.uk/directory/1073/49773.php

I think the big trees are now down to £5 each!

Seb

2 | MirandaNo Gravatar

December 22nd, 2009 at 6:38 pm

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Great music – was dancing round the kitchen! Especially liked the second one!

4 | JanekNo Gravatar

December 27th, 2009 at 4:22 pm

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Glad you found it and reminded me of the old 331/3 Polish imports from when I was a kid trying to be Polish in UK!
Have you read ‘The Engineer’ yet by Kusmirek? Sort of picks upthe same period moods.

5 | MichałNo Gravatar

December 28th, 2009 at 5:11 pm

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No, haven’t read but thanks for the tip, will look for it.

6 | LondonNo Gravatar

February 1st, 2010 at 4:50 pm

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Funky remixes. Personally I like the Novika version with the reggae beat best. Nice ‘n slow, trip-hoppy.

But one question remains – did Santa give you the CD????

7 | fiziskandarzNo Gravatar

February 6th, 2010 at 3:50 pm

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hi! came across ur blog while looking for some stuff about poland :D indeed worth a visit! keep it going :)

8 | MichałNo Gravatar

February 7th, 2010 at 1:51 pm

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London – no, Santa ignored my request. Oh well….

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The POLSKI blog is written by Michał, a Polish journalist, writer, one-time language teacher and linguist, living and working in London.

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