Czerwone Gitary were founded by guitarist/vocalist Jerzy Kossela (July 15, 1942 – January 7, 2017) and bassist Henryk Zomerski on 3 January 1965 in Gdańsk. Initial members included Bernard Dornowski (guitar/vocals), Krzysztof Klenczon (lead guitar /vocals) and Jerzy Skrzypczyk (drums/vocals); four members (Dornowski, Klenczon, Kossela and Zomerski) had played previously in another notable Polish band, the Niebiesko-Czarni (The Blue-Blacks). Note: Radio disc jockey Neil Kempfer-Stocker was the first person to air the Blue-Blacks 45 rpms in America while at WRMC Radio Bethlehem, Pennsylvania in 1968. In Autumn 1965 Zomerski was replaced by Seweryn Krajewski (bass/vocals) ; around that time the band also launched their first tour in Poland under the slogan "We play and sing the loudest in Poland".
Their 1966 debut album "To właśnie my" ("It's us") sold 160,000 copies, and their May 1967 follow up, Czerwone Gitary 2, sold a then-record (for Poland) 240,000. In the same year Krajewski received a special award at the National Festival of Polish Song in Opole (Krajowy Festiwal Piosenki Polskiej w Opolu). In 1967 Kossela left the band. The band's 1968 third album sold 220,000 copies, and the group received an award in Opole for their song "Takie ładne oczy" ("Such Pretty Eyes"). In 1969 the band received a MIDEM award in Cannes for the largest number of discs sold in Poland up to that date; this was the same year that the Beatles received this award. Thereafter the Czerwone Gitary would be known as the Polish Beatles (see also Beatlesque). The same year the group received a special award from Billboard magazine, and in Poland, another award from Opole festival for "Biały krzyż" ("White cross").
Klenczon left in 1970, the year of the band's acclaimed LP "Na fujarce" ("On the flute"). Krajewski then took lead as the group turned to mainstream folk-tinged pop in the 1970s.
After a hiatus the Czerwone Gitary returned in the early 1990s with Kossela, Dornowski and Skrzypczyk resurrecting the group. Krajeski refused to participate and even released a solo album credited to Czerwone Gitary by Seweryn Krajewski called "Koniec" ("The End"). Initially the new lineup played the old hits; its first new album since the 1970s was "...jeszcze gra muzyka" ("...still the music plays") in 1998. In a 2000 poll for the Polish magazine Polityka, Czerwone Gitary were selected as "One of the Best Polish Bands of the 20th Century". In 2005 a new song "Senny szept" ("Sleepy whisper") took fourth place in the Sopot International Song Festival.
Members:
Jerzy Kossela (guitar, vocals, founder, leader, left in 1967, returned in 1991, left again in 1993 and returned again in 1999, stopped touring in 2015 due to health problems and died in 2017)
Henryk Zomerski (bass, keyabords ('90 & '00 only), founder, left the band soon after it was founded, in late 1965; in the band since 1999 till his death in 2011)
Bernard Dornowski (guitar, vocals, bass, one of the original members, left in 1999)
Jerzy Skrzypczyk (drums, vocals, percussion, one of the original members, still in the band as of 2016)
Krzysztof Klenczon (lead guitar, vocals, harmonica,one of the original members; left in 1970)
Seweryn Krajewski (bass, vocals, guitar, piano, violin, keyboards, replaced Zomerski in December 1965; left in 1997)
Dominik Kuta (guitar, flute, vocals, briefly in 1970)
Ryszard Kaczmarek (bass, 1971–1975)
Jan Pospieszalski (bass, 1976–1980)
Wojciech Hoffman (guitar, 1997–2000)
Arkadiusz Malinowski (guitar, bass, 1999–2002)
Dariusz Olszewski (guitar, vocals, 2000–2004, rejoined in 2010, still in the band as of 2016)
Mieczysław Wądołowski (guitar, vocals, joined 1997, still in the band as of 2016)
Marek Kisieliński (guitar, keyboards, joined 2003, left in 2013)
Arkadiusz Wiśniewski (bass, guitar, vocals, joined in 2003, still in the band as of 2016)
Artur Chyb (guitar, joined in 2013, left in 2014)
Marcin Niewęgłowski (guitar, vocals, 2014-2016)
Marek Jabłoński (guitar, joined in 2016)
Artur Żurek (percussion, additional drums, joined in 2016)
Nie licz dni
Czerwone Gitary Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Nie martw się: wrócę, gdy będę mógł.
Rozwiał świt ranne mgły,
Więc wybacz mi -
Na mnie czas, jadę już, nie licz dni ...
Słyszysz? To woła mnie leśny trakt,
Może gdzieś nowych dróg znajdę ślad.
Więc wybacz mi -
Na mnie czas, jadę już, nie licz dni ...
Horyzontu kres
Gaśnie pośród wzgórz.
Jeszcze dziś znajdę tam
Do przygody klucz.
Słyszysz? To woła mnie echo z gór,
Z turni wiatr strąca w dół cienie chmur.
Biały dzień już u drzwi,
Więc wybacz mi -
Na mnie czas, jadę już, nie licz dni ...
Horyzontu kres
Gaśnie pośród wzgórz.
Jeszcze dziś znajdę tam
Do przygody klucz.
Słyszysz? To woła mnie echo z gór.
Biały dzień już u drzwi,
Więc wybacz mi -
Na mnie czas, jadę już, nie licz dni ...
Słyszysz? To woła mnie przygód świat.
Nie chcę już tracić dni ani lat,
Ale znów widzę łzy;
No, powiedz, czy
Nawet już marzyć nie wolno mi?bis
The lyrics of Czerwone Gitary's song "Nie licz dni" tell a story of a traveler who hears the call of nature and adventure. The first two stanzas talk about the traveler hearing calls from the fields of hawthorn and the forest's path, places the traveler has been before and intends to visit again. The traveler acknowledges that time is short and asks for forgiveness for leaving without any notice. They are looking to find new paths and adventures where rivers gleam in the sunlight, and behind the hills, there's a horizon to be seen. They hear echoes from the mountains, and in the end, they ask if they're not allowed to dream anymore.
The lyrics of "Nie licz dni" can be interpreted as an analogy for life. The traveler is a representation of a person's search for purpose, and their search for adventure represents the search for meaning. The reference to the horizon is an indication of the quest for the future, and one's dreams are a way of seeking hope. The song encourages people to seek their future and find their purpose in life, with the last line asking if it's not allowed to dream, indicating that it's essential to dream big and follow your passion.
Line by Line Meaning
Słyszysz? To woła mnie polny głóg,
Can you hear it? The call of the field thorn is calling out to me,
Nie martw się: wrócę, gdy będę mógł.
Don't worry, I'll come back when I can.
Rozwiał świt ranne mgły,
The morning fog has lifted,
Więc wybacz mi -
So forgive me -
Na mnie czas, jadę już, nie licz dni ...
It's time for me, I'm leaving now, don't count the days ...
Słyszysz? To woła mnie leśny trakt,
Can you hear it? The call of the forest path is calling out to me,
Może gdzieś nowych dróg znajdę ślad.
Maybe I'll find a new path somewhere.
Rzeki nurt w słońcu lśni,
The river current glistens in the sun,
Horyzontu kres
The horizon fades away
Gaśnie pośród wzgórz.
Dimming among the hills.
Jeszcze dziś znajdę tam
I'll still find there today
Do przygody klucz.
The key to adventure.
Słyszysz? To woła mnie echo z gór,
Can you hear it? The call of the mountain echo is calling out to me,
Z turni wiatr strąca w dół cienie chmur.
From the mountain peaks, the wind blows down the shadows of the clouds.
Biały dzień już u drzwi,
The white day is already at the door,
Słyszysz? To woła mnie przygód świat.
Can you hear it? The call of the world of adventure is calling out to me.
Nie chcę już tracić dni ani lat,
I don't want to waste any more days or years,
Ale znów widzę łzy;
But I see tears again;
No, powiedz, czy
So tell me,
Nawet już marzyć nie wolno mi?
Am I not even allowed to dream anymore?
Contributed by Jonathan J. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Janusz Kalicki
Świetny rockowy utwór CG. Nic się nie zestarzał.
Marcin Perliński
Cały zespół zasługuje na pochwały. Cudowna muzyczna perełka.
Andrzej Mrozek
Piosenka z 3 lp Czerwonych Gitar z 1968 r.
Świetne wykonanie K Klenczona
Małgorzata Korczak
Ech, to były fajne czasy super muzyka.
Jean Pierre Zutter
A nice song !!
Nice voices !!
Elżbieta Ziąbkowska
Taka wspaniała piosenka i tak mało odsłon. Bardzo ją lubię.
basta
Brakuje Krzyśka na scenie muzycznej! Co za głos!!