She released her first, self-produced solo album, Kamien (Stone), in 1996. It was a great success, consisting of melancholy pop songs. In the same year, she was voted ‘Vocalist of the Year’ by the Polish music industry and received a Fryderyk in recognition of her achievements.
In 1997, she received another Fryderyk, this time for the album Zebra, in the category of ‘Composer of the Year’. With Zebra she changed her style, moving in the direction of American soul music.
In 1999, she recorded one of the most popular Polish albums ever, with the Balkan composer Goran Bregović, entitled Kayah & Bregović: it is a blend of old Slavic songs and modern rhythms. Most of the music was composed by Bregović for the band Bijelo Dugme (White Button), which he had been a part of and movie soundtracks that he had worked on. The lyrics are both translations of the original text and inspired. In the same year she was awarded a Wiktor and another Fryderyk, in the category ‘Vocalist of the Year’.
In 2000, she released the album Jaka Ja Kayah which featured pop, jazz, and techno-influenced songs. She also released the single "Aniol Wiedzial" ("The Angel Knew") from the album, duetted with Cesaria Evora in Portuguese, and recorded English-language versions of some of her songs.
She was twice cast in advertisements for Polish mobile phone's Web - Orange POP (formerly Idea POP).
Sites: En.Wikipedia.
Bo Czasem
Kayah Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
ciężką chmurą, chmurą
w nocy gdy nie widzi nikt
po policzkach
smutki płyną, płyną
budzi mnie mój własny krzyk
Bo czasem jesteś snem
Nie, ja nie chcę by
pierwszy krzyk słońca za oknem
spłoszył go mi
Bo czasem jesteś snem
łagodnym, słodkim jak sen
choć czasem jesteś snem
bolesnym, okrutnym snem
lecz jesteś snem,
z którego nie chcę obudzić się
lecz jesteś snem,
z którego nie chcę obudzić się
The lyrics of the song "Bo Czasem" by Kayah depicts a feeling of being weighed down by heavy emotions, symbolized by a heavy cloud descending upon the singer. The sadness flows down her cheeks at night when nobody can see her. She wakes up to her own screams. The lyrics describe the person responsible for causing this turmoil as a dream, a painful and cruel dream at times, but also sweet and gentle.
The song speaks of a complex relationship where the singer is torn between wanting to let go of the pain caused by this person, and not wanting to wake up from this dream-like state. The final lines of the song repeat the conflicting emotions, acknowledging that she doesn't want to wake up from the dream, a clear indication that despite the turmoil, the relationship is one that the singer is not ready to let go of.
Kayah's voice in this song carries a myriad of emotions, creating a melancholic atmosphere. The lyrics and the melody work together to express the feeling of being torn between letting go of pain and holding onto a sweet but painful dream.
Line by Line Meaning
Spadasz na mnie
You fall on me
ciężką chmurą, chmurą
Like a heavy cloud
w nocy gdy nie widzi nikt
In the night, when no one sees
po policzkach
Tears flow down my cheeks
smutki płyną, płyną
Sorrows flow, they keep flowing
budzi mnie mój własny krzyk
My own scream wakes me up
Bo czasem jesteś snem
Because sometimes you are a dream
bolesnym, okrutnym snem
A painful, cruel dream
Nie, ja nie chcę by
No, I don't want
pierwszy krzyk słońca za oknem
The first cry of the sun outside
spłoszył go mi
To startle me
łagodnym, słodkim jak sen
Gentle, sweet like a dream
lecz czasem jesteś snem
But sometimes you are a dream
lecz jesteś snem,
But you are a dream
bolesnym, okrutnym snem
A painful, cruel dream
z którego nie chcę obudzić się
One that I don't want to wake up from
lecz jesteś snem,
But you are a dream
z którego nie chcę obudzić się
One that I don't want to wake up from
Contributed by Asher A. Suggest a correction in the comments below.