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.
Topielice
Kayah Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
płynie kotka przemokła i siwa,
pod następnym mostem niespodzianie
przyłączyła się do niej dziewczyna
Opryskują je lampy portowe,
owijają je posępne fale,
a one prowadzą rozmowę
Dzieci z mostu mnie w wodę wrzuciły,
a ciebie? mnie także, wiedz to
chodź tak bliskie, dalekie bez siły,
w zimną falę wrzuciło mnie dziecko
Teraz we mnie płynie jak w łodzi
w dal od brzegów tonących w mgły krepie
nie zobaczy już świata, nie szkodzi,
nie wyrośnie na ludzi, tak lepiej
nie zobaczy już świata, nie szkodzi,
nie wyrośnie na ludzi, tak lepiej…
The lyrics of "Topielice" tell a story about two women who meet by chance in the Seine river. One is a stray, wet and gray cat who's just floating by, and the other is a woman who joins her underneath the bridge. Both characters are misunderstood, forgotten, and rejected by society as indicated by the lyrics "lampy portowe," "posępne fale," and "tonących w mgły krepie."
As the two converse, they reveal that they both suffered the same fate of being pushed into the water by children. The singer of the story adds that she was also pushed into the river, but by a child without strength. She now floats aimlessly in the water, but finds solace in the fact that she won't have to face the world's cruel and unforgiving nature. The repetition of the line "nie zobaczy już świata, nie szkodzi, nie wyrośnie na ludzi, tak lepiej" reinforces the singer's peaceful acceptance of her fate.
The song's lyrics evoke feelings of abandonment, loneliness, and hopelessness, but also convey a sense of acceptance and resignation to one's fate. Kayah's haunting vocals, combined with the stripped-down acoustic guitar and accordion accompaniment, create an eerie and melancholic atmosphere that perfectly captures the mood of the lyrics.
Line by Line Meaning
Chudą nocą pod mostem w Sekwanie
On a skinny night under the bridge in the Seine
płynie kotka przemokła i siwa,
A wet and grey cat is floating
pod następnym mostem niespodzianie
Unexpectedly, under the next bridge
przyłączyła się do niej dziewczyna
A girl joined her
Opryskują je lampy portowe,
They are being sprayed by port lamps
owijają je posępne fale,
Gloomy waves are wrapping around them
a one prowadzą rozmowę
And they are conversing
i nie oddychają już wcale
And they are not breathing anymore
Dzieci z mostu mnie w wodę wrzuciły,
Children from the bridge threw me into the water
a ciebie? mnie także, wiedz to
And you? Me too, know that
chodź tak bliskie, dalekie bez siły,
Come so close, far without strength,
w zimną falę wrzuciło mnie dziecko
A child threw me into the cold wave
Teraz we mnie płynie jak w łodzi
Now it floats in me like in a boat
w dal od brzegów tonących w mgły krepie
Far away from the shores, drowned in a heavy fog
nie zobaczy już świata, nie szkodzi,
It won't see the world anymore, it doesn't matter,
nie wyrośnie na ludzi, tak lepiej
It won't grow up to be human, so much better
nie zobaczy już świata, nie szkodzi,
It won't see the world anymore, it doesn't matter,
nie wyrośnie na ludzi, tak lepiej…
It won't grow up to be human, so much better...
Contributed by John H. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Zuzanna Latawiec
Czytając wiersz zastanawiałam się, jak by brzmiał jako piosenka. I Wikipedia zrobiła mi taką miłą niespodziankę. Naprawdę jestem pod wrażeniem.
Wiersz "Topielice" pochodzi z tomiku "Paryż" Marii Pawlikowskiej-Jasnorzewskiej
Maksym M.
Słychać Embracacao ;) świetny kawałek i TEKST!
Mac in Brighton
to oryginal na bazie ktorego powstalo Embarcacao :)
MagdalenaTheBlue
Piękny tekst i muzyka, ale piosenka koszmarnie dołująca...