Renata Przemyk w… Read Full Bio ↴Renata Przemyk is a Polish singer and music writer.
Renata Przemyk was born on 10th February 1966 in Bielsko-Biała, where she attended primary and secondary school. She enjoyed her childhood together with her parents, grandmother and brothers. After finishing school, Renata moved to Katowice and began to study Czech philology at University of Silesia.
In 1994 she moved to Cracow, and at the end of 1999 she decided to lead quiet life in the country near Cracow, away from the fuss of a big city, which enabled her to compose, make arrangements of her own songs and bring up her daughter in a peaceful atmosphere.
Her career as a singer started when she was a teenager, by singing with local rock bands. However, the real calling for music she developed during her studies when she was inspired by the music of Tom Waits, Talking Heads and Frank Zappa. As a result of it, she started a band named "Ya Hozna" in 1989.
Although the fact, that the group lasted only for a year, they managed to release an album entitled "Ya Hozna", the album that revealed unique and original musical style of Renata Przemyk. After her music began to catch on, she started her solo career.
As an independent artist Renata has recorded and edited the following albums: "Mało zdolna szansonistka" (1992), "Tylko kobieta" (1994), "Andergrant" (1996), "Hormon" (1999), "Blizna" (2001), "Balladyna" (2002) - soundtrack from a play directed by Jan Machulski, "The best of" (2003) - a compilation of her most interesting songs, "Unikat" (2006).
From the beginning of her artistic path, she has been accompanied by her dearest friend and manager - Anna Saraniecka, who at the same time is the author of all lyrics. Mature and wise lyrics have the same importance for Renata's songs as the music, and are integral part of creating the unusual nature of her work.
Most of Renata's albums were awarded with a status of "golden album" for selling over 50.000 copies. Moreover, they were nominated and awarded many times - mostly for artistic individuality.
From the beginning of her career, the singer has also won numerous awards in various festivals in which she took part, including first prize in the festival in Cracow, "Karolinka" in Opole and "Bursztynowy Slowik" in Sopot.
As an artist that connects rock sounds with poetry and theatrical performance she could both perform - on the stage of a rock festival in Jarocin, and on prestigious festivals of stage song that took place in Wrocław and Köln. She has given concerts in France (Normandy, Britany, Paris) and in the USA (New York) but because of lyrics written in native language, she prefers to perform in front of the Polish publicity which can fully appreciate the words and also sing the songs with her.
Although, she has got many interests such as: art, cinema, the 19th and 20th century literature, modern theatre and drawing her own graphics, the most important for her is always music. She has cooperated with many artists but if it's for her art - she's always the only one who produces her ventures and decides about their character.
It is hard to classify her music - neither rock nor alternative nor poetry can describe what's deep inside it. She calls her music "an everlasting search for tones, sounds, emotions and climates not similar to anything that had been made before". That's why each album is different from the previous one. Nevertheless, there is always one motif in common - on every album we can hear the sound of accordion, an instrument the artist likes, despite all trends and fashions.
An individual and unique style of Renata's music has its origin in post-punk tones. However, the artist has been constantly using various instruments in her musical career. The electronic sounds were used for the first time by Renata on an album entitled "Hormon" in 1999, which at the same time was the first album composed by her. Since then she and the author of lyrics Anna Saraniecka have been the only "parents" of Renata's successes.
What is more, in plebiscites of two most important Polish weeklies - Polityka and Wprost, Renata has been chosen one of the most important artists of the last century.
Discography:
* Yahozna (1990)
* Mało zdolna szansonistka (1992)
* Tylko kobieta (1994)
* Andergrant (1996)
* Hormon (1999)
* Blizna (2001)
* Balladyna (2002)
* The best of Renata Przemyk (2003)
* Unikat (2006)
* Odjazd (2009)
Protest Dance
Renata Przemyk Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I wystroiła się na bal
Mówili w radiu źle jest u nas
Bo ludziom perspektywy brak
Weszłam na krzesło żeby z góry
Zobaczyć co ma spotkać mnie
Znowu wisiały nisko chmury
Przeto musiałam wyżej wejść
Gdy teraz pląsam w ich papierach
Tańczę na stole kieckę zadzieram
Tłukę butelki depczę szkło
Smutni panowie ćwiczą pokera
A ja przed nimi kankana
Szefom po plecach biegną ciarki
Bo wyczuwają głębszy sens
W buncie potulnej sekretarki
Co przybrał formę protest dance
Mam tylko jedno wieczne pióro
Proszę by skrzydła dał mi los
Chcę ponad duszne wzlecieć biuro
Nad kartoteki ciężki stos
Pod jaką firmą bym nie była
I tak bym w końcu wystąpiła
Tańczę na stole...
Podarłam w strzępy ważny dekret
I rozmazałam podpis czyjś
Na udach czuję oczy wściekłe
Myślą jak przerwać występ mi
Niech licytują swoje siły
Niech przekładają talię słów
Byle mi miejsce zostawili
Na dziki taniec moich nóg
Zmieniają się przy stole gracze
A ja niezmiennie swoje skaczę
Tańczę na stole...
The lyrics of Renata Przemyk's song "Protest Dance" are about a rebellious woman who decides to break free from the mundane routine of her office job and unleash her wild side by dancing on tables, tearing important documents, and challenging the authority of her male superiors. The song describes how the singer's behavior is perceived as a threat by the conservative and uptight men who surround her, but at the same time, it empowers her to express herself and assert her identity.
The first stanza sets the stage for the singer's rebellious behavior by describing how she hears on the radio that the country is in a bad state because people have no prospects. She decides to climb on a chair to get a better view of her surroundings, and she sees that the clouds are low, which means that she needs to climb higher to escape her mundane reality. The second stanza describes how the singer dances provocatively on a table, breaks bottles, and challenges the poker-playing men who are watching her. She feels their judgmental eyes on her but refuses to surrender to their expectations. In the final stanza, the singer tears an important document and defaces someone's signature, knowing that someone is watching her. She challenges her male colleagues to outsmart her with their words and their games, but she maintains her position as a free spirit who won't be contained.
Line by Line Meaning
Któregoś ranka pękła struna
One morning a string broke
I wystroiła się na bal
And it dressed itself up for the ball
Mówili w radiu źle jest u nas
They said on the radio that things are bad here
Bo ludziom perspektywy brak
Because people lack prospects
Weszłam na krzesło żeby z góry
I climbed on a chair to see from above
Zobaczyć co ma spotkać mnie
What was going to happen to me
Znowu wisiały nisko chmury
Once again the clouds hung low
Przeto musiałam wyżej wejść
So I had to climb higher
Poważnym ludziom sen odbieram
I am depriving serious people of their sleep
Gdy teraz pląsam w ich papierach
As I dance around in their paperwork
Tańczę na stole kieckę zadzieram
I dance on the table and lift my dress
Tłukę butelki depczę szkło
I smash bottles and stomp on glass
Smutni panowie ćwiczą pokera
Sad gentlemen are practicing poker
A ja przed nimi kankana
And I do the cancan in front of them
Szefom po plecach biegną ciarki
Chills run down the bosses' spines
Bo wyczuwają głębszy sens
Because they sense a deeper meaning
W buncie potulnej sekretarki
In the rebellion of a meek secretary
Co przybrał formę protest dance
That has taken the form of a protest dance
Mam tylko jedno wieczne pióro
I have only one eternal pen
Proszę by skrzydła dał mi los
I ask fate to give me wings
Chcę ponad duszne wzlecieć biuro
I want to soar above the oppressive office
Nad kartoteki ciężki stos
Above the heavy stacks of files
Pod jaką firmą bym nie była
No matter what company I'm in
I tak bym w końcu wystąpiła
I would still eventually perform
Podarłam w strzępy ważny dekret
I tore up an important decree into shreds
I rozmazałam podpis czyjś
And smudged someone else's signature
Na udach czuję oczy wściekłe
I feel angry eyes on my thighs
Myślą jak przerwać występ mi
Thinking how to interrupt my performance
Niech licytują swoje siły
Let them bid their strength
Niech przekładają talię słów
Let them shuffle the deck of words
Byle mi miejsce zostawili
Just leave me some room
Na dziki taniec moich nóg
For the wild dance of my legs
Zmieniają się przy stole gracze
The players at the table are changing
A ja niezmiennie swoje skaczę
And I continue to jump around
Contributed by Aiden D. Suggest a correction in the comments below.