The band's debut album, The Beginning, which consisted entirely of instrumental music, was released in 1990 with average success. By 1993, the band released the follow-up, The New Shape, with the line-up expanded to include Sławomir Romanowski and Robert Amirian. The album featured vocals by Robert Janson and Robert Amirian, along with guest vocalists including Edyta Bartosiewicz.
The band's breakthrough was the 1994 album Emu, which marked a significant change in musical direction, i.e. the band now had a lead singer, Anita Lipnicka, and started performing primarily in Polish. This formula was highly successful, and both Emu and the following 1995 album, Elf, sold more than half a million copies each. In 1995, the band won a Polish music award, the Fryderyk, for best Polish music group. Furthermore, the band provided a number of songs (mostly from Elf) for the soundtrack of the movie Młode wilki.
In 1996, Varius Manx appeared on the television show "Szansa na sukces", a kind of karaoke show in which the participants sing the songs of the visiting band. The winner of the show was the 19-year-old Kasia Stankiewicz. When, shortly afterwards, Amirian and Lipnicka both left the band, the remaining members asked Stankiewicz to join the band as new lead singer. This new line-up recorded Ego, which featured the band's biggest hit to date, the song "Orła cień".
In 1997, the band released its 6th album, End, which was a commercial hit, though it sold far less that the band's preceding albums.
In 2000, Varius Manx released their first compilation album Najlepsze z dobrych, which included four new songs along with remastered versions of the band's greatest hits. Shortly afterwards, Kasia Stankiewicz left the band and was replaced by Monika Kuszyńska. With her as lead singer, the band recorded the albums Eta (2001), Eno (2002) and Emi (2004).
In 2006, during the band's summer tour, the band members were involved in a car accident, which left lead singer Monika Kuszyńska paralyzed from the waist down. The band suspended its activities until 2010, then with a new lead singer, Lari Lu, with whom the band recorded the album Eli (2011).
The band's current lead singer, since 2013, is Edi Ann.
Wolni w niewoli
Varius Manx Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Jak budzi się ze snu
Jak nagi w swym pokoju
Nieskrępowany tak
Swobodny sam ze sobą
Lecz nie wie nic, że ja
Po drugiej stronie z okna
Tak dobrze już go znam
Tańczysz kiedy chcę
I jesteś już mym
Świadomym tak, wolnym w niewoli
Tańczysz kiedy chcę
I jesteś już mym
Szczęśliwie tak, wolnym w niewoli snem
Jak rano piję kawę
Jak budzę się ze snu
Jak naga w swym pokoju
Nieskrępowana tak
Swobodna sama z sobą
Lecz widzę, że ten ktoś
Po drugiej stronie z okna
Swojego tak co dnia
I chyba już mnie zna
Tańczysz kiedy chcę
I jesteś już mym
Świadomym tak, wolnym w niewoli
Tańczysz kiedy chcę
I jesteś już mym
Szczęśliwie tak, wolnym w niewoli snem
Tańczysz kiedy chcę
I jesteś już mym
Świadomym tak, wolnym w niewoli
Tańczysz kiedy chcę
I jesteś już mym
Szczęśliwie tak, wolnym w niewoli
Tańczysz kiedy chcę
I jesteś już mym
Świadomym tak, wolnym w niewoli
Tańczysz kiedy chcę
I jesteś już mym
Szczęśliwie tak, wolnym w niewoli snem
The song "Wolni w niewoli" by Varius Manx is a dreamy and introspective tune that speaks about someone observing another person from their window. The first stanza describes the daily routine of the observer who enjoys their morning coffee, wakes up from their sleep, and feels comfortable, free, and unbound in their room. However, the person on the other side of the window is also doing the same, and even though they are unknown to each other, the observer feels that they have already gotten to know them well.
The chorus talks about dancing and the observer experiencing a sense of freedom through their connection with the other person. The lines "Tańczysz kiedy chcę" means "You dance when I want you to," and it shows that the observable person is willing to be led and is happy to be in the observer's control. The term "wolnym w niewoli" or "free in captivity" refers to the idea that even though the person is under someone else's control, they are still able to feel a sense of liberation through the connection with another.
Overall, "Wolni w niewoli" is a song that delves into the idea of how people can feel free and unbound while still being under someone else's control. The song's dreamy and melancholic tone adds to the introspective nature of the lyrics.
Line by Line Meaning
Jak rano pije kawę
When I drink my coffee in the morning
Jak budzi się ze snu
When I wake up from my sleep
Jak nagi w swym pokoju
When I'm naked in my room
Nieskrępowany tak
Feeling unrestrained
Swobodny sam ze sobą
Free and alone with myself
Lecz nie wie nic, że ja
But they don't know about me
Po drugiej stronie z okna
On the other side of the window
Mojego tak co dnia
Everyday, just like mine
Tak dobrze już go znam
I already know them so well
Tańczysz kiedy chcę
You dance when I want you to
I jesteś już mym
And you're already mine
Świadomym tak, wolnym w niewoli
Conscious and free in captivity
Szczęśliwie tak, wolnym w niewoli snem
Happily, free in captivity in a dream
Jak rano piję kawę
When I drink my coffee in the morning
Jak budzę się ze snu
When I wake up from my sleep
Jak naga w swym pokoju
When I'm naked in my room
Nieskrępowana tak
Feeling unrestrained
Swobodna sama z sobą
Free and alone with myself
Lecz widzę, że ten ktoś
But I see that someone
Po drugiej stronie z okna
On the other side of the window
Swojego tak co dnia
Everyday, just like mine
I chyba już mnie zna
And maybe they already know me
Tańczysz kiedy chcę
You dance when I want you to
I jesteś już mym
And you're already mine
Świadomym tak, wolnym w niewoli
Conscious and free in captivity
Tańczysz kiedy chcę
You dance when I want you to
I jesteś już mym
And you're already mine
Szczęśliwie tak, wolnym w niewoli snem
Happily, free in captivity in a dream
Tańczysz kiedy chcę
You dance when I want you to
I jesteś już mym
And you're already mine
Świadomym tak, wolnym w niewoli
Conscious and free in captivity
Tańczysz kiedy chcę
You dance when I want you to
I jesteś już mym
And you're already mine
Szczęśliwie tak, wolnym w niewoli snem
Happily, free in captivity in a dream
Contributed by Samantha L. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@ukaszbednarski7968
Wspaniałe czasy,coraz więcej ludzi wraca do tej muzyki,bo chciałoby wrócić do tamtych czasów,ja sam też bym chciał
@Pollyanna77
Piękne czasy, znają ten klimat Ci, w których żyli ❤
@mattplaysgroove152
Ale to jest kozacki numer
@lukaszzieciak1268
I to jest MUZYKA. Pan Janson to GENIUSZ!
@januszkam1151
A ja też jestem wolny w niewoli w USA. Pięknie dziewczyna śpiewa.Szacunek
@jarekjarecki9230
Chyba czasy Lipnickiej i Stankiewicz to jedne z najlepszych dla Varius Manx.
@elzbietakaffler5518
+Jarek Jarecki .....oczywiście....myślę,że Kuszyńska też wniosła coś fajnego.....:-)
@SomeoneWhoCares87
+Elżbieta Kaffler Kuczyńska wniosła bardzo mało ..... niestety tylko swoje kalectwo, nic więcej
@elzbietakaffler5518
to raczej nie sprawiedliwe...moje zdanie jest inne....
@januszkam1151
Wspaniała Kasia