Slovak 80s Music Hits, Part 2

Here is the second part of post on hits of Slovak pop music during the 80s. If you haven’t seen the first part, make sure to check it out as well.

Richar Müller

This song by Richard Müller is titled “Po Schodoch“, which means by (taking) the stairs. Most Slovaks lived, and still live, in prefab block buildings called panelák. Some were up to 13 stories tall, and contained between 2 and 4 units on each floor. Despite the rather unappealing look from the outside, the units were actually pretty nice. Except that some didn’t have very thick soundproofing, and as such, you could hear everything your neighbors were doing. That is the subject of this song. The elevator is out of service, and Richard Müller must take the stairs. Along the way he can hear a loud stereo, and warnings against infedelity, somebody drilling in the walls (počuť hlasné stereo aj výstrahy pred neverou, ktosi čosi vŕta v paneloch). He realizes that he can learn what sort of people we are by taking the stairs, and from now on, goes up only by the stairs (oddnes chodím iba po schodoch)

Another song by Richard Müller is this one called “Nebude to také ľahké, drahá“, It won’t be so easy, dear. The song is about a wife wanting to move on. But it won’t be so easy, mňa sa nezbavíš, s tým sa lúč (you won’t get rid of me, forget about it), nemôžeš ma vymeniť ako rúž. Som tvoj muž! (you can’t change me like a lipstick, I am your husband).

Pavol Hammel

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=buR2Fh0fRgU
Pavol Hammel has been making music since the 60’s. In 1969 he formed the band Prúdy. This song, Učiteľka Tanca (The Dance Teacher), was released in 1973. So, it’s not quite an 80s music, but it’s still a great song and an awesome video clip. Učiteľka tanca ma učí ako dámy držat v náručí, The dance teacher teaches me, how to hold ladies in my arms – Učiteľka tanca je moj sen, pred ňou pod nohami strácam zem, The dance teacher is my dream, before her I am losing the ground under my feet.

Another great song by Pavol Hammel is ZRPŠ, acronym for Združenie rodičov a priateľov škôl, Association of parents and friends of schools – basically the parent-teacher’s association (PTA). The song is about a group of school friends reminiscing about their childhood, but now, they are just associated in the PTA: Pri poslednom litri vína, každý rád si zaspomíná na ten čas pomalý, čas malín, With the last liter of wine, everybody likes to remember that time when everything went by slow, the time of raspberries.

Lojzo

Ah Lojzo – the Slovak bluegrass rock, if there is such a category. These guys are great and all their songs are really funny (I guess it helps if you know Slovak). Here is a song about Subsidiary Manufacture, Pridružená Výroba.

And another one, hopefully not about me. It’s about a guy who likes to stuff himself, whose dinner is like hockey – with three thirds (Večeru má ako hokej na tri tretiny), with all bunch of great goodies, buchty, morku, pivo, tortu, ešte trochu slaniny (buchty, turkey, beer, tort cake, and little bit of bacon).

Modus

Modus is another popular rock band dating back to the late 60s. One of the founding members was Miroslav Žbirka, who departed the band to have a successful solo career. This is another love song from the later years, titled Ty, ja a môj brat, You, me and my brother.

Miroslav Žbirka and Marika Gombitová

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-HFb_sG_pCQ
Speaking of Miro Žbirka, here is one of his greatest songs, Prvá (First). It’s about the special feeling that goes with one’s first love: vieš, jedna láska je vždy prvá (you know, one love is always the first) po nej dotyk v dlani trvá (after her the touch in hands lingers on).

In this song Miro sings with Marika Gombitová, one of the two most famous Slovak female singers during the 80s. The title of this song is “V slepých uličkách, in dead-end streets. No tak požičaj mi nádej, dvakrát ti ju vrátim späť, lend me hope, I’ll return it two-fold. Predstav mi šťastie, zázrak pre mňa sprav, “Imagine me” happiness, miracle for me make.

Beáta Dubasová

I bet this song has a great clip, but I couldn’t find anything on YouTube. This is the Slovak take on “Girls just wanna have fun”. The song is titled “Sme také ake sme“, We are such as we are. From the chorus: Hoci máme blízko k žene, even though we are almost women, stále sme dievčatá, večné dievčatá, we are still girls, forever girls.

Vašo Patejdl

And finally, a song from a very popular Slovak musical called Fontána pre Zuzanu, Fountain for Susan. This song is by Vašo Patejdl, one of the founding members of Elán, which was mentioned in Part 1 of this Slovak 80s music post.

Hopefully you enjoyed this little trip down the memory lane. Don’t forget to leave a comment and thanks for visiting!