Maanam is a Polish rock band that was active from 1975 to 2008. The name of the band is based on a combination of the names of its two founders, Marek Jackowski and Milo Kurtis, who initially played together as a guitar duo called MaM. At the end of Maanam’s life, the band included Olga Jackowska, otherwise known as Kora (vocals and lyrics), Marek Jackowski (guitar and compositions), Janusz Iwański (guitar), Bogdan Wawrzynowicz (bass), Cezary Kaźmierczak (keyboards), and José Manuel Alban Juarez (drums).
In 1976, the band MaM added a singer, Kora, Marek’s wife. Kurtis left the band in the same year, replaced by guitarist John Porter. At this point, the band was renamed Manaam Electric Shower (Maanam Elektryczny Prysznic) as it transitioned to a rock sound, and the name was later shortened to simply Manaam. Throughout the life of the band, most of the music was composed by Marek Jackowski, and Kora wrote the lyrics.
In June 1980, Maanam performed at the Festival of Polish Song (Festiwal Piosenki Polskiej) in Opole, where they first became well-known. The recordings of the two songs played at the festival, “Divine Buenos” (“Boskie Buenos”) and “Lust for Money” (“Żądza pieniądza”), were released as singles and became big hits. In August, Manaam began to record its first album. By the end of 1982, the group had performed more than 400 indoor concerts.
In 1983, the band’s popularity began to spread abroad. Their third album, Night Patrol (Nocny patrol), gave a sense of the atmosphere of martial law in Poland and was released in Germany and Scandinavia. Later, the band planned a tour but was instead banned after Kora declined to perform, causing a scandal. Nonetheless, Maanam was able to perform abroad, with well-attended concerts in Germany and the Netherlands. The high attendance at concerts, however, was not met with equally high CD sales.
After years of frequent touring, Maanam suspended activities in 1986, making releases only as required by prior commitments. In 1990, the band went on tour in the United States, and officially resumed work in 1991. With its return, Manaam regained popularity, though its CD sales remained limited. The band performed numerous concerts, releasing albums and singles regularly before separating for good in 2008. The musicians involved went their separate ways, with major members Kora and Jackowski splitting and joining different bands. Jackowski planned to resurrect Maanam, but he died from a heart attack in 2013. Over its lifetime, the band released eleven albums.
One of the band’s earliest hits,“Divine Buenos” (“Boskie Buenos”):
Lyrics for “Boskie Buenos”:
Serdecznie witam panie dziennikarzu
Zanim opowiem panu o swych planach
Na imie mam Gladys del Carmen
La Torullo Gladys Semiramis
Chce jeszcze raz pojechac do Europy
Lub jeszcze dalej do Buenos Aires
Wiecej sie mozna nauczyc podrózujac
Podrózowac podrózowac jest bosko
Ciagle pan pyta co sadze o mezczyznach
Ach prosze pana jaki pan jest ciekawski
Naturalnie mysle o mezczyznach
Ale teraz musze jechac do Buenos Aires
Kiedy wybrali mnie syrena morza
Zaprosili mnie do pierwszej klasy
Czestowali mnie szampanem
Ja uwielbiam szampana w Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires
Dalej pan pyta czy wierze w astrologie
Chiromancje i horoskopy
Wszystkie inne sprawy czarowników
Oraz tego co sie tyczy cial astralnych
Wiec co sie tyczy astrologii
Oraz powiedzmy cial astralnych
Planety Jowisz i innych obiektów
Oczarowuja mnie lecz przede wszystkim w Buenos Aires
Tymaczasem zegnam panie dziennikarzu
Niech pan nie zapomni przeslac
Stu egzemplarzy gazety z wywiadem
Podaruje panu zdjecie z autografem
Chce jeszcze raz pojechac do Europy
Lub jeszcze dalej do Buenos Aires
Wiecej sie mozna nauczyc podrózujac
Podrózowac podrózowac jest bosko
Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires
A later hit, “Lipstick on the Glass” (no Polish title):
Lyrics for “Lipstick on the Glass”:
Otwieram drzwi, to jesteś ty
Przybiegłaś, widzę jeszcze drżysz
Gorące usta, gorące dłonie
W półmroku cała lśnisz
Powolnym ruchem sięgasz
I patrzysz poprzez szkło
Falujesz w rytmie zmierzchu
Przeciągasz się jak kot
Dotykam cię, a wtedy ty
Przymykasz czarne oczy
Budzisz się, znów cała lśnisz
Gdy śni się róża nocy
Odchodzisz lecz zostawiasz
Na szklance szminki ślad
To nic, że ona przyjdzie
Zapyta jeszcze raz:
Whose that lipstick on the glass?
Whose that lipstick…
This entry was written by Helen Herring, a finalist for a Home and Abroad Scholarship through SRAS.
