Poezja śpiewana - 'the sung poetry' or 'poetry in song' is a characteristic Polish type of music related to acoustic folk rock ballads.
The majority of the artists are singer-songwriters who write their own lyrics, but there are also bands who write music to the works of poets they admire. The themes vary from field trip campfire ballads to philosophical ponderings on the human condition and protest songs with indirect political message about freedom.
The most well-known singers are Jacek Kaczmarski, Marek Grechuta and Ewa Demarczyk.
Apart from the mainstream genre there is also a sub-genre of 'Poezja Śpiewana' often called 'Kraina Łagodności' ('The Land of Gentliness'); this has come from the lyrics of a famous song by Wolna Grupa Bukowina - 'Pieśń Łagodnych' ('The Hymn of the Gentle Ones'). Another name that is often used is 'Piosenka studencka' ('the student song'), which derives from the fact that in the past, the vast majority of the songs in this genre were written by university students wandering in the mountains during their three-month long summer holidays. Wolna Grupa Bukowina is a model example. Other well-known names are Stare Dobre Małżeństwo (often abbreviated to SDM) and Bez Jacka.
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