Wodecki a `Cottage Welcome to’. – a hit he didn’t want to sing

The embarrassing history of the hit song about Chałupy

At concerts, Zbigniew Wodecki was often asked to perform ‘Mai’s Bee’ and ‘Chałupy Welcome to’. Although the children’s cartoon song was not a problem, the song about nudist beaches in Chałupy was a source of discontent for Wodecki. Andrzej Kosmala recounted that the artist felt a certain shame about the song, even despite its great popularity. “Chałupy Welcome to” was originally offered to Irena Santor, but she refused, considering the lyrics inappropriate. It was only Wodecki who agreed to sing the song, but for years he had trouble doing so, which Kosmala recalls in the context of a 1991 concert in Chicago.

Musical talent and frugality

In his book, Kosmala also mentions other qualities of Zbigniew Wodecki. Apart from his great musical talent, Wodecki was known for his frugality. Kosmala noted that compared to other artists of the time, such as Krzysztof Krawczyk, who recorded 129 albums, Wodecki left behind only seven albums. This fact highlighted the different approaches to a career in show business between the two great Polish artists.

Background to the success of “Chałupy Welcome to”

Ryszard Poznakowski, the composer of this hit, struggled to find an artist who would agree to perform “Chałupy Welcome to”. Eventually, the song went to Wodecki and became one of his biggest hits, even though the artist was uncomfortable with it for a long time. Kosmala described how Wodecki was torn between the audience’s expectations and his own sense of musical aesthetics.