1947 - “Say It to Me Quietly”

In this series we introduce 100 songs which have gone down in the history of Czechoslovakia and the Czech Republic. They became popular by being played throughout important years and time periods or by winning the hit parade. We continue with the year 1938.

Photo: Supraphon

The production of dance music steadily increased after the end of the war, spurred by the joy created by the liberation of the country. Established bands, such as the one led by the skillful Czechoslovak conductor Karel Vlach, had their work cut out for them as they strived to introduce the new melodies to the hungry young audiences.

Many of these songs became unforgettable to the audiences and earned a place in the chronicles of Czech popular music, especially the swing genre.

Václav Pokorný’s foxtrot, which he himself composed and arranged, became one of these well-known hits. He himself was a trained chemist from Příbor in Moravia. The text (similar to that of the wartime chanson “The Murmur of the Rain” from the year 1944) was once again written by the popular young poet Jiří Mládek.

The love filled song was performed by Jiřina Salačová, a newly married singer from Vlachov’s Orchestra. The name of the song, “Say It to Me Quietly,” comes from the lyrics “Please, say it to me quietly, that I am your one and only…” This was a wish that was most likely shared by many of the happy couples who danced to the song in 1947.

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Hit of the Century – Voting Rules

Each Sunday, participants will be able to vote in our new series Hit of the Century, covering 100 years of music in Czechoslovakia and the Czech Republic. Each episode will feature five hit songs, by decade, beginning with 1918 – 1928. After 100 songs are broadcast, two semi-finals will decide the top hits from the period of 1918 – 1968 and from 1968 – 2018.

Six songs will reach the final, in which listeners will choose a single winner: the most popular Czech song of the century,

Ten participants will receive CDs of the most successful songs recorded in a new musical arrangement on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the founding of Czechoslovakia in October of 1918.