1950 – 33rd Segment: “We’re All Young”

Photo: Supraphon

In this series we present 100 songs which have gone down in the history of Czechoslovakia and the Czech Republic. They became widely popular, were played during important time periods, and some even won the hit parade of the year. Now it is up to you, our listeners, to vote for the best Czech song of the century. Today we explore the year 1950.

1950

On March 1st there was a population census in Czecholsovakia. The total population of the Republic was 12,338,450 (of those 8,896,133 were on Czech territory and 3,442,317 were in Slovakia).

The Czechoslovak Women’s Union was created at the Prague Congress on April 2nd.

On April 13th/14th, the first phase of the elimination of monasteries and male Catholic religious orders took place in Czechoslovakia, called the ‘akce K.’

On June 27th, Milada Horáková was executed.

On October 21st, Communist China began its military occupation of Tibet.

The beginning of the 1950’s saw an atmosphere of clenched fists, new work camps and the execution of dozens of people who were deemed to be enemies of the Communist regime. In spite of this, the mass produced songs of that time period sang only of joy and praise for the future of the socialist state. One of the main authors of the songs was Ludvík Podéšť, who later became the Chief of the Army Artistic Ensemble.

Photo: Supraphon
In 1950, to the words written by Vítězslav Nezval, Podéšť composed the hit song “We’re All Young.” It was a propaganda song in every aspect. The lyrics in the second stanza went, “He who restored the world was young, he nearly fell into ruin, only sixteen or seventeen years old, oh so young was comrade Stalin.” However, comrade Josef Visarionovič Stalin died soon after the song was written, and news of his crimes and the consequences of his repressive politics soon reached the public. The verse was therefore removed and only music is heard in its place.

Vote for the best song of the century!