1960 - 43rd Segment: “Yesterday was Sunday”

In this series we present 100 songs which have gone down in the history of Czechoslovakia and the Czech Republic. On Czech Radio’s web pages you can find a poll, in which you can vote for the best hit from the past century. We look forward to your vote! We continue with the year 1960.

1960

Radio FM broadcasting began in 1960.

The “Film Festival for Children and Youth,” which takes place annually in Zlín, was held for first time.

The phenomenal Czech tennis player Ivan Lendl was born on March 7.

The miniskirt was invented.

Independence was gained by many countries on the African continent. 1960 is sometimes referred to as “the year of Africa.”

In the 1960s many hits originated in small Czechoslovak theaters, such as Reduta, Rokoko, Railing (Zábradlí), Evening Brno (Večerní Brno) and Paravan. None of them exist today in their original form.

Apart that is from the famous Prague theatre Semafor. The liberal nature of their performances during the censorship era meant the theatre came under pressure. Indeed, it was closed “for technical reasons,” and underwent several forced relocations, often to the outskirts. However, the young audience always found its theater again and made it clear to Communist inspectors that there was more to it than laughter and fun.

Pavlína Filipovská, photo: Supraphon YouTube channel

In the 1950s and 1960s Semafor was a breeding ground for young singers. Today we recall Pavlína Filipovská, who appeared in the popular Czech music comedy “Man from the Ground,” which was first performed at the theatre in October 1959.

Her record “Yesterday was Sunday” immediately became a huge success. During the 1960s alone over 364,000 copies were sold.

Vote for the best song of the century!