1976 – 59th segment: I’m Going to Play to You

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. Let’s continue with the year 1976.

Photo: Supraphon

What did 1976 bring us in terms of music? According to a critic’s poll, the orchestra of the year was the Milan Svoboda’s Big Band from Prague. It was a meeting place for personalities such as Michael Kocáb and Ondřej Soukup, who went on to collaborate on many projects over the years, greatly affecting Czechoslovak popular music. That years’ Golden Nightingale award was given to Naďa Urbánková and Karel Gott for the most popular performances.

The year 1976 also marked the strengthening of communist control over popular music. The loss of freedom was felt by mass media and by various agencies, culminating in the arrest and sentencing of underground musicians for the so-called disorderly conduct.

Ballads about unhappy love, misunderstanding and consolation fit in well with the grey atmosphere of the 1970’s. Václav Neckář was one of the outstanding performers of these genre, appearing on radio and on television. Although he belonged to the band Bacily led by his brother Jan, the hit “I’m Going to Play to You” was performed with the Dance Orchestra of Czech Radio.

Vote for the best song of the century!