1995– 78th Segment: “František”

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 continue with the year 1995.

In May, Pope John Paul II came to the Czech Republic. One place he visited was Olomouc, where he canonized Jan Sarkander and Zdislava of Lemberk.

The center of Kutná Hora was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The Czech Republic joined the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development.

The musical event of year was undoubtedly the Rolling Stones concert at the Strahov Stadium in Prague on August 5th, 1995. It attracted more than 130 thousand viewers. It still holds the record for the highest viewer attendance at a rock concert in the Czech Republic.

Photo: BMG Ariola

The Czech Anděl Awards (which are similar to the Grammy Awards) were won that year by the singers Kamil Střihavka and Lucie Bílá. Alice Springs became Anděl’s ‘Discovery of the Year’ and Hana Hegerová joined Anděl’s ‘Hall of Fame.’

Buty, a band from the north of Moravia, became the winner of the Anděl Award for ‘Group of the Year.’ Their popularity was helped by the film “Jízda” or “Ride,” in which the band’s frontman Radek Pastrňák played one of the lead roles. Band members also took home the prize for the hit of the year with their song “František” from the successful album “Dřevo” or “Wood.”

Vote for the best song of the century!