Warsaw, May 8 (IANS) The folk song Koko Euro Spoko (Cluck cluck Euro coo) performed by the rural band Jarzebina, which won the contest for Poland’s official anthem for the upcoming European football championships, has sparked a controversy among Poles.
Poland’s football association had opened its “White and Red Hit” competition to all and shortlisted top ten before a live concert shown on TV last week.
Polish viewers, who were given the right to cast mobile phone text ballots, chose the song Koko Euro Spoko over several hits from well-known Polish pop and rock stars.
Some football fans online have called the song with lyrics like ‘Cluck cluck Euro cool, The ball flies mighty high, Let’s all sing together, and support our (boys)’ – kitchy, unsophisticated and embarrassing.
Some people have said that voters had simply played a joke in picking up the song by an eight-member ensemble Jarzebina from a little village of Kocudzy near Lublin, which includes women ranging in age between 32 and 82 and wearing traditional rural dress.
But others have defended the choice, saying that it is an undeniably catchy tune and that Poles should not be ashamed of their rural traditions, Xinhua reported.
Additionally, Polish media have immediately picked a resemblance of the winning White and Red Hit to a song Kogut (Cock), written by a well known Polish composer Wojciech Kilar and for years performed by the Slask Folk and Dance Ensemble.
However, because this is a song drawing from folk traditions it is possible that that same tune could have inspired someone else, Slask Ensemble director Zbigniew Czerniak said.
Euro 2012, to take place from June 8 to July 1, will be co-hosted by eight cities in Poland and Ukraine.
