User:Lilymillie/Less Than Zero (Lady Pank)

Mniej niż zero (translation: "Less than zero") is the second single from the Polish rock band, Lady Pank. It is the first single to come from the band's debut album, Lady Pank. The composer is Jan Borysewicz, and the author of the lyrics is Andrzej Mogielnicki.

"Mniej niż zero" was located on side A of the single, while side B contained "Pokręciło mi się w głowie" (translation: My head was spinning"), which was also written by Borysewicz and Mogielnicki.

The Song's History
The song "Mniej niż zero" was first recorded before the band had formed. The first version of the song was sung by Jan Borysewicz.

The first version of the song was hard rock, however neither Borysewicz nor Mogielnicki took a liking to it. A new version was created soon after Paweł Mścisławski and Jarosław Szlagowski joined the band, both of whom added new elements to the melody. A subsequent version of „Mniej niż zero” was created after Janusz Panasewicz joined the band. According to popular belief, Panasewicz played a segment of the intro melody on a comb in order to reduce the impact of the loud guitar. In reality however, they only started doing this at concerts. In the recording studio, the segment was instead played on a moog synthesiser by the assistant recording engineer, Mariusz Zabrodzki. Mogielnicki also added cheers to the song in the studio. The final cheers in the song were sung a cappella in a chorus.

The lyrics to "Mniej niż zero" were written in early 1983. They describe an ambitious young person, who, upon reaching maturity, realises they are an insignificant part of society. The premiere of the song was meant to be in April of 1983, but it was delayed by a month due to the phrase "zaliczona matura na pięć" (translation: "passed the matura exam with five marks", i.e. full marks). In 2012 the song was used in a television advertisement for Bank Millenium.

Connection to the fatal beating of Grzegorz Przemyk
The song was analysed by the 2nd Department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs. During the deliberation it was suggested that the song contains references to the fatal beating of Grzegorz Przemyk, and that it was a protest song. In particular the lines "Twoje miejsce na Ziemi tłumaczy, Zaliczona matura na pięć" (translation: "Your place on earth explains, passed the matura exam with five marks"), as well as "Są tacy - to nie żart, dla których jesteś wart, Mniej niż zero" (translation: "there are some - it's no joke, to whom you are worth, less than zero"). It was established that "Mniej niż zero" was created a month before the fatal beating of Przemyk, which meant that the song was not a reaction to his death. Mogielnicki admitted that he was being surveilled by the Security Service.

The vocalist of Lady Pank Janusz Panasewicz stated that "Mniej niż zero" is a commentary on the beating of Grzegorz Przemyk.

"Mniej niż zero" on the charts
The song "Mniej niż zero" debuted on Radio Three List of Hits on the 21st of May 1983 and stayed on the charts for 13 weeks. Later however, at the funeral of Grzegorz Przemyk youth began singing the song. The Security Service decided then to remove the song from the Radio Three's charts. It appeared on the charts again a few times later. Source: Lista przebojów Programu Trzeciego.

"Mniej niż zero" in Lady Pank albums

 * 1983: Lady Pank
 * 1985: Drop Everything
 * 1990: The Best of Lady Pank
 * 1992: Lady Pank ’81–’85
 * 1994: Trójka Live!
 * 1995: Mała wojna – akustycznie
 * 1995: Gold
 * 1997: W transie
 * 1999: Koncertowa
 * 2000: Złote przeboje
 * 2002: Besta besta
 * 2004: The Best – Zamki na piasku
 * 2012: Symfonicznie

Creators

 * Jan Borysewicz - solo guitar, chorus
 * Janusz Panasewicz – singer, chorus
 * Paweł Mścisławski – bass, chorus
 * Edmund Stasiak – guitar, chorus
 * Jarosław Szlagowski – percussion, chorus