The author, John Marek, is a writer and CEO of the Anson Economic Development Partnership.
A few years ago, quite by accident, I found myself at a festival in Troutman, N.C., featuring a “modern” polka band from the mysterious faraway land of Chardon, Ohio. To say their brand of ethnic music brought back some childhood memories would be an understatement.
During my formative years, my parents would make the hour drive to Toledo roughly once every six weeks for a Sunday afternoon of shopping and dinner in the “big city.” We would typically leave right after church, and the soundtrack for the drive was invariably the Sharon and Chet Sunday Morning Polka Party on WTOD radio.
Hosted by Sharon and Chet Zablocki, the radio show was a weekly extravaganza celebrating a diverse selection of polka tunes – classic and contemporary – from Polish, Slovenian, Czech and German traditions.
My parents enjoyed polka music, which was part of their Eastern European (Polish and Czech) cultural heritage. Me, not so much. That being said, I did find some of the lyrics entertaining. My favorite was the “Too Fat Polka,” which featured the rousing chorus, “I don’t want her, you can have her, she’s too fat for me.” The song’s lyrics, which playfully tease about being too fat to dance, reflected a humorous and lighthearted approach to body image, a sentiment prevalent in mid-century culture. While some aspects of the song’s lyrics may not align with modern sensibilities, the song wasn’t trying to be cruel. Indeed, my often chubby Polish relatives weren’t nearly as obsessed with weight and slimness as our culture today.
Another memorable ditty was “In Heaven There Is No Beer.” The song’s lyrics evoke a sense of celebration, camaraderie and merriment. Singing about an afterlife without beer and urging people to drink it here on Earth while they can, the song underscores the idea of seizing the moment and enjoying life’s pleasures with friends and loved ones. “In heaven there is no beer/ That’s why we drink it here/And when we’re gone from here/Our friends will be drinking all that beer.” Upon hearing this song for the first time, my wife explained that it’s not theologically sound, to which I responded, “And Frankie Yankovic isn’t the Pope, so just go with it.”
Another hilarious staple of the Polka Party, “Who Stole the Kishka,” exemplifies the often energetically silly nature of polka music. There was a lot of polka dancing at my family’s events, especially weddings. It was always interesting to see relatives, including my mom and dad, who you would not immediately associate with, well, rhythmic movement of any kind, get up and hit the dance floor. The lyrics of “Who Stole the Kishka” are lighthearted and humorous, revolving around the comical premise of a stolen kishka – a traditional Eastern European sausage. “Fat and round and firmly packed/It was hanging on the rack/Someone stole the kishka/When I turned my back.”
While most polka songs are known for their lively and upbeat nature, there are indeed polka compositions with more serious and contemplative themes. One such example is the well known “Beer Barrel Polka,” also known as “Roll Out the Barrel.” Although it still has a cheerful and danceable melody, the lyrics touch on wistful themes of longing, unity and the passage of time.
The Frankie Yankovic I mentioned earlier was the accordion-playing king of polka who wrote and performed many of these songs. The comedian songwriter Weird Al Yankovic, although not related, has also been known to crank out a polka, or to polka-tize mainstream popular songs. And that’s what the band I saw in Troutman specialized in. Their polka rendition of “Sweet Home Alabama,” in particular, was truly something to behold. You can check out their version of some of the hits of the ‘90s here.