“Przez ulice” by Bunkier

Cześć! In this post I’m learning “Przez ulice” (Through the Streets) by the punk rock band Bunkier. If you’re just joining, you can get the lowdown on the Popglot method on the About Page and understand the scoring on the Popglot Points page.

After tackling a couple of songs by Formacja Nieżywych Schabuff and T.Love’s “Bóg,” I wanted something quicker to learn. Then, with help from the music discovery app Swipefy, “Przez ulice” caught my ear. There is a key verse, “Szukając pokoju idę do Ciebie” (Looking for peace, I come to you), that repeats frequently, and the overall vocabulary is straight forward. This seemed like an excellent candidate for demonstrating how Popglot works with beginner-friendly material.

I kept the standard 100-point target for Core Song Competence.

Lyric source: https://genius.com/Bunkier-przez-ulice-lyrics

Points Breakdown

Given the song’s structure, I suspected this one wouldn’t take long, and I was right. I managed to achieve Core Song Competence for “Przez ulice” in just three days. Not bad at all. 

Here’s the point notation for this rapid learning curve: 5a, 6d / 5b, 5c, 10g / 15g, 5e

Let’s break it down:

Day 1:

  • 5a (5 listening plays × 0 = 0 points)
  • 6d (6 listening while reading plays × 2 = 12 points)
  • Total = 12 points
    • Initial immersion – getting the tune and rhythm while associating sounds with words.

Day 2:

  • 5b (5 reading plays × 1 = 5 points)
  • 5c (5 singing plays × 1 = 5 points)
  • 10g (10 listening, reading, and singing plays × 3 = 30 points)
  • Total = 5 + 5 + 30 = 40 points
    • Actively engaging with reading, singing attempts, and bringing in the powerful ‘g’ combo.

Day 3:

  • 15g (15 listening, reading, and singing plays × 3 = 45 points)
  • 5e (5 listening while singing plays × 2 = 10 points)
  • Total = 45 + 10 = 55 points
    • A strong push with the most effective ‘g’ plays, reinforced by singing along (‘e’ plays) to really lock it in.

That brings the total to 107 points across three days. The repeated verse, in particular, was etched into my brain forever by the end of Day 3.

Insights

This experience highlighted the value of including some easier, repetitive songs in the mix. They build confidence and provide readily usable phrases. Another song successfully learned, although I can’t say my singing has gotten any better! 

“Bóg” by T.Love

Witajcie! If you’ve read the About Page, you might remember “Bóg” (God) by the Polish rock band T.Love as the very first song I tackled using the Popglot method. Then I jumped ahead and wrote about Formacja Nieżywych Schabuff’s songs (“Ludzie pragną piękna” and “Da da da“) without detailing how I learned that initial foundational song. So, I thought it’d be a good idea to circle back and share my learning process for “Bóg” too.

As my first attempt, I chose “Bóg” because it was simple and with a message I connected with. I set the standard 100-point target for achieving Core Song Competence, eager to see if this song-based learning could work.

Lyric source: https://genius.com/Tlove-bog-lyrics

Divine Data

Being my first song with this method, I was diligent but also finding my rhythm. I achieved Core Song Competence for “Bóg” in four days of focused effort. I distinctly remember leaning heavily on listening while singing along once I had a basic grasp of the melody and words – it felt like the most natural way to internalize the song.

Here’s the point notation reflecting that focus: 4a, 5d / 5b, 8e / 10e, 5g / 10e, 5g

Let’s break this down day by day:

Day 1:

  • 4a (4 listening plays × 0 = 0 points)
  • 5d (5 listening while reading plays × 2 = 10 points)
  • Total = 10 points
    • Just getting the sound into my head and connecting it to the written words.

Day 2:

  • 5b (5 reading plays × 1 = 5 points)
  • 8e (8 listening while singing plays × 2 = 16 points)
  • Total = 5 + 16 = 21 points
    • Started reading the lyrics independently and bringing in the ‘listening while singing’ combo (‘e’ plays), which felt intuitive.

Day 3:

  • 10e (10 listening while singing plays × 2 = 20 points)
  • 5g (5 listening, reading, and singing plays × 3 = 15 points)
  • Total = 20 + 15 = 35 points
    • Ramping up the active engagement, focusing heavily on singing along (‘e’) and adding the full multi-sensory ‘g’ plays.

Day 4:

  • 10e (10 listening while singing plays × 2 = 20 points)
  • 5g (5 listening, reading, and singing plays × 3 = 15 points)
  • Total = 20 + 15 = 35 points
    • A final push with the most effective combinations to solidify the learning.

This brought the grand total to 101 points over four days. Hitting that 100-point target for the very first time felt like a real achievement! “Bóg” officially became the first entry in my Polish Maintenance Mode playlist.

Divine Insights

As I mentioned on the About page, by the time I hit 100 points, I could comfortably sing the chorus and the distinctive introduction/interlude. More importantly, I grasped the song’s core theme – a desire for a closer, more personal connection with God.  

“Da da da” by Formacja Nieżywych Schabuff

Witajcie ponownie! Welcome to the Popglot blog, where I attempt to sing my way to Polish fluency. You can learn about the Popglot method on the About Page and understand the scoring system by reading about Popglot Points.

After tackling “Ludzie pragną piękna,” I decided to stick with the same band, Formacja Nieżywych Schabuff, for my next song: the iconic and catchy “Da da da.” Given its repetitive nature and simple structure, I anticipated a quicker learning curve and set the standard target of 100 points for achieving Core Song Competence.

Lyric source: https://www.musixmatch.com/lyrics/Formacja-Nie%C5%BCywych-Schabuff/Da-Da-Da (Note: This site provides the Polish lyrics. I used Google to translate.)

Da Da Data

This time I leaned into it and things moved much faster. I was able to hit my target and achieve Core Song Competence for “Da da da” in just three days. It’s a significant improvement compared to the week spent on the previous song.Here’s the point notation showing how I did it: 5a, 8d / 5b, 5c, 10g / 15g, 3e

Let’s break this down day by day:

Day 1:

  • 5a (5 listening plays × 0 = 0 points)
  • 8d (8 listening while reading plays × 2 = 16 points)
  • Total = 16 points
    • Focused on getting familiar with the sound and associating it with the written words.

Day 2:

  • 5b (5 reading plays × 1 = 5 points)
  • 5c (5 singing plays × 1 = 5 points)
  • 10g (10 listening, reading, and singing plays × 3 = 30 points)
  • Total = 5 + 5 + 30 = 40 points
    • Started actively engaging – reading independently, attempting to sing, and combining all modalities.

Day 3:

  • 15g (15 listening, reading, and singing plays × 3 = 45 points)
  • 3e (3 listening while singing plays × 2 = 6 points)
  • Total = 45 + 6 = 51 points
    • Pushed hard with the most effective combo (listening, reading, singing) and reinforced with listening/singing.

That brings the grand total to 107 points over three days. Hitting the target quickly felt great, and I comfortably moved “Da da da” into my Maintenance Mode playlist. By the end of Day 3, the chorus and key phrases were firmly lodged in my brain.

Da Da Debrief

Learning “Da da da” in just three days is more like it. The song’s structure, with its memorable chorus and repetition, certainly helped accelerate the process! It’s a great beginner tune.

This post I think highlights the effectiveness of ramping up the multi-sensory ‘g’ plays (listening, reading, singing) once initial familiarity is established. Also sticking with the same artist allowed me to build on the vocal style and rhythm I’d started getting used to.

Another song I can sing along to, and another small step to Polish fluency! 

“Ludzie pragną piękna” by Formacja Nieżywych Schabuff

Witamy! Welcome to the first post on the Popglot blog, where I’m documenting my journey to Polish fluency one song at a time. If you’re new here, feel free to check out my About Page and my breakdown of the Popglot Points to understand how this process works.

I’m starting with the cheerful, quick-tempo Polish song “Ludzie pragną piękna” (People crave beauty) by Formacja Nieżywych Schabuff. As an average song in terms of difficulty, I set my target at the standard 100 points for Core Song Competence.

Lyric source: https://lyricstranslate.com/en/ludzie-pragna-piekna-people-crave-beauty.html

Beauty by Numbers

Unfortunately, learning the song took longer than I would have liked due to recent events in Canada that kept me compulsively doomscrolling. I should have completed it in 3-4 days at most, not 7.

Here’s the point notation showing what I did: 2a,2d / 5a,2b,2c,1e,9g / 3a,1b,2g / 2g / 15g / 1b / 7g,3e

Let me break this down day by day:

Day 1:

    • 2a (2 listening plays × 0 = 0 points)
    • 2d (2 listening while reading plays × 2 = 4 points)
    • Total = 4 points

Day 2:

  • 5a (5 listening × 0 = 0 points)
  • 2b (2 reading × 1 = 2 points)
  • 2c (2 singing × 1 = 2 points)
  • 1e (1 listening while singing × 2 = 2 points)
  • 9g (9 listening, reading, and singing × 3 = 27 points)
  • Total = 0 + 2 + 2 + 2 + 27 = 33 points

Day 3:

  • 3a (3 listening × 0 = 0 points)
  • 1b (1 reading × 1 = 1 point)
  • 2g (2 listening, reading, and singing × 3 = 6 points)
  • Total = 0 + 1 + 6 = 7 points

Day 4:

  • 2g (2 plays of listening, reading, and singing/speaking × 3 = 6 points)
  • Note: One play involved speaking instead of singing
  • Total = 6 points

Day 5:

  • 15g (15 plays of listening, reading, and speaking × 3 = 45 points)
  • Note: All plays involved speaking instead of singing
  • Total = 45 points

Day 6:

  • 1b (1 reading play × 1 = 1 point)
  • Total = 1 point

Day 7:

  • 7g (7 listening, reading, and singing × 3 = 21 points)
  • 3e (3 listening while singing × 2 = 6 points)
  • Total = 21 + 6 = 27 points

That adds up to a total of 123 points. I didn’t track my progress daily, so I overshot the 100-point goal. By the 100-point mark, I was singing the song well enough to move it to my Maintenance Mode playlist, where it can simmer to perfection.

Reflections

Though I aimed for 100 points and hit 123, the extra effort paid off—the melody and most lyrics are now stuck in my head. The Popglot method remains effective, even when life (and doomscrolling) slows me down.