Život je jen náhoda
Photo by Rasputin (Фото в Григорий Ефимович Распутин)
In the kitchen of a flat in Prague, Czech Republic two lovely Czech sisters pose in matching jean miniskirts, boots and pink tops. It was my good fortune, or you could say my good luck, that I found these girls and was able to photograph them. Much of life is the result of luck.
Today’s youtube is the most popular Czech song of all time Život je jen náhoda. Everyone Czech citizen knows the words and can sing it. It means Life Is Just Luck (or chance or fortuna.) The song is from a 1932 movie musical Život Nebo Penize which I think means roughly Life or Money. The movie was directed by Jindrich Honzl and stars George Voskovec, Jan Werich and Hana Vítová.
The song was written by Werich, Voskovec and band-leader Jaroslav Jezek. Werich and Voskovec were a comedy/musical duo in Prague. They performed on stage during the 1920’s and 1930’s and then starred in many movies made at Film Studio Barrandov in Prague. Werich and Voskovec wrote songs, they wrote scripts, they sang, they danced, they did everything. They were kind of like Bob Hope/Bing Crosby meets George and Ira Gershwin of Czechoslovakia.
The teamed stayed together until Germany annexed Czechoslovakia in 1938.
In this television show from the early 1980’s, Světlana Nálepková a Petra Ernejová sing song in close harmony as a duet. The orchestra and arrangement is faithful to the original 1932 movie version.
Here is a the original recording from the movie:
Život je jen náhoda
by Werich, Voskovec and Jezek:
G Ab A Bb A Ab G
Proč že se mi každou noc o tom jen zdá
F# F E A7
o tom jen zdá jak v mém životě
G D7 G A9 C7maj D7
vyšla má tak šťastná a krá-sná hvě-zda.
G Ab A Bb A Ab G
Proč že se mi každou noc o tom jen zdá
F# F E A7
že ta hvězda mi dá to štěstí
G D7 G Eb F G Emi6
o němž se mi ve dne nezdá.
Hmi D+ Hmi7 Hmi6+
Zdání klame mimoto každý sen
D G#dim A7
který v noci mí - váme
A9 D C D7 D+
zažene příští den.
G C7
Život je jen náhoda
G G7
jednou si dole jednou nahoře
C Cmi6
život plyne jak voda
Eb7 G G6 D+ G C7maj D+
a smrt je jako mo-ře.
G C7
Každý k moři dopluje
G G7
někdo dříve někdo později
C Cmi6
kdo v životě miluje
Eb7 G G6 D+ G C7maj D+
ať ne-ztrá-cí nadě-ji.
C C7 G G7
Až uvidí v životě zázraky
C C7 C#dim G G#7 A7
které jenom láska u - mí
A7
zlaté ryby vyletí nad mraky
D Gmi6 Ddim D7 F#+
pak po - ro - zu - mí.
G C7
Že je život jak voda
G G7
kterou láska ve víno promění
C Cmi6
láska že je náhoda
Eb7 G D+ G C7maj Hmi7 D+ G G6
a bez ní štěstí není