A Moment of Glory in Communist Poland

By Michelle Lawson
It was 1971 in a nightclub somewhere near Gdynia in Poland. Men held me close as we danced to Je t’aime, an infamous chart-topper banned from British radio stations thanks to Jane Birkin’s breathy, orgasmic vocals. Je t’aime returned to the turntable between other tracks, its distinctive organ notes reminding me of church hymns. I had no idea it was perceived as an intimate lovers’ dialogue. I didn’t even know it meant I love you. But why would I? I was ten years old. 
Je t’aime was our travel companion on that summer road trip through Poland. My father drove us from the nor...