Popular music in Yugoslavia includes the
pop and
rock music
Rock music is a broad genre of popular music that originated as " rock and roll" in the United States in the late 1940s and early 1950s, developing into a range of different styles in the mid-1960s and later, particularly in the United States an ...
of the former
SFR Yugoslavia, including all their genres and subgenres. The scene included the
constituent republics:
SR Slovenia,
SR Croatia
The Socialist Republic of Croatia ( sh-Latn-Cyrl, separator=" / ", Socijalistička Republika Hrvatska, Социјалистичка Република Хрватска), or SR Croatia, was a constituent republic and federated state of the Sociali ...
,
SR Bosnia and Herzegovina
The Socialist Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina ( sh-Latn-Cyrl, separator=" / ", Socijalistička Republika Bosna i Hercegovina, Социјалистичка Pепублика Босна и Херцеговина), commonly referred to as Socia ...
,
SR Montenegro,
SR Macedonia and
SR Serbia
, life_span = 1944–1992
, status = Constituent state of Yugoslavia
, p1 = Territory of the Military Commander in Serbia
, flag_p1 = Flag of German Reich (1935–1945).svg
, p2 ...
and its subunits:
SAP Vojvodina
The Socialist Autonomous Province of Vojvodina ( sh, / ) was one of two autonomous provinces within the Socialist Republic of Serbia, in the former Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. The province is the direct predecessor to the moder ...
and
SAP Kosovo
The Socialist Autonomous Province of Kosovo, sh-Latn-Cyrl, Socijalistička Autonomna Pokrajina Kosovo, Социјалистичка Аутономна Покрајина Косово, separator=" / ", sq, Krahina Socialiste Autonome e Kosovë ...
. The pop and rock scene was a part of the general
Music of Yugoslavia, which also included
folk
Folk or Folks may refer to:
Sociology
*Nation
*People
* Folklore
** Folk art
** Folk dance
** Folk hero
** Folk music
*** Folk metal
*** Folk punk
*** Folk rock
** Folk religion
* Folk taxonomy
Arts, entertainment, and media
* Folk Plus or Fo ...
,
classical music,
jazz
Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a m ...
etc. Within Yugoslavia and internationally, the phrases ex-YU or ''ex-Yugoslav Pop and Rock'' both formally and informally generally to the SFRY period, though in some cases also to its successor the
FR Yugoslavia
Serbia and Montenegro ( sr, Cрбија и Црна Гора, translit=Srbija i Crna Gora) was a country in Southeast Europe located in the Balkans that existed from 1992 to 2006, following the breakup of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yug ...
including Serbia and Montenegro which existed until 2006 (such as the book title ''
Ex YU rock enciklopedija 1960 - 2006
''Ex YU rock enciklopedija 1960 - 2006'' (trans. '' Ex YU Rock Encyclopedia 1960 - 2006'') is a book by Serbian author, journalist and music critic Petar Janjatović. Published in 2007, the book represents the third, expanded edition of Janjatovi ...
'').
History
The
Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia
The Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, commonly referred to as SFR Yugoslavia or simply as Yugoslavia, was a country in Central and Southeast Europe. It emerged in 1945, following World War II, and lasted until 1992, with the breakup of Yu ...
was not an
Eastern Bloc country, but a founding member of the
Non-Aligned Movement
The Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) is a forum of 120 countries that are not formally aligned with or against any major power bloc. After the United Nations, it is the largest grouping of states worldwide.
The movement originated in the aftermath o ...
and as such, it was far more open to western influences compared to the other
socialist state
A socialist state, socialist republic, or socialist country, sometimes referred to as a workers' state or workers' republic, is a sovereign state constitutionally dedicated to the establishment of socialism. The term '' communist state'' is of ...
s. The western-influenced pop and rock music was socially accepted, the Yugoslav pop and rock music scene was well developed and covered in the media, which included numerous magazines, radio and TV shows. Numerous artists even played for president
Josip Broz Tito himself, notably
Bijelo Dugme
Bijelo Dugme (trans. ''White Button'') was a Yugoslav rock band, formed in Sarajevo, SR Bosnia and Herzegovina in 1974. Bijelo Dugme is widely considered to have been the most popular band ever to exist in the former Socialist Federal Republic ...
,
Zdravko Čolić
Zdravko Čolić (, ; born 30 May 1951) is a Bosnian Serb singer and is widely considered one of the greatest vocalists and cultural icons of the former Yugoslavia. Dubbed the "Tom Jones of the Balkans", he has garnered fame in Southeastern Europe ...
and
Rani Mraz
Rani Mraz (Serbian Cyrillic: Рани Мраз; trans. ''Early Frost'') were a former Yugoslav rock band from Novi Sad, formed in 1977 by former Žetva member Đorđe Balašević. During the initial period, the band went through several lineup c ...
. SFR Yugoslavia was the only
communist country
A communist state, also known as a Marxist–Leninist state, is a one-party state that is administered and governed by a communist party guided by Marxism–Leninism. Marxism–Leninism was the state ideology of the Soviet Union, the Cominte ...
which was taking part in the
Eurovision Song Contest. It joined in 1961 even before some
Western
Western may refer to:
Places
*Western, Nebraska, a village in the US
*Western, New York, a town in the US
*Western Creek, Tasmania, a locality in Australia
*Western Junction, Tasmania, a locality in Australia
*Western world, countries that id ...
and
NATO
The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO, ; french: Organisation du traité de l'Atlantique nord, ), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental military alliance between 30 member states – 28 European and two No ...
nations such as
Portugal
Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic ( pt, República Portuguesa, links=yes ), is a country whose mainland is located on the Iberian Peninsula of Southwestern Europe, and whose territory also includes the Atlantic archipelagos of ...
,
Ireland
Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...
,
Greece
Greece,, or , romanized: ', officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the southern tip of the Balkans, and is located at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and Africa. Greece shares land borders ...
and
Turkey
Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with a small portion on the Balkan Peninsula in ...
, which joined in
1964
Events January
* January 1 – The Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland is dissolved.
* January 5 - In the first meeting between leaders of the Roman Catholic and Orthodox churches since the fifteenth century, Pope Paul VI and Patriarc ...
,
1965,
1974 and
1975
It was also declared the ''International Women's Year'' by the United Nations and the European Architectural Heritage Year by the Council of Europe.
Events
January
* January 1 - Watergate scandal (United States): John N. Mitchell, H. R. ...
respectively. Unlike the citizens of other
socialist countries,
Yugoslavs
Yugoslavs or Yugoslavians ( Bosnian and Croatian: ''Jugoslaveni'', Serbian and Macedonian ''Jugosloveni''/Југословени; sl, Jugoslovani) is an identity that was originally designed to refer to a united South Slavic people. It has b ...
enjoyed freedom of travel and had an easy access to Western popular culture.
1940s
One of the first stars in the former Socialist Yugoslavia and one of its first internationally acclaimed artists, was the
traditional pop
Traditional pop (also known as classic pop and pre-rock and roll pop) is Western pop music that generally pre-dates the advent of rock and roll in the mid-1950s. The most popular and enduring songs from this era of music are known as pop standard ...
singer
Ivo Robić
Ivo Robić (28 January 1923 – 9 March 2000) was a Croatian singer-songwriter.
Domestic career
Robić began his career as a soloist with the Radio Zagreb Orchestra, while studying at the same time in Zagreb. He performed during World War II o ...
from Croatia, who emerged in the Yugoslav music scene in the late 1940s. Later, he went abroad, where he made a successful international career. He was the original performer of the ''
Strangers in the Night
"Strangers in the Night" is a song composed by Bert Kaempfert with English lyrics by Charles Singleton and Eddie Snyder. Kaempfert originally used it under the title "Beddy Bye" as part of the instrumental score for the movie ''A Man Could Get ...
'' song by
Bert Kaempfert
Bert Kaempfert (born Berthold Heinrich Kämpfert; 16 October 1923 – 21 June 1980) was a German orchestra leader, multi-instrumentalist, music producer, arranger, and composer. He made easy listening and jazz-oriented records and wrote the mus ...
, predating
Frank Sinatra who recorded his version later in 1966.
Robić closely cooperated with Kaempfert throughout most of his career. In the early 1960s, after seeing a promising young act from England performing at the
Top Ten Club
The Top Ten Club was a music club in Hamburg's St. Pauli district at Reeperbahn 136, which opened on 31 October 1960 and kept its name until 1994.
In 1961, the Beatles performed 92 times at the Top Ten Club.
History
At the beginning of the 2 ...
in
Hamburg
(male), (female) en, Hamburger(s),
Hamburgian(s)
, timezone1 = Central (CET)
, utc_offset1 = +1
, timezone1_DST = Central (CEST)
, utc_offset1_DST = +2
, postal ...
, Robić convinced Kaempfert, who was
Polydor
Polydor Records Ltd. is a German-British record label that operates as part of Universal Music Group. It has a close relationship with Universal's Interscope Geffen A&M Records label, which distributes Polydor's releases in the United States ...
's agent, to help those youngsters in their career. Kaempfert accepted and thanks to him the group was hired to record together with the then popular
Tony Sheridan
Anthony Esmond Sheridan McGinnity (21 May 1940 – 16 February 2013), known professionally as Tony Sheridan, was an English rock and roll guitarist who spent much of his adult life in Germany. He was best known as an early collaborator of th ...
. The young group was
The Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the most influential band of all time and were integral to the developmen ...
. Those were their first commercial recordings ever, including "
My Bonnie
My or MY may refer to:
Arts and entertainment
* My (radio station), a Malaysian radio station
* Little My, a fictional character in the Moomins universe
* ''My'' (album), by Edyta Górniak
* ''My'' (EP), by Cho Mi-yeon
Business
* Mar ...
", "
Ain't She Sweet
"Ain't She Sweet" is a song composed by Milton Ager, with lyrics by Jack Yellen. It was published in 1927 by Ager, Yellen & Bornstein, Inc. It became popular in the first half of the 20th century and typified the Roaring Twenties. Like ''Happy ...
" and "
Cry for a Shadow". That album was released in numerous versions such as ''
In the Beginning (Circa 1960)
''In the Beginning (Circa 1960)'' is the first American packaging of the 1964 German album by Tony Sheridan and the Beatles, called " The Beatles' First !".
History
''In the Beginning (Circa 1960)'' was released by Polydor Records in 1970 (ca ...
'', ''
The Beatles' First
''The Beatles' First!'' (subtitled ''Recorded in Hamburg 1961 - Featuring Tony Sheridan and Guests'') is a German compilation album of songs recorded in Hamburg in 1961 and 1962 by Tony Sheridan with the Beatles as his backing group. It was or ...
'' and ''
Beatles Bop - Hamburg Days''.
1950s
The
rock and roll
Rock and roll (often written as rock & roll, rock 'n' roll, or rock 'n roll) is a genre of popular music that evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s. It originated from African-American music such as jazz, rhythm a ...
scene in Yugoslavia started to emerge in the 1950s influenced by the classic rock and roll and
rockabilly
Rockabilly is one of the earliest styles of rock and roll music. It dates back to the early 1950s in the United States, especially the South. As a genre it blends the sound of Western musical styles such as country with that of rhythm and blu ...
acts such as
Elvis Presley
Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977), or simply Elvis, was an American singer and actor. Dubbed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, King of Rock and Roll", he is regarded as Cultural impact of Elvis Presley, one ...
,
Chuck Berry
Charles Edward Anderson Berry (October 18, 1926 – March 18, 2017) was an American singer, songwriter and guitarist who pioneered rock and roll. Nicknamed the " Father of Rock and Roll", he refined and developed rhythm and blues into th ...
,
Bill Haley
William John Clifton Haley (; July 6, 1925 – February 9, 1981) was an American rock and roll musician. He is credited by many with first popularizing this form of music in the early 1950s with his group Bill Haley & His Comets and million-sel ...
,
Carl Perkins,
Buddy Holly and others. Many young people started to play this new "
electric music
''Electric Music'' was the second album by Karl Bartos' "Elektric Music" project, recorded after his collaboration with UK band Electronic on their 1996 album ''Raise the Pressure'' and released in 1998. The entire album was written by Bartos and ...
", as they called it, naming themselves "električari", but one of the first who rose to prominence was the guitarist
Mile Lojpur
Milan "Mile" Lojpur (Serbian Cyrillic: Милан-Миле Лојпур) (4 March 1930 – 29 July 2005) was a Serbian and Yugoslav rock musician, notable as one of the first rock and roll musicians in Yugoslavia and one of the pioneers of the Yu ...
from Belgrade (born in
Zrenjanin
Zrenjanin ( sr-Cyrl, Зрењанин, ; hu, Nagybecskerek; ro, Becicherecu Mare; sk, Zreňanin; german: Großbetschkerek) is a city and the administrative center of the Central Banat District in the autonomous province of Vojvodina, Serbi ...
in 1930). He was tributed by many musicians later, notably by
Nikola Čuturilo
Nikola Čuturilo ( sr-cyr, Никола Чутурило; born 9 July 1962), also known as Čutura ( Чутура, literally "canteen") is a Serbian rock musician. He is known as a guitarist for the band Riblja Čorba, as well as for his solo work ...
. Other eminent act that started in the 1950s rock 'n' roll scene was
Karlo Metikoš from
Zagreb
Zagreb ( , , , ) is the capital and largest city of Croatia. It is in the northwest of the country, along the Sava river, at the southern slopes of the Medvednica mountain. Zagreb stands near the international border between Croatia and Slov ...
, who after moving to Paris started an international career under the pseudonym Matt Collins. He recorded for
Philips Records
Philips Records is a record label founded by the Dutch electronics company Philips. It was founded as Philips Phonographische Industrie in 1950. In 1946, Philips acquired the company which pressed records for British Decca's Dutch outlet in ...
and had an opportunity to meet legends such as
Jerry Lee Lewis
Jerry Lee Lewis (September 29, 1935October 28, 2022) was an American singer, songwriter and pianist. Nicknamed "The Killer", he was described as " rock & roll's first great wild man". A pioneer of rock and roll and rockabilly music, Lewis ma ...
and
Paul Anka
Paul Albert Anka (born July 30, 1941) is a Canadian-American singer, songwriter and actor. He is best known for his signature hit songs including " Diana", " Lonely Boy", " Put Your Head on My Shoulder", and "(You're) Having My Baby". Anka also ...
.
A notable singer who emerged in the late 1950s was
Đorđe Marjanović
Đorđe Marjanović ( sr-Cyr, Ђорђе Марјановић; 30 October 1931 – 15 May 2021) was a Serbian and Yugoslav singer.
Marjanović began his career in the mid-1950s, rising to fame in the late 1950s with his theatrical on-stage per ...
, who became the first Yugoslav
megastar.
1960s
The beginning of the 1960s saw the emergence of numerous bands, many of them initially inspired by the then-popular
Cliff Richard
Sir Cliff Richard (born Harry Rodger Webb; 14 October 1940) is an Indian-born British musican, singer, producer, entrepreneur and philanthropist who holds both British and Barbadian citizenship. He has total sales of over 21.5 million s ...
and
The Shadows
The Shadows (originally known as the Drifters) were an English instrumental rock group, who dominated the British popular music charts in the late 1950s and early 1960s, in the pre- Beatles era. They served as the backing band for Cliff Richard ...
: in 1960 Uragani were formed in
Rijeka,
Bijele Strijele
Bijele Strijele (trans. ''The White Arrows'') were a Yugoslav rock band formed in Zagreb in 1961. They were one of the pioneers of the Yugoslav rock scene.
Bijele Strijele were one of first rock bands to be formed in Yugoslavia. The band's debut ...
and
Siluete
Siluete ( sr-cyr, Силуете, trans. ''The Silhouettes'') were a Serbian and Yugoslav rock band formed in Belgrade in 1961. They were one of the pioneers of the Yugoslav rock scene.
Soon after the formation, Siluete, fronted by charismatic ...
, formed in 1961; the Zagreb-based
Crveni Koralji and Belgrade's
Zlatni Dečaci
Zlatni Dečaci (Serbian Cyrillic: Златни Дечаци, trans. ''The Golden Boys'') were a Yugoslav rock band formed in Belgrade in 1962. The band were one of the pioneers of the Yugoslav rock scene.
At the beginning of their career the ...
in 1962; in 1963 two other important Belgrade bands were formed,
Samonikli and
Crni Biseri
Crni Biseri ( sr-cyr, Црни Бисери, trans. ''The Black Pearls'') were a Yugoslav rock band formed in Belgrade in 1963. The band were one of the pioneers of the Yugoslav rock scene.
The band started their career performing beat music, ...
, the latter featuring
Vlada Janković-Džet, a prominent Yugoslav musician, who got his nickname after
Jet Harris
Jet, Jets, or The Jet(s) may refer to:
Aerospace
* Jet aircraft, an aircraft propelled by jet engines
** Jet airliner
** Jet engine
** Jet fuel
* Jet Airways, an Indian airline
* Wind Jet (ICAO: JET), an Italian airline
* Journey to Enceladus ...
. The Zagreb-based
Delfini were also formed the same year. After the
British invasion
The British Invasion was a cultural phenomenon of the mid-1960s, when rock and pop music acts from the United Kingdom and other aspects of British culture became popular in the United States and significant to the rising "counterculture" on ...
, many of these bands later moved on to
British rhythm and blues
British rhythm and blues (or R&B) was a musical movement that developed in the United Kingdom between the late 1950s and the early 1960s, and reached a peak in the mid-1960s. It overlapped with, but was distinct from, the broader British beat a ...
. In
Skopje
Skopje ( , , ; mk, Скопје ; sq, Shkup) is the capital and List of cities in North Macedonia by population, largest city of North Macedonia. It is the country's political, cultural, economic, and academic centre.
The territory of Sk ...
, a popular 1960s rock 'n' roll group was formed named
Bisbez who were considered "The Macedonian Beatles". They were formed by merging two already existing bands Biseri and Bezimeni.
The 1960s also saw the expansion of
Beatlemania. Many new bands formed influenced by
The Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the most influential band of all time and were integral to the developmen ...
or by the
Rolling Stones, both of whom had large fanbases in SFR Yugoslavia. There were frequent arguments between the fans of both groups, though not necessarily violent. One of the important source of information for the youths to stay up-to-date with the rock music developments around the world was
Radio Luxembourg
Radio Luxembourg was a multilingual commercial broadcaster in Luxembourg. It is known in most non-English languages as RTL (for Radio Television Luxembourg).
The English-language service of Radio Luxembourg began in 1933 as one of the earlies ...
. Certain British artists held concerts in Yugoslavia (e.g.
The Searchers
''The Searchers'' is a 1956 American Technicolor VistaVision epic Western film directed by John Ford and written by Frank S. Nugent, based on the 1954 novel by Alan Le May. It is set during the Texas-Native American wars, and stars John W ...
,
The Hollies
The Hollies are a British pop rock band, formed in 1962. One of the leading British groups of the 1960s and into the mid-1970s, they are known for their distinctive three-part vocal harmony style. Allan Clarke and Graham Nash founded the band ...
) and also Yugoslav artists performed around Europe, especially neighbouring Italy and Austria. On the border with Italy, several Yugoslav-Italian
beat music
Beat music, British beat, or Merseybeat is a British popular music genre that developed, particularly in and around Liverpool, in the late 1950s and early 1960s. The genre melded influences from American rock and roll, rhythm and blues, skiffl ...
festivals took place.
In the mid-1960s many bands such as
Džentlmeni
Džentlmeni ( sr-Cyrl, Џентлмени, lit=The Gentlemen) were a Yugoslav rock band formed in Belgrade in 1966.
A year after the formation, the band split into two factions. The first faction featured original rhythm guitarist Milan Buza, a ...
,
Roboti and the reformed Siluete were influenced by the rhythm and blues artists, while others were more pop oriented.
Mod oriented bands also emerged. The most popular foreign bands were
The Animals
The Animals (also billed as Eric Burdon and the Animals) are an English rock band, formed in Newcastle upon Tyne in the early 1960s. The band moved to London upon finding fame in 1964. The Animals were known for their gritty, bluesy sound and ...
,
The Byrds
The Byrds () were an American rock band formed in Los Angeles, California, in 1964. The band underwent multiple lineup changes throughout its existence, with frontman Roger McGuinn (known as Jim McGuinn until mid-1967) remaining the sole cons ...
,
The Monkees
The Monkees were an American rock and pop band, formed in Los Angeles in 1966, whose lineup consisted of the American actor/musicians Micky Dolenz, Michael Nesmith and Peter Tork alongside English actor/singer Davy Jones. The group was con ...
The Kinks
The Kinks were an English rock band formed in Muswell Hill, north London, in 1963 by brothers Ray and Dave Davies. They are regarded as one of the most influential rock bands of the 1960s. The band emerged during the height of British rhyt ...
,
The Who
The Who are an English rock band formed in London in 1964. Their classic lineup consisted of lead singer Roger Daltrey, guitarist and singer Pete Townshend, bass guitarist and singer John Entwistle, and drummer Keith Moon. They are considered ...
,
Manfred Mann
Manfred Mann were an English rock band, formed in London and active between 1962 and 1969. The group were named after their keyboardist Manfred Mann, who later led the successful 1970s group Manfred Mann's Earth Band. The band had two diffe ...
and others. The
garage rock sound (also labeled as "1960s Punk") was also popular. The charismatic frontman of Siluete,
Zoran Miščević
Zoran ( sr-Cyrl, Зоран) is a common South Slavic name, the masculine form of Zora, which means ''dawn, daybreak''. The name is especially common in Serbia, North Macedonia, Croatia and a little in Slovenia.
Notable people with this given na ...
, became an idol of the new generation and a
sex symbol. The band had a bad reputation for causing scandals and riots at their concerts. Their main rivals were the group Elipse, which, after getting a new vocalist, the African student from
Congo Edi Dekeng, went on to play
soul music
Soul music is a popular music genre that originated in the African American community throughout the United States in the late 1950s and early 1960s. It has its roots in African-American gospel music and rhythm and blues. Soul music became ...
.
The prominent Croatian singer
Tereza Kesovija
Tereza Ana Kesovija (; born 3 October 1938) is an internationally acclaimed Croatian recording artist. She was one of the most recognizable figures on the music scene in former Yugoslavia, and is renowned for her wide vocal range and operatic st ...
represented
Monaco
Monaco (; ), officially the Principality of Monaco (french: Principauté de Monaco; Ligurian: ; oc, Principat de Mónegue), is a sovereign city-state and microstate on the French Riviera a few kilometres west of the Italian region of Lig ...
at the
Eurovision Song Contest 1966
The Eurovision Song Contest 1966 was the 11th edition of the annual Eurovision Song Contest. It took place in Luxembourg City, Luxembourg, following the country's victory at the with the song "Poupée de cire, poupée de son" by France Gall. O ...
.
One of the most eminent and influential former Yugoslav group formed in the 1960s was
Indexi
Indexi was a Bosnian and former Yugoslav rock band popular in Yugoslavia. It formed in 1962 in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and disbanded in 2001 when singer Davorin Popović died. Some of their most notable songs are "Svijet u kome živ ...
. They were formed in
Sarajevo
Sarajevo ( ; cyrl, Сарајево, ; ''see names in other languages'') is the capital and largest city of Bosnia and Herzegovina, with a population of 275,524 in its administrative limits. The Sarajevo metropolitan area including Sarajevo ...
in 1962. In their early beginnings they were notably influenced by The Shadows and later by The Beatles. Along with the numerous evergreen songs they wrote featuring
Davorin Popović
Davorin Popović (23 September 1946 – 18 June 2001) was a Bosnian singer and songwriter, born in Bosnia and Herzegovina. He was well known throughout the former Yugoslavia. He was the lead singer and frontman of the progressive and pop rock ba ...
's trademark nasal voice, they also covered the Beatles song "
Nowhere Man". In some of their songs they also experimented with the sound in a similar way to ''
Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band''. Indexi gradually moved to a more
psychedelic sound, with more complex guitar and keyboard solos adding occasional folk and even classical music elements. One of the band's notable members
Kornelije Kovač
Kornelije "Bata" Kovač ( sr-Cyrl, Корнелије "Бата" Ковач, ; hu, Kovács Kornél; 1 January 1942 – 13 September 2022) was a Serbian composer.
Early life
Born in Niš during World War II in the Nazi-occupied Serbia to a ...
, left Indeksi to form another legendary band,
Korni Grupa, in Belgrade in 1968.
As the end of the 1960s was approaching, the
hippie movement expanded around the world as well as in SFR Yugoslavia. Notable group was the Croatian-based Grupa 220, which during a certain period featured
Piko Stančić. Later he rose to one of the most important musicians, producers and arrangers in the whole former Yugoslav scene.
Under influences such as
Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan (legally Robert Dylan, born Robert Allen Zimmerman, May 24, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter. Often regarded as one of the greatest songwriters of all time, Dylan has been a major figure in popular culture during a career sp ...
and
Joan Baez
Joan Chandos Baez (; born January 9, 1941) is an American singer, songwriter, musician, and activist. Her contemporary folk music often includes songs of protest and social justice. Baez has performed publicly for over 60 years, releasing more ...
, many young people embraced the acoustic sound and thus were called "
akustičari" contrary to
električari" (''transl.'' electricians). Prominent acoustic artist was Ivica Percl, formerly of Roboti. He was an acoustic musician and
peace activist
A peace movement is a social movement which seeks to achieve ideals, such as the ending of a particular war (or wars) or minimizing inter-human violence in a particular place or situation. They are often linked to the goal of achieving world pea ...
playing guitar and
harmonica influenced by
Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan (legally Robert Dylan, born Robert Allen Zimmerman, May 24, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter. Often regarded as one of the greatest songwriters of all time, Dylan has been a major figure in popular culture during a career sp ...
and
Donovan.
The year of
1968 was marked by youth protests around the world including massive student demonstrations in many cities all over SFR Yugoslavia.
Another popular act at the time was the group
Ambasadori
Ambasadori were a Yugoslav schlager pop band from Sarajevo, active from 1968 until 1980.
The band is most notable for its 1975 hit single , as well as for representing Yugoslavia at the 1976 Eurovision Song Contest with " Ne mogu skriti svoju ...
. One of the members of both Ambasadori and Korni Grupa was
Zdravko Čolić
Zdravko Čolić (, ; born 30 May 1951) is a Bosnian Serb singer and is widely considered one of the greatest vocalists and cultural icons of the former Yugoslavia. Dubbed the "Tom Jones of the Balkans", he has garnered fame in Southeastern Europe ...
, who went solo later and was acclaimed as the biggest pop star in the former Yugoslavia. The most notable female vocalist was
Josipa Lisac who still enjoys huge popularity across the former SFR Yugoslavia.
Boba Stefanović
Slobodan "Boba" Stefanović ( sr-cyr, Слободан "Боба" Стефановић; 21 May 1946 – 9 February 2015) was a Serbian and Yugoslav singer and songwriter. He was one of the leading stars of the Yugoslav pop scene in the 1970s.
S ...
was one of the most prominent Yugoslav male solo vocalists.
The Hippie era was marked by the musical ''
Hair''. Numerous subsequent productions were staged around the world since its American debut in 1967, for example in Germany, France, Italy, Switzerland,
Brazil
Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...
,
Argentina
Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, th ...
,
Israel
Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...
and Japan. The Yugoslav production was the first staged in a
Socialist state
A socialist state, socialist republic, or socialist country, sometimes referred to as a workers' state or workers' republic, is a sovereign state constitutionally dedicated to the establishment of socialism. The term '' communist state'' is of ...
, and it was highly praised by the ''Hairs original authors
Gerome Ragni
Gerome Ragni (born Jerome Bernard Ragni; September 11, 1935 – July 10, 1991) was an American actor, singer, and songwriter, best known as one of the stars and co-writers of the 1967 musical '' Hair: The American Tribal Love-Rock Musical''. On Jun ...
and
James Rado
James Alexander Radomski (January 23, 1932 – June 21, 2022), known professionally as James Rado, was an American actor, playwright, director, and composer, best known as the co-author, along with Gerome Ragni, of the 1967 musical ''Hair''. He ...
, who were travelling from one country to another to watch each of the performances. As Ragni said, they found the Belgrade show "so beautiful, so spontaneous that we had to go right on the stage to share their enthusiasm". While being in Belgrade he also added "There exist no middle-class prejudices here
Festivals
Many pop music festivals existed across SFR Yugoslavia including the
Split Festival The Split Festival (officially ''Festival zabavne glazbe Split'' or ''Splitski Festival'') is a pop music festival held annually, in July, in Split, Croatia. It has been held since 1960. It is one of the premier Croatian music festivals.
Since i ...
,
Opatija
Opatija (; it, Abbazia; german: Sankt Jakobi) is a List of cities and towns in Croatia, town and a municipality in Primorje-Gorski Kotar County in western Croatia. The traditional seaside resort on the Kvarner Gulf is known for its Mediterranean ...
Festival,
Beogradsko proleće in
Belgrade,
Skopje Fest
Skopje Fest ( mk, Скопје фест) or Festival na zabavni melodii Skopje (Фестивал на забавни мелодии Скопје) is one of the main musical events in North Macedonia.
SkopjeFest began in 1968 in the Universal Hall ...
,
Vaš šlager sezone in
Sarajevo
Sarajevo ( ; cyrl, Сарајево, ; ''see names in other languages'') is the capital and largest city of Bosnia and Herzegovina, with a population of 275,524 in its administrative limits. The Sarajevo metropolitan area including Sarajevo ...
, and later also
Makfest MakFest ( mk, МакФест) founded in 1986, is the largest festival of Macedonian popular music. It is held every year in November, in Štip, Republic of North Macedonia
North Macedonia, ; sq, Maqedonia e Veriut, (Macedonia before Febr ...
in
Štip
Štip ( mk, Штип ) is the largest urban agglomeration in the eastern part of North Macedonia, serving as the economic, industrial, entertainment and educational focal point for the surrounding municipalities.
As of the 2002 census, the city ...
was established. The family-friendly pop music played at those festivals was comparable to older
Eurovision Song Contests, the German
schlager genre, the Italian
Sanremo Music Festival
The Sanremo Music Festival, officially the Italian Song Festival () and commonly known as just (), is the most popular Italian song contest and awards ceremony, held annually in the city of Sanremo, Liguria. It is the longest-running annua ...
or the
adult oriented pop music category.
The specific
Dalmatian pop sound featuring local folk elements performed at festivals held along the touristy
Adriatic coast was very popular and some of its most notable exponents were
Oliver Dragojević
Oliver Dragojević (; 7 December 1947 – 29 July 2018) was a Croatian singer and composer, who was considered one of the most enduring musical stars and cultural icons in Croatia with a discography that spanned nearly five decades. His style ble ...
and
Mišo Kovač
Mate "Mišo" Kovač (; born 16 July 1941) is a Croatian recording artist. He is the best selling artist from Croatia, with well over 20 million records, cassettes and compact discs sold to date, and is often regarded as one of the most popular mu ...
. Dragojević's first performance was at the "Split Children's Festival" in 1961 with the song "Baloni". In a competition of amateur singers, his cult band from
Split
Split(s) or The Split may refer to:
Places
* Split, Croatia, the largest coastal city in Croatia
* Split Island, Canada, an island in the Hudson Bay
* Split Island, Falkland Islands
* Split Island, Fiji, better known as Hạfliua
Arts, entertai ...
, "Batali" won first place for their rendition of "
Yesterday", a Beatles classic. In 1972, Oliver went abroad to further develop his craft. He played in clubs across Germany, Sweden and Mexico. His solo singing career began in 1974 at the
Split Festival The Split Festival (officially ''Festival zabavne glazbe Split'' or ''Splitski Festival'') is a pop music festival held annually, in July, in Split, Croatia. It has been held since 1960. It is one of the premier Croatian music festivals.
Since i ...
, where he won with the song "Ča će mi Copacabana".
![Oliver Dragojević (8) (cropped)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/6d/Oliver_Dragojevi%C4%87_%288%29_%28cropped%29.jpg)
A year later, composer
Zdenko Runjić
Zdenko Runjić (26 October 1942 – 27 October 2004) was a Croatian songwriter. In his long career, he established himself as one of the most prolific and most popular songwriters of former Yugoslavia and Croatia.
Biography
Runjić was born on 26 ...
and Dragojević, released the song "Galeb i ja". It proved to be a big hit across the former
SFR Yugoslavia and made Dragojević a household name. This was followed by hits "Romanca", "Oprosti mi, pape", "Stari morski vuk". Between 1975 and 1980, the Dragojević/Runjić duo dominated the music scene of the former SFR Yugoslavia. Part of the secret of their success was a third contributor,
Jakša Fiamengo, who wrote the lyrics to some of Dragojević's most iconic songs, namely: "Nadalina", "Piva klapa ispod volta", "Karoca", "Ništa nova", "Infiša san u te", and "Ostavljam te samu".
In 1990, Dragojević won the Split Festival with ''Ti is moj san'', and got third place at the
Yugoslav selection for the Eurovision Song Contest with the song ''Sreća je tamo gdje si ti'', both in collaboration with
Zorica Kondža. His style blended traditional
klapa
Klapa music is a form of traditional a cappella singing with origins in Dalmatia, Croatia. The word ''klapa'' translates as "a group of friends" and traces its roots to littoral church singing. The motifs in general celebrate love, wine (grapes), ...
melodies of
Dalmatia with jazz motifs wrapped up in a modern production. For his influential musical career, he reached critical and commercial acclaim in Yugoslavia and later Croatia, and his music continues to be popular today in the ex-Yugoslavian countries. Dragojević achieved numerous accolades, including numerous
Porin and
Indexi awards. He is one of the few Croatian musicians who performed at major international venues such as
Carnegie Hall,
Royal Albert Hall,
L'Olympia
The Olympia (; commonly known as L'Olympia or in the English-speaking world as Olympia Hall) is a concert venue in the 9th arrondissement of Paris, France, located at 28 Boulevard des Capucines, equally distancing Madeleine church and Opéra G ...
and
Sydney Opera House.
1970s
The 1970s were marked by rock genres such as
hard rock,
progressive rock
Progressive rock (shortened as prog rock or simply prog; sometimes conflated with art rock) is a broad genre of rock music that developed in the United Kingdom and United States through the mid- to late 1960s, peaking in the early 1970s. In ...
,
jazz rock
Jazz fusion (also known as fusion and progressive jazz) is a music genre that developed in the late 1960s when musicians combined jazz harmony and improvisation with rock music, funk, and rhythm and blues. Electric guitars, amplifiers, and keyb ...
,
art rock,
glam rock
Glam rock is a style of rock music that developed in the United Kingdom in the early 1970s and was performed by musicians who wore outrageous costumes, makeup, and hairstyles, particularly platform shoes and glitter. Glam artists drew on diver ...
,
folk rock
Folk rock is a hybrid music genre that combines the elements of folk and rock music, which arose in the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom in the mid-1960s. In the U.S., folk rock emerged from the folk music revival. Performers s ...
,
symphonic rock
Progressive rock (shortened as prog rock or simply prog; sometimes conflated with art rock) is a broad genre of rock music that developed in the United Kingdom and United States through the mid- to late 1960s, peaking in the early 1970s. Initi ...
,
blues rock and
boogie rock
Boogie rock is a style of blues rock music that developed in the late 1960s. Its key feature is a repetitive driving rhythm, which emphasizes the groove. Although inspired by earlier musical styles, boogie rock has been described as "heavier" or ...
. In that period, some of the greatest Yugoslav
stadium rock bands emerged:
YU grupa
YU Grupa (trans. '' YU Group'') is a Serbian (former Yugoslav) rock band. A pioneer in combining rock music with the elements of the traditional music of the Balkans, YU Grupa is credited with being the longest-lasting Serbian rock band.
,
Time
Time is the continued sequence of existence and events that occurs in an apparently irreversible succession from the past, through the present, into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequence events, ...
,
Smak
Smak ( sr-Cyrl, Смак; trans. ''The end time'') was a Serbian and Yugoslav band from Kragujevac. The group reached the peak of popularity in the 1970s when it was one of the most notable acts of the former Yugoslav rock scene. The band's l ...
,
Parni valjak
Parni Valjak (; "steamroller") is a Croatian and former Yugoslav rock band. They were one of the top acts of the former Yugoslav rock scene, and one of the top rock bands in Croatia.
Biography
Parni Valjak was founded in 1975 in Zagreb. Unl ...
,
Atomsko Sklonište,
Leb i Sol
Leb i sol ( mk, Леб и сол) is a Republic of Macedonia, Macedonian and former yu rock, Yugoslav rock group founded in the 1970s by Vlatko Stefanovski (guitar), Bodan Arsovski (bass guitar), Nikola Kokan Dimuševski (Keyboard instrument, ke ...
, Teška industrija and
Galija
Galija ( sr-cyr, Галија; ) is a Serbian and Yugoslav rock band formed in Niš in 1977.
The central figures of the band are brothers Nenad Milosavljević (vocals, acoustic guitar and harmonica) and Predrag Milosavljević (vocals). A larg ...
.
In 1974 one of greatest rock groups ever formed in SFR Yugoslavia came to prominence, the
Sarajevo
Sarajevo ( ; cyrl, Сарајево, ; ''see names in other languages'') is the capital and largest city of Bosnia and Herzegovina, with a population of 275,524 in its administrative limits. The Sarajevo metropolitan area including Sarajevo ...
based
Bijelo Dugme
Bijelo Dugme (trans. ''White Button'') was a Yugoslav rock band, formed in Sarajevo, SR Bosnia and Herzegovina in 1974. Bijelo Dugme is widely considered to have been the most popular band ever to exist in the former Socialist Federal Republic ...
with its first singer
Željko Bebek
Želimir "Željko" Bebek (born 16 December 1945) is a Bosnian and Croatian vocalist and musician most notable for being the lead singer of former Yugoslav rock band Bijelo Dugme from 1974 to 1984. He also has a successful career as a solo artis ...
.
Many foreign pop and rock stars visited Yugoslavia, including the
Deep Purple concerts in Zagreb and Belgrade in 1975 with the local support acts Hobo and Smak in each of the cities respectively, and the
Rolling Stones concert in Zagreb in 1976.
Several rock music festivals existed of which ''BOOM'' was one of the most popular. A rock music event that marked the decade, but also the Yugoslav rock history in general, was the Bijelo Dugme's concert at Hajdučka česma in Košutnjak Park in Belgrade on August 22, 1977, which was attended by around 80,000 people. (Parts of) the recorded material were released on the live album ''
Koncert kod Hajdučke česme''.
1975 saw the emergence of a very influential act,
Buldožer
Buldožer (meaning " bulldozer"), was a Yugoslav-Slovenian progressive rock band from the 1970s and 1980s. They were one of the first bands in communist Yugoslavia that could be considered Avant-prog, and forefathers of the Yugoslav new wave ...
from Slovenia, noted for its
experimental rock
Experimental rock, also called avant-rock, is a subgenre of rock music that pushes the boundaries of common composition and performance technique or which experiments with the basic elements of the genre. Artists aim to liberate and innovate, with ...
, which was a reaction pointed against the musical scene of the time.
Singer-songwriters
The Yugoslav scene also featured several notable singer-songwriters, who emphasized their poetry over music, and usually performed accompanying themselves by an
acoustic guitar or
piano
The piano is a stringed keyboard instrument in which the strings are struck by wooden hammers that are coated with a softer material (modern hammers are covered with dense wool felt; some early pianos used leather). It is played using a keybo ...
. Some of them were inspired by the French
chanson
A (, , french: chanson française, link=no, ; ) is generally any lyric-driven French song, though it most often refers to the secular polyphonic French songs of late medieval and Renaissance music. The genre had origins in the monophonic so ...
or
folk rock
Folk rock is a hybrid music genre that combines the elements of folk and rock music, which arose in the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom in the mid-1960s. In the U.S., folk rock emerged from the folk music revival. Performers s ...
. One of the first critically acclaimed singer-songwriters was the Croatian artist
Arsen Dedić
Arsenije "Arsen" Dedić ( sr-Cyrl, Арсеније "Арсен" Дедић, ; 28 July 1938 – 17 August 2015) was a Croatian singer-songwriter. He wrote and performed chansons, as well as film music. He was also an award-winning poet, and was o ...
who started his career in the 1960s and is still popular in his homeland and around the former Yugoslav countries, especially among the older generation. Another important author was also
Đorđe Balašević
Đorđe Balašević ( sr-Cyrl, Ђорђе Балашевић; 11 May 1953 – 19 February 2021) was a Serbian and Yugoslav singer and songwriter, writer, poet and director. He began his career in the late 1970s as a member of the band Rani Mraz, ...
from
Novi Sad
Novi Sad ( sr-Cyrl, Нови Сад, ; hu, Újvidék, ; german: Neusatz; see below for other names) is the second largest city in Serbia and the capital of the autonomous province of Vojvodina. It is located in the southern portion of the Pan ...
. He started his music career in the 1970s as a member of Žetva and
Rani Mraz
Rani Mraz (Serbian Cyrillic: Рани Мраз; trans. ''Early Frost'') were a former Yugoslav rock band from Novi Sad, formed in 1977 by former Žetva member Đorđe Balašević. During the initial period, the band went through several lineup c ...
, before beginning a very successful solo career that continued up to his death in 2021. Despite being into
acoustic rock initially, later he often used various elements of pop and rock often spiced up either with typical Vojvodinian humour or a
ballad
A ballad is a form of verse, often a narrative set to music. Ballads derive from the medieval French ''chanson balladée'' or ''ballade'', which were originally "dance songs". Ballads were particularly characteristic of the popular poetry and ...
type of melancholy. A notable female artist in this category was
Jadranka Stojaković
Jadranka Stojaković ( sr-cyr, Јадранка Стојаковић, 24 July 1950 – 3 May 2016) was a Bosnian singer-songwriter popular in the former Yugoslavia, known for her unique voice. Her best known hits are "Sve smo mogli mi", "Što te n ...
from Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina. She was an author of the main music theme for the
1984 Winter Olympics
The 1984 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XIV Olympic Winter Games (Serbo-Croatian and Slovene: ''XIV. Zimske olimpijske igre''; Cyrillic: XIV Зимске олимпијске игре; mk, XIV Зимски олимписки игр ...
held in Sarajevo. Since 1988, she resides in Japan. An artist notable for socially engaged lyrics was
Marko Brecelj
Marko may refer to:
* Marko (given name)
* Marko (surname)
* Márkó, a village in Hungary
See also
*Marco (disambiguation)
*Markko (disambiguation)
*Marka (disambiguation)
*Markov Markov ( Bulgarian, russian: Марков), Markova, and Markof ...
, formerly a member of
Buldožer
Buldožer (meaning " bulldozer"), was a Yugoslav-Slovenian progressive rock band from the 1970s and 1980s. They were one of the first bands in communist Yugoslavia that could be considered Avant-prog, and forefathers of the Yugoslav new wave ...
.
Disco
![ZdravkoColic](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/69/ZdravkoColic.JPG)
The
disco craze spread around the world in the 1970s conquering Yugoslavia as well. Similarly to the disco movie ''
Saturday Night Fever'',
Zdravko Čolić
Zdravko Čolić (, ; born 30 May 1951) is a Bosnian Serb singer and is widely considered one of the greatest vocalists and cultural icons of the former Yugoslavia. Dubbed the "Tom Jones of the Balkans", he has garnered fame in Southeastern Europe ...
became a sort of "Yugoslav
John Travolta" dancing in stadiums across the country, dressed in a tight white suit and the then-fashionable
bell-bottoms
Bell-bottoms (or flares) are a style of trousers that become wider from the knees downward, forming a bell-like shape of the trouser leg. These are similar to flared jeans.
History Naval origins
In the early 19th century, when a standardized u ...
. At the legendary concert at the
Belgrade stadium ''
Marakana
The Rajko Mitić Stadium ( sr, / , ), previously known as Red Star Stadium ( sr, / ), also known as Marakana ( sr-Cyrl, Маракана), is a multi-use stadium in Belgrade, Serbia which has been the home ground of Red Star Belgrade since ...
'' on September 5, 1978, about 70,000 people gathered to see him. The concert was also attended by representatives of a West German
record label
A record label, or record company, is a brand or trademark of music recordings and music videos, or the company that owns it. Sometimes, a record label is also a publishing company that manages such brands and trademarks, coordinates the produ ...
. Impressed by Čolić's popularity they offered him a record contract. He released the songs "Jedina" and "Zagrli me" for the Western German market and also an
English language
English is a West Germanic language of the Indo-European language family, with its earliest forms spoken by the inhabitants of early medieval England. It is named after the Angles, one of the ancient Germanic peoples that migrated to the ...
single featuring the songs "I'm not a Robot Man" and "Light Me". Čolić was offered to move to West Germany and start a career there, but he refused favouring the popularity he had at home. His song about a relationship with a
posh
Posh is an informal adjective for "upper class". It may also refer to:
Entertainment
* ''Posh'' (album), a 1980 album by Patrice Rushen
*" Posh!", a 1968 song from the musical ''Chitty Chitty Bang Bang''
* ''Posh'' (2006 TV series), a 2006 Philip ...
girl "Pusti, Pusti modu" became a nationwide disco megahit in 1980. Despite that the disco fashion soon faded, Čolić continued his successful career as a pop music singer occasionally using folk music elements and remained popular in the former Yugoslav countries up to this day.
This era also brought in a
one-hit wonder called Mirzino Jato, labeled by the media as
kitsch
Kitsch ( ; loanword from German) is a term applied to art and design that is perceived as naïve imitation, overly-eccentric, gratuitous, or of banal taste.
The avant-garde opposed kitsch as melodramatic and superficial affiliation wi ...
y
euro disco
Eurodisco (also spelled as Euro disco) is the variety of European forms of electronic dance music that evolved from disco in the late 1970s, incorporating elements of pop and rock into a disco-like continuous dance atmosphere. Many Eurodisco ...
band obviously influenced by
Boney M.
Boney M. was a German-Caribbean vocal group that specialized in disco and funk created by German record producer Frank Farian, who was the group's primary songwriter. Originally based in West Germany, the four original members of the group's o ...
, who were quite popular in Yugoslavia, especially after their only male member
Bobby Farrell
Roberto Alfonso Farrell (6 October 1949 – 30 December 2010) was an Aruban dancer and singer. He was the male member of the 1970s pop and disco group Boney M.
Biography Birth and early life
Farrell was born and raised on the island of Arub ...
married a girl from
Skopje
Skopje ( , , ; mk, Скопје ; sq, Shkup) is the capital and List of cities in North Macedonia by population, largest city of North Macedonia. It is the country's political, cultural, economic, and academic centre.
The territory of Sk ...
's predominantly
Romani
Romani may refer to:
Ethnicities
* Romani people, an ethnic group of Northern Indian origin, living dispersed in Europe, the Americas and Asia
** Romani genocide, under Nazi rule
* Romani language, any of several Indo-Aryan languages of the Roma ...
inhabited municipality
Šuto Orizari
Šuto Orizari ( mk, , Balkan Romani: ''Shuto Orizari''), often shortened as ''Šutka'' ( mk, Шутка, sq, Shutkë), is a neighbourhood in the City of Skopje, North Macedonia, and the seat of Šuto Orizari Municipality. It is often regarded ...
br>
Mirzino Jato's style encompassed the deep, subwoofer shaking voice of
Sarajevo
Sarajevo ( ; cyrl, Сарајево, ; ''see names in other languages'') is the capital and largest city of Bosnia and Herzegovina, with a population of 275,524 in its administrative limits. The Sarajevo metropolitan area including Sarajevo ...
opera and classical choir singer Mirza Alijagić and the three sexy
back vocalists called "Jato" (trans. ''
Flock''). Music was written and produced by
Divlje Jagode guitarist
Sead Lipovača, while the author of most lyrics was
Marina Tucaković
Marina Tucaković ( sr-Cyrl, Марина Туцаковић; 4 November 1953 – 19 September 2021) was a Serbian lyricist and songwriter. Born and raised in Belgrade, Serbia, Tucaković had a degree from the Economic Faculty at the University ...
, who later wrote lyrics for other musical styles. Despite their huge popularity at the time, Mirzino Jato never got past the first album. Its only considerable hit was "Apsolutno tvoj".
One of the best known dance songs in this period was also the
Dado Topić
Adolf "Dado" Topić (born 4 September 1950, Siverić at Drniš) is a rock musician from Croatia and the former Yugoslavia. He was the lead singer and founder of Time, a 1970s progressive rock band. From 1970 to late 1971, he was also the lead sin ...
's opening track of the 1979 film ''
Nacionalna klasa
National Class Category Up to 785 ccm ( sh, italic=yes, Nacionalna klasa do 785 ccm) is a 1979 Yugoslav comedy film directed by Goran Marković (film director), Goran Marković.
Plot
A young man from the suburbs of Belgrade, Floyd, a car racer in ...
'' starring
Dragan Nikolić
Dragoslav "Dragan" Nikolić ( sr-cyr, Драгослав Драган Николић, ; 20 August 1943 – 11 March 2016) was a Yugoslav and later, Serbian actor.
Nikolić studied at Dramatic Arts Academy in Belgrade. In 1967 he starred in the ...
as Floyd, the fanatic car racer.
Hard rock and heavy metal
Gordi were one of the first Yugoslav
heavy metal bands and are considered one of the pioneers of classic heavy metal in Yugoslavia.
Hard rock group
Riblja Čorba, known for their provocative social-related lyrics and controversial political attitudes of the band's frontman
Bora Đorđević
Borisav "Bora" Đorđević ( sr-cyr, Борисав, Бора Ђорђевић; born 1 November 1952), also known as Bora Čorba ( sr-cyr, Бора Чорба), is a Serbian singer, songwriter, and poet. He is best known as the frontman of the ...
was one of the most important groups of the Yugoslav and
Serbian rock
Serbian rock is the rock music scene of Serbia. During the 1960s, 1970s and the 1980s, while Serbia was a constituent republic of Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, Serbian rock scene was a part of the SFR Yugoslav rock scene.
The Socia ...
in general. Riblja Čorba drummer
Vicko Milatović
Miroslav "Vicko" Milatović (Serbian Cyrillic: Мирослав-Вицко Милатовић) is a Serbian musician best known as the drummer for the Serbian and Yugoslav rock band Riblja Čorba.
Milatović first gained prominence in the late 1 ...
formed heavy metal band
Warriors, which later moved to Canada and recorded an album for the foreign market. The eminent heavy metal group
Divlje Jagode from Bihać, led by guitarist
Sead "Zele" Lipovača started a short-lasting international career in 1987 under the name Wild Strawberries. Another notable Bosnian hard rock group was
Vatreni Poljubac
Vatreni Poljubac (trans. "''Fiery Kiss''") is a Bosnian and Yugoslav hard rock / heavy metal band, formed in 1977 by composer, lyricist, vocalist and guitarist Milić Vukašinović. The band is widely considered to be regional pioneers of ...
led by charismatic
Milić Vukašinović
Milić Vukašinović ( sr-cyr, Милић Вукашиновић; born 9 March 1950) is a Yugoslav musician, the founder of the hard rock band Vatreni Poljubac as well as one-time drummer of the famous Yugoslav rock bands Bijelo Dugme and Inde ...
, formerly a member of
Bijelo Dugme
Bijelo Dugme (trans. ''White Button'') was a Yugoslav rock band, formed in Sarajevo, SR Bosnia and Herzegovina in 1974. Bijelo Dugme is widely considered to have been the most popular band ever to exist in the former Socialist Federal Republic ...
. Other notable hard rock and heavy metal bands include
Generacija 5
Generacija 5 ( sr-cyr, Генерација 5; trans. ''Generation 5'') is a Serbian and Yugoslav rock band formed in Belgrade in 1977.
The mainstay members of the band are keyboardist and band leader Dragoljub Ilić and guitarist Dragan Jovan ...
,
Rok Mašina
Rok Mašina ( sr-cyr, Рок Машина; trans. ''Rock Machine'') was a short-lasting Yugoslav hard rock and heavy metal band formed in Belgrade in 1980. Formed by former members of the progressive/hard rock band Pop Mašina Robert Nemeče ...
,
Kerber
Kerber ( sr-cyr, Кербер, lit=Cerberus) is a Serbian and Yugoslav hard rock band formed in Niš in 1981.
The mainstay members of Kerber are vocalist Goran Šepa "Gale", guitarist Tomislav "Tomica" Nikolić and keyboardist Branislav "Bane ...
and
Griva
Griva (Serbian Cyrillic: Грива; trans. '' Mane'') was a Serbian and former Yugoslav hard rock band from Novi Sad.
Band history
1982—1992
The band was formed in 1982 by former Ibn Tup members, Zlatko Karavla (drums) and Josip Sabo (guita ...
from Serbia;
Atomsko sklonište,
Osmi Putnik (whose frontman
Zlatan Stipišić Gibonni, later started a successful pop music career) and
Crna Udovica (later changed their name to Big Blue) from Croatia;
Pomaranča from Slovenia, and others. Yugoslav
glam metal
Glam metal (also known as hair metal or pop metal) is a subgenre of heavy metal that features pop-influenced hooks and guitar riffs, upbeat rock anthems, and slow power ballads. It borrows heavily from the fashion and image of 1970s glam ...
scene featured few acts, most notable being
Krom Krom may refer to:
*''Krom'' ( ), one of the Administrative divisions of Cambodia
*''Krom'' (), a Thai-language term which may refer to:
**''Krom'', each of the Thai government ministries under the historical ''chatusadom'' system
**'' Krom'', a for ...
,
Karizma and
Osvajači.
Punk rock
The Yugoslav
punk rock scene emerged in the late 1970s, influenced by the first wave of
punk rock bands from the United Kingdom and United States, such as
Sex Pistols and
The Clash
The Clash were an English rock band formed in London in 1976 who were key players in the original wave of British punk rock. Billed as "The Only Band That Matters", they also contributed to the and new wave movements that emerged in the w ...
and others, but also the
proto-punk bands such as
MC5
MC5, also commonly called The MC5, is an American rock band formed in Lincoln Park, Michigan, in 1963. The original line-up consisted of Rob Tyner (vocals) Wayne Kramer (guitar), Fred "Sonic" Smith (guitar), Michael Davis (bass), and Dennis ...
,
The Stooges
The Stooges, originally billed as the Psychedelic Stooges, also known as Iggy and the Stooges, was an American rock band formed in Ann Arbor, Michigan, in 1967 by singer Iggy Pop, guitarist Ron Asheton, drummer Scott Asheton, and bassist Da ...
and
New York Dolls. The
DIY
"Do it yourself" ("DIY") is the method of building, modifying, or repairing things by oneself without the direct aid of professionals or certified experts. Academic research has described DIY as behaviors where "individuals use raw and sem ...
punkzine
A punk zine (or punkzine) is a zine related to the punk subculture and hardcore punk music genre. Often primitively or casually produced, they feature punk literature, such as social commentary, punk poetry, news, gossip, music reviews and art ...
scene also started to develop. The Yugoslav punk bands were the first punk bands ever formed in a
socialist state
A socialist state, socialist republic, or socialist country, sometimes referred to as a workers' state or workers' republic, is a sovereign state constitutionally dedicated to the establishment of socialism. The term '' communist state'' is of ...
. Some of the first ones were formed in
SR Slovenia and
SR Croatia
The Socialist Republic of Croatia ( sh-Latn-Cyrl, separator=" / ", Socijalistička Republika Hrvatska, Социјалистичка Република Хрватска), or SR Croatia, was a constituent republic and federated state of the Sociali ...
:
Pankrti
Pankrti (The ''Bastards'' in Slovene) are a punk rock band from Ljubljana, Slovenia, active in the late 1970s and 1980s. They were known for provocative and political songs. They billed themselves as ''The First Punk Band Behind The Iron Curtai ...
from
Ljubljana
Ljubljana (also known by other historical names) is the capital and largest city of Slovenia. It is the country's cultural, educational, economic, political and administrative center.
During antiquity, a Roman city called Emona stood in the are ...
(formed in 1977) and
Paraf from
Rijeka (depending on the source, formed in 1976 or 1977). The Slovenian and Croatian scene of that period is featured in the compilation album ''
Novi Punk Val'', compiled by
Igor Vidmar. Late 1970s-early 1980s Belgrade scene included:
Urbana Gerila
Urbana Gerila ( sr-cyr, Урбана Герила, trans: '' Urban Guerrilla'') was a former Yugoslav punk rock and new wave band from Belgrade. The band is notable as the participant of the '' Artistička radna akcija'' project in 1981. In 19 ...
,
Radnička Kontrola and many others. This generation of bands was included on the ''
Artistička Radna Akcija'' compilation.
Pekinška Patka
Pekinška Patka (Serbian Cyrillic: Пекиншка Патка; trans. ''Peking Duck'') is an eminent Serbian and former Yugoslav punk rock band from Novi Sad. Their debut album, '' Plitka poezija'', released in 1980, is considered the first pu ...
was a cult band coming from
Novi Sad
Novi Sad ( sr-Cyrl, Нови Сад, ; hu, Újvidék, ; german: Neusatz; see below for other names) is the second largest city in Serbia and the capital of the autonomous province of Vojvodina. It is located in the southern portion of the Pan ...
. Some of the notable punk bands in
SR Macedonia included: Fol Jazik, arguably the first punk band in
Skopje
Skopje ( , , ; mk, Скопје ; sq, Shkup) is the capital and List of cities in North Macedonia by population, largest city of North Macedonia. It is the country's political, cultural, economic, and academic centre.
The territory of Sk ...
, formed in 1978; Afektiven naboj from Struga formed in 1979 feat. Goran Trajkoski; Other notable acts from Skopje included Badmingtons and Saraceni, both led by Vladimir Petrovski Karter. In Sarajevo,
SR Bosnia and Herzegovina
The Socialist Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina ( sh-Latn-Cyrl, separator=" / ", Socijalistička Republika Bosna i Hercegovina, Социјалистичка Pепублика Босна и Херцеговина), commonly referred to as Socia ...
, the following artists emerged: Ozbiljno Pitanje (which later evolved into the pop-rock star band Crvena Jabuka), Ševa (which later evolved into Bombaj Štampa led by the charismatic Branko Đurić), and the cult band Zabranjeno Pušenje. These Sarajevian bands later formed the punk-inspired New Primitives movement, an important phenomenon in the former Yugoslav culture.
In the late 1970s, some punk bands were affiliated with the new wave music scene, and were labeled as both punk rock and new wave. During a certain period, the term "new wave music" was interchangeable with "punk".
The end of the 1970s and the beginning of the 1980s saw the emergence of various subgenres of punk rock, such as street punk and Oi!. Later came hardcore punk, followed by various extreme styles such as crust punk, crossover thrash all the way to grindcore. Notable hardcore punk acts during the 1980s included: Niet, Patareni, KBO! and others. A notable mainstream pop punk band was Psihomodo Pop from Croatia (heavily influenced by The Ramones). Many eminent foreign punk bands played concerts around former Yugoslavia including: The Ruts, Siouxsie and the Banshees, U.K. Subs, Angelic Upstarts, The Exploited and The Anti-Nowhere League. In 1983 The Anti-Nowhere League released their album ''Live in Yugoslavia'', while Angelic Upstarts released a live album with the same title in 1985. Beside musicians, the Yugoslav punk subculture also included punk literature, punk writers and punk visual art, artists, with Ivan Glišić from Šabac being one of the notable ones.
New wave music
![Jurica Padjen Aerodrom Crikvenica 31072013 2 roberta f](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/68/Jurica_Padjen_Aerodrom_Crikvenica_31072013_2_roberta_f.jpg)
The new wave music scene emerged in the late 1970s and had a significant impact on Yugoslav culture. As its counterparts – the British and the US new wave music scenes, from which the main influences came from, the Yugoslav new wave scene was also closely related to Punk rock, Ska, Reggae, 2 Tone (music genre), 2 Tone, Power pop, Mod Revival etc. The new wave was especially advocated by the music magazines ''Polet'' from
Zagreb
Zagreb ( , , , ) is the capital and largest city of Croatia. It is in the northwest of the country, along the Sava river, at the southern slopes of the Medvednica mountain. Zagreb stands near the international border between Croatia and Slov ...
and Džuboks from
Belgrade, and by the TV show Rokenroler, which was known for its Video art, artistic music videos.
Important bands of the Yugoslav new wave are: Prljavo kazalište, Novi fosili, Šarlo Akrobata, Idoli, Azra, Električni orgazam, Haustor, Film (music group), Film, Laboratorija Zvuka, Lačni Franz, Cilindar, Gjurmët, Gjurmet and many others. This period in the former Yugoslav music is considered a "Golden age". All of these artists still have status of cult bands.
Symbols of the Yugoslav new wave era are the compilation albums ''Paket aranžman'', ''
Novi Punk Val'', ''
Artistička Radna Akcija'' and especially movies ''Davitelj protiv davitelja'' (starring Idoli member Srđan Šaper) and ''Dečko koji obećava'' (starring Aleksandar Berček and featuring appearances by members of Šarlo Akrobata and Idoli).
An important rockumentary covering this period is ''Sretno dijete''.
1980s
As the new wave perished in the beginning of the 1980s, some of the bands split or took different musical directions. The period around 1982 is considered especially crucial concerning the decline of the new wave in Yugoslavia, but also around the world. Many new important bands formed in 1982 after the new wave faded: Dušan Kojić-Koja, the former bass player of Šarlo Akrobata formed the legendary group Disciplina Kičme (a unique noisy mix of punk rock, funk, jazz fusion and many other styles). The band later rose to international prominence and appeared on MTV. Cane (musician), Zoran Kostić-Cane, the former vocalist of
Radnička Kontrola, formed the furious Garage punk (fusion genre), garage punk group Partibrejkers and achieved huge success. Idoli, Prljavo Kazalište and Film (band), Film (the latter under the moniker ''Jura Stublić i Film'') became pop-rock and all of them respectively achieved great mainstream success; The cult band Azra gradually moved on to a more conventional rock sound with occasional use of
folk rock
Folk rock is a hybrid music genre that combines the elements of folk and rock music, which arose in the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom in the mid-1960s. In the U.S., folk rock emerged from the folk music revival. Performers s ...
. Johnny Štulić's poetic trademarks were still notable throughout their lyrics. Električni Orgazam went through a Psychedelia, psychedelic phase and later became a successful mainstream rock band inspired mostly by the 1960s sound.
One of the most prominent mainstream dance pop acts during the decade, especially in the early 1980s, was Oliver Mandić. He used transvestite elements in his stage and video performances long before Boy George emerged. His music utilized much funk dance music. The national Radio-Television Belgrade filmed the TV show featuring a collection of his music videos called ''Beograd noću'' (''Belgrade by Night'') directed by Stanko Crnobrnja. The ambitiously avantgarde program won Rose d'Or award at the 1981 Montreux TV festival. Mandić's controversial image in the show, created by the conceptual artist Kosta Bunuševac, raised quite a public furor due to the singer's cross-dressing and aggressive makeup.
A former Riblja čorba member, Momčilo Bajagić, Momčilo Bajagić Bajaga formed one of the most popular ex-Yugoslav acts ever, Bajaga i Instruktori. Later, Dejan Cukić, one of the members of Instruktori left the band and started a successful solo career.
Family-friendly pop acts during the 1980s were Novi Fosili and the Split (city), Split based group Magazin, both featuring female vocalists.
1983 was marked by Daniel (Montenegrin singer), Danijel Popović, the Yugoslav performer at the Eurovision Song Contest 1983, Eurovision Song Contest in Munich. He instantly became a nationwide pop star, but was also acclaimed around Europe. West German and Swedish people, Swedish artists released cover versions of his hit "Džuli".
In the following year, at the national ESC pre-selection in Skopje,
Dado Topić
Adolf "Dado" Topić (born 4 September 1950, Siverić at Drniš) is a rock musician from Croatia and the former Yugoslavia. He was the lead singer and founder of Time, a 1970s progressive rock band. From 1970 to late 1971, he was also the lead sin ...
performed a duet with Slađana Milošević, known for her extravagant style comparable to that of Nina Hagen. Although their song "Princeza" did not win, it remained an evergreen pop ballad. Another notable duet was the song "Jabuke i vino" by
Željko Bebek
Želimir "Željko" Bebek (born 16 December 1945) is a Bosnian and Croatian vocalist and musician most notable for being the lead singer of former Yugoslav rock band Bijelo Dugme from 1974 to 1984. He also has a successful career as a solo artis ...
and Zana Nimani.
Zana Nimani was a notable artist from the Albanians in Belgrade, Albanian minority, she was a frontress of the band Zana (band), Zana from Belgrade and later started a solo career.
The most popular TV show during the decade was ''Hit meseca'' (''Hit of the Month'') which was a sort of Yugoslav ''Top of the Pops''. The host of the show was Dubravka "Duca" Marković. A popular magazine among the youths was ''ITD'', which also had a version called ''Super ITD'' in a bigger format. The most prominent rock music magazines were ''Rock'' and ''Džuboks''.
Musical genres such as Post-punk, Gothic rock, Darkwave, New Romantic and Synthpop were already expanded in SFR Yugoslavia during the early 1980s, and especially at the end of 1980s because of coming of new technologies such as Video recorders and Satellite Television in many homes in SFR Yugoslavia.
Post-punk
The former punks
Pekinška Patka
Pekinška Patka (Serbian Cyrillic: Пекиншка Патка; trans. ''Peking Duck'') is an eminent Serbian and former Yugoslav punk rock band from Novi Sad. Their debut album, '' Plitka poezija'', released in 1980, is considered the first pu ...
moved to post-punk and darkwave on their second, less acclaimed album ''Strah od monotonije'' released in 1981 and soon disbanded. Another legendary band,
Paraf, moved from their initial punk rock phase and released their psychedelic album ''Izleti'' in 1982 with elements of post-punk and gothic rock. Električni Orgazam had a notable psychedelic phase, during which, they released their album ''Lišće prekriva Lisabon'' in 1982.
Milan Mladenović, formerly a guitarist of Šarlo Akrobata, in that same 1982 formed the cult band Ekatarina Velika, initially named Katarina II. The band is remembered for its darker poetic post-punk sound and its intellectual attitude. Some of its members included the bass guitar player Bojan Pečar, formerly a member of Via Talas and the drummer Srđan Todorović, who later rose to internationally acclaimed film actor. Margita Stefanović-Magi, the keyboard player, and Milan, the frontman both rose to a status of "alternative celebrities". Later, both died.
Art rock
Notable
art rock groups included the wikt:arty, arty and extravagant Dorian Gray (band), Dorian Gray and Boa (Croatian band), Boa, both from
Zagreb
Zagreb ( , , , ) is the capital and largest city of Croatia. It is in the northwest of the country, along the Sava river, at the southern slopes of the Medvednica mountain. Zagreb stands near the international border between Croatia and Slov ...
. The former, named after Oscar Wilde's Dorian Gray, formed in 1982, influenced by Roxy Music and Japan (band), Japan. It was led by Massimo Savić, later a successful pop singer. Boa (Croatian band), Boa formed in the 1970s, influenced by Yes (band), Yes, King Crimson and Genesis (band), Genesis, but later turned to New Romantic. In 1990, it performed as David Bowie's opening act at Maksimir stadium.
New Romantic
During the New Romantic era popularized around the world by Duran Duran and Spandau Ballet, prominent acts in Yugoslavia were the aforementioned Zagreb based group Boa (Croatian band), Boa and Jakarta (band), Jakarta from
Belgrade.
Synthpop
Notable synthpop artists in the former Yugoslavia included: Beograd (band), Beograd, formed in 1981, named after their hometown Belgrade; Videosex from Ljubljana, Slovenia, led by their charismatic frontress Anja Rupel; the duo Denis & Denis from Croatia featuring the sex-symbol Marina Perazić, who later started a solo career, and her boyfriend Davor Tolja; the humorous bunch Laki Pingvini and a similar act named D' Boys (pronounced as "The Boys") led by Peđa D' Boy, formerly a vocalist of the West German rock band Jane (German band), Jane. In Macedonia, a notable synthesizer-led act was the group Bastion (band), Bastion which featured the now internationally acclaimed electronic musician Kiril Džajkovski on electronic keyboards and Milcho Manchevski as a lyrics writer. Many Yugoslav artists in this period were already experimenting with the use of personal computers in creating of their music. The cover of the single "Neka ti se dese prave stvari" / "Ne zovi to ljubavlju" by the Belgrade-based group Data featured the then popular Commodore 64.
New Primitives
The New Primitivism was an urban subculture, subcultural movement in Sarajevo in the early 1980s. Some of projects that came from the New Primitives were the band Zabranjeno Pušenje, the ''Top lista nadrealista'' TV and radio show, the legendary group Elvis J. Kurtović & His Meteors, Bombaj Štampa and others. Its creators include Elvis J. Kurtović, dr. Nele Karajlić, mr. Sejo Sexon, Bombaj Stampa (featuring actor/director Branko Đurić — Đuro), Boris Šiber, Zenit Đozić from the Sarajevo neighbourhood of Koševo. The film director Emir Kusturica was an associate and friend of the crew.
The fresh spirit that the group left in the urban Bosnian culture and a quite new way of expression, flooding directly from street subculture, attracted significant popularity and made it one of monuments of modern Bosnian culture.
The discourse of New Primitivism was primarily humorous, based on the spirit of Bosnian ordinary people from the cultural underground. They introduced the jargon, rich in Loan word, Turcisms, of Sarajevo "mahalas" (suburban neighborhoods) into the official musical and TV scene. Most of their songs and sketches involve stories about small people – coalmine workers, petty criminals, provincial girls etc. - put in unusual or even absurd situations. There are comparisons between ''Monty Python's Flying Circus'' show and New Primitives methods, as they share the form of short sketches and utilize Surreal humour, absurdity as means to illicit laughs from the audience.
The name of the movement arguably came as a reaction to two then-actual movements: New Romantic in global pop music and Slovenian Neue Slowenische Kunst (NSK).
Band Aid
In the late 1984 Bob Geldof and Midge Ure organized the famine relief campaign named Band Aid (band), Band Aid, which continued throughout 1985 until its finale – the historical Live Aid concert on 13 July 1985. The concert was broadcast worldwide including SFR Yugoslavia. Beside "Do They Know it's Christmas?" and USA for Africa projects from the UK and USA respectively, plenty of other countries also joined in. For example: Canada, West Germany, Austria, Norway etc. The SFR Yugoslav pop and rock elite also joined Geldof's campaign and formed a Yugoslav Band Aid under the name YU Rock Misija. The group included Oliver Mandić,
Željko Bebek
Želimir "Željko" Bebek (born 16 December 1945) is a Bosnian and Croatian vocalist and musician most notable for being the lead singer of former Yugoslav rock band Bijelo Dugme from 1974 to 1984. He also has a successful career as a solo artis ...
, Marina Perazić, Momčilo Bajagić, Aki Rahimovski, Husein Hasanefendić, Slađana Milošević, Jura Stublić,
Dado Topić
Adolf "Dado" Topić (born 4 September 1950, Siverić at Drniš) is a rock musician from Croatia and the former Yugoslavia. He was the lead singer and founder of Time, a 1970s progressive rock band. From 1970 to late 1971, he was also the lead sin ...
, Massimo Savić,
Zdravko Čolić
Zdravko Čolić (, ; born 30 May 1951) is a Bosnian Serb singer and is widely considered one of the greatest vocalists and cultural icons of the former Yugoslavia. Dubbed the "Tom Jones of the Balkans", he has garnered fame in Southeastern Europe ...
, Izolda Barudžija, Snežana Mišković, Alen Islamović,
Sead Lipovača, Dejan Cukić, Doris Dragović, Anja Rupel, Srđan Šaper, Vladimir Divljan, Peđa D' Boy, Zoran Predin and other eminent musicians. They recorded the Yugoslav Band Aid song "Za million godina" ("For a Million Years") written by former
Generacija 5
Generacija 5 ( sr-cyr, Генерација 5; trans. ''Generation 5'') is a Serbian and Yugoslav rock band formed in Belgrade in 1977.
The mainstay members of the band are keyboardist and band leader Dragoljub Ilić and guitarist Dragan Jovan ...
leader Dragan Ilić and Mladen Popović. The guitar solo in the song is played by Vlatko Stefanovski. The song was released as a single. Also a corresponding video was filmed.
Bora Đorđević
Borisav "Bora" Đorđević ( sr-cyr, Борисав, Бора Ђорђевић; born 1 November 1952), also known as Bora Čorba ( sr-cyr, Бора Чорба), is a Serbian singer, songwriter, and poet. He is best known as the frontman of the ...
and Goran Bregović, leaders of
Riblja Čorba and
Bijelo Dugme
Bijelo Dugme (trans. ''White Button'') was a Yugoslav rock band, formed in Sarajevo, SR Bosnia and Herzegovina in 1974. Bijelo Dugme is widely considered to have been the most popular band ever to exist in the former Socialist Federal Republic ...
were not credited on the record's back cover, however they appeared in
TV performanceof the song. At the end of the campaign, the Yugoslav musicians played a big 8 hour stadium concert on June 15, 1985, in Belgrade. The video for "Za million godina" was played on many TV stations worldwide and also, on July 13 at the Wembley Stadium on large video screens during a video interlude. It is included, though not completely, in the ''Overseas contributors'' section in the official ''Live Aid DVD'' that was released in the 2004 by Warner Music Group.
The Yugoslav message to Live Aid and ''YU Rock Misija'' video incl. subtitles
Sarajevo school of Pop Rock
Sarajevo developed a distinguishable pop and rock sound, often (but not necessarily) featuring Bosnian folk music elements, which became popular across the whole Yugoslav federation. It was the birthplace of one of the top Yugoslav rock bands Bijelo dugme, Bijelo Dugme and the pop star
Zdravko Čolić
Zdravko Čolić (, ; born 30 May 1951) is a Bosnian Serb singer and is widely considered one of the greatest vocalists and cultural icons of the former Yugoslavia. Dubbed the "Tom Jones of the Balkans", he has garnered fame in Southeastern Europe ...
.
The scene began to develop in the 1960s with groups such as
Indexi
Indexi was a Bosnian and former Yugoslav rock band popular in Yugoslavia. It formed in 1962 in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and disbanded in 2001 when singer Davorin Popović died. Some of their most notable songs are "Svijet u kome živ ...
, Pro Arte and singer/songwriter Kemal Monteno. It continued into the 1970s with
Ambasadori
Ambasadori were a Yugoslav schlager pop band from Sarajevo, active from 1968 until 1980.
The band is most notable for its 1975 hit single , as well as for representing Yugoslavia at the 1976 Eurovision Song Contest with " Ne mogu skriti svoju ...
, Bijelo dugme and Vatreni poljubac, while the 1980s brought artists such as Plavi orkestar, Plavi Orkestar, Crvena jabuka, Crvena Jabuka, Hari Mata Hari, Dino Merlin, Valentino, Regina (Bosnia and Herzegovina band), Regina, Bolero and Gino Banana.
Sarajevo was also the home of the authentic punk rock, punk-influenced subculture known as the New Primitives, which developed in the early 1980s and was brought into the mainstream by artists such as Zabranjeno Pušenje, Elvis J. Kurtović & His Meteors, Bombaj Štampa and the radio and TV comedy show Top lista nadrealista, Top Lista Nadrealista.
Industrial
Notable industrial music acts in Yugoslavia were Autopsia from Ruma and SCH (band), SCH from Sarajevo.
Neo-Rockabilly
The Yugoslav scene also included numerous neo-
rockabilly
Rockabilly is one of the earliest styles of rock and roll music. It dates back to the early 1950s in the United States, especially the South. As a genre it blends the sound of Western musical styles such as country with that of rhythm and blu ...
, psychobilly and retro-
rock and roll
Rock and roll (often written as rock & roll, rock 'n' roll, or rock 'n roll) is a genre of popular music that evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s. It originated from African-American music such as jazz, rhythm a ...
acts.
A noted artist was controversial Toni Montano, Velibor "Bora" Miljković, better known as Toni Montano, nicknamed after Tony Montana, the main character of the movie Scarface (1983 film), Scarface. He was a former vocalist of the
punk rock group Radost Evrope, ironically named after the international children's music festival ''Joy of Europe'' held annually in Belgrade. Toni often stirred controversy in his interviews and frequently attacked other musicians, like Ekaterina Velika and such, whom he considered pseudointellectuals who alienated themselves from the "street", where, according to him, the real rock music should emerge from. He arrogantly proclaimed himself a "real rock star" whose time is yet to come. However, he never really managed to achieve the success of his adversaries, who never bothered much with him anyway. His albums often included cover versions of punk rock tracks, such as the
Sex Pistols' "Friggin' in the Riggin'" and "Lonely Boy". Espousing an Wiktionary:old school, old school macho rocker attitude and image, Toni's songs often featured sexist lyrics.
On the other hand, the group Đavoli from Split led by Neno Belan, Nenad "Neno" Belan were a softer retro-rock 'n' roll act, they released several summer hits and also twist (dance), twist or surf music influenced tracks. Some of its members also had punk rock background.
The rockabilly group Fantomi was another act in Croatia, while in Serbia the group called Vampiri emerged with their trademark doo-wop style of singing and performed as a support act of the internationally acclaimed retro jazzy pop group Vaya Con Dios (band), Vaya Con Dios at their concert in Belgrade.
Neue Slowenische Kunst
In Slovenia, the cult avant-garde band Laibach (band), Laibach emerged in 1980. Experimenting with various styles such as industrial music, industrial, martial music, martial and Neoclassical (Dark Wave), neo-classical music they rose to international prominence and influenced acts such as the group Rammstein for instance. They appeared on MTV with their cover version of "Across the Universe" by
The Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the most influential band of all time and were integral to the developmen ...
, featuring a guest-appearance by Anja Rupel. One of the groups connected with NSK were Abbildungen Variete from Maribor.
The most notable electronic body music act was Borghesia, from Ljubljana, Slovenia.
Macedonian Darkwave and Gothic scene
While Slovenia had the Neue Slowenische Kunst movement, in Macedonia, the collective Makedonska Streljba was formed. The Macedonian darkwave and gothic rock scene featured some of the most prominent Macedonian acts ever, such as Mizar (band), Mizar, Arhangel and Padot na Vizantija, the latter featuring Goran Trajkoski.
Extreme Metal
The Extreme metal music scene across SFR Yugoslavia was also developed. It included various thrash metal, speed metal and death metal acts. A festival called ''Hard Metal'' was taking place in Belgrade and also a magazine with the same name was published.
Notable acts included speed metal band Bombarder (initially formed in Sarajevo, later moved to Belgrade), Bloodbath (not to be confused with the Swedish band Bloodbath), Heller (band), Heller (the pioneers of Yugoslav thrash metal) and others. The thrash metal band Sanatorium (band), Sanatorium was formed in Skopje in 1987. During its 20 years of existence, it shared stage with many prominent international stars such as Motörhead, Halford (band), Halford, Soulfly and others.
Rap music
Many rap music artists emerged in SFR Yugoslavia throughout the 1980s. Breakdance groups also existed especially in the first half of the 1980s. A prominent breakdance rap act was The Master Scratch Band. They have released some works for Jugoton in 1984 including the track ''Break War'' featuring ''Hit Meseca'' host Dubravka "Duca" Marković. Disciplina Kičme also used rap music elements, though in their own specific way, always mixed with numerous other styles.
But there was an artist who utilized rap music in a very distinguishable manner. In the late 1980s, a charismatic musician of Montenegrin origin came into nationwide prominence: Rambo Amadeus. His pseudonym as well as his music encompassed an intellectual attitude on one side, but also a distinguishable Balkan-flavoured humour and macho Camp (style), camp on the other. He often, if not always used rap music combined with folk music parody and political and social satire, although he doesn't fit into the conventional rap music category because he went beyond the style. He also coined the term "turbo folk", though he was one of its greatest enemies. He is still a cult personality in the ex-Yugoslav territories.
He often closely cooperated with another musician, Dino Dvornik, the son of the Croatian actor Boris Dvornik. Dino Dvornik was a popular funk-inspired dance-pop artist.
Yugoslav Wars and aftermath (1990s)
Two years after the group Riva (music group), Riva won the Eurovision Song Contest 1989 and one year after the Eurovision Song Contest 1990 took place in
Zagreb
Zagreb ( , , , ) is the capital and largest city of Croatia. It is in the northwest of the country, along the Sava river, at the southern slopes of the Medvednica mountain. Zagreb stands near the international border between Croatia and Slov ...
, the SFR Yugoslav music scene ceased to exist with the breakup of Yugoslavia. Ironically, the 1990 winning song performed by Toto Cutugno was called Insieme: 1992 (in Italian: Together in 1992) featuring the lyrics ''Together, Unite, Unite Europe!'' acclaiming the approaching European Union, European unification that took place in 1992.
Tajči became one of the last breakout pop stars in Yugoslavia, before the disintegration of the country cut her career short and she emigrated to the United States.
With the outbreak of the Yugoslav Wars many of the former Yugoslav musicians participated in anti-war activities, often being attacked by the nationalists in their countries. In 1992, the serbian rock supergroup Rimtutituki featuring members of Partibrejkers, Ekatarina Velika and Električni Orgazam released an anti-militarist song, and after the authorities forbade them to promote it with a live show, they performed on a Trailer (vehicle), trailer Towing, towed by a truck through the streets of
Belgrade. However, others previously involved in the Yugoslav pop and rock scene embraced national chauvinism, and even saw active combat.
A notable example is the song "E, moj druže Beogradski" ("Hey my Belgrade comrade"). Although generally seen as an emotional anti-war song pointed against the Serbian nationalism written by Jura Stublić from the Croatian group Film (band), Film, at the time of its appearance it caused different reactions.
Bora Đorđević
Borisav "Bora" Đorđević ( sr-cyr, Борисав, Бора Ђорђевић; born 1 November 1952), also known as Bora Čorba ( sr-cyr, Бора Чорба), is a Serbian singer, songwriter, and poet. He is best known as the frontman of the ...
, who had a cult status in the
Serbian rock
Serbian rock is the rock music scene of Serbia. During the 1960s, 1970s and the 1980s, while Serbia was a constituent republic of Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, Serbian rock scene was a part of the SFR Yugoslav rock scene.
The Socia ...
scene as a frontman of
Riblja Čorba, soon "replied" with the controversial song "E moj druže Zagrebački" ("Hey my Zagreb comrade"), a cynical parody featuring nationalist message
Many Croatian popular music, Croatian pop and rock artists took part in projects such as "Moja domovina" and Rock za Hrvatsku during the Croatian War of Independence.
When the Bosnian War broke out, the
Sarajevo
Sarajevo ( ; cyrl, Сарајево, ; ''see names in other languages'') is the capital and largest city of Bosnia and Herzegovina, with a population of 275,524 in its administrative limits. The Sarajevo metropolitan area including Sarajevo ...
based group Zabranjeno Pušenje split into two separate fractions. The latter based itself in Belgrade and received international exposure under the name Zabranjeno Pušenje#No Smoking Orchestra, No Smoking Orchestra led by Nele Karajlić, also featuring the movie director Emir Kusturica. They played with Joe Strummer and that concert footage is included in the ''Super 8 Stories'' film directed by Kusturica. Newly established folk singer Zehra Bajraktarević's career was met with the harshness of siege of Sarajevo, nonetheless she continued to produce albums despite the conditions of the war.
While Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Republic of Macedonia, Macedonia proclaimed themselves independent states, the leaderships of Republic of Serbia (federal), Serbia and Republic of Montenegro (federal), Montenegro decided to form a new federal state called the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia which existed from 1992 until 2003, however it was not recognized as a legal successor to the former Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia]
The local scenes in the independent countries that emerged after the breakup of Yugoslavia continued to exist, some of them heavily suffering during the war. The music scene continued even in the shelters during the Sarajevo siege and a compilation album ''Rock under siege'' (Radio Zid Sarajevo, Stichting Popmuziek Nederland) was released in 1995.
The music of the Yugoslav Wars has gained a cult following on the internet, mostly among foreigners. This is evidenced by the wide popularity of the YouTube channels Kocayine (now deleted) and Наша Српска Архива (Our Serbian Archive). Some notable artists in this style of music are Lepi Mića and Baja Mali Knindža.
2000s
After the end of the conflicts and especially later, after the departure of the nationalist leaders such as Slobodan Milošević and Franjo Tuđman, the former Yugoslav nations started to normalise their relations. Thus their music scenes could freely restore their former cooperation. Many of the former pop and rock stars re-emerged and toured the former Yugoslav countries:
Bijelo Dugme
Bijelo Dugme (trans. ''White Button'') was a Yugoslav rock band, formed in Sarajevo, SR Bosnia and Herzegovina in 1974. Bijelo Dugme is widely considered to have been the most popular band ever to exist in the former Socialist Federal Republic ...
,
Leb i Sol
Leb i sol ( mk, Леб и сол) is a Republic of Macedonia, Macedonian and former yu rock, Yugoslav rock group founded in the 1970s by Vlatko Stefanovski (guitar), Bodan Arsovski (bass guitar), Nikola Kokan Dimuševski (Keyboard instrument, ke ...
, Crvena Jabuka, Plavi Orkestar, Massimo Savić (formerly of Dorian Gray (band), Dorian Gray) and Boris Novković (formerly of the group Boris i Noćna Straža), while Anja Rupel, formerly of Videosex, recorded a duet with Toše Proeski, a young Macedonian pop singer who became respected in all the former Yugoslav countries.
Following the reconciliation of Serbia and Croatia, the aforementioned Croatian musician Jura Stublić held three sold-out concerts in
Belgrade in 2003. Asked by the media about "E, moj druže Zagrebački" case,
Bora Đorđević
Borisav "Bora" Đorđević ( sr-cyr, Борисав, Бора Ђорђевић; born 1 November 1952), also known as Bora Čorba ( sr-cyr, Бора Чорба), is a Serbian singer, songwriter, and poet. He is best known as the frontman of the ...
replied that "it was just a joke".
He also expressed approbation for Stublić's comeback to Belgrade after so many years. On the other hand, Momčilo Bajagić, Bajaga and
Đorđe Balašević
Đorđe Balašević ( sr-Cyrl, Ђорђе Балашевић; 11 May 1953 – 19 February 2021) was a Serbian and Yugoslav singer and songwriter, writer, poet and director. He began his career in the late 1970s as a member of the band Rani Mraz, ...
had respectively made numerous concert appearances in Croatia and Bosnia.
In 2003 Igor Mirković from Croatia made the rockumentary ''Sretno dijete'' (''Happy Child'') named after a song by Prljavo Kazalište. The movie covers the early Punk rock in Yugoslavia, Yugoslav punk rock and New wave music in Yugoslavia, new wave scenes featuring eminent artists from
Zagreb
Zagreb ( , , , ) is the capital and largest city of Croatia. It is in the northwest of the country, along the Sava river, at the southern slopes of the Medvednica mountain. Zagreb stands near the international border between Croatia and Slov ...
,
Ljubljana
Ljubljana (also known by other historical names) is the capital and largest city of Slovenia. It is the country's cultural, educational, economic, political and administrative center.
During antiquity, a Roman city called Emona stood in the are ...
and
Belgrade.
Music for children
Many eminent former Yugoslav Pop and Rock artists composed children's music, mostly educational. The SFR Yugoslav system through its media encouraged children to practise the traditional folk music and dances, as well as to listen to pop and rock music, contrary to the
kitsch
Kitsch ( ; loanword from German) is a term applied to art and design that is perceived as naïve imitation, overly-eccentric, gratuitous, or of banal taste.
The avant-garde opposed kitsch as melodramatic and superficial affiliation wi ...
y "turbo folk, novokomponovana narodna muzika".
*In Serbia, Vranešević brothers from Laboratorija Zvuka were especially active in composing music for children TV programs, mostly for Radio Television Belgrade, Radio-televizija Beograd and Radio-televizija Novi Sad. Their music was featured in the popular shows: ''Poletarac''; ''Priče iz Nepričave'' starring Zoran Radmilović and Milena Dravić, and ''Čik pogodi ko sam'' in which, one of the episodes featured Zoran Simjanović
who invited the kids to a recording studio.
*The Macedonian children show ''Bušava azbuka'' (Бушава Азбука) created for Macedonian Radio-Televizija Skopje (now Macedonian Radio-Television) by Goran Stefanovski and Slobodan Unkovski featured music by
Leb i Sol
Leb i sol ( mk, Леб и сол) is a Republic of Macedonia, Macedonian and former yu rock, Yugoslav rock group founded in the 1970s by Vlatko Stefanovski (guitar), Bodan Arsovski (bass guitar), Nikola Kokan Dimuševski (Keyboard instrument, ke ...
and Ana Kostovska, the frontress of Bastion (band), Bastion.
*The popular children TV show ''Fore i fazoni'' created for Radio Television Belgrade, Radio-televizija Beograd by Ljubivoje Ršumović featured performances by Laboratorija zvuka, the Croatian pop star
Oliver Dragojević
Oliver Dragojević (; 7 December 1947 – 29 July 2018) was a Croatian singer and composer, who was considered one of the most enduring musical stars and cultural icons in Croatia with a discography that spanned nearly five decades. His style ble ...
, the Bosnian singer Seid Memić- Vajta and the Belgrade-based group Poslednja Igra Leptira.
*Branko Kockica gained nationwide popularity as a children show host of ''Kocka, kocka, kockica'' (Radio Television Belgrade, Radio-televizija Beograd). He often used rock music in his show. Once he appeared in a stereotypical rock outfit playing
Riblja Čorba's "Rokenrol za kućni savet", a song about irritating the neighbours with loud rock music. He also released various children music albums like 1988's ''Deca bez adrese'' with Oliver Mandić.
*
Arsen Dedić
Arsenije "Arsen" Dedić ( sr-Cyrl, Арсеније "Арсен" Дедић, ; 28 July 1938 – 17 August 2015) was a Croatian singer-songwriter. He wrote and performed chansons, as well as film music. He was also an award-winning poet, and was o ...
the prominent Croatian
chanson
A (, , french: chanson française, link=no, ; ) is generally any lyric-driven French song, though it most often refers to the secular polyphonic French songs of late medieval and Renaissance music. The genre had origins in the monophonic so ...
artist released an album ''Arsen pjeva djeci'' (''Arsen sings to the children'').
*Vlado Kalember from Srebrna Krila released a children song for peace "Nek živi ljubav".
*Srđan Gojković - Gile from Električni Orgazam together with Vlada Divljan from Idoli released two educational children albums: ''Rokenrol za decu'' and ''Rokenrol bukvar'' under the label of PGP RTS.
Record labels
*Jugoton
*PGP-RTB
*Suzy (record label), Suzy
*ZKP RTLJ
*Diskoton
*Jugodisk
Related films and TV shows
*''The Girl in the Park''
*''The Naughty Ones''
*''Sretno dijete''
*''The Promising Boy''
*''Rockovnik''
*''Strangler vs. Strangler''
*''The Fall of Rock and Roll''
*''When I Am Dead and Gone''
See also
*New wave music in Yugoslavia
*Punk rock in Yugoslavia
*YU Rock Misija
*Neue Slowenische Kunst
*New Primitives
*Sarajevo school of pop rock
*''YU 100: najbolji albumi jugoslovenske rok i pop muzike''
*''Yugoton''
*Slovenian rock
*Bosnian rock
*
Serbian rock
Serbian rock is the rock music scene of Serbia. During the 1960s, 1970s and the 1980s, while Serbia was a constituent republic of Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, Serbian rock scene was a part of the SFR Yugoslav rock scene.
The Socia ...
*Croatian popular music
*Music of Slovenia
*Music of Croatia
*Music of Bosnia and Herzegovina
*Music of Serbia
*Music of Montenegro
*Music of the Republic of Macedonia
*
Music of Yugoslavia
*Yugonostalgia
*Rokeri s Moravu
References
Janjatović, Petar. ''Ilustrovana Enciklopedija Yu Rocka 1960-1997'', publisher: Geopoetika, 1997
Petar Janjatović "EX YU ROCK enciklopedija 1960-2006"
* Janjatović, Petar. ''Drugom stranom – Almanah novog talasa u SFRJ'' (co-authors David Albahari and Dragan Kremer), 1983
* Dragan Pavlov and Dejan Šunjka ''Punk u Jugoslaviji'' (Punk in Yugoslavia), publisher: IGP Dedalus, Yugoslavia, 1990
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