Selma is a rock ballad recorded in former Yugoslavia by the influential Bosnian rock band

Bijelo Dugme Bijelo Dugme (trans. ''White Button'') was a Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, Yugoslav rock music, rock band, formed in Sarajevo, Socialist Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina, SR Bosnia and Herzegovina in 1974. Bijelo Dugme is widely co ...

. This song appeared for the first time on their 1974 debut album ''

Kad bi bio bijelo dugme ''Kad bi' bio bijelo dugme'' (trans. ''If I Were a White Button'') is the 1974 debut studio album from influential Yugoslav rock band Bijelo Dugme. The album was polled the 14th on the 100 Greatest Yugoslav Rock and Pop Albums list in the 1998 ...

''.

Background

"Selma" is a song about a young girl traveling to university. The narrator is saying goodbye to her, and he cannot express his feelings for her, all he can say is goodbye and please do not lean out of the train window. The text of the song was written by

Vlado Dijak Vlado Dijak (1925 in Brezovo Polje, Brčko District, Kingdom of Yugoslavia – 1988 in Sarajevo, Socialist Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina, SR Bosnia and Herzegovina, Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, SFR Yugoslavia) was a well-known Yugo ...

, a former Yugoslav poet and songwriter, based on a real event in 1949, when he accompanied Selma Borić, the young

Zenica Zenica ( ; ; ) is a city in Bosnia and Herzegovina and an administrative and economic center of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina's Zenica-Doboj Canton. It is located in the Bosna (river), Bosna river valley, about north of Sarajevo. Th ...

-born girl in which he was secretly in love with, to the train station in

Sarajevo Sarajevo ( ; cyrl, Сарајево, ; ''see Names of European cities in different languages (Q–T)#S, names in other languages'') is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Bosnia and Herzegovina, with a population of 275,524 in its a ...

. The music was composed by

Goran Bregović Goran Bregović (born 22 March 1950) is a recording artist from Bosnia and Herzegovina. He is one of the most internationally known modern musicians and composers of the Slavic-speaking countries in the Balkans, and is one of the few former Yugo ...

Versions

Studio version

The version that we hear on the record is approximately six minutes and ten seconds in length. The song has two verses, but the second verse is repeated for the 3rd verse. There is an organ solo done by organist

Vlado Pravdić Vladimir "Vlado" Pravdić (born 6 December 1949) is a Bosnian musician most famous as the organist of the Yugoslav rock group Bijelo dugme from 1974 to 1976 and again from 1978 to 1987. Born in Sarajevo, PR Bosnia-Herzegovina, FPR Yugoslavia ...

as well as guitar riffs played by Bregović. The song features

Picardy third A Picardy third, (; french: tierce picarde) also known as a Picardy cadence or Tierce de Picardie, is a major chord of the tonic at the end of a musical section that is either modal or in a minor key. This is achieved by raising the third of the ...

''Koncert kod Hajdučke česme'' version

For their 1978 live release ''

Koncert kod Hajdučke česme ''Koncert kod Hajdučke česme'' (styled ''koncert kod hajduccke ccesme'' on the cover, trans. ''The Concert at Hajdučka česma'') is the first live album by Yugoslav rock band Bijelo Dugme, released in 1977. The album's title refers to the ban ...

'' the band had a much shorter version of the song. This version ran for only 3.5 minutes, and the second verse was not repeated. Also the organ solo played in the beginning and the middle of the song was not included thus shortening the song's length as opposed to the studio version. The song uses

Hammond Organ The Hammond organ is an electric organ invented by Laurens Hammond and John M. Hanert and first manufactured in 1935. Multiple models have been produced, most of which use sliding drawbars to vary sounds. Until 1975, Hammond organs generated s ...

''Mramor, kamen i željezo'' version (1987)

The Third version of Selma was released on the band's third live album named ''

Mramor, kamen i željezo ''Mramor, kamen i željezo'' (trans. ''Marble, Stone and Iron'') is the third live album by Yugoslav rock band Bijelo Dugme, released in 1987. Released as a double album, the material was recorded throughout 1987 during the band's tour in suppor ...

''. Released as a double album, the material was recorded throughout 1987 during the band's tour in support of their album "Pljuni i zapjevaj moja Jugoslavijo." In this "naked" version, Bregovic took off organ as a previously dominant instrument which gave the song religious sense and decided to simplify the song, bass and drums were set as a main instruments. Although released on live album, the third version of Selma was made up in the recording studio. {{Bijelo dugme 1974 songs