Goran Bregović
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Goran Bregović (born 22 March 1950) is a recording artist from
Bosnia and Herzegovina Bosnia and Herzegovina ( sh, / , ), abbreviated BiH () or B&H, sometimes called Bosnia–Herzegovina and often known informally as Bosnia, is a country at the crossroads of south and southeast Europe, located in the Balkans. Bosnia and ...
. He is one of the most internationally known modern musicians and composers of the Slavic-speaking countries in the
Balkans The Balkans ( ), also known as the Balkan Peninsula, is a geographical area in southeastern Europe with various geographical and historical definitions. The region takes its name from the Balkan Mountains that stretch throughout the who ...
, and is one of the few former Yugoslav musicians who has performed at major international venues such as
Carnegie Hall Carnegie Hall ( ) is a concert venue in Midtown Manhattan in New York City. It is at 881 Seventh Avenue, occupying the east side of Seventh Avenue between West 56th and 57th Streets. Designed by architect William Burnet Tuthill and built ...
,
Royal Albert Hall The Royal Albert Hall is a concert hall on the northern edge of South Kensington, London. One of the UK's most treasured and distinctive buildings, it is held in trust for the nation and managed by a registered charity which receives no govern ...
and
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 ...
. A
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 ...
native, Bregović started out with Kodeksi and Jutro, but rose to prominence as the main creative mind and lead guitarist 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 Republ ...
, widely considered one of the most popular and influential recording acts ever to exist in 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 ...
. After Bijelo Dugme split up, he embarked on several critically and commercially successful projects, and started composing film scores. Among his better known film scores are three of
Emir Kusturica Emir Kusturica ( sr-cyrl, Емир Кустурица; born 24 November 1954) is a Serbian film director, screenwriter, actor, producer and musician. He also has French citizenship.http://www.serbia.com/emir-kusturica-artist-builder-and-anti-glo ...
's films (''
Time of the Gypsies ''Time of the Gypsies'' ( sh-Cyrl-Latn, Дом за вешање, Dom za vešanje, Home for Hanging) is a 1988 Yugoslav coming-of-age fantasy crime drama directed by Emir Kusturica. Filmed in Romani and Serbo-Croatian, ''Time of the Gypsies' ...
'', ''
Arizona Dream ''Arizona Dream'' is a 1993 indie surrealist comedy drama film co-written and directed by Emir Kusturica and starring Johnny Depp, Jerry Lewis, Faye Dunaway, Lili Taylor and Vincent Gallo. Plot Axel has a dream about an Eskimo who catches a ra ...
'' and '' Underground''). For ''Time of the Gypsies'', Bregović won a Golden Arena Award at the
Pula Film Festival Pula Film Festival ( hr, Pulski filmski festival) is an annual Croatian film festival, established in 1954. It is held in a Roman amphitheater known as the Pula Arena. Pula Film Festival is the oldest Croatian film festival and is usually held ...
in 1990, among other awards. He had also composed for the
Academy Award The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...
-nominated film '' La Reine Margot'' and the
Cannes Cannes ( , , ; oc, Canas) is a city located on the French Riviera. It is a commune located in the Alpes-Maritimes department, and host city of the annual Cannes Film Festival, Midem, and Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity. The ...
-entered film '' The Serpent's Kiss''. Bregović, during his five-decade long career, has composed for critically acclaimed singers, including Sezen Aksu, Kayah,
Iggy Pop James Newell Osterberg Jr. (born April 21, 1947), known professionally as Iggy Pop, is an American singer, musician, songwriter and actor. Called the " Godfather of Punk", he was the vocalist and lyricist of proto-punk band The Stooges, who w ...
,
Šaban Bajramović Šaban Bajramović ( sr-Cyrl, Шабан Бајрамовић, ; rom, Shaban Bajramovičh; 16 April 1936 – 8 June 2008), nicknamed Šabi (Шаби), was a Serbian vocalist and recording artist of Arlije Romani ethnicity. He was one of the mos ...
, George Dalaras and
Cesária Évora Cesária Évora GCIH (; 27 August 194117 December 2011), more commonly known as Cize, was a Cape Verdean singer-songwriter. She received a Grammy Award in 2004 for her album ''Voz d'Amor''. Nicknamed the "Barefoot Diva" for performing without ...
.


Early life

Born 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 ...
, PR Bosnia-Herzegovina, FPR Yugoslavia to a Croat father Franjo Bregović and Herzegovinian Serb mother Borka Perišić, Goran grew up with two younger siblings — sister Dajana and brother Predrag. Their father was from the Croatian region of Prigorje, specifically
Sveti Petar Čvrstec Sveti Petar Čvrstec is a village A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet but smaller than a town (although the word is often used to describe both hamlets and smaller towns), with a population typ ...
village near Križevci, while their mother was born in Virovitica to parents that had shortly before her birth arrived in the nearby village of Čemernica, settling there from the village of
Kazanci Kazanci ( sr-cyrl, Казанци) is a village in the municipality of Gacko, Republika Srpska, Bosnia and Herzegovina Bosnia and Herzegovina ( sh, / , ), abbreviated BiH () or B&H, sometimes called Bosnia–Herzegovina and often known ...
near
Gacko Gacko ( sr-cyrl, Гацко) is a town and municipality located in Republika Srpska, an entity of Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is situated in the region of East Herzegovina. As of 2013, the town has a population of 5,784 inhabitants, while the m ...
in East Herzegovina. Goran's maternal grandfather fought in the
Royal Serbian Army The Army of the Kingdom of Serbia ( sr-cyr, Војска Краљевине Србије, Vojska Kraljevine Srbije), known in English as the Royal Serbian Army, was the army of the Kingdom of Serbia that existed between 1882 and 1918, succeed ...
at the
Salonica front The Macedonian front, also known as the Salonica front (after Thessaloniki), was a military theatre of World War I formed as a result of an attempt by the Allied Powers to aid Serbia, in the autumn of 1915, against the combined attack of Ge ...
during
World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...
and as a reward received land in
Slavonia Slavonia (; hr, Slavonija) is, with Dalmatia, Croatia proper, and Istria, one of the four historical regions of Croatia. Taking up the east of the country, it roughly corresponds with five Croatian counties: Brod-Posavina, Osijek-Bar ...
where he soon moved his family. Goran's parents met shortly after
World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...
in Virovitica where his mother Borka lived and his father Franjo (who fought on the Partisan side during the war) attended a
Yugoslav People's Army The Yugoslav People's Army (abbreviated as JNA/; Macedonian and sr-Cyrl-Latn, Југословенска народна армија, Jugoslovenska narodna armija; Croatian and bs, Jugoslavenska narodna armija; sl, Jugoslovanska ljudska ar ...
(JNA) military school. Franjo Bregović soon got his first job, teaching
ballistics Ballistics is the field of mechanics concerned with the launching, flight behaviour and impact effects of projectiles, especially ranged weapon munitions such as bullets, unguided bombs, rockets or the like; the science or art of designing a ...
at a military school in Sarajevo, so the couple that at the time moved there. Goran, their first child, was born in 1950 in Sarajevo. Goran was 10 years old when his parents divorced. In later interviews, he mentioned his father's
alcoholism Alcoholism is, broadly, any drinking of alcohol that results in significant mental or physical health problems. Because there is disagreement on the definition of the word ''alcoholism'', it is not a recognized diagnostic entity. Predomi ...
as the reason for the breakdown of their marriage. Soon after the split, his father moved to
Livno Livno ( sr-cyrl, Ливно, ) is a city and the administrative center of Canton 10 of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, an entity of Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is situated on the river Bistrica in the southeastern edge of the Livno Fiel ...
, taking Goran's younger brother Predrag with him while Goran remained living with his mother in Sarajevo, visiting his father and brother every summer in Livno. Their father soon retired and eventually moved back to his home village in Zagorje while Goran's brother Predrag later moved back to Sarajevo for university studies. Goran played violin in a
music school A music school is an educational institution specialized in the study, training, and research of music. Such an institution can also be known as a school of music, music academy, music faculty, college of music, music department (of a larger ins ...
. However, deemed untalented, he was thrown out during second grade. His musical education was thus reduced to what his friend taught him until Goran's mother bought him his first guitar in his early teens. Bregović wanted to enroll in a fine arts high school, but his aunt told his mother that it was supposedly full of homosexuals, which precipitated his mother's decision to send him to a technical (traffic) school. As a compromise for not getting his way, she allowed him to grow his hair long.


Early career

Upon entering high school, teenage Bregović joined the school band Izohipse where he began on bass guitar. Soon, however, he was kicked out of that school too (this time for misbehavior – he crashed into a school-owned
Mercedes-Benz Mercedes-Benz (), commonly referred to as Mercedes and sometimes as Benz, is a German luxury and commercial vehicle automotive brand established in 1926. Mercedes-Benz AG (a Mercedes-Benz Group subsidiary established in 2019) is headquarte ...
). Bregović then entered grammar school and its school band Beštije (again as a bass guitar player). When he was 16, his mother left him and moved to the coast, meaning that other than having a few relatives to rely on, he mostly had to take care of himself. He did that by playing
folk music Folk music is a music genre that includes traditional folk music and the contemporary genre that evolved from the former during the 20th-century folk revival. Some types of folk music may be called world music. Traditional folk music has ...
in a kafana in
Konjic Konjic ( sr-Cyrl, Коњиц) is a city and municipality located in Herzegovina-Neretva Canton of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, an entity of Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is located in northern Herzegovina, around southwest of Saraje ...
, working on construction sites, and selling newspapers. Spotting him at a Beštije gig in 1969,
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 ...
invited eighteen-year-old Bregović to play bass guitar in his band Kodeksi, which Goran gladly accepted.


Kodeksi

Eventually, Kodeksi shifted setup so Bregović moved from bass to lead guitar, resulting in Kodeksi having the following line-up during summer 1970: Goran Bregović, Željko Bebek, Zoran Redžić and
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 Ind ...
. All of them would eventually become members 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 Republ ...
at some point in the future. At the time, they were largely influenced by
Led Zeppelin Led Zeppelin were an English rock band formed in London in 1968. The group comprised vocalist Robert Plant, guitarist Jimmy Page, bassist/keyboardist John Paul Jones, and drummer John Bonham. With a heavy, guitar-driven sound, they are ...
and
Black Sabbath Black Sabbath were an English rock band formed in Birmingham in 1968 by guitarist Tony Iommi, drummer Bill Ward, bassist Geezer Butler and vocalist Ozzy Osbourne. They are often cited as pioneers of heavy metal music. The band helped def ...
. During the fall of 1970, this resulted in the departure of Željko Bebek, who (both as rhythm guitar player and singer) got phased out of the band. At the end of the year, Goran's mother and Zoran's brother arrived in
Naples Naples (; it, Napoli ; nap, Napule ), from grc, Νεάπολις, Neápolis, lit=new city. is the regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 909,048 within the city's adm ...
and took them back to
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 ...
.


Jutro

Then, in the autumn of 1971, Bregović enrolled at the University of Sarajevo's Faculty of Philosophy, studying philosophy and sociology. He soon quit, however. At the same time,
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 Ind ...
left for London, so Bregović formed a band with Nuno Arnautalić called Jutro (Morning), which Redžić soon joined as well. Over the next few years, the band changed lineups frequently, and on 1 January 1974 modified its name to
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 Republ ...
("White Button").


Bijelo Dugme

From 1974 until 1989, Bregović played lead guitar and was the main creative force behind
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 Republ ...
(''White Button''). For years they stood as one of the most popular bands in
SFR 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 ...
. Just as with Jutro previously, he continued as Bijelo Dugme's undisputed leader and decision-maker as well as its public face in the Yugoslav print and electronic media once the band started taking off commercially. Over the band's fifteen-year run, in addition to their enormous popularity at home, led by Bregović, Bijelo Dugme made several attempts at expanding their prominence outside of Yugoslavia. In late 1975, while recording their second album '' Šta bi dao da si na mom mjestu'' in
London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...
, they additionally recorded 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 ...
track called "Playing the Part" (translated version of their
Serbo-Croatian Serbo-Croatian () – also called Serbo-Croat (), Serbo-Croat-Bosnian (SCB), Bosnian-Croatian-Serbian (BCS), and Bosnian-Croatian-Montenegrin-Serbian (BCMS) – is a South Slavic language and the primary language of Serbia, Croatia, Bosnia an ...
track "Šta bi dao da si na mom mjestu", itself an uncredited cover of
Argent In heraldry, argent () is the tincture of silver, and belongs to the class of light tinctures called "metals". It is very frequently depicted as white and usually considered interchangeable with it. In engravings and line drawings, regions to ...
's 1972 track " I Am the Dance of Ages") that was packaged as a
promo single A promotional recording, or promo, or plug copy, is an audio or video recording distributed free, usually in order to promote a recording that is or soon will be commercially available. Promos are normally sent directly to broadcasters, such as ...
for English music journalists. Never officially released for mass distribution, the track quickly fell into oblivion. Bijelo Dugme had somewhat better luck with touring abroad, which almost entirely took place in the
Eastern Bloc The Eastern Bloc, also known as the Communist Bloc and the Soviet Bloc, was the group of socialist states of Central and Eastern Europe, East Asia, Southeast Asia, Africa, and Latin America under the influence of the Soviet Union that existed du ...
countries as part of their respective cultural exchange programs with SFR Yugoslavia. The band briefly toured the
Polish People's Republic The Polish People's Republic ( pl, Polska Rzeczpospolita Ludowa, PRL) was a country in Central Europe that existed from 1947 to 1989 as the predecessor of the modern Republic of Poland. With a population of approximately 37.9 million ne ...
during April 1977, a 9-concert leg as part of the tour in support of their third album '' Eto! Baš hoću!''. During their 10-day Polish tour, the band played two concerts on back-to-back nights in
Warsaw Warsaw ( pl, Warszawa, ), officially the Capital City of Warsaw,, abbreviation: ''m.st. Warszawa'' is the capital and largest city of Poland. The metropolis stands on the River Vistula in east-central Poland, and its population is officiall ...
, followed by
Olsztyn Olsztyn ( , ; german: Allenstein ; Old Prussian: ''Alnāsteini'' * Latin: ''Allenstenium'', ''Holstin'') is a city on the Łyna River in northern Poland. It is the capital of the Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship, and is a city with county rights. ...
,
Zielona Góra Zielona Góra is the largest city in Lubusz Voivodeship, located in western Poland, with 140,403 inhabitants (2021). Zielona Góra has a favourable geographical position, being close to the Polish-German border and on several international road ...
, three shows on back-to-back days in
Poznań Poznań () is a city on the River Warta in west-central Poland, within the Greater Poland region. The city is an important cultural and business centre, and one of Poland's most populous regions with many regional customs such as Saint Joh ...
, and finally two shows on the same day in
Kalisz (The oldest city of Poland) , image_skyline = , image_caption = ''Top:'' Town Hall, Former "Calisia" Piano Factory''Middle:'' Courthouse, "Gołębnik" tenement''Bottom:'' Aerial view of the Kalisz Old Town , image_flag = POL Kalisz flag.svg ...
. While in Poland, they also shot a 30-minute television special for
TVP3 Katowice TVP3 Katowice a.k.a. TV Katowice also Television Katowice is one of the regional branches of the TVP, Poland's public television broadcaster. It serves the entire Silesian Voivodeship with particular dedication to the Upper Silesian Metropolis a ...
, a regional
Katowice Katowice ( , , ; szl, Katowicy; german: Kattowitz, yi, קאַטעוויץ, Kattevitz) is the capital city of the Silesian Voivodeship in southern Poland and the central city of the Upper Silesian metropolitan area. It is the 11th most popu ...
-based branch of the state-owned
Telewizja Polska Telewizja Polska S.A. (; "Polish Television"; TVP), also known in English as the public Polish Television is a Polish state media corporation. It is the largest Polish television network, although viewership has been declining in the 2010s. Sinc ...
. Later that year, following the tour that culminated in a triumphant open-air concert at Hajdučka Česma in Belgrade, Bregović went to serve his mandatory
Yugoslav People's Army The Yugoslav People's Army (abbreviated as JNA/; Macedonian and sr-Cyrl-Latn, Југословенска народна армија, Jugoslovenska narodna armija; Croatian and bs, Jugoslavenska narodna armija; sl, Jugoslovanska ljudska ar ...
(JNA) stint. Assigned to a unit based in
Niš Niš (; sr-Cyrl, Ниш, ; names in other languages) is the third largest city in Serbia and the administrative center of the Nišava District. It is located in southern part of Serbia. , the city proper has a population of 183,164, whi ...
, the twenty-seven-year-old reported for service on 3 November 1977 and would spend the following year away from music, a period during which the band was also on hiatus. During early 1982, the band played in
Innsbruck Innsbruck (; bar, Innschbruck, label=Austro-Bavarian ) is the capital of Tyrol and the fifth-largest city in Austria. On the River Inn, at its junction with the Wipp Valley, which provides access to the Brenner Pass to the south, it had a p ...
,
Austria Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...
as representatives of the city 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 ...
and SFR Yugoslavia, the site of the upcoming
Winter Olympics The Winter Olympic Games (french: link=no, Jeux olympiques d'hiver) is a major international multi-sport event held once every four years for sports practiced on snow and ice. The first Winter Olympic Games, the 1924 Winter Olympics, were h ...
, as part of an event bringing together
past The past is the set of all events that occurred before a given point in time. The past is contrasted with and defined by the present and the future. The concept of the past is derived from the linear fashion in which human observers experience ...
and
future The future is the time after the past and present. Its arrival is considered inevitable due to the existence of time and the laws of physics. Due to the apparent nature of reality and the unavoidability of the future, everything that current ...
Winter Olympic hosts. On return to Yugoslavia from Innsbruck, the band had its equipment confiscated by the Yugoslav customs after
undeclared ''Undeclared'' is an American sitcom created by Judd Apatow, which aired on Fox during the 2001–02 season. The show has developed a cult following, and in 2012, ''Entertainment Weekly'' listed it at #16 in the "25 Best Cult TV Shows from the ...
musical equipment was found among their luggage. Some six months after that, during summer 1982, Bijelo Dugme went on a tour of the
People's Republic of Bulgaria The People's Republic of Bulgaria (PRB; bg, Народна Република България (НРБ), ''Narodna Republika Balgariya, NRB'') was the official name of Bulgaria, when it was a socialist republic from 1946 to 1990, ruled by the ...
, playing 41 shows throughout the country from 15 July until 31 August 1982. Despite the tour in support of their latest studio album '' Doživjeti stotu'' being over for more than a year, and having no new material to promote, the band reportedly accepted the tour of Bulgaria in order to recover some of the funds lost after getting fined by the Yugoslav customs over the attempt to bring undeclared musical equipment into the country. In summer 1985, following a decade of continuous rejection for tours of the
Soviet Union The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen nationa ...
by the cultural attaché of the Soviet embassy in Yugoslavia, Bijelo Dugme was finally approved and booked to play in
Moscow Moscow ( , US chiefly ; rus, links=no, Москва, r=Moskva, p=mɐskˈva, a=Москва.ogg) is the capital and largest city of Russia. The city stands on the Moskva River in Central Russia, with a population estimated at 13.0 million ...
on 28 July 1985 on the same bill with fellow Yugoslav rock act
Bajaga i Instruktori Bajaga i Instruktori (Serbian Cyrillic: Бајага и Инструктори; trans. ''Bajaga and the Instructors'') are a Serbian and Yugoslav rock band formed in Belgrade in 1984. Founded and led by vocalist, guitarist and principal composer ...
at a huge open-air concert at Gorky Park as part of the 12th World Festival of Youth and Students. Ahead of the show, Bregović decided to sequester the band in
Budva Budva ( cnr, Будва, or ) is a Montenegrin town on the Adriatic Sea. It has 19,218 inhabitants, and it is the centre of Budva Municipality. The coastal area around Budva, called the Budva riviera, is the center of Montenegrin tourism, kno ...
for two weeks in order to practice for the Moscow show, an indication of the seriousness with which they approached this particular concert. However, once in Moscow, due to
overcrowding Overcrowding or crowding is the condition where more people are located within a given space than is considered tolerable from a safety and health perspective. Safety and health perspectives depend on current environments and on local cultural n ...
at Gorky Park and resulting safety concerns, the event got interrupted around 10 p.m. after the Bajaga i Instruktori set before Bijelo Dugme even had a chance to take the stage. Two days later on 30 July 1985, instead at the marquee Gorky Park in central Moscow, Bijelo Dugme got to play the Dynamo Arena on the city outskirts at an unpopular noon-hour time slot.


Guest appearances, collaborations and business venture

In between Bijelo Dugme's studio releases and tours, in-demand Bregović worked on various side projects in Yugoslavia. These included releasing a solo record in 1976 and composing two movie soundtracks—1977's ''Leptirov oblak'' and 1979's ''Lične stvari''. He also tried his hand at music production, producing Idoli's 1980 seven-inch single "
Maljčiki "Maljčiki" ( Serbian Cyrillic: Маљчики, Russian for "Boys") is the second single by the Serbian and former Yugoslav new wave music band Idoli. It also appeared on the Yugoslav new wave compilation '' Paket aranžman'' which is one of th ...
" / "
Retko te viđam sa devojkama "Retko te viđam sa devojkama" ("I Rarely See You With Girls") is the second song which appeared on the first single by Serbian new wave band Idoli (the first being " Pomoć, pomoć"). History The band recorded two songs which would appear a ...
" and co-producing, alongside Kornelije Kovač,
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 ...
's fourth studio album '' Malo pojačaj radio'' in 1981. Bregović furthermore made guest appearances on guitar on various studio recordings by different Yugoslav pop, folk, and rock acts:
Neda Ukraden Neda Ukraden ( sr-Cyrl, Неда Украден; born 16 August 1950) is a Serbian-Croatian singer. Her professional career stretches back to 1967. Personal life Ukraden was born in Glavina Donja, a village near the small Croatian town of Imot ...
's track "Tri djevojke" (together with Bijelo Dugme bandmates Vlado Pravdić and Zoran Redžić) off her 1976 album ''Ko me to od nekud doziva'',
Hanka Paldum Hanka Paldum (born 28 April 1956) is a Bosnian sevdalinka singer and founder of the record label Sarajevo Disk. She is regarded as one of the best female sevdah performers of the 20th century and is popular in her home country of Bosnia as well ...
's track "Zbog tebe" off her 1980 album '' Čežnja'', "Ne da/ne nego i/ili" track by Kozmetika off their 1983 eponymous album, Valentino's track "Pazi na ritam" off their 1983 debut album ''ValentiNo1'',
Riblja Čorba Riblja Čorba ( sr-Cyrl, Рибља Чорба, pronounced ; translation: lit. ''Fish Stew'') is a Serbian and former Yugoslav rock band formed in Belgrade in 1978. The band was one of the most popular and most influential acts of the Yugosla ...
's track "Disko mišić" off their 1985 album '' Istina'',
Merlin Merlin ( cy, Myrddin, kw, Marzhin, br, Merzhin) is a mythical figure prominently featured in the legend of King Arthur and best known as a mage, with several other main roles. His usual depiction, based on an amalgamation of historic and leg ...
's 1986 album ''
Teško meni sa tobom (a još teže bez tebe) ''Teško meni sa tobom (a još teže bez tebe)'' (trans. ''It's hard with you (even harder without you)'') is the second studio album released by the former Yugoslavia's Merlin band. The album was released in 1986. The album-cover is inspired by ...
'', Mjesečari track "Gdje izlaziš ovih dana" off their 1988 album ''One šetaju od 1 do 2'', and
Piloti Pilotis, or piers, are supports such as columns, pillars, or stilts that lift a building above ground or water. They are traditionally found in stilt and pole dwellings such as fishermen's huts in Asia and Scandinavia using wood, and in elev ...
track "Tiho, tiho" off their 1990 album ''Nek te Bog čuva za mene''. During his time leading Bijelo Dugme, Bregović also became involved in the financial and organizational side of the music business. In 1984, dissatisfied with their respective financial terms at the state-owned
Jugoton Jugoton was the largest record label and chain record store in the former Yugoslavia based in Zagreb, SR Croatia. History Jugoton was formed in 1947. It is notable for releasing some of the most important former Yugoslav pop and rock records. ...
label, Bijelo Dugme bandleader Bregović and one of Yugoslavia's biggest pop stars Zdravko Čolić got together to establish their own music label Kamarad, which—via a deal with state-owned
Diskoton ''Diskoton'' was a major record label in SFR Yugoslavia, based in Sarajevo, Socialist Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina. The company ceased to exist in 1992, with the outbreak of the War in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The studio was destroyed along ...
and later another newly-established private label Komuna—would end up co-releasing all of Bijelo Dugme's subsequent studio albums including three of Čolić's studio albums from 1984 until 1990. Considered an unusual move at the time in a communist country with nearly across-the-board public ownership that had just recently began allowing certain modes of private entrepreneurship, starting a privately-owned record label—combined with Bregović's and Čolić's high public profile in Yugoslavia—got them both a lot of additional attention in the country's press. The company was registered in Radomlje near Domžale in
SR Slovenia The Socialist Republic of Slovenia ( sl, Socialistična republika Slovenija, sh-Latn-Cyrl, separator=" / ", Socijalistička Republika Slovenija, Социјалистичка Република Словенија), commonly referred to as Sociali ...
. Due to not having its own production facilities and distribution network, the new label entered into a co-releasing agreement with Diskoton thus essentially functioning as the legal entity that holds the licensing rights to the works of Bijelo Dugme and Zdravko Čolić. Kamarad's debut co-release was Čolić's 1984 studio album ''
Ti si mi u krvi ''Ti si mi u krvi'' is the sixth studio album by Zdravko Čolić, released in 1984. After five studio albums for Jugoton, this was Čolić's first studio release for a different label as a co-operation project between Diskoton and Kamarad, a newl ...
'' followed by Bijelo Dugme's self-titled studio album later that year with new vocalist Mladen "Tifa" Vojičić. The label would also co-release many of Dugme's and Čolić's later 'best of' compilations in addition to Bregović's movie soundtrack albums as well as
Vesna Zmijanac Vesna Zmijanac (, ; born 4 January 1957) is a Montenegrin-born Serbian singer and actress. Dubbed the "Queen of Sadness", she is known for her emotional vocal delivery and melancholic ballads. Also noted for her provocative appearance and weste ...
's 1992 album ''Ako me umiriš sad''.


Solo career

During the late 1980s, a period that would turn out to be the final years of Bijelo Dugme, Bregović entered the world of
film music A film score is original music written specifically to accompany a film. The score comprises a number of orchestral, instrumental, or choral pieces called cues, which are timed to begin and end at specific points during the film in order to e ...
. His first project was
Emir Kusturica Emir Kusturica ( sr-cyrl, Емир Кустурица; born 24 November 1954) is a Serbian film director, screenwriter, actor, producer and musician. He also has French citizenship.http://www.serbia.com/emir-kusturica-artist-builder-and-anti-glo ...
's ''
Time of the Gypsies ''Time of the Gypsies'' ( sh-Cyrl-Latn, Дом за вешање, Dom za vešanje, Home for Hanging) is a 1988 Yugoslav coming-of-age fantasy crime drama directed by Emir Kusturica. Filmed in Romani and Serbo-Croatian, ''Time of the Gypsies' ...
'' (1989) and it turned out to be a great success (both the film and the soundtrack). Bregović's collaboration with Kusturica continued as the musician composed the soundtrack (which was performed by
Iggy Pop James Newell Osterberg Jr. (born April 21, 1947), known professionally as Iggy Pop, is an American singer, musician, songwriter and actor. Called the " Godfather of Punk", he was the vocalist and lyricist of proto-punk band The Stooges, who w ...
) for Kusturica's next film ''
Arizona Dream ''Arizona Dream'' is a 1993 indie surrealist comedy drama film co-written and directed by Emir Kusturica and starring Johnny Depp, Jerry Lewis, Faye Dunaway, Lili Taylor and Vincent Gallo. Plot Axel has a dream about an Eskimo who catches a ra ...
'' (1993). During the
Bosnian War The Bosnian War ( sh, Rat u Bosni i Hercegovini / Рат у Босни и Херцеговини) was an international armed conflict that took place in Bosnia and Herzegovina between 1992 and 1995. The war is commonly seen as having started ...
, Bregović relocated to Paris, but also lived in Belgrade. His next major project, music for Patrice Chéreau's '' Queen Margot'' was a great success as well, and as a result, the film won two awards on the 1994
Cannes Film Festival The Cannes Festival (; french: link=no, Festival de Cannes), until 2003 called the International Film Festival (') and known in English as the Cannes Film Festival, is an annual film festival held in Cannes, France, which previews new films ...
. The next year's
Golden Palm The Palme d'Or (; en, Golden Palm) is the highest prize awarded at the Cannes Film Festival. It was introduced in 1955 by the festival's organizing committee. Previously, from 1939 to 1954, the festival's highest prize was the Grand Prix du Fe ...
award went to '' Underground'', for which Goran Bregović composed the music. In 1997, he worked with Turkish singer Sezen Aksu on her album ''Düğün ve Cenaze'' (''Wedding and Funeral''). After that album, he continued making composite albums with other musicians that were based on his music and singers' lyrics. He made an album with George Dalaras in 1999 named '' Thessaloniki – Yannena with Two Canvas Shoes''. In the same year, Bregović recorded an album called '' Kayah i Bregović'' (Kayah and Bregović) with popular Polish singer Kayah which sold over 700,000 copies in
Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populou ...
(seven times platinum record). In 2001, he recorded another album with another Polish singer, Krzysztof Krawczyk, titled "Daj mi drugie życie" ("Give Me Second Life"). In 2005, Bregović took part in three large farewell concerts of Bijelo Dugme. A number of works created by Bregović can be heard on the soundtrack to the 2006 film '' Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan'', most notably "Đurđevdan". The film itself actually features more Bregović samples than the soundtrack. Two musical numbers by Bregović, "Ne Siam Kurve Tuke Sijam Prostitutke," and "Gas, Gas" were featured in the soundtrack of the 2012 Brazilian telenovela, '' Salve Jorge'', on the television network
Rede Globo TV Globo (, "Globe TV", or simply Globo), formerly known as Rede Globo, is a Brazilian free-to-air television network, launched by media proprietor Roberto Marinho on 26 April 1965. It is owned by media conglomerate Grupo Globo. The TV stati ...
.


Wedding and Funeral Orchestra

For many years Bregović performed with a large ensemble of musicians: a brass band, bagpipes, a string ensemble, a tuxedo-clad all-male choir from
Belgrade Belgrade ( , ;, ; names in other languages) is the capital and largest city in Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers and the crossroads of the Pannonian Plain and the Balkan Peninsula. Nearly 1,166,763 mi ...
, women wearing traditional Bulgarian costumes, and
Roma Roma or ROMA may refer to: Places Australia * Roma, Queensland, a town ** Roma Airport ** Roma Courthouse ** Electoral district of Roma, defunct ** Town of Roma, defunct town, now part of the Maranoa Regional Council * Roma Street, Brisbane, a ...
singers make up his 40-piece band and orchestra. Since 1998, and until about 2012, Bregović has been performing his music mainly in the form of concerts all over the world with his Wedding and Funeral Orchestra. This consists of 10 people (in the small version) or 37 (in the large version, although, in some instances, this number varies, depending on participants from the host country). Since 2012 the orchestra consists of 9 people (in the small version) or 19 (in the large version), as it played in New York at the Lincoln Center on 15 and 16 July 2016. The small orchestra consists of Muharem "Muki" Rexhepi (vocals, drums), Bokan Stanković (first trumpet), Dragić Velićović (second trumpet), Stojan Dimov (sax, clarinet), Aleksandar Rajković (first trombone, glockenspiel), Miloš Mihajlović (second trombone), female vocals Bulgarian singers Daniela Radkova-Aleksandrova and Ljudmila Radkova-Trajkova, and Goran himself. The large orchestra includes also string quartet: Ivana Mateijć (first violin), Bojana Jovanović-Jotić (second violin), Saša Mirković (viola), and Tatjana Jovanović-Mirković, as well as sextet of male voices: Dejan Pesić (first tenor), Milan Panić and Ranko Jović (second tenors), Aleksandar Novaković (baritone), Dušan Ljubinković and Siniša Dutina (basses). In previous years, in the orchestra the following musicians have performed: Ogi Radivojević and Alen Ademović (vocals, drums), Dalibor Lukić (second trumpet), Dejan Manigodić (tuba), Vaska Jankovska (vocals). In 2013, as part of his Asia-Pacific tour (including Australia, New Zealand, and Hong Kong), Bregović performed with a string quartet, a male choir, Bulgarian singers and half of a brass band. The other part of the brass band – including bass and percussions – were being played from his computer. In 2017, he was a guest artist on Puerto Rican rapper Residente's album ''Residente'' on the song "El Futuro Es Nuestro" (Spanish for "The Future is Ours").


Eurovision

During the Eurovision 2008 final in Belgrade Arena, Serbia, he played as the interval act. He also composed the Serbian entry for the Eurovision Song Contest 2010; 'Ovo Je Balkan' sung by
Milan Stanković Milan Stanković ( sr-cyrl, Милан Станковић; born 9 September 1987) is a Serbian singer-songwriter. He rose to prominence as a finalist on the televised singing competition '' Zvezde Granda'' in 2007, and acquired wider fame by re ...
.


Musical style

Bregović's compositions, extending Balkan musical inspirations to innovative extremes, draw upon European classicism and Balkan rhythms. Bregović's music carries: Yugoslav, Bulgarian,
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 ...
,
Greek Greek may refer to: Greece Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group. *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family. **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor ...
,
Romanian Romanian may refer to: *anything of, from, or related to the country and nation of Romania ** Romanians, an ethnic group **Romanian language, a Romance language ***Romanian dialects, variants of the Romanian language **Romanian cuisine, traditiona ...
, Albanian, Italian, Turkish and Polish themes and is a fusion of
popular music Popular music is music with wide appeal that is typically distributed to large audiences through the music industry. These forms and styles can be enjoyed and performed by people with little or no musical training.Popular Music. (2015). ''Fu ...
, with traditional
polyphonic Polyphony ( ) is a type of musical texture consisting of two or more simultaneous lines of independent melody, as opposed to a musical texture with just one voice, monophony, or a texture with one dominant melodic voice accompanied by chords, ...
music from the Balkans, tango and brass bands.


Personal life

During the early 1970s, Bregović's first child, daughter Željka, was born out of wedlock from a brief relationship with a Sarajevo-based dancer named Jasenka. Željka lives in
Austria Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...
where she gave birth to Goran's granddaughter, Bianca. With Bijelo Dugme's mid-1970s breakout commercial success and Bregović's increased public profile in Yugoslavia, details of his lifestyle and romantic relationships also became fodder for the country's press. Throughout the late 1970s and early 1980s, various Yugoslav print media outlets documented his high-profile relationship with Serbian model Ljiljana Tica who reportedly inspired his song "Bitanga i princeza" off Bijelo Dugme's eponymous 1979 album. In 1993, Bregović married his long-time girlfriend Dženana Sudžuka, a
Bosniak The Bosniaks ( bs, Bošnjaci, Cyrillic: Бошњаци, ; , ) are a South Slavic ethnic group native to the Southeast European historical region of Bosnia, which is today part of Bosnia and Herzegovina, who share a common Bosnian ancestry, ...
model. The wedding ceremony held in Paris featured film director
Emir Kusturica Emir Kusturica ( sr-cyrl, Емир Кустурица; born 24 November 1954) is a Serbian film director, screenwriter, actor, producer and musician. He also has French citizenship.http://www.serbia.com/emir-kusturica-artist-builder-and-anti-glo ...
as the groom's best man and longtime Bijelo Dugme backing vocal Amila Sulejmanović as the bride's maid of honour. The couple has three daughters: Ema (born in March 1995), Una (February 2002), and Lulu (May 2004). Bregović owns real-estate all over the world, but divides most of his time between
Belgrade Belgrade ( , ;, ; names in other languages) is the capital and largest city in Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers and the crossroads of the Pannonian Plain and the Balkan Peninsula. Nearly 1,166,763 mi ...
where he does most of his musical recording work and Paris where his spouse lives with their three daughters. He reportedly owns properties in
Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. Si ...
,
Istanbul ) , postal_code_type = Postal code , postal_code = 34000 to 34990 , area_code = +90 212 (European side) +90 216 (Asian side) , registration_plate = 34 , blank_name_sec2 = GeoTLD , blank_i ...
, Belgrade,
Zagreb Zagreb ( , , , ) is the capital (political), capital and List of cities and towns in Croatia#List of cities and towns, largest city of Croatia. It is in the Northern Croatia, northwest of the country, along the Sava river, at the southern slop ...
, on Mount Jahorina, and Perast, many of which are used for commercial purposes such as touristic rentals, studio recording, and filming locations. In Belgrade, Bregović owns multiple properties in the upscale Senjak neighbourhood. On 12 June 2008, fifty-eight-year-old Bregović sustained a spinal injury in Belgrade, breaking
vertebrae The spinal column, a defining synapomorphy shared by nearly all vertebrates, Hagfish are believed to have secondarily lost their spinal column is a moderately flexible series of vertebrae (singular vertebra), each constituting a characteristi ...
by falling four meters from a
cherry tree A cherry is the fruit of many plants of the genus '' Prunus'', and is a fleshy drupe (stone fruit). Commercial cherries are obtained from cultivars of several species, such as the sweet '' Prunus avium'' and the sour ''Prunus cerasus''. Th ...
in the garden of his Senjak home. However, according to the doctors, his condition was "stable without neurological complications." After surgery, he made a quick recovery and within a month, on 8 and 9 July, held two big concerts in New York City, proving for more than two hours each night his performance skills had not suffered from the accident. Bregović's siblings, brother Predrag and sister Dajana, live in New York City and Split, respectively.


Political views

In 1971, twenty-one-year-old Bregović—a student at the University of Sarajevo's Faculty of Philosophy—got accepted into the Yugoslav Communist League (SKJ), the only party in SFR Yugoslavia's
political system In political science, a political system means the type of political organization that can be recognized, observed or otherwise declared by a state (polity), state. It defines the process for making official government decisions. It usually comp ...
. Throughout the mid-to-late 1970s, by now a famous rock musician in SFR Yugoslavia, Bregović often publicly expressed personal support for the
communist Communism (from Latin la, communis, lit=common, universal, label=none) is a far-left sociopolitical, philosophical, and economic ideology and current within the socialist movement whose goal is the establishment of a communist society, ...
ideology while underscoring importance of being active in the party. In 1990—with the dissolution of the SKJ and reinstatement of multi-party political system in Yugoslavia—Bregović expressed public support for Ante Marković's Union of Reform Forces of Yugoslavia (SRSJ), a centre-left social-democrat political party opposing ethnic nationalism and advocating for reform of Yugoslav communism into liberal market capitalism. Furthermore, he actively participated in the party's election campaign ahead of the general elections in the SR Bosnia and Herzegovina constituent unit of SFR Yugoslavia, lending his celebrity and contributing to the campaign in creative capacity. Despite securing public support, endorsements, and even active campaign participation from many prominent public figures in SR Bosnia and Herzegovina such as
Emir Kusturica Emir Kusturica ( sr-cyrl, Емир Кустурица; born 24 November 1954) is a Serbian film director, screenwriter, actor, producer and musician. He also has French citizenship.http://www.serbia.com/emir-kusturica-artist-builder-and-anti-glo ...
, Nele Karajlić,
Branko Đurić Branko Đurić ( sh-Cyrl, Бранко Ђурић; born 28 May 1962), also known by his nickname Đuro (Cyrillic: Ђуро), is a Bosnian actor, comedian, film director and musician, who lives and works in Ljubljana, Slovenia. Born and raised i ...
, etc., the party got only 8.9% of the total vote. On 2 April 1999—a week into the
NATO bombing of Yugoslavia The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) carried out an aerial bombing campaign against the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia during the Kosovo War. The air strikes lasted from 24 March 1999 to 10 June 1999. The bombings continued until an a ...
—alongside Greek performers George Dalaras,
Stavros Kouyioumtzis Stavros Kouyioumtzis, also Kougioumtzis, Kouyoumtzis, or Koujioumtzis, (23 July 1932 – 12 March 2005) ( el, Σταύρος Κουγιουμτζής ) is one of the most significant Greek music composers of the 20th century. Kouyioumtzis w ...
, and
Alkistis Protopsalti Alkistis Protopsalti ( el, Άλκηστις Πρωτοψάλτη), born as Alkistis Sevasti Attikuzel ( el, Άλκηστις Σεβαστή Αττικιουζέλ), is a Greek singer and songwriter. Life Alkistis Protopsalti was born in Alex ...
as well as a number of others from different parts of the Balkans, Bregović played at an anti-war open-air concert at
Thessaloniki Thessaloniki (; el, Θεσσαλονίκη, , also known as Thessalonica (), Saloniki, or Salonica (), is the second-largest city in Greece, with over one million inhabitants in its metropolitan area, and the capital of the geographic region of ...
's
Aristotelous Square Aristotelous Square ( el, Πλατεία Αριστοτέλους, , Aristotle Square) is the main city square of Thessaloniki, Greece and is located on Nikis avenue (on the city's waterfront), in the city center. It was designed by French architec ...
. In the years following the
Yugoslav Wars The Yugoslav Wars were a series of separate but related Naimark (2003), p. xvii. ethnic conflicts, wars of independence, and insurgencies that took place in the SFR Yugoslavia from 1991 to 2001. The conflicts both led up to and resulted from ...
and
breakup of Yugoslavia The breakup of Yugoslavia occurred as a result of a series of political upheavals and conflicts during the early 1990s. After a period of political and economic crisis in the 1980s, constituent republics of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yu ...
, Bregović has described himself as Yugonostalgic. In 2009, he stated: "Yugoslavia is the intersection of so many worlds: Orthodox, Catholic, Muslim. With music, I don't have to represent anyone, except myself – because I speak the first language of the world, the one everyone understands: music."


Controversy

Bregović has frequently been accused of plagiarizing other performers' works as well as republishing his own previously released material as new.


Enrico Macias plagiarism lawsuit

In the mid-2000s, French singer-songwriter
Enrico Macias Gaston Ghrenassia (born 11 December 1938), known by his stage name Enrico Macias, is an Algerian-French singer, songwriter and musician of Algerian Jewish descent. Early years Gaston Ghrenassia was born to a Sephardic Algerian Jewish family ...
reportedly sued Bregović over Bregović's song "In the Deathcar" off the ''
Arizona Dream ''Arizona Dream'' is a 1993 indie surrealist comedy drama film co-written and directed by Emir Kusturica and starring Johnny Depp, Jerry Lewis, Faye Dunaway, Lili Taylor and Vincent Gallo. Plot Axel has a dream about an Eskimo who catches a ra ...
''
soundtrack album A soundtrack album is any album that incorporates music directly recorded from the soundtrack of a particular feature film or television show. The first such album to be commercially released was Walt Disney's ''Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs' ...
, claiming it plagiarized Macias' song "Solenzara". Media outlets in the Balkans reported in 2015 that the French court ruled in Macias' favour, ordering Bregović to pay Macias
The euro sign () is the currency sign used for the euro, the official currency of the eurozone and unilaterally adopted by Kosovo and Montenegro. The design was presented to the public by the European Commission on 12 December 1996. It consists o ...
1 million in damages. In response, via a press release distributed to media outlets throughout the Balkans, Bregović's representative Svetlana Strunić claimed that there never was a plagiarism court process against Bregović in France.


2015 denial of entry into Poland

In March 2015, Bregović performed in a concert in
Crimea Crimea, crh, Къырым, Qırım, grc, Κιμμερία / Ταυρική, translit=Kimmería / Taurikḗ ( ) is a peninsula in Ukraine, on the northern coast of the Black Sea, that has been occupied by Russia since 2014. It has a p ...
, which was annexed by Russia the previous year. The following month, the Life Festival in
Oświęcim Oświęcim (; german: Auschwitz ; yi, אָשפּיצין, Oshpitzin) is a city in the Lesser Poland ( pl, Małopolska) province of southern Poland, situated southeast of Katowice, near the confluence of the Vistula (''Wisła'') and Soła riv ...
, Poland canceled an appearance by Bregović, saying that his statements were "contrary to the values cherished by the Life Festival founders."


List of film scores

*1977 – ''Butterfly cloud'' (Leptirov oblak) – Directed by: Zdravko Randić *1979 – ''Personal Affairs'' (Lične stvari) – Directed by: Aleksandar Mandić *1988 – ''
Time of the Gypsies ''Time of the Gypsies'' ( sh-Cyrl-Latn, Дом за вешање, Dom za vešanje, Home for Hanging) is a 1988 Yugoslav coming-of-age fantasy crime drama directed by Emir Kusturica. Filmed in Romani and Serbo-Croatian, ''Time of the Gypsies' ...
'' (Dom za vešanje) – Directed by:
Emir Kusturica Emir Kusturica ( sr-cyrl, Емир Кустурица; born 24 November 1954) is a Serbian film director, screenwriter, actor, producer and musician. He also has French citizenship.http://www.serbia.com/emir-kusturica-artist-builder-and-anti-glo ...
*1989 – '' Kuduz'' – Directed by: Ademir Kenović *1990 – '' Silent Gunpowder'' (Gluvi barut) – Directed by:
Bahrudin Čengić Bahrudin Čengić (7 January 1931 – 16 October 2007), sometimes credited as Bato Čengić, was a Bosnian screenwriter and film director who was active in SFRY, Yugoslavia. Biography Čengić was born in 1931, although some sources give 7 Januar ...
*1991 – ' (Das Serbische Mädchen) – Directed by: *1991 – ''The Little One'' (Mala) – Directed by: Predrag Antonijević *1991 – '' Čaruga'' – Directed by:
Rajko Grlić Rajko Grlić (born 2 September 1947) is a Croatian film director, producer and screenwriter. He is a professor of film theory at Ohio University and artistic director of the Motovun Film Festival in Motovun, Croatia. Biography Rajko Grlić wa ...
*1993 – ''
Arizona Dream ''Arizona Dream'' is a 1993 indie surrealist comedy drama film co-written and directed by Emir Kusturica and starring Johnny Depp, Jerry Lewis, Faye Dunaway, Lili Taylor and Vincent Gallo. Plot Axel has a dream about an Eskimo who catches a ra ...
'' – Directed by:
Emir Kusturica Emir Kusturica ( sr-cyrl, Емир Кустурица; born 24 November 1954) is a Serbian film director, screenwriter, actor, producer and musician. He also has French citizenship.http://www.serbia.com/emir-kusturica-artist-builder-and-anti-glo ...
*1993 – ''Toxic Affair'' – Directed by: Philoméne Esposito *1993 – ''La Nuit sacrée'' – Directed by:
Nicolas Klotz Nicolas Klotz (born 22 June 1954) is a French filmmaker born in Neuilly-sur-Seine, Hauts-de-Seine. Filmography *'' Rendez-vous avec Marguerite'' 1983 *''The Bengali Night'' 1988 with Hugh Grant, Shabana Azmi and Soumitra Chatterjee *'' La Nui ...
*1993 – ''Le Nombril du monde'' – Directed by: Ariel Zeitoun *1993 – ''
KIKA KiKA (contraction of ''Der KinderKAnal von ARD und ZDF''  ARD and ZDF">ARD_(broadcaster).html" ;"title="he Children's Channel of ARD (broadcaster)">ARD and ZDF]) is a German free-to-air television channel based in Erfurt, Germany. It is man ...
'' – Directed by:
Pedro Almodóvar Pedro Almodóvar Caballero (; (often known simply as Almodóvar) born 25 September 1949) is a Spanish filmmaker. His films are marked by melodrama, irreverent humour, bold colour, glossy décor, quotations from popular culture, and complex narra ...
*1994 – soundtrack for '' La Reine Margot'' – Directed by: Patrice Chéreau *1995 – '' Underground'' – Directed by:
Emir Kusturica Emir Kusturica ( sr-cyrl, Емир Кустурица; born 24 November 1954) is a Serbian film director, screenwriter, actor, producer and musician. He also has French citizenship.http://www.serbia.com/emir-kusturica-artist-builder-and-anti-glo ...
*1997 – ''Music for Weddings and Funerals'' (Musik för bröllop och begravningar) – Directed by: Unni Straume *1997 – ''
A Chef in Love ''A Chef in Love'', ( Georgian: შეყვარებული კულინარის 1001 რეცეპტი / ''Shekvarebuli kulinaris ataserti retsepti'', literally, "1001 recipes of a chef in love") is a 1996 Georgian film directed ...
'' (Shekvarebuli kulinaris ataserti retsepti) – Directed by: Nana Djordjadze *1997 – '' The Serpent's Kiss'' – Directed by: Philippe Rousselot *1997 – '' XXL'' – Directed by:
Ariel Zeitoun Ariel Zeitoun (born 26 September 1949) is a French director, producer, and screenwriter. Zeitoun started as a producer in 1979 with '. Later, he wrote the script for and directed '' Souvenirs, souvenirs''. In 2013 Zeitoun directed the historic ...
*1998 – '' Train de Vie'' – Directed by:
Radu Mihaileanu Radu may refer to: People * Radu (given name), Romanian masculine given name * Radu (surname), Romanian surname * Rulers of Wallachia, see * Prince Radu of Romania (born 1960), disputed pretender to the former Romanian throne Other uses * Radu ( ...
*1999 – '' The Lost Son'' – Directed by: Chris Menges *1999 – ''
Tuvalu Tuvalu ( or ; formerly known as the Ellice Islands) is an island country and microstate in the Polynesian subregion of Oceania in the Pacific Ocean. Its islands are situated about midway between Hawaii and Australia. They lie east-northea ...
'' – Directed by:
Veit Helmer Veit Helmer (born 24 April 1968) is a German film director and screenwriter. He started shooting films at the age of fourteen. After finishing school he was trainee at German TV station NDR. Two month before the wall came down, he moved to East-B ...
*1999 – '' Operation Simoom (Operacja Samum)'' – Directed by
Władysław Pasikowski Władysław Pasikowski (; born 14 June 1959 in Łódź, Poland) is a Polish film director and screenwriter. He made his debut film, Kroll, in 1991, which was honored with the Polish Film Festival prize for his debut and the Special Jury Prize. ...
*2000 – ''
27 Missing Kisses ''27 Missing Kisses'' ( ka, 27 დაკარგული კოცნა, ), also known as ''Summer''. is a 2000 Cinema of Georgia, Georgian film Film director, directed by Nana Djordjadze that contains elements of fantasy or Magic realism, magi ...
'' – Directed by: Nana Djordjadze *2000 – '' Je li jasno prijatelju?'' – Directed by: Dejan Ačimović *2005 – '' The Turkish Gambit'' (Турецкий гамбит) – Directed by: Dzhanik Faiziyev *2005 – ''
I giorni dell'abbandono ''The Days of Abandonment'' ( it, I giorni dell'abbandono} is a film of 2005 by Roberto Faenza, set in Turin, based on the novel '' The Days of Abandonment'' by Elena Ferrante. Synopsis Olga (Buy), literary translator, wife and mother of two ...
'' – Directed by: Roberto Faenza *2006 – ''Karaula'' – Directed by:
Rajko Grlić Rajko Grlić (born 2 September 1947) is a Croatian film director, producer and screenwriter. He is a professor of film theory at Ohio University and artistic director of the Motovun Film Festival in Motovun, Croatia. Biography Rajko Grlić wa ...
(This is not true) *2006 – '' Le Lièvre de Vatanen'' – Directed by: Marc Rivière *2006 – '' Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan'' (non-original music; "Ederlezi" from Dom za vešanje) *2007 – ''Fly by Rossinant'' – Directed by: Jacky Stoév *2008 – '' Mustafa'' – Directed by:
Can Dündar Can Dündar (, born 16 June 1961) is a Turkish journalist, columnist and documentarian. Editor-in-chief of center-left ''Cumhuriyet'' newspaper until August 2016, he was arrested in November 2015 after his newspaper published footage showing the ...
*2011 – ''Baikonur'' – Directed by Veit Helmer


Discography


With Bijelo dugme


Original movies soundtracks

:''Not all his soundtracks compositions are commercially available.'' *1988: ''
Time of the Gypsies ''Time of the Gypsies'' ( sh-Cyrl-Latn, Дом за вешање, Dom za vešanje, Home for Hanging) is a 1988 Yugoslav coming-of-age fantasy crime drama directed by Emir Kusturica. Filmed in Romani and Serbo-Croatian, ''Time of the Gypsies' ...
'' (Kamarad,
Diskoton ''Diskoton'' was a major record label in SFR Yugoslavia, based in Sarajevo, Socialist Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina. The company ceased to exist in 1992, with the outbreak of the War in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The studio was destroyed along ...
,
PolyGram PolyGram N.V. was a multinational entertainment company and major music record label formerly based in the Netherlands. It was founded in 1962 as the Grammophon-Philips Group by Dutch corporation Philips and German corporation Siemens, to be a ...
, Komuna) *1989: '' Kuduz'' (
Diskoton ''Diskoton'' was a major record label in SFR Yugoslavia, based in Sarajevo, Socialist Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina. The company ceased to exist in 1992, with the outbreak of the War in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The studio was destroyed along ...
) *1993: ''
Toxic affair Toxicity is the degree to which a chemical substance or a particular mixture of substances can damage an organism. Toxicity can refer to the effect on a whole organism, such as an animal, bacterium, or plant, as well as the effect on a subst ...
'' (Polygram / Universal) *1993: ''
Arizona Dream ''Arizona Dream'' is a 1993 indie surrealist comedy drama film co-written and directed by Emir Kusturica and starring Johnny Depp, Jerry Lewis, Faye Dunaway, Lili Taylor and Vincent Gallo. Plot Axel has a dream about an Eskimo who catches a ra ...
'' (Kamarad,
PolyGram PolyGram N.V. was a multinational entertainment company and major music record label formerly based in the Netherlands. It was founded in 1962 as the Grammophon-Philips Group by Dutch corporation Philips and German corporation Siemens, to be a ...
, Komuna) *1994: '' La Reine Margot'' (Kamarad,
PolyGram PolyGram N.V. was a multinational entertainment company and major music record label formerly based in the Netherlands. It was founded in 1962 as the Grammophon-Philips Group by Dutch corporation Philips and German corporation Siemens, to be a ...
, Komuna) *1995: '' Underground'' (Kamarad,
PolyGram PolyGram N.V. was a multinational entertainment company and major music record label formerly based in the Netherlands. It was founded in 1962 as the Grammophon-Philips Group by Dutch corporation Philips and German corporation Siemens, to be a ...
, Komuna) *1995: ''
A Chef in Love ''A Chef in Love'', ( Georgian: შეყვარებული კულინარის 1001 რეცეპტი / ''Shekvarebuli kulinaris ataserti retsepti'', literally, "1001 recipes of a chef in love") is a 1996 Georgian film directed ...
'' (Kamarad) *2000: ''
Tuvalu Tuvalu ( or ; formerly known as the Ellice Islands) is an island country and microstate in the Polynesian subregion of Oceania in the Pacific Ocean. Its islands are situated about midway between Hawaii and Australia. They lie east-northea ...
'' avec
Jürgen Knieper Jürgen Knieper (born 14 March 1941) is a German film score composer. Born in Karlsruhe, he was educated at Berlin's State High School of Music. Career He began working for director Wim Wenders with his 1972 film ''The Goalkeeper's Fear of the ...
( United One Records) *2005: ''
I giorni dell'abbandono ''The Days of Abandonment'' ( it, I giorni dell'abbandono} is a film of 2005 by Roberto Faenza, set in Turin, based on the novel '' The Days of Abandonment'' by Elena Ferrante. Synopsis Olga (Buy), literary translator, wife and mother of two ...
'' with
Carmen Consoli Carmen Consoli (; born 4 September 1974 in Catania) is an Italian singer-songwriter. She has released 11 studio albums, one greatest hits, one soundtrack album, two live albums, four video album and 33 singles, selling 2 million copies in I ...
*2006: '' Le Lièvre de Vatanen'' (
PolyGram PolyGram N.V. was a multinational entertainment company and major music record label formerly based in the Netherlands. It was founded in 1962 as the Grammophon-Philips Group by Dutch corporation Philips and German corporation Siemens, to be a ...
) *2008: '' Mustafa'' (
Sony Music Entertainment Sony Music Entertainment (SME), also known as simply Sony Music, is an American multinational music company. Being owned by the parent conglomerate Sony Group Corporation, it is part of the Sony Music Group, which is owned by Sony Entertainmen ...
)


Compilations

:''His compilations include soundtracks from different works.'' *1996: '' PS'' ( Komuna) *1998: ''Ederlezi'' (
PolyGram PolyGram N.V. was a multinational entertainment company and major music record label formerly based in the Netherlands. It was founded in 1962 as the Grammophon-Philips Group by Dutch corporation Philips and German corporation Siemens, to be a ...
) *1999: '' Magic book'' ( Bravo Records) *2000: '' Songbook'' (
Mercury Records Mercury Records is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group. It had significant success as an independent operation in the 1940s and 1950s. Smash Records and Fontana Records were sub labels of Mercury. In the United States, it ...
,
Universal Universal is the adjective for universe. Universal may also refer to: Companies * NBCUniversal, a media and entertainment company ** Universal Animation Studios, an American Animation studio, and a subsidiary of NBCUniversal ** Universal TV, a t ...
) *2000: '' Music for films'' (
PolyGram PolyGram N.V. was a multinational entertainment company and major music record label formerly based in the Netherlands. It was founded in 1962 as the Grammophon-Philips Group by Dutch corporation Philips and German corporation Siemens, to be a ...
) *2009: '' Welcome to Bregović'' ( Wrasse Records)


Other albums

*1976: '' Goran Bregović'' ( PGP RTB) *1991: '' Paradehtika'' with
Alkistis Protopsalti Alkistis Protopsalti ( el, Άλκηστις Πρωτοψάλτη), born as Alkistis Sevasti Attikuzel ( el, Άλκηστις Σεβαστή Αττικιουζέλ), is a Greek singer and songwriter. Life Alkistis Protopsalti was born in Alex ...
(
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 State ...
) *1997: '' Düğün ve Cenaze'' with Sezen Aksu ( Raks Müzik) *1997: '' Thessaloniki – Yannena with Two Canvas Shoes'' with George Dalaras (
Minos-EMI Minos EMI is a record company based in Athens, Greece. The company serves as the Greek record label and offices of the multinational Universal Music Group. EMI is credited for founding the record business in Greece in the 1930s, by producing ...
) *1998: '' Silence of the Balkans'', live in
Thessaloniki Thessaloniki (; el, Θεσσαλονίκη, , also known as Thessalonica (), Saloniki, or Salonica (), is the second-largest city in Greece, with over one million inhabitants in its metropolitan area, and the capital of the geographic region of ...
(
Mercury Records Mercury Records is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group. It had significant success as an independent operation in the 1940s and 1950s. Smash Records and Fontana Records were sub labels of Mercury. In the United States, it ...
) *1999: '' Kayah & Bregović'' with Kayah ( ZIC-ZAC) *2000: '' Balkanica'' with Athens Symphony Orchestra (FM Records) *2001: '' Krawczyk & Bregović Daj mi drugie życie'' with Krzysztof Krawczyk (BMG Poland, Rada) *2002: '' Tales and Songs from Weddings and Funerals'' (Mercury) *2007: '' Goran Bregović's Karmen with a Happy End'' (Mercury) *2009: '' Alkohol: Šljivovica & Champagne'' (Kamarad, Mercury) *2012: '' Ederlezi x Four'' (FM Records) *2012: '' Champagne for Gypsies'' (Kamarad, Mercury) *2017: '' Three Letters from Sarajevo, Opus 1'' (Wrasse Records)


Guest performances

*2017: "El Futuro Es Nuestro" ('' Residente''), by Residente


Honours and awards

*On 31 June 2006, he received a copy of the key of the city of
Tirana Tirana ( , ; aln, Tirona) is the capital and largest city of Albania. It is located in the centre of the country, enclosed by mountains and hills with Dajti rising to the east and a slight valley to the northwest overlooking the Adriatic Sea ...
by
Edi Rama Edi Rama (born Edvin Kristaq Rama, 4 July 1964) is an Albanian politician, painter, writer, former university lecturer, publicist and former basketball player, who has served as the 33rd and current Prime Minister of Albania since 2013 and chairm ...
on the occasion of his visit to Albania. *In 2021, he was awarded the Order of Karađorđe's Star by President
Aleksandar Vučić Aleksandar Vučić ( sr-Cyrl, Александар Вучић, ; born 5 March 1970) is a Serbian politician serving as the president of Serbia since 2017, and as the president of the Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) since 2012. Vučić serve ...
on the occasion of Statehood Day of Serbia.


Annotations


References


Further reading

* *Marković, Aleksandra. "Goran Bregović, the Balkan Music Composer." Ethnologia Balkanica 12 (2008): 9–23.


External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Bregovic, Goran 1950 births Living people Musicians from Sarajevo Yugoslav musicians Bosnia and Herzegovina rock musicians Bosnia and Herzegovina people of Croatian descent Bosnia and Herzegovina people of Serbian descent Bosnia and Herzegovina expatriates in France Bosnia and Herzegovina guitarists Bosnia and Herzegovina male guitarists 20th-century guitarists 21st-century guitarists Golden Arena winners World Music Awards winners Indexi Award winners 20th-century male musicians 21st-century male musicians