Šta bi dao da si na mom mjestu
| Šta bi dao da si na mom mjestu | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by Bijelo Dugme | ||||
| Released | 17 December 1975 | |||
| Recorded |
AIR Studios, Oxford Circus, London 8–23 November 1975 | |||
| Genre |
Hard rock Folk rock Progressive rock | |||
| Length | 34:22 | |||
| Label | Jugoton | |||
| Producer | Neil Harrison | |||
| Bijelo Dugme chronology | ||||
| ||||
Šta bi dao da si na mom mjestu (trans. What Would You Give to Be in My Place) is the second studio album from influential Yugoslav rock band Bijelo Dugme, released in 1975.
The album was polled the 17th on the 100 greatest Yugoslav rock and pop albums list in the 1998 book YU 100: najbolji albumi jugoslovenske rok i pop muzike (YU 100: The Best Albums of Yugoslav Pop and Rock Music).[1]
Background
After the huge commercial and critical success of Bijelo Dugme's debut album, Kad bi' bio bijelo dugme, and a successful tour that followed it, the band went to the Borike village in Eastern Bosnia in the fall of 1975 to work on the songs for the following album.[2] The album recording sessions started in November 1975, in London.[2] The album was produced by Neil Harrison,[3] who previously worked with Cockney Rebel and Gonzalez.[4] The bass guitar on the album was played by the band's vocalist, Željko Bebek, as the bass guitarist Zoran Redžić injured his middle finger just before the album recording started.[2] Nevertheless, Redžić is credited on the album, as he worked on the bass lines, and directed Bebek during the recording.[5] At the time, in the same studios, Roxy Music worked on their album Siren. The members of the band on several occasions visited Bijelo Dugme's recording sessions, expressing that they liked what they heard.[6]
During the album recording, the band recorded an English language song, "Playing the Part", which was not released on the album, but appeared on the promo single distributed to journalists.[2] "Playing the Part" lyrics were written by Dave Townsend; Jugoton editor Veljko Despot, who stayed with the band in London during the album recording, looking for someone to write the English language lyrics, contacted an artists agency, which sent Townsend.[6]
Album cover
The album cover was designed by Dragan S. Stefanović who had also designed the cover of the band's previous album.[2] The photograph featured Zoran Redžić's girlfriend at the time.[7]
Track listing
All the songs were written by Goran Bregović, except where noted.
| No. | Title | Lyrics | Music | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Tako ti je, mala moja, kad ljubi Bosanac" ("That's How It Is, Baby, When You Kiss a Bosnian") | 3:52 | ||
| 2. | "Hop-cup" ("Oopsy-Daisy") | 2:18 | ||
| 3. | "Došao sam da ti kažem da odlazim" ("I've Come to Tell You that I'm Leaving'") | 3:36 | ||
| 4. | "Ne gledaj me tako i ne ljubi me više" ("Don't Look at Me like that and Kiss Me no More") | 6:46 | ||
| 5. | "Požurite, konji moji" ("Be Faster, My Horses") | 7:17 | ||
| 6. | "Bekrija si cijelo selo viče, e pa jesam, šta se koga tiče" ("The Whole Village Says I'm a Tippler, So What If I Am, It's None of Anyone's Business") | 2:47 | ||
| 7. | "Šta bi dao da si na mom mjestu" ("What Would You Give to Be in My Place") | D. Trifunović | G. Bregović | 7:42 |
Personnel
- Goran Bregović - guitar, harmonica
- Željko Bebek - vocals, bass guitar
- Zoran Redžić - bass guitar
- Ipe Ivandić - drums
- Vlado Pravdić - organ, synthesizer, electric piano, piano
Additional personnel
- Neil Harrison - producer
- Peter Henderson - engineer
- Chris Blair - mastered by
- Dragan S. Stefanović - design, photography
Reception
The album was a huge commercial success,[2] selling more that 200,000 copies.[2] After the first 50,000 records were sold, Šta bi dao da si na mom mjestu became the first Yugoslav album to be credited as diamond record.[8] After it was sold in more than 100,000 copies, it became the first platinum record in the history of Yugoslav record publishing, and after it was sold in more that 200,000 copies it was branded simply as "2x diamond record".[8] "Tako ti je, mala moja, kad ljubi Bosanac", "Hop-cup", "Ne gledaj me tako i ne ljubi me više", "Požurite, konji moji" and the title track all became huge hits.[2]
New Year's performance for Tito
Right after the album's release, its initial promotion was scheduled to take place at a New Year's 1976 concert at Hala sportova in Belgrade along with Pop Mašina, Buldožer and Cod as opening acts.[9] However, five days before New Year's, the band canceled after getting invited to perform for Yugoslav president Josip Broz Tito at the Croatian National Theatre in Zagreb, as part of the New Year's celebration being organized for him.[9]
The performance for the 83-year-old president did not go according to what the band had expected, as recounted by Bregović:
| “ | We were already playing when Tito and Jovanka walked into the theater to take their seats and immediately the people from the presidential protocol started shushing us: 'Quieter, quieter' followed by an order of 'Stop the whole thing' not even a minute later. We were hustled off stage and they brought on opera and ballet. So that was our performance for Tito — twenty bars of music.[10] | ” |
Tour
The tour following the album was very successful.[2] It featured three sold-out concerts in Belgrade's Pionir Hall in early February 1976.[2] The tour confirmed Bijelo Dugme's status as the most popular Yugoslav band that they gained with the release of their debut album.[2] Journalists coined and frequently used the term "Dugmemanija" (Buttonmania) as the public in the socialist country observed the new phenomenon.[2]
Legacy
The album was polled in 1998 as the 17th on the list of 100 greatest Yugoslav rock and pop albums in the book YU 100: najbolji albumi jugoslovenske rok i pop muzike (YU 100: The Best Albums of Yugoslav Pop and Rock Music).[1]
The title track was polled in 2000 as the 68th on the Rock Express Top 100 Yugoslav Rock Songs of All Times list.[11]
The 2014, author and director Dušan Vesić wrote a biography of Bijelo Dugme, entitled Bijelo Dugme: Šta bi dao da si na mom mjestu. In the book, Vesić wrote:
| “ | It [the album] had a fantastic title, and it is the life maxim of Bijelo Dugme. If someone would ask me to explain Bijelo Dugme in one sentence, this would be the sentence: 'What would you give to be in my place?'[6] | ” |
Covers
- Yugoslav pop trio Aska recorded a Bijelo Dugme songs medley on their 1982 album Disco Rock, featuring, among other Bijelo Dugme songs, "Požurite, konji moji".[12]
- Serbian and Yugoslav pop singer Neda Ukraden recorded a cover of "Hop-cup" on her 1995 album Između ljubavi i mržnje (Between Love and Hate).[13]
- Bosnian turbo folk singer Selma Bajrami recorded a cover of "Požurite, konji moji", with altered lyrics and entitled "Sviće dan" ("Dawn Is Coming"), on her 1999 album Ljubav si ubio, gade (You Killed Love, You Bastard).[14]
- Serbian and Yugoslav rock singer Viktorija recorded a cover of "Došao sam da ti kažem da odlazim" on her 2000 album Nostalgija (Nostalgia).[15]
- Macedonian composer Vasko Serafimov recorded a cover of "Došao sam da ti kažem da odlazim" on his 2006 album Here.[16]
References
- 1 2 Antonić, Duško; Štrbac, Danilo (1998). YU 100: najbolji albumi jugoslovenske rok i pop muzike. Belgrade: YU Rock Press.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 Janjatović, Petar (2007). EX YU ROCK enciklopedija 1960-2006. Belgrade: self-released. p. 32.
- ↑ Šta bi dao da si na mom mjestu at Discogs
- ↑ Neil Harrison production credits at Discogs
- ↑ Krstulović, Zvonimir (2005). Bijelo Dugme: Doživjeti stotu. Profil. p. 27.
- 1 2 3 Vesić, Dušan (2014). Bijelo Dugme: Šta bi dao da si na mom mjestu. Belgrade: Laguna. p. 90.
- ↑ Krstulović, Zvonimir (2005). Bijelo Dugme: Doživjeti stotu. Profil. p. 28.
- 1 2 Vesić, Dušan (2014). Bijelo Dugme: Šta bi dao da si na mom mjestu. Belgrade: Laguna. p. 88.
- 1 2 Vesić, Dušan (2014). Bijelo Dugme: Šta bi dao da si na mom mjestu. Belgrade: Laguna. p. 91.
- ↑ Džodan, Neven (25 January 2015). "Nepoznato o "Bijelom dugmetu"". Blic. Retrieved 25 January 2015.
- ↑ "100 najboljih pesama svih vremena YU rocka". Rock Express (in Serbian). Belgrade: Rock Express (25): 27–28.
- ↑ Disco Rock at Discogs
- ↑ Između ljubavi i mržnje at Discogs
- ↑ Ljubav si ubio gade at Discogs
- ↑ Nostalgija at Discogs
- ↑ Here at Discogs