Bijelo Dugme

Bijelo dugme ("White Button") was a highly influential rock band stationed in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, when the country was still a part of Yugoslavia. Active between 1974 and 1989, it is considered to have been the most popular band ever to exist in former Yugoslavia and one of the most important acts of the Yugoslav Rock scene.

History

Bijelo Dugme was founded by Goran Bregovi? who was born in Sarajevo. He spent much of his childhood in music school, studying violin, but he was expelled for "lack of talent". Soon after his expulsion, his mother bought him a guitar, and years later that investment paid off handsomely when Bijelo Dugme was born. Goran Bregovi? often admitted that his main motivation for forming the band was because "girls were more receptive to musicians". Bregovi? was the band's sole composer and wrote most of the lyrics, although some of the most popular Bijelo Dugme lyrics were written by others, for example: Ima neka tajna veza, Glavni junak jedne knjige, ?ta bi dao da si na mom mjestuand Pristao sam bi?u sve ?to ho?e were written by Du?ko Trifunovi?, Da sam pekarand Selma were written by Vlado Dijak, Lo?e vino by Arsen Dedi? etc.

After recruiting the band's first line up, Bijelo Dugme under the name Jutro (translation: "Morning") were turned down by Slobodan Vujovi? from the Sarajevo based record company Diskoton, but another record company, Radio Kru?evac, signed the band to record a single. The first single was named Kad bi' bio bijelo dugme (translation: "If I were a white button"). After the single was released, the band's manager talked Bregovi? into changing the band's name to Bijelo Dugme.

Soon after the name change, Goran Bregovi? and legendary music producer and talent scout Nikola Borota Radovan were able to record and release the first hit single under the Jugoton label. The single comprised song "Top" with "Ove cu no?i na?i blues" on the B side. The songs were recorded at the seminal "Studio one" of the state-owned Radio Sarajevo and were the first stereo recordings made with mono recording equipment. The man responsible for this innovation was again Nikola Borota Radovan with the assistance of the extremely patient 'official' audio engineer tonmaister (in the white coat) Antun Markovi?.

With its charismatic singer?eljko Bebek, the band soon reached super stardom in the former Yugoslavia, and, as one newspaper put it, sold more records than there were record players in the country. The pinnacle of the band's career was 1979's Bitanga i princeza, an album often heralded as their most mature with vocalist ?eljko Bebek. They were often referred to as the Yugoslav Beatles.

The turn of the decade brought the rise of numerous Yugoslav New Wave artists, including Azra, and Bijelo Dugme soon found their popularity sinking. They reacted by reinventing themselves for their 1980 release Do?ivjeti stotu, featuring a much more New Wave sound. The chorus of their ska song "Ha, Ha, Ha" was used as the title of a compilation album by various artists Svi mar? na ples! which was released by Jugoton in 1981.

In 1984 ?eljko Bebek left to pursue a solo career and Mladen Voji?i? - Tifa was recruited to replace him for their 1984 self-titled release. He in turn left the band because of personal conflicts and was replaced by Alen Islamovi?, the former singer of heavy metal band Divlje Jagode for their last two records.

The band disbanded in 1989 when Alen Islamovi? checked into a hospital with chest pains during their last tour. He had not told anyone he was ill. The real reasons remain unknown, but most people suspect the dissolution of Yugoslavia caused the breakup of the band. At the time the band was often seen as a symbol of unity among the peoples of Yugoslavia.

Bijelo dugme's biggest hits were: Lipe cvatu, A i ti me iznevjeri, ?ur?evdan, Ne spavaj mala moja muzika dok svira, Ipak po?elim neko pismo, Ima neka tajna veza, Pristao sam bi?u sve ?to ho?e, Selma, Lo?e vino, Jer kad ostari?, La?e?, Kad zaboravi? juli, Hajdemo u planine, Napile se ulice, Ru?ica si bila, sada vi?e nisi, Bitanga i princeza, Pljuni i zapjevaj moja Jugoslavijo, Sanjao sam no?as da te nemam, Te no?i kad umrem, Nakon svih ovih godina...

The band reunited for three concerts in Sarajevo, Zagreb and Belgrade in 2005 with all three vocalists, but without the drummer Goran "Ipe" Ivandi? who died in Belgrade, Serbia in 1994.

A new pop folk-like album was released in November 2007.

Legacy

Bijelo dugme laid the groundwork for the Yugoslav rock scene, and the epitome for the Sarajevo rock school. Inspiring many artists from different musical genres, from all countries of former Yugoslavia. In the 2003 rock documentary Sretno dijete, the guitarist and lead songwriter for Prljavo Kazali?te said that "whatever Bijelo dugme did, everyone else did".

They still enjoy a huge fanbase; their 2005 concerts in Sarajevo at Ko?evo stadium and Zagreb at Maksimir stadium) sold out within hours. Their 2005 concert in Belgrade at the hippodrome drew more than 250,000 fans, while more than 20,000 fans stayed outside of hippodrome.

There is a tour of the Canada, United States of America and Australia planned for fall of 2006.,

in Europe - Vienna (25 November)

Bregovic reconstruced the band, and they toured from to . Cities covered include Canada, Australia, a majority of eastern and southern Europe, and some parts of the USA. Drum duties were by Hari mata Hari's Izudin Kolecic and bass was done by Srdan Serberdia.

Members

Goran Bregovi? - guitar (1974 - 1989)
?eljko Bebek - vocals (1974 - 1984)
Mladen "Tifa" Voji?i? - vocals (1984 - 1985)
Alen Islamovi? - vocals (1986 - 1989)
Zoran Red?i? - bass guitar (1974 - 1975, 1977 - 1989)
Jadranko Stankovi? - bass guitar (1974)
Ljubi?a Raci? - bass guitar (1975 - 1977)
Sanin Kari? - bass guitar (1977)
Goran "Ipe" Ivandi? - drums (1974 - 1976, 1977 - 1978, 1982 - 1989)
Mili? Vuka?inovi? - drums (1976 - 1977)
Dragan "?i?i" Jankeli? - drums (1978 - 1982)
Vlado Pravdi? - keyboards (1974 - 1976, 1978 - 1987)
Laza Ristovski - keyboards (1976 - 1978, 1984 - 1989)
Timeline

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Albums

Studio albums
Kad bi' bio bijelo dugme - 1974 ("If I Were a White Button")
?ta bi dao da si na mom mjestu - 1975 ("What Would you Give to be in My Place")
Eto! Ba? ho?u! - 1976 ("There! I Will!")
Bitanga i princeza - 1979 ("The Brute & the Princess")
Do?ivjeti stotu - 1980 ("Live to be 100")
Uspavanka za Radmilu M. - 1983 ("Lullaby for Radmila M.")
Bijelo dugme (Kosovka djevojka) - 1984 ("White Button" aka "Kosovo Maiden")
Pljuni i zapjevaj moja Jugoslavijo - 1986 ("Spit and Sing, My Yugoslavia")
?iribiribela - 1988
Live albums
Koncert kod Hajdu?ke ?esme - 1977
5. april '81 - 1981
Mramor, kamen i ?eljezo - 1987
Turneja 2005 - Sarajevo, Zagreb, Beograd - 2005
Compilations and other works
Iz sve snage - 1975
Ipe Ivandi? i Bijelo Dugme - 1976
Svi mar? na ples! - 1981
Singl plo?e (1974-1975) - 1982
Singl plo?e (1976-1980) - 1982
A milicija trenira strogocu! (i druge pjesme za djecu) - 1983
Sanjao sam no?as da te nemam (Velike rock balade) - 1984
Rock & Roll - 1988
Nakon svih ovih godina - 1990
Ima neka tajna veza - 1994

History

Legacy

Members

Albums

See also