Eurovision 2008: Belgrade Weeks - Đorđe Marjanović

Đorđe Marjanović is a Serbian pop singer, who was and is one of the most popular singers in Yugoslavia. Đorđe was also very popular in the USSR where he released many of his songs (On Melodia of course).
Big hits were Zvižduk U Osam, Romana and , Devojko Mala.
He recorded many international hits in Serbian ranging from Italian classics like Quando Quando Quando, Roberta and Lazarella, Rock'n'roll hits like Speedy Gonzales, Hello Josephine and If I Had A Hammer to to pop hits like Bang Bang, Sympathy and Emma (the Hot Chocolate song).
In 2004 he said goodbye to the stage with a farewell concert in Belgrado in the Sava Centar, now home to the Eurovision 2008 press center.

I know of two Eurocovers Đorđe Marjanović recorded in Serbian, both are Italian entries from the early 60's.
1962 - Adio, adio - Addio Addio by Claudio Villa (written by Domenico Modugno) - on EP Igrajmo Twist (= let's twist again) (RTB PGP EP50103)
1963 - Jedan za sve - Uno Per Tutte by Renato Rascel - original release details wanted
Both songs can also be found on a 3CD K'o nekad, collecting Đorđe Marjanović's work including many coverversions of international hits.



In the 60's Đorđe Marjanović participated in the Yugoslavian National Finals with at least 5 songs, representing TV Beograd (Serbian TV) except.
His best result was a 3rd place in 1968 so he never made it to the Eurovision stage.
Đorđe Marjanović National selection songs:1961 - Reč Il' Dve
1965 - Stari Kraj
1965 - Proletni Vetre
1966 - Najlepši Dan
1968 - Ne Verujem Ti Više
(Beograd is Belgrade, Serbia)

http://www.djordjemarjanovic.com/ is a good website about the singer. It's in Serbian but still worthwhile even if you don't read the lingo. Great pictures and some nice audio's.

Eurovision 2008: Belgrade weeks - Senka and Bisera Veletanlić

In the weeks leading up to the 2008 Eurovision Song Contest in Belgrade, Serbia Eurocovers digs deep to find some related Eurovision coverversions.
I must confess it's not easy to find many Eurocovers linking to Serbia. The Serbian entries from Yugoslavia have hardly been covered and my collection has many gaps (see below).
But here's a sweet one from the 70's. The song Mi Znamo Sve is by sisters Senka & Bisera Veletanlić and it's a coverversion of the Netherlands 1972 entry by Sandra & Andres: Als Het Om De Liefde Gaat (When it concerns love). The chirpy nanana song was a popular hit back then and was covered in at least 10 languages.
Mi Znamo Sve was released on the b-side of the Senka Veletanlić single Tražiš Oproštaj. (Jugoton SY 22066)


Bisera Veletanlić appears on the single Dan Ljubavi, which is a coverversion of Yugoslavia's 1975 entry Dan Ljubezni, originally by Pepel In Kri (Ashes and Blood on their English releases). That entry is of Slovenian origin and is sung in Slovenian, but a Serbian version was recorded by Bisera Veletanlić, Nada Knežević, Beti Đorđević and other singers. (RTB S 52 659).





WANTED
There's probably a lot more Serbian coverversions than I know about, but here are a few I'd really like to hear. If anyone can help Eurocovers with any of these songs or other surprises I'd be ever so happy.

Tom Tom by Daliborka Stojšic. It's a version of the 1973 Finnish entry which was released on a b-side of a single (Jugoton SY-22536). Daliborka was Miss Yugoslavia 1968 and reached the semi final of Miss Universe that year (pictured left).

Mirjana Beširević - Jos Sam Mlada, a cover of the Italian 1964 winner Non Ho l'eta (Gigliola Cinquetti) released on single (RTB EP 50181).

Filip Zmaher - Moja Generacija - This is one of the very few covers of the Serbian Yugoslavia entries I know of. It was only released on a cassette (MC) dedicated to original composer of the song; Kornelije Kovac. The MC is titled Kompozicije Kornelija Kovaca iz TV "Zvucna Viljuska".

Serbia: Pekinška Patka & Dragan Stojnić

After the Eurovision victory for Serbia it's time to do something Serbian. My collection and knowledge of coverversions made in (old) Yugoslavia are mostly limited to the usual big winners getting a local makeover.
But of all coverversions sung in Serbian (or Serbo-Croat) there's one song that stands out:
Bila je tako lijepa. It is Elle etait si jolie, the French 1963 entry by Alain Barrière and the song that has been recorded several times in Serbia (and Yugoslavia).
The first one to immortalise the song for Yugoslavia was Dragan Stojnić who released the song in 1965 on an EP.
In the early 80's the song gained 'new evergreen' status when it was recorded by Pekinška Patka. They morphed the sugarsweet chanson into a raging punk rock riot which inspired every other Yugoslavian punk/rock band to put the song on their playlists.
Pekinška Patka are still regarded as legendary and even though they didn't invent Serbian punk, they were the masters of the genre.
http://www.popboks.com/ writes: "Even with only three published singles and two albums, Pekinska patka ("Beijing Duck") still is one of the crucial parts of Yugoslavian (Serbian) punk heritage, the leaders of the so-called New Wave of the 80’s, and the first punk band in the Balkans. They have been remembered to this day by their incisive and melodic punk rock sound. With their performances just two years after the punk revolution in Great Britain, they shocked the Yugoslavian public, caused infuriated reactions and were worshiped among a whole generation of Yugoslavian youth. The band may not exist anymore, but the rebellious sound of Pekinska patka still echoes today".

Their version was released on a 7" and LP Plitka Poezija (Jugoton, 1980)
Bila je…. can also be found on the cult LP Bloodstains across Yugoslavia a compilation LP from a series of Punk LP's that featured Bloodstains from all over the world)

Dragan Stojnić - Bila je tako lijepa
- (EP: RTB 50289, 1965)
Pekinška Patka - Bila je tako lijepa
- (7"Jugoton SY 23756, 1981)

Dragan Stojnić's version can be found on the CD Bila je tako lijepa which is available from yu4you, they also stock the CD Pekinška Patka collecting most recordings by the band.
You can read more about Pekinška Patka at a MySpace dedicated to them.
Other versions of the song were recorded by Sove (Rap), Mirzino Jato, Bojan Kodrić, Stevan Zarić, Zeljko Samardzić, Hladno Pivo (Croatian) and more?...


You can find Yugoslavian 60's girl pop band Sanjalice in this Eurocovers post.