Frances VIDAKOVIC

They say that ''eyes are the windows to the soul'' but when it comes to Croatians and the passionate way we live life, even a blind man could read us like an open book - by listening to our music. Without a doubt, music is an integral part of a Croatian's identity and over the years numerous songs have entered the realm of cult status. Ten, twenty, even thirty years on the same catchy tunes are still been played at dances, concerts and sung whenever gallons of wine leads to hearts been poured out...

Unlike Australia (where songs not only have a lifespan shorter than a goldfish but are also segregated to the various age groups) music in Croatia is different.

In general a ''hit'' song of the moment will be recognized and celebrated by all - from those who haven't even started school to those almost ready to sing their last song. Croatians embrace new songs as a community and pay tribute to old songs out of respect and honor to those that loved them the first time round.

I think I have always, from a very young age, been aware of how important music was tied in with a Croatian's identity. Growing up our house was always filled with music.

With hairbrushes in hand, my sisters and I would dance for hours to such 80's pop classics as 'Kokolo' (Magazin), 'Ja sam za ples' (Novi Fosili), 'Nadalina' (Oliver Dragojevic) and 'Sve bi seke ljubile mornare' (another Magazin hit). There are also numerous photos of me as a baby, sitting on my dad's lap, whilst all around us family and friends are belting out some heartfelt tune (most probably the perennial favourite 'Ivan Klakar iz Pupnata', given that my parents were born in the village it is set in).

Whilst living in Croatia, I would spend countless lazy afternoons, taking walks with friends down the winding road out of Pupnat. Arms linked, the girls (with me as their wide-eyed audience) would pass the time by singing the most beautiful melodies I had ever heard. They were the sort of songs I instinctively knew were brought into the world way before I was and, because of their age and longevity, I felt compelled to pay it the respect it deserved.   

Now I'm the first to admit that I don't have a great singing voice - if I dared to try out for Australian Idol I would be the sort of mocked contestant who gets aired during the early days, to the great amusement of the public.

However, in Croatia I discovered that a good voice is an acquired art and if you practice (and then practice some more) one does eventually develop the sort of voice that is not only acceptable, but is also an asset that fits perfectly somewhere in any a-capella song.

It took a while for me to get my head around this notion of ''every voice being perfect as it is'' for it has its own ''register'' (from high to low, A to F).

Nonetheless, I witnessed the way it worked during our walks: the girl with the strongest clearest voice would always begin the singing. Then one by one the others would slowly contribute to the tune as though their voices were stage actors waiting for the right moment with the right line... until finally they were all in it together for the grand finale and a silent standing ovation.

Over the years I have noted that, just like memories, music never dies.

As such, it was with much enthusiasm that I set out to compile a (personal) list of the best Croatian songs ever composed. It must be said at the outset that I'm a Dalmatian girl from the island of Korcula and consequently the selection of songs may be coloured by my own experiences and environment (given that different music is sometimes played in different parts of the country).

Nonetheless I have done my best to consider the Croatian music industry as a whole and it is without further ado that I bring to you the results of my most enjoyable assignment ever...

THE TOP TEN CROATIAN SONGS EVER:

#10- Veceras je nasa festa (Tomislav Ivcic)

Veceras je nasa festa,

Veceras se vino pije,

Nek se igra, nek se piva,

Jer tko ne piva Dalmatinac nije.

I think it would be fair statement to make that there are two common elements to every Croatian wedding: one is the regulatory shots of 'rakije' and the second is the playing of this famous song entitled ''Veceras je nasa festa''.

Written and performed by Tomislav Ivcic (who tragically died in a car accident in 1993), this tune has since become the semi-official anthem of Croatia, most particularly in Dalmacija where it is often sung whenever an athlete or sports team wins a title or important game.

While I am the first to admit it does grate heavily on the nerves if left on 'repeat', it is nonetheless probably the most recognised song in Croatia, following our beautiful national anthem.

#9- Za dobra stara vremena (Novi Fosili)

Kako je dobro vidjeti te opet

Staviti ruke na tvoja ramena

I kao nekad poljubi me njezno

Za ona dobra, dobra, dobra stara vremena

While this song is by no means the most original one ever written, its enduring appeal lies in the simplicity of its lyrics and unassuming melody.

I can still vividly recall one winter's night in a Korcula cafe called Amadeus, where this song got played over and over about a dozen times and it send all the patrons (half of whom where standing on tables and chairs, the other half with arms entangled in a group embrace) in a total frenzy. 

There isn't a person in the world who hasn't at some point secretly reflected on the ''good old days'' where love was like a delicate rosebud yet to bloom and Novi Fosili have so succinctly captured that youthful naivety where one truly believes ''ne zelim nista i sve mi se cini, da citav sam zivot volio tebe''.

#8- Bojna Cavoglave (Thompson)

Cujte srpski dobrovoljci, bando Cetnici

Stici ce vas nasa ruka i u Srbiji!

Stici ce vas Bozja pravda to vec svatko zna

Sudit ce vam bojovnici iz Cavoglava!

This was the song that truly put Marko Perkovic Thompson on the map and sealed his fate as the most patriotic Croatian singer ever. Released in 1991 during the war, 'Bojna Cavoglave' depicts a battle involving a battalion of Croat soldiers from Cavoglave, (a village in the Dalmatian rural hinterland and birthplace of Perkovic) against the Serbs.

Not surprisingly the song was at the time used to fuel the morale of fighters, with its warnings that Chetniks will never be safe from the ''hands of Croats''. With its opening line "Za dom spremni", the song is without a doubt successful in stirring feelings of love and passion for one's country.

Perkovic signed the song with the name "Thompson" (which comes from the Thompson submachine gun and was Perkovic's nickname) and henceforth has used it as his stage name.

Interesting fact: the term ''Za dom spremni actually didn't originate as a fascist World War II slogan, as modern day propaganda would lead us to believe. On the contrary, it was embraced by Croats a full century before to salute Josip Jelacic, the ban of Croatia with ''Za dom! Spremni umrijeti!''. This however is little known today, and its modern meaning is that of an NDH slogan.

# 7 - Dao bih sto Amerika (Jasmin Stavros)

Dao bi sto Amerika,

Sve na svijetu ja bih dao

Tek da sjednem na verandu

Pa uz karte i bevandu, brojim valove

Written by Stavros about his time spent in the United States before his return to Croatia shortly before the country's independence, ''Dao bih sto Amerika'' sums up how probably half the imports feel about living in Australia (and other adopted countries).

Yes, our life here may be rich with luxuries that many homegrown Croatians cannot afford but most would give an arm and leg if they could just take a seat by the water with a glass of wine in hand and breathe in magical Croatian air.

The verse ''Gledam u slike on i sin, Kaze da malog zovu Jim, Da prozora kuca ima dvadeset i dva, "Dobro zivis," cudim mu se ja'' is also such a classic, for it so succinctly captures the way how a) homegrown Croats deem us to be wealthy due to our ''impressive mansions'' (while remaining naive to all their own priceless riches) and b) how in one generation we can become disconnected with our past by the simple act of calling our child Jim (or anything else similarly Anglo).

A fabulous song. If anything it should have been called ''Dao bi tisucu Amerika.''

#6 - Moja Domovina (Hrvatski Band Aid)

Moja domovina, moja domovina,

Ima snagu zlatnog zita,

Ima oci boje mora,

Moja zemlja Hrvatska.

Chances are the last time you heard this song was when ''Stop the War in Croatia'' was sitting pretty in top ten of Australia's ARIA charts. However the number of people who mentioned this song as a favourite was too many to  ignore.

Released in 1991 just as the Croatian War of Independence was beginning, the charity single Moja domovina (My Homeland) featured all of Croatia's greatest singers at the time, including: Doris Dragovic, Oliver Dragojevic, Jasna Zlokic, Danijela Martinovic, Meri Cetinic, Dino Dvornik, Matko Jelavic, Severina Vuckovic, Jasmin Stavros, Vlado Kalember, Tereza Kesovija, Josipa Lisac,  Zdravko Skender, Dalibor Brun, Milo Hrnic, Miso Kovac etc.

Available for viewing on www.youtube.com (along with the video clips for all the other songs mentioned), one would almost need to be cold-blooded to view it without having goose-bumps form and/or a tear glistening at the eye.

Listening to it will also probably make you wonder what happened to the ''I'm Proud to be a Croat'' top you used to wear back in the 1990s when this song was at its peak.

#5- Konoba Moja (Meri Cetinic, Tedi Spalato, Klapa Lucica)

Konobo moja, radosti sva

Dusu san svoju, svu tebi da

Konobo moja, ka dom si moj

Cuvan ti pismu, ka zivot svoj

Nana na, nana na, na na na

Nana na, nana na, na na na

'Konoba Moja' is the sort of song that stops everyone in their tracks. Mesmerizing and throbbing with emotion, even a foreigner would be seduced by its compelling melody and perfect harmony to the point that they comment on how beautiful it sounds despite understanding a single word of it.

Which is probably a good thing given that if you tried to explain what Cetinic, Spalato and co. are singing about (a konoba is a tavern or wine cellar) it would probably raise a few eyebrows. 

To those quizzical expressions I would simply respond ''it's a Croatian thing'' and that answer would suffice because it's the truth.

#4- Lijepa li si (Thompson)

Oj Zagoro, lijepa li si

Slavonijo, zlatna ti si

Herceg-Bosno, srce ponosno

Dalmacijo, more moje

Jedna dusa a nas dvoje

Pozdrav Liko, Velebita diko.

Another Thompson classic, 'Lijepa li si' attracted some of the most talented Croatian artists to collaborate on a single song, with Miroslav Skoro, Mate Bulic, Giulliano, Mladen Grdovic and Alen Vitasovic all taking part.

When asked to comment on this song Marko Perkovic said it marked his three loves - God, homeland and family; however the rest of Croatia embraced it because of its ability to unite a nation quite diverse whilst recognizing the beauty in each region in one fell swoop.

#3 - Mojoj majci - Ruza Hrvatska (Prljavo Kazaliste)

Ruzo, moja ruzice,

Sve sam suze isplak'o, nocu zbog tebe.

Ruzo, moja ruzice,

Sve sam suze isplak'o.

Commonly mistaken as 'Ruza Hrvatska', the actual title of the song is 'Mojoj Majci'. The song's popularity was established on October 17 1989 when the Zagreb band Prljavo Kazaliste played an unforgettable show in their home town, in front of a huge crowd of approximately 250-300,000 people at Ban Jelacic Square (then known as Trg Republike) during which they stirred up nationalist feelings among the Croatian youths in the crowd. Both a rock song and a ballad, Prljavo Kazaliste managed to pour all the love Croatians felt for their country into one song, without needing to gift-wrap it up with a bow.

#2- Cesarica (Oliver Dragojevic)

Cilega zivota ja sam tija samo nju,

da do njenog srca na�em put,

Cilega zivota moje tilo je bez nje,

ka cvice bez vode.

Ah 'Cesarica', I'm sure you were waiting to see where this one popped up on the list. Written by Gibonni and performed by the legendary Oliver, this has to be one of the most popular songs in Croatian history.

            The greatness of the song once again lies in its simplicity - a simple  song about a love that never came to fruition. There is nothing explicitly earth-shattering about the words or the music but nonetheless like all great things the whole is so much bigger than all the smaller parts combined.  

#1-      Majko stara (Matko Jelavic): 1988 Split Festival Winner

Majko, majko stara, slusaj pjesmu sina svog

Majko, tko mi sudi, tko mi uze najdraze?

Suza, suza nemam da isplacem svoju bol

Boli me, majko, boli me, nocas dusa umire.

Well I honestly don't even know where to begin with describing the merits of this song. Whilst most songs sing about a love that has been lost, 'Majko Stara' manages to capture every emotion about a great love that has been. Undeniably beautiful, heartbreakingly sad and oh so touching at the same time, the pain that Matko feels about losing his mother is  almost palpable. And that is why it is such a classic - it is a song every human on this planet can relate to.

When surveying friends and family it was the one and only song which WITHOUT FAIL came up time and time again as a ''must-have'' on the top ten list. Matko may have not had enough tears to ''isplaciti svoju bol'' but that's okay. He didn't need a river of tears - his words were simply enough.

Other memorable mentions:

#11- Ako Odem Prijatelj (Zlatko Pejakovic)

#12- Ti si zelja mog zivota (Magazin)

#13- Govore mi mnogi ljudi (Drazen Zecic)

#14- Zbog jedne divne crne zene (Kico Slabinac)

#15- Zlatne godine (Gibonni)

#16- Volim piti i ljubiti (Vuco)

#17- Tuzna su zeljena polja (Pro Arte)

#18- Nije u soldima sve (Mladen Grdovic & Bepo Matesic)

#19- Dalmatinac sam (Mladen Grdovic)

#20- Ima li nade za nas (Drazen Zecic)

#21- Boli me uspomena (Alen Nizetic)

#22- Evo zore, evo dana (Various Artists)

And finally...

It must be said that these songs are undoubtedly just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to a compilation of the best Croatian songs ever written. So what makes a song great? Well for me, a great song is one which has the ability to reach down so deep that it leaves an indelible imprint on our soul forever. You know what I mean. Each of us has our own collection of songs which instantly and unexplainably touches us in ways that is beyond comprehension.

We have all had moments in our life that are so amazing you wish you could freeze-frame them for eternity. And for me those moments more often than not occurred with a beautiful song serenading me and teasing with its emotions in the background (even though I now see that it was really in the forefront of the occasion). 

Even now all I have to do is hear a particular tune and I am transported back to a time and place where memories were created and cemented with that exact same background music.

I just need to hear a few seconds of Drazen Zecic's ''Ima li nade za nas'' and I am transported back to another time and another place (Poljud Stadium in Split, following the game between Hajduk and Fiorentina where the capacity crowd jumped onto their chairs and sang along to the current number one ballad);  'Rano' by Minea and I am again with my best girlfriends having the time of my life in Korcula; 'Tamburica i mandolina' by Zlatko Pejakovic and I am at my wedding spinning around on the dancefloor with my husband while Zlatko sings about the union of Dalmacija and Slavonja at the exact moment I'm  celebrating the same thing...!

Some melodies bring joy and tranquility, others sadness and despair but the common denominator of all is their ability to tug at our heartstrings.....