Celovecernji the Kid: An American's guide to Balašević, Part 2 by Professor Skye

[@DJORDJEBALASEVICOFFICIAL]

Bravo Skye, svaka čast na videozapisu i kako si objasnio sve o albumu "Celovecernji the kid" iz 1983 godine. Budi pozdravljen prijatelju!! ĐORĐE BALAŠEVIĆ OFFICIAL KZbin KANAL

[@draganarsov9650]

Pozdrav do Balasevica iz Makodonije!

[@AA-ds9wq]

Azra is great . as a serb i think Azra one of the bends from croatia . of ex yugo bands sme of the classic would be probably EKV(ekatarina velika ,EKatarina the Great ) Bijelo Dugme ,Parni Valjak(steem roll) ,Sarlo Akrobata(new vaive ,punk 80s)Yu Grupa, Parti Brejkers (Party Breakers ), Leb i Sol(bread and salt(macedonia)),Azra as mentioned . this list look pretty much valid . en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rock_Express_Top_100_Yugoslav_Rock_Songs_of_All_Times Rock Express Top 100 Yugoslav Rock Songs of All Times

[@MrQuixoticer]

@@AA-ds9wq Mesas babe i zabe. Balasevic je zanr za sebe. Ostali su u zanru rock&roll-a.

[@fey9915]

@@AA-ds9wq Check out U razdeljak te ljubim cover by Stulic :)

[@2dimitropolis370]

You have something in common with Djordje. He adores his wife too

[@katarina777]

Olja je najbolja

[@ilijaradovanov3263]

Smart people from Srem used to say .. odande si odakle ti je zena.. 😃 Bravo majstore!!!!

[@TorkvatoTaso]

Takov talent kako Balasevic nema vo cel svet ... Sekoja pesna e mala prikazna i sekoja pesna e remek delo ... Respekt za Balasevic od Makedonija

[@jasminakandicsipetic5111]

Dear Professor Skye, I am touched by your efforts to understand our culture and to show your love for your wife in such a way. You know, Balašević dedicated a lot of songs to his wife Olivera (Moja je draga veštica). Of course, I am also one of Balašević's fans, because of his texts and the messages they carry. The instrumental part of the song is, as you say, sometimes awkward ... but the lyrics are really beautiful. I hope you will find time to listen to his later albums ... because they are REAL Balašević. Deep, written with a soul. As the years passed, his texts became really more serious, you will be delighted and you will bettter understand why he is really so appreciated here in our country. My favorites are... from older songs Slovenska, D mol, Ringišpil, Devojka sa čardaš nogama, Odlazi cirkus, Devedesete (90), Neko to odgore vidi sve, Sin jedinac .. and for the new one.. I miss our love (nedostaje mi naša ljubav), (Bogojavljenska noć)Epiphany night, Finally (Napokon), tvoj neko (your someone), love odesn't win (ljubav ne pobeđuje)..... And be free to contact any of us for help in understanding and translating, I am sure we will all be happy to offer you help. Best regards

[@milenababic2770]

"Vi ste jedan običan miš" is a love song. It is interesting to hear your presentation of Balašević's music. It is not easy to present as is very complex. He was a Wizard of Words, there is no lyrics creator like he was in the region of Former Yugoslavia. When you look at his words, they might seem plain, but they mean much more. The word 'svašta' in "Blues mutne vode" does not mean everything, it means 'all sorts of creatures' in not a positive way, more like dark creatures from the bottom of the water muds. I think that it is not really possible to translate his lyrics in a way to transfer their true meaning, because they are also full of idioms and hiden meaning that only locals can understand. "Celovečernji the kid" is a song of wisdom of an older experienced man - he says 'you are hasty, guy, but I do not shoot with haste'. "My bullet is travelling long" means 'I think through before acting and then my action, although seems slow and takes long time, is way more impactful'. It requires time and long discussion to pass on the meanings of his songs. As you said, each of them tells a story, a life, a wisdom, a life experience... And, 'Bane' is not a song about a good guy Bane, it is about one of the 'golden children' who have it all, but get it by being 'good and capable' while in fact he is not a positive character because his goodnes is a persona and he will do anything and take anything to succeed. Thank you for taking time for talking about Đole's songs.

[@MacakPodSIjemom]

Very well explained, Milena!

[@Oiramij]

I just have to say that you are interpreting "Bane" kinda wrong here.. :-) Bane is not one of "golden children", he's obedient and ambitious boy / man, who ofcourse succeed in life, but was "empty" and without other experiences other kids / people had. He's just a "diligent ant / robot". And singer wasn't, and never will be something like that no matter what.

[@drej1981]

Hello, this was very fun to watch, thank you! Your wife is, I hate to say it, wrong about your impression skills :) You mentioned that somebody should translate Balašević's songs into English, well, I translate various things for a living and I translated some of his stuff (songs, excerpts from his books, quotes) for my American friends (I'm from Vukovar, Croatia), and I gotta tell you, it's so damn hard to get it right - there's a lot of puns, play on words, double-entendres (yeah, what you thought was a sexual allusion - it is, you got it right), he's exceptionally witty and his writing is so extraordinary, and there's a lot of local slang (Hungarian and German language influences are also noteworthy ) as well as the language that is now only being used in poetry (or even, only by him), not in everyday life, it can get a bit archaic, and I'm not sure that it can ever be done properly (I'm talking about translation) - although I hope someone will do it once - some important parts often get lost in translation... I'm also not sure that this is the album that he would recommend you (although I personally love it) and he plays only 2-3 songs from the album in concerts. I'm pretty certain that I've heard him say that he himself doesn't like the album very much, but OK, that doesn't mean we shouldn't like it, and I kinda drifted from what I was saying, sorry. But, one thing I don't get, I must say :) OK, you skipped "Lunjo" - to each his own, I personally love the song, but that's irrelevant. But, why, oh, why would you skip one of the greatest hits of his career (and certainly the biggest hit from this album)- "Svirajte mi jesen stiže, dunjo moja?" It's one of the greatest songs ever...Anyway, I really enjoyed your review and I hope you'll do more of these...Wish you all the best, good sir, stay safe and thank you, once again...

[@professorskye]

Thank you for the nice comment. I will have to give myself more time next year to find good translations for "003."

[@drej1981]

@@professorskye You can contact me to help you with that, seriously, I'll be more than willing to help spread the good message of Mr. Balašević :) I added a smiley face, but I'm completely serious.

[@biserkasertic1208]

@@drej1981 👍 You describe beatifully the problem of translating his songs on another language!My poor english didn't alowed me to do it right way! Thank you, in the name of all of us from 50's! 🏅

[@biserkasertic1208]

@@professorskye I agree with Andrej Edelinski it's a shame you didn't dedicate more atenttion on the song "Svirajte mi jesen stiže Dunjo moja". "Play for me "The Fall is coming, my Dunya" "The Fall is coming....." is a Hungarian ballad from the old times, romantic and nostalgic. The Balasevic's song is a strory about the guy who just came from the army, and his mother told him "You came in the right moment, there's a wedding party in the neighborhood....." - then he finds out it's a wedding of his ex - girl, with whom he is still in love.This song were very popular, 'cause many guys lost their girls while they spend over one year in the army service. Forgive me my poor english, but I'll try totranslate/ explain this song: "This morning I arrieved by train (second class) and quickly leave the station trough gartens and well known short-cuts. In the army I got a life - time friend, and cronical inflamation of joint, a souvenir from my guardians days... I came in (to house) on the tips of my fingers, my mother was already awake and quickly made sign of cross....she said "it passed so quickly! You came in the right time 'cause there's a wedding party here nearby.....they gonna play for you, and you'll choose the songs...." The wedding was like any other, not much to say about it, the parade of drunkenness and trash, and well known girl dressed in white. I whish them good health and happiness, she snached the flowers from my hand an hide her face behind the veil. Than the Gipsies saw me.....the marriage witness ordered the song, but they didn't care because of my appearance. Broad smile & golden tooth:"I know it's not easy for you tonight, but don't be rough, just give us an order which song shall we play." "Play for me "The Fall is coming, my Dunya", early autumn, let's all mandolins ringing in the trans.I know this song don't fits for the wedding party, and merriment, but tonight I just have to hear this romance! Play for me "The Autumn is coming, my Dunya" but slowly, don't want to miss a single word! Remove all glasses, and jugs away from me, 'cause (I'm in the mood) to break whole world if it happens to be made of glass....!" Some explanations - "the sign oh cross" - the movement wich express surprise, or disbelieve (usualy by older people) "the marriage witness ordered the song"- it's tipical on the traditional weddings, the marriage witness is "master of the ceremony" he pays the musicians, propoase a toast, ordered the songs (in the "official" part of the evning - later, when everybody are drunk usualy there's not so much attention on protocol anymore) The fact Gipsy band ignore him shows they know "tragical hero" of the song from some early times.Secondly - is indication he's a bohemian typ of person who made friendship with Gipsies, who are usualy treated as a second class citizens. "Broad smile & golden tooth" - one nice detail - in the past it was common among older Gipsies to have some golden tooths. The part with danger of breaking glasses tells something about one part of our Balkan mentality.It was tradition (not so much nova days) in the taverns with Gipsy music (or folk music in generall) people breaking glasses.It's a kind of psyhical therapy - a way to throw out all the stress, sorow, or just express strong emotions caused by the song band is playing at the moment. The rest of the song: "I infrequently visite my home, and wrote letters even more rarely, and the pictures are fading away in my memory, and the good ones repress a ugly ones. But sometimes I order a drink, and it's go again, and I find myself again in her wedding night, -all real loves are tragic (sad) The Gipsies bring me salvation, they have a soft spot for everyone of us, they don't mind,and just ask me "what you want us to play"? "Play for me..........."

[@learndanishwithdanishrap24]

You deserve all the respect you're getting from former yugoslavs for making this video. And it must be a great honour that Balasevic himself wrote you a message here complementing your album analysis. My favorite Balas album is Devedesete. I epecially love the songs Ziveti slobodno, Balkanski tango and Sevdalinka. I'm looking forward to see your next Balasevic video.

[@matrix_x_]

Black swan song is not only a link with the ballet of Piotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky "Swan Lake" but is primarily related to the Fairy tale "The Ugly Duckling" by Danish poet and author Hans Christian Andersen. In short, it is a fairy tale in which a duck has several ducklings and they are all yellow as they usually are, only one is black. Other ducklings and other animals scoffed at that black duckling who was sad about it. Yet one day it was revealed that this duckling was not a duckling at all but a swan. Little swans are black in childhood, and then when they grow up they shed their black feathers and turn into beautiful white swans. That is why Balašević alludes to how he waited for the black swan to grow up, probably thinking of his wife Olivera, whom he met as a young girl. She was a gymnast and a ballerina in her youth and hence the link to this song and these two works. A similar verse is mentioned in the poem "Olivera" which is directly dedicated to his wife in which he says in one place: "I would know where to find peace, I hid in a secret monastery and waited for you to grow up, Olivera…" Greetings from Croatia

[@lukalakic]

We, in Croatia, have upcoming elections for the mayor of Zagreb, capitol of Croatia, and no one has ever heard of the candidate from the biggest (centre-right) party. Few days after Đorđe died, that guy said that he has never been listening to Balašević's music (expected answer from nationalist), but then reluctantly admitted that only song he knows is "Never like Bane". And we all laughed and recognized him.

[@MacakPodSIjemom]

That's sooooo hilarious!!! hahaha, man what an irony 🤣

[@MilickoMijatovic]

wait until "Naposletku", 9th album. Other albums are funny, sometimes serious, but all toghether are not important as that one. Most mature, released right after the war. Masterpiece in the class od Russian lliterature. Message for all generations for all people at the world.

[@sikkiricca8178]

Da... Najbolji njegov album svih vremena.. 😏

[@johnnybravo1328]

Yes, Naposletku is pure Masterpiece 🙂

[@nikolakrnetautopijapodkast]

Great man. It was so joyful and painful at the same time. Please continue doing this for all his albums. It's worth it and by all means could be helpful for better understanding of his music. Even for serbo-croatian listeners. Big regards 😀

[@silviebee]

Names clarification - people in ex-Yugoslavia have first names, nicknames, and often are referred by their last name or even a nickname of the last name. I'm from Bosnia, grow up listening Balasevic and feel that most of my nostalgia, sentiment, making small moments significant... is because of him. My husband is German, and doesn't understand why am I crying for a week because a singer died, and I can still listen to his music till the rest of my life? Your video about Balasevic appeared on my feed and I'm learning how to explain it to him., and then he entered the living room wearing T-shirt "Ovom maicom volim", written in Latin and Cyrillic :)

[@professorskye]

Hopefully my video helps out! It is hard because I don't think that there are any other singers like him with his importance in the entire world.

[@catriaan]

Loved the video, greetings from Zagreb!

[@dsego84]

A lot of his songs are sort of an acquired taste. They don't jump at you and they are really slow burning so no catchy hooks. You have to listen them for a while before learning to enjoy them. Also the lyrics are really integral, his shtick is poetry after all. The real magic happens at his concerts. It can't be captured, you have to witness it. It's the atmosphere with everyone knowing the lyrics, singing in unison. The song arrangements are more lush with more instruments and ornamentation. His standup routine and jokes where he manages to woo his audience, the choreography and those special moments where the audience respond, they throw plush bunnies on the stage when he sings the lyric 'tad sam dobio par mandarina i malog, belog zeca' . There is a warm feeling of being with your people, the good people, and there is a glimmer of hope for this crazy world. It's very magical and spiritual.

[@Oiramij]

"There is a warm feeling of being with your people, the good people" Very well said. :-)

[@BoraZivkovic]

Bane is also how poltroons become party apparatchiks and then get into power, people like Milosevic, with predictable results. Celovecernji means All Night Long. Other commenters are correct on other details of this song. Black Swan is a reference to Swan Lake as she is a ballerina or a lover of ballet or at least looks like one, thus a super-refined, high-class girl. He says "This all reminds me of Pyotr Illich and the story of the Lake". That Tchaikovsky guy. This is a repeated trope in his songs, high-cultured girls he dates, who love Bach and Liszt (Menuet) or Jazz, or some other high-culture symbols (Herond porcelain) that contrast with his lower class, farmer/worker background, not finished school (he didn't) etc. It's about a class mismatch that never ends well, but provides a memory of being briefly a part of high society and realization one doesn't belong there, finds it shallow, not grounded in real world enough, and doesn't really like it even if the girl was awesome. Blues Mutne Vode is more beloved now than when the album first came out. At the time, it was overshadowed by several other songs, or perhaps it took a while for people to process it and take it in and fall in love with it. I loved it from the get-go and used to sing it a lot at parties. Lots about bullies and cowards and who has the power, and who gets to have power, so it also has mild political overtones (like Bane) about the worst people becoming politicians and using their power to "eat" the little people. The greatest song, on the very top "best of" lists, is Svirajte Mi Jesen Stize Dunjo Moja which has several layers, it is so meta, probably really hard to explain. For starters, one has to understand the meaning of the old folk song Jesen Stize Dunjo Moja, totally inappropriate for a wedding. The song, the entire thing, was also filmed into a fantastic video spot (kzbin.info/www/bejne/eYeamWSLjLaLhZY ) starring Balasevic himself (I think it was directed by Zoran Amar). Also, it shows that he can actually sing - this is one of his songs that is the most difficult to sing, it requires quite a range to belt out that ending of the last chorus an octave higher than the rest of the song. My kum's wife always made me sing Neko To Od Gore Vidi Sve, don't know why ;-) Also worth noting that he sometimes changed the lyrics years later. First in concerts, and then in re-recordings. There is a whole concert version of Boza Pub about Blake Carrington and the rest of the Dynasty family (that show was extremely popular in Yugoslavia). The narrated parts are especially changed (Provincijalka), sometimes a word or line here and there, but sometimes entire lyrics (Lunjo). Usually the later versions of texts are heavier, more serious, more nostalgic, less humorous, colored by war.

[@branislavsasic8400]

In honor of the passing of Djordje Balasevic, please do another review!

[@professorskye]

I have been thinking about it and I think that I probably will. I'm going to let my wife pick the album, this time. She can translate!

[@branislavsasic8400]

@@professorskye That would be awesome! I will happily translate the lyrics for you. Just tell me which album your wife picks. Seriously.

[@daliborperkovic3918]

@@professorskye As always, the further you go and as you touch later albums, things get much more serious. My first Balasevic album was "Panta Rei" and boy, THAT was a sociological revelation!

[@najneindustrijaliziraniji]

@@professorskye man, it is time for you to learn serbian :)

[@danijeladoza5604]

My favorite song is "lepa protina kći". I have the whole lyrics tattoed on my back.🙃 You picked the right musician 👌 Greetings from Austria 🇦🇹 ♡ Vojvodina ♡ Forever♡

[@dejanarsic7878]

Thank you for taking interest in Djordje Balašević sir! Please allow me to contribute my understanding of the "Nikad kao Bane" song. No, Balašević is not bulling hard working, ambitious kid Bane in his song. To understand this, we need to understand context of the “Never like Bane” song. It is communist time in Yugoslavia. School system, foremost in social science, is adjusted to pass repetitive knowledge onto the young Yugoslav generations. Students are being asked to repeat what they are told, without asking questions. Those who raise their hand and do so first, are considered to be prosperous students. Balašević is mocking those who repeat what they are told and never ask questions. He is also mocking the entire schooling system that promotes such kids into political leaders. At the same time, Balašević is endorsing the rest of the kids who are what they supposed to be-kids. “In school he raised his hand skillfully It was known then He will become somebody We grew in colorful kingdom of play…” Young Yugoslav generations did not readily accept this mental sculpting. They searched for answers and what they could not find in school, they found in rock&roll, books, sports… This would typically come as kids turn into teenagers. “Before graduation new moments have arrived Sports and records and restless dreams New displays full of everything for us” Balašević is again mocking young people that accept what they’re told and never ask questions. He is also passive protesting the system that promotes such young people into leaders. “But Bane, his displays were empty So, we elected him for various functions” No, Balašević is not naïve. He knows that Bane like people grow to be powerful men that decide on lifes of everyone else. He also knows that, once this happens, everyone else will be supporting Bane without asking questions. “Here and there I meet this boy Black briefcase, driver and Mercedes News are promoting him Without his fault He made it to the press in a leap Once you take this known path Everyone raise their hand skillfully…” Finally, Balašević is protesting to the previous generation, at the same time, reassuring them that he will not turn into puppet of the riggid communist system, no matter what. „Dear mother, …. Worry not what will become of me I may gamble, wonder, drink I may fall low Be not afraid, I will never be like Bane…” As far as I am concerned, Bane’s path to success might have been the path of Slobodan Milošević. Oh boy, we should have listened to Balašević much more carefully!

[@urospinteric5334]

I like the enthusiasm, good work... just adding some comments 1. Mexican tune was part of trend in certain time in Yugoslavia. 2. Celovjećerni the kid... can be actually about guy who is able to have intercourse for a longer time. (Whole-evening guy)... so the guy who lasts trough the evening). (you got the point with Don Francisco Longplay). 3. Blues mutne vode ... it is about the society actually (Svašta se rodi u mutnoj vodi)... metaphor for you get different characters in the society 4. Nostalgia in former Yugoslavia is a specific phenomen ... 5. Lunjo.... it is actually about a love memory.. again one of his masterpieces with multiple layers. Try to talk to wife about it, she might change your perspective on it ;)

[@Alidarhyno]

Hi, I loved listening to both parts, but the first was a little bit better. 😊 Anyways, this is your love showing, and Marijana is blessed for having you. Aaaand you still have a lot to learn... Keep going, and don't make us wait 13 years, please! Here is a quick translation of "Badnje veče". It is quite literal. I have noticed that for us from Balkan, this is enough for us to feel the mood of the song, even the hidden meaning, but it sometimes escapes you somehow. Well, this song is about things not said. Harsh words not said, because of love and respect even though they were breaking up. And of him missing her especially on that special night every year. Here it goes: Christmas Eve Like a sin from a long time ago, You always come back to me the same, Your laughter echoes, You put your shoes in the window. And you forever dream, You travel the world without travelling, And Christmas Eve is coming. You could have said some impulsive words to me, My eyes are, you know, full of that same mist. But it's the opposite, Now sadness is taking root in me, And the Christmas Eve passes. CHORUS: That was our last one. Now the bells are ringing again, I am listening to that. I know, not every eve is Christmas Eve, But this one, accidentally, is. At the last minute, Like always on that night, The lady next door Bakes cake for her grandchildren, In my room only the old alarm clock crumbles the time, And Christmas Eve passes. CHORUS: That was our last one...

[@joaodrcaodeflores5161]

Hope you did not stop listening Balasevic at Celovecernji the Kid because 12 albums that followed contain numerous masterpieces.

[@aca9960]

Keep in mind that translations of Yugoslavian songs that you find online are often not very accurate, they're roughly translated and the meaning can be lost sometimes. For example "I just shoot long bullets" should be "my bullet travels long (a long time)" - "...moj metak putuje dugo..." The last 2 verses of the first song, Celovecernji The Kid, sound very dirty in Serbian (at least I hear it that way). "Rekoh mu: "Vadi ga, da vidim kol'ko si dobar!"" means "I told him: 'Whip it out, so I can see how good you are!'", this can be understood as him whipping out his pistol and being challenged to a duel, but can also be interpreted as a dirty joke. I don't know if I'm just immature and hear things that weren't intended but I think this is a good example of how translations of Yugoslavian songs aren't that great, I always cringe a little bit when reading English translations. Instead of complaining I should probably go and translate the songs myself haha.

[@aca9960]

"On reče: "Opa, malo se čudim ovom gestu Ja ne vadim nikad na javnom mestu"" translation "He said: 'Woah, I'm a bit stunned by this gest I don't put it out in public'" --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ""Sinko", reče on, "ti rešavaš sve u prvoj rundi I ispucaš šaržer za par sekundi Kod mene je drugo, moj metak putuje dugo..."" translation "'Son', he said, 'you finish it all in the first round, [You] empty the magazine in a couple seconds With me it's different, my bullet travels long'" --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I wish I spoke better English so I could do these lyrics justice, but hopefully this is enough to better understand the meaning behind the lyrics, even though the original spirit isn't really there.

[@sasakurtovic6850]

You are indeed onto something crucial regarding the songs from Balašević. Many of them use metaphors and wordplay that need either local knowledge of the culture, language and customs to be understood correctly and fully. Wordplay in our language is perhaps the thing making it so hard - even impossible at times - to translate. Take for instance Legenda o Gedi gluperdi. Balašević has the exceptional ability to wrap up the meanings and really insult the intended people, without ever mentioning them directly. The only way for them to call him out on the insult is to admit that they indeed are as he says in the song.. There are just so many levels of depth in his texts that taking the song text at face value doesn't even start to unwrap the enigma. He can tell the intended recipient to go to hell in such a way that the person actually starts looking forward to the trip.. 😁

[@Oiramij]

@@aca9960 Celovečernji The Kid ;-) Whole story is great misinterpretation young man had about The Kid. Dragi Balašević. :-)

[@alexandartheserb7861]

"Like a Bane" song. You understood it pretty well, just deeper level is that Bane is actually bad guy, yesman, toady, who enters politics since they like yesmans. So he also rise question about society understanding who is bad and who is actually good guy. Moral song

[@defufna]

Exactly, someone that looks nice on the outside but has no integrity. When he says "never like Bane" he means he values his integrity more than anything else.

[@alexandartheserb7861]

@@defufna But actually Balasevic was "like a Bane", yesmen. He was skyrocketed through Yugoslav state media after he confirmed his loyalty to the System with tv series "JNA Solders" (and later he wrote song against very same JNA which he promoted), song "I saw Tito three times" and else.

[@defufna]

@@alexandartheserb7861 Bane and Bluz mutne vode are obvious criticism of the mentioned system.

[@MacakPodSIjemom]

@@alexandartheserb7861 Agree with you. Balašević often sang songs describing himself the way he wanted himself to be, but actually the real Balašević, non-poet everyday person Balašević, was a different story.

[@nattyhyde2394]

Ok. Now I also want a husband like you. 😂🤷🏻‍♀️

[@DenisHavlikVienna]

He's only faking it to get woman interested in him 🤣🤣🤣

Nikad kao Bane is about "politically correct" kid/man growing up in communist regime...and fast going to top by being loyal to party.....

[@Alidarhyno]

Totally true. When he sais he will never be like Bane, it is the decision not to be easy manipulative pawn of the authorities. He wants to be above that and his mother may not see it, or chooses not to see it, but he assures her he just won't be that person with no self respect who mistakes pats on shoulder for appreciation and respect.

[@sasakurtovic6850]

Kao Bane, dobri sin, tih i miran čist i fin. Kao Bane odmeren i usmeren i proveren za sve. Like Bane, good son, quiet and calm, clean and nice. Like Bane measured, aligned and tested for everything. Yup.. the puppet of the system. Also later on singing to his mom: Ne brini puno o tom šta će biti, mogu se kockati, londrati, piti i mogu pasti na niske grane al ne boj se , nikad neću biti: Kao Bane...... Don't worry too much about what will happen. I can be a gambler, lowlife, drunkard and fall to low branches in life, but fear not, I'll never be: like Bane...... Basically rejecting the societies norm for measure of good and categorizing it lower than outcasts in life.

[@mladensusanj5678]

Respect prof.Skye ... the effort you put into understanding and learning our ex-Yu and post-wars culture is impressive. I wish we live closer (i'm in Florida) so that we could meet over rakija, cevapi with luk and ajvar. As you are into trademarks of urban ex-Yu culture, you must have heard about Alan Ford. It would be so cool to hear your guide on it! Have you already become big fan of eating bread and soup? :)

[@professorskye]

I did hear about Alan Ford! No bread and soup, though. Still so much to learn.

[@Tokushima77]

The way you discover Balasevics albums is so nice. Every Balasevic album is better the previous one with till you pass 90s.

[@nevenamaksimovic647]

Thank you for this video! It really cheered my heart in these days of mourning. By the way, "Lunjo" is my favorite song of all times. The lyrics are wonderful. Have your wife translate it for you. Say hi to her from me. I hope she knows how lucky she is for having someone to love her like you do!

[@maxim127]

Loving your videos, very interesting to perceive this music from a different cultural context. You were wondering about the Mexican influence. Turns out, Mexican music was a big thing in post-war Yugoslavia, supposedly on account of cheap and cheerful cinema movies. Lots of kids grew up with this sound in the 50s. My parents tell me that some songs even received a local makeover, with lyrics in serbocroatian laid over mariachi tracks. Can't explain it. You can look this up under YuMex. After watching your videos, it seems that Djole's early albums carry so many musical references to 50/60s styles he grew up before he settled into the chanson style that made him a legend. None of us ever think about this, it's nice to know that after all this time, there is still something new to discover!

[@Dusankk]

This was one of the most favorite Balasevic albums of mine. I received it as a gift from my uncle when I was 7 years old. We listened this album at home on our Japanese music system Benytone A60, my father purchased from London in the beginning of the '80s. Whenever going on vacations we had his songs compilations with us that we listened to. This album at that time introduced me to some of the most beautiful nostalgic and emotional states of mind, I remember playing it many times on the tape recorder. My father played guitar and played some of the songs like Jesen stize dunjo moja and Neko to od gore vidi sve, Prica o Vasi Ladackom... I later started playing guitar and one of the first songs I learned playing were songs from Djodje Balasevic and I remember some of the best moments in my teenage years and later playing his songs at parties and going outs with friends and girls. He was a genuis and I think that there will not be anyone close to him. There were many musical legends from ex Yu that I really adore like Milan Mladenovic from Ekv, Vlada Divljan from Vis Idoli, Johny Stulic from Azra and many more but Djole will be one of the brightest star of our youth that we will hold dear and remember during our lifetimes. What he left behind is a immense treasure for many generations ahead and he will live forever in our hearts for all of us that loved him throughout Yugoslavia and the rest of the world wherever we are

[@mujodoboj9046]

I have stumbled on this video by chance. It was recommended to me by YT algorithm. It is interesting to see an american's perspective on yugoslav artist. I jut wanted to comment on your love of "Nikad kao Bane" and take a chance to point the similarity of Kid Creole and Coconut's song "Endicott". Thematicaly they are very similar, wouldn't you say so?

[@nemanjamarsenic1626]

There is also some world play in "Celovecernji the kid" song. "Celo vece" - whole night, so celovecernji would be the one who lasts whole night. "Ja ne vadim nikad na javnom mestu" - I don't pull it out in public. "Ispucas sarzer u par sekundi" - you shoot your magazine (load) in (only) a couple seconds. "Moj metak putuje dugo" - my bullet travels for a while. But the tone is more silly than vulgar.

[@pompombuuum3182]

Veče nije noć. Misli se na format večernjeg filma, 90-120 min.

[@filipstura3368]

I have an algebra midterm in 6 hours. I studied hard, 4 to 5 hours for the past 4 days, and I wanted to rest a bit. I played the new God of war game on my ps4 until midnight, and then listened to some balasevic to calm my mind. I wanted to hear celovečernji the kid live, and while looking for it I found you channel. You're fantastic, I love your energy and love for your wife. You earned yourself a subscriber! Good luck with learning serbo-croatian :)

[@MravacKid]

"Vi ste jedan obican mis" is a song about someone who thinks himself very important, but is actually just a scared little mouse. And yes, both "Celovecernji The Kid" and "Don Francisco Long Play" are about a gunslinger looking for someone, only to find that someone uses a different kind of gun. :) "Celovecernji" literally translates to "lasting all evening" which is why it was used as a description of the long form movie. And the long form lovemaking of the "antagonist" of the two songs. :)

[@dusanterzic3739]

When I came to England 31 years ago, I didn't speak a single word of English. Actually, I'm laying. I knew one! It was the word OK. I still struggle sometimes, but as you can see, it is not a childs play to learn a foreign language. Keep it up! I'm on your side!!!!!

[@AleksandarStanojkovic]

First of, give Marijana a hug from a kid from Belgrade that got himself into music because of Đorđe. As a kid, growing up in those shitty times, my family took me to each and every one of his concerts in the 90s, and I continued that tradition after that. Seeing him up on that stage making people feel good, made me want to be an artist (not that I'ld ever be as good as him lol). But those concerts man... they made us all feel like we're at home, with our family around us... purely because mostly good people went to his shows. All I ever wanted was to get him to want to do a song with me, but without bothering him ofcourse. :) and just when that was becoming more of a possibilty, jebeni covid got him. (Do you like my self-censorship? It's the most common thing here in Serbia lol) Anyway, I hope she's doing fine. I know I'm not... since it's 5am here and I'm watching your videos :)) Now, ontopic: You're doing a great thing, and I'ld love if there were more people like you in the world, to be honest. But you have got a few things wrong about Đole. He wasn't the biggest thing in Yugoslavia (you said that in the previous video). Lepa Brena was filling up stadiums, whilst he was getting venues with 5k people tops. Not only that he was an escape from reality - he represented an escape from the outside - into the inside. Into ourselves. I don't want to discourage you from trying to understand his music and the poetry behind it. I'm trying to encourage you to talk to your wife even more, and to debate about his songs. His greatness is in the little stuff.. he's an interpreteur... an great actor, and an even better poet. He was not the best singer out there, nor was he trying to be one. He was as his songs.. simple but deep. I'm saying this because you're missing the point of the climax in "jesen stiže dunjo moja".. Dunja is a fruit like watermellon (can't remember the name in english right now), and when jesen (or fall) comes, it rots and dies. And he's asking the gipsy band for that song in particular on a wedding.. the mandolins and tamburas are one of the trademarks of Vojvodina (and a part of Croatia and Bosnia), and wedding music (and sad songs) in those parts of ex-yu sounded just like that. It's not cheesy - it brings you into the wedding right next to him while he's watching her in her gown. It's simple, but effective and very emotional. When you get to the album "naposletku", man... are you in for an emotional ride. Prepare a bunch of hankerchiefs. By then you will understand the (sub)culture of Vojvodina and parts of Serbia. Because, yes - he borrowed from the culture. But in 40 years since his first solo album, the culture switched to something else under a few dictators (one of them is ruling right now), and the history is pretty much being rewritten infront of us. He was the loudest voice (although he had one of the softest and quietest voices) against all that.. against the war, against us going the wrong way... and he was dreaming, like a kid does about us being better than we are. So, my suggestion is: when in doubt - ask your woman. Every song and every lyric has a meaning and is there because it had to be there. Some songs are a bit more cheesy, but you seem to gravitate towards the cheesy ones since they resonate with you and your culture - which is completely logical and understandable. But man.. skip to "naposletku" or "bezdan".. you wont like it at all, but it will move you like nothing else can. Also he uses alot of old Vojvodinian words and phrases in his songs, so you do need a proper translator next to you so you don't miss the beauty and the depth of some songs.. or pure hearted, and simple - but deep af lyrics of "jednom su sadili lipu". I'll stop talking now. :D Mainly, give your wife a hug. And thank you for existing.

[@aleksandarurka8663]

Celovecernji The Kid and Don Francisco Long Play have the same melody and the same meaning - it is about a guy who can last long in bed.🙂

[@mikibabic8187]

Which made me blush all the harder when I finally realized what it means, and why my next door neighbor (Balasevic life long fan) would be choking for breath hearing me sing those songs as a 9-10 year old kid :)

[@alexandartheserb7861]

You asked translation of Balasevic so here is one of mine... : Ne lomite mi bagrenje I believe, Honored Court That you well understand folk You have a plenty of work Cause sort is sort but court is court I believe your Height, That you studied law right, To judge fair everywhere Cause honor is honor but power is power Complying with law, Me first respect that all There would be no this crime If law was respected as a prime Power is power, and I that honored So start grab paragraph Be it same for priest and a beast: So let it be known that... ... let them, treading my wheats ...stealing from my plum sweets ...always there was a thieves Cause owl is owl and howl is howl Never enough of a villains Drought destroys my watermelons And ice floods before the harvest But flooder is flooder and order is order! And that was too much I had a Locust forest down the road Wait them to say do not it touch Order is order, Slow down my neighbors , Can not just like that gauge and rage Kindly I said them words: Please dont tear my Locust trees Not having them, winds will blast Let one secret protect, they must One precious secret from my past Please dont tear my Locust trees... Under them I kissed her... Shoeless and sleepless on my knees... We are all humans, Honored Court, So let it be what had to be forth... My sorrow for those black cloth But cry is cry and die is die Please dont ask what would it be If again same happens to me, Please do not ask do I feel a grief Because grief is grief and thief is thief! Order is order, So start grab paragraph Fairly, for trust and distrust Complying with law, I first respect that all Because there will be more killers forth Then birds who float toward north Please dont tear my Locust trees Not having them, winds will blast Let one secret protect, they must One precious secret from my past Please dont tear my Locust trees... Under them I kissed her lips... O, do I have to repeat you Move from them or I”ll have to beat you... Dedicated to Serbs on Kosovo attacked by Albanian immigrants during 1970s and 80s...

[@blacksmithstudio1647]

Thank you for this! Unbelievably accurate description of everything I belive Balašević is! Give my regards to your wife and I wish you and your family all the best! Love from Serbia, Stefan

[@draganarsov9650]

Thanks for doing this! Balasevic is best singer songwriter composser ever...im glad that i understand serbian! Also his 3rd solo album is 003, do you gonna make next video about it???

[@professorskye]

I will definitely make a video about his third album for my wife's next birthday. I really can't wait!

[@bojanabogdanovic5331]

@@professorskye That's a long time to wait

[@draganarsov9650]

@@professorskye Nice, i guess you gonna sing song "Baby Blue" from that album, because Balasevic made it on english accent on american style hehehehe!

[@matrix_x_]

@@professorskye Balasevic has many albums and singles. You shouldn’t wait a year for your wife’s next birthday because it would take a very long time to analyze all the albums. All the albums are great and deserve analysis. It should be noted that Balašević is primarily a poet and songwriter, and that music is just the backdrop of his songs. His albums cannot be viewed only from the instrumental side. He is a poet who has not played his songs since his early youth but has a backing band. He is a top poet who perfectly conveys emotion to the listener, music is important as the background of the songs but words and feelings are in the foreground. It would be good if I could analyze his albums every ten days in a little more detail. Google translate has improved considerably in terms of translations from Slavic languages ​​into English. There are original texts of all Balašević's songs on the Internet. My advice is to simply copy-paste them into google translate. It won’t be 100% like the original but you’ll know at least 90% what each of his songs is about. Almost all of Balašević's songs are ballads in which the story is told and there are no special vocal performances. Everything is subordinated to the story itself, the text itself. Maybe you could put those lyrics in English that you translate from google translate below the video so that non-Slavic listeners can more easily experience the story from the songs. It’s hard for me to compare this kind of music to American music. If we look at it in general it is most similar to coutry style or French chansons. I know the music itself varies from song to song, but the way itself is essentially to tell one life story in each song. Slavic peoples are very emotional and empathetic, so the most important thing for us in the songs is the text and the transfer of emotion. Music is just the backdrop in which that musical theatrical performance takes place in our minds. It would be nice if he could go through all of Balašević's songs and albums until his wife's next birthday. It’s really interesting to listen to your analyzes, only if you can be a little more detailed and not skip the songs.

[@agrgic206]

I feel for you. :) I was in your shoes with his song 'Don Francisco Long Play'. Essentially it is the same song translated to English (with intention of joining Eurosong contest). I was 10 years old at that time and just started to learning English in elementary school. BTW, I would translate 'Celovečernji' as 'all-night-long'.

[@billuvill]

Thing about mexican vibe is that in Yugoslavia during 50s/60s/70s Mexican cinema was popular in Yug. There were/are so called Yugoslavian mariachi bands. Other 70s/80s popular singers/bands from Yugoslavia had here and there "mariachi" type of song like Djole does on this album.

[@bakrena]

I'm disappointed that you not even read the name of one of top 10 Balasevic' song off all time "Svirajte mi jesen stiže dunjo moja". But keep upp good working. Intressted in your wife's comments 😁

[@draganarsov9650]

I rewatched video today, first time i watched i missed part or misunderstood that you asked for explaining of song "vi ste jedan obican mis"... Its love song about women that everyone thinks is powerfull and strong but she is actually from inside one ordinary little scared mouse and that she need someones like him to take care of her...he also explaining life on world into that song "its inportant to be strong like lion, to dont be just crew into that machine (world), also to put your nose everywhere you want to reach your goal" and that is hard to be alone on world, alone against all and that you needs life partner to be stronger.

[@t3hav8r]

I always felt that Celovečernji the Kid is just a wordplay - "celovečernji film" (feature length movie) and "celovečernji the kid" sounds similar when you (not you personally - you definitelly couldn't, but native speakers could) say it fast, and there's always some "the Kid" in westerns. Not "a statement" but just a wordplay.

[@aidaomanovic8497]

Nikad kao Bane is a song about being determined, disciplined, and a type of kid that has an old person's mentality that is in big contrast to his age, so he doesn't play with other kids and has a normal childhood but from a young age concentrates only on his success. But the song also talks about becoming a chess figure throughout life where your niceness, determination, and ambition turn into political manipulation by bigger players, so he raises his hand really quickly (referring to voting and decision making situations in political life) whenever they say that he should and he goes along with that for personal gain. So Balasevic makes a smart transition from the first part of the song where his mother wonders if he will ever be such an exemplary kid as Bane (quiet, nice, useful, hardworking) to the second part of the song where he promises his mother he will never become like Bane because he will always think with his head and he will never become a tool in the hands of politicians and people that aren't honorable just to gain a position or money. His letter to his mother explains further his point of view: he tells her that even if he becomes a gambler, alcoholic, and a big nobody, even then he would never choose to become Bane type of person because for him it's more disgraceful than everything mentioned before. As for his songs Celovecernji the kid and Don Francisko long play, don't read too much into this, he just liked to mess around on his earlier albums and impersonate fictional characters using different accents and nationalities for fun. His concerts were special and hilarious because he would tell all kinds of stories from his childhood and life but also the political life of the country at that particular moment impersonating different characters. And you are right, most of his albums don't have an overall theme except the album ''Devedesete''. You should definitely check that one, it has only one theme and it's about the war in Yugoslavia and he shares his point of view that made him even more popular and distinctive because he was one of the rare musicians that openly protested against the war long before the war actually began and especially during with no regard for his safety. He died a few days ago and the whole region is mourning his death, which is really something to behold. And I can claim with certainty that he was the only musician from Balkan that united divided nations on his concerts. People traveled from one country to another to listen to him which doesn't happen often here, hell almost never. People say that now Yugoslavia has died finally because he was her last representative. You have to understand that living in this highly nationalistic society that Balkan with its countries is now, Yugoslavia represents a time when people didn't discriminate against each other based on their religion (because here people can't make difference between religion and nationality). Maybe they didn't care maybe they were afraid but the fact is that people lived together and it didn't matter which religion are you practicing. So overall nostalgia in his songs, amongst many things, is also for those times when, as Balasevic said in one song: We were scattered around the world like necklaces, carpets carried us across the sky. (I suppose he is comparing those years to living in a fairytale). Were those really better days, or were we better persons? (You made a similar point in your video) We used to form brotherhoods just based on the look in the eyes, guessing we are having the same dreams. (Opposed to the great divide that happened and the fact that a lot of people only care to make close friendships with the ones that are the same nationality) Even God didn't care if we crossed ourselves for him or kneeled (like the Muslims pray). (he explains everything in this painful but very truthful line, God shouldn't care for the way we worship him because the idea is the same, then why do people care?) I hope I helped you understand better this great musician and what he represents to the people of former Yugoslavia. Cheers!

[@DenisHavlikVienna]

actually it is not. Bane is a guy who climbed the ladder by being system conform. Bane is a symbol of what Djole wouldn't touch with a stick.

[@aidaomanovic8497]

Okay, I don't see how your point of view is so drastically different from mine.. especially since Balasevic wrote: ''Jer kad kreneš tim poznatim tokom Tad svi ručice podižu vešto, jen dva.'' So it would seem that he was happy with what he gained from raising his hand when needed, but our opinion about the song is basically the same so yeah, that's about it. :)

[@MacakPodSIjemom]

@@aidaomanovic8497 Absolutely agree with you on "Bane.." song, and I think Denis misunderstood you somehow, because you both say the same thing. Also, I wanted to thank you for your description about "Celovečernji the Kid", which is something I wanted to do. There is quite a number of songs like that, on his every album, which are more or less just fun, thongue-in-cheek goofiness. With no deeper meaning intended. Of course, Djole puts a few meaningful and deeper verses even in those kind of songs, but overall there was no intention to further any kind of deeper message with songs like this.

[@kulin721]

I' ve been in army JNA in Vojvodina, Kikinda, once upon time. Black swan is his wife.

[@annamn4410]

But....he loved her, didn't he??? What's wrong with this song?😳

[@majabkelly]

This is awesome; I have thoroughly enjoyed your analysis and your take on both albums. Keep in mind that these albums are really old - some songs have stood the test of time, others have not. His sound and his lyrics have definitely evolved over time, as he found his voice and became progressively more sophisticated at his craft. Don Francisco Long Play is an example of a song that was fun when it was first written but is quite cringe today. You are right to point out the ridiculousness of the idea of a Yugoslav singer singing in broken English with a Mexican accent. Ummmm no thanks :) He never really performed it live - same with many of the songs from this album and from Pub. He even openly talked about how weak some of these early songs (such as Ilona or Medena vremena) seemed to him as he matured as an artist. That said, you are yet to discover the absolute best of his music. Songs like Covek s mesecom u ocima, or Slovenska or Jednom... or Ziveti slobodno and so so so many more. I am sure that you have heard the devastating news of his death. All of us who, like your wife, have loved him and have grown up listening to his music feel such tremendous loss that is difficult to explain to those who don't understand our context. I grew up in Belgrade and I am married to an American guy and have spent many years trying to convey the importance of Balasevic to him. Your videos make Balasevic's music more accessible to my husband's AC/DC and grunge loving ears :) Thank you for that. Oh and if you are looking for someone to help with the translation of his songs, I'm happy to help!

[@MacakPodSIjemom]

I think he talked how he disliked the production of those early song, not their artistic merit. Those songs are all great and perfectly fit with his way of expressing humor. As you could witness, he performed many "silly" jokes in his concerts, and that was very well received by the audience. I don't know how old are you, but you could've missed what an influence the culture of Western movies, cartoons, strips etc. had on his generation, and a few younger ones as well. Joking in with Mexican English accent was something many could relate in that time.

[@vukdjokic8011]

Odlicna verzija sa Bane in his voice :) laughed really hard XD

[@MrBobbygoofy]

I just found this by accident... dude!, I love you! Send love to your wife ! Aussie Bobby / zemunac

[@urbsurbisf]

He passed just five days ago. For most of us it was like putting a beloved family member to rest. A painful goodbye. Also translating his texts and reading them would be like trying to warm up looking at a photo of a tropical beach, so the best thing you can do is study study and once more study (that's Tito) 🙂

[@sinisabosanac]

Zanimljivo iščitavanje Đoleta. Valja primjetiti da su tri ploče koncepcijski jako slične čak i po rasporedu pjesama Boža pub, celovečernji i 003. Uglavnom svaki od njih rađen je s trećinom snage. S tim da je ono loše od đoleta dosta bolje od većine materijala drugih.

[@Ailgadem]

I have this album on vinyl, 1st pressing :>

[@marinamilanovic6177]

Thank you! You have improved a lot in understanding our culture. Svake godine si sve bolji jugosloven! You are getting there!. What we like the most is that you name our language Serbo-Croatian, so ignored by all those nationalists. Loše divanis srpsko-hrvatski, dve-tri reci, al’ i to mani, tečno govoriš engleski i perfektno se služiš smeskom!

[@schumadija]

In his interviews he clearly separated his early albums as young, enthusiastic and more of a rock n roll staff. His later albums are more emotional and lyrical, comes with the age. Try finding his novels, song book and interviews in English. I m sure there s a translation.

[@ankakljaic9045]

Kako ovaj cover moze razumeti pesme naseg mornara bez mora ne ne neverujem poz Beograd!I don't believe that is not possible only one Balasevic for ever!

[@filipstura3368]

I'd just like to point out that the first song on the album (celovečernji the kid), it's kind of humoristic. He wants to find an epic gunslinger, but he finds a stud. Celovečernji the kid is a dude who lasts extremely long in bed...yeah. Celovečernji directly translated means "The entire night". The songs really y fucking funny if you're a native speaker lmao, but once again I love you great video.

[@dusanterzic3739]

You are absolutely right. Those two songs are connected....

[@damirkrcum9128]

"Vadi ga da vidim koliko si dobar!". - Čudim se tvome gestu, ja nikad ne vadim na javnom mestu... Definitely sexual connotation. :D

[@ivanmomchina]

I don’t know if someone mentioned it in comments. I think he named the album “Celovečernji” because his album tells a story like a full featured movie.

[@TomMcisaac250]

The editing in the end cracked me tf up hahaha

[@IgorStojkov]

Perhaps the genre of YuMex, which was prevalent in Yugoslavia of the 60-ies, could be part of the explanation. Immediately after WW2 the cultural scene (movies, music) were dominated by Soviet/Russian content. After the breakup with Stalin (1948), this suddenly became politically inappropriate. On the other hand, turning fully to the West was also inappropriate for a socialist country run by the Communist Party... so a solution to fill up this vacuum was found mid way - in Mexican culture... and this lasted till the mid-60ies. Plenty of YuMex music to sample on KZbin; a typical example: kzbin.info/www/bejne/e4u1lHl6rdeJbq8 (Las mañanitas).

[@sarmatianns]

Balasevic songs get better the more you listen to them. There's no upper limit, really. 101st time is better than 100th.

[@dusanterzic3739]

Love what you do!

[@zdenkoradic247]

Great work indeed, but PLEASEEEE, next time don't surprise, rather consult your wife before making another video about Balašević. I´m serious. His work is all about lyrics, so right translation is crucial. You made some big mistakes in explaining some of his songs. You also have to realize that Serbian as well as Croatian are much "richer" and more complex languages then English because we have 7 cases and words change its endings depending of the case so when he sings "Od Santa Fea do Santo Franciska" it doesn't mean that we call those towns Santa Fea and Santo Franciska it is how that word ends depending of the case (in this case it is Genitiv). Also, in song Pesma o petlu, when he says "Taj je skako i na guske i na patke" it has absolutely no reference to chasing men. He is mentioning different poultry... chicken, gooses, ducks... as a reference to women, chicken are lets say normal girls and gooses and ducks as some less intelligent - self being referred as a rooster. Also he is not mentioning horses at all. I m sorry about this comments, I´m writing critics only but because I want to help. I love your work. Keep on, but you have to consult and look for some translations before making a video. Don´t be mad, go on, I can´t wait for another video. Anyway, greetings from Croatia. Balašević is loved in whole area of ex Jugoslavija (Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia and Hercegovina, Serbia, Montenegro and Macedonia). I was in 4 of his concerts in Croatia (Zagreb, Zadar and Split) in last 5 years.

[@bojanabogdanovic5331]

I think it makes it more interesting to see how someone who doesn't speak Serbian understands lyrics, especially written by Balasevic.

[@professorskye]

Thank you for your comment and I gladly accept the criticism. I will consider consulting my wife before the next episode. I need to figure out if my ignorance is more aggravating than it is interesting.

[@damirfli5436]

@@professorskye your wife knows why she listens to Balasevic's songs. she understands the lyrics exactly the way Balasevic wanted them to be understood. she can be your best mentor in this beautiful project. Greetings from Slovenia

[@meryuk]

@Zdenko Thanks 👍

[@sasakurtovic6850]

@@professorskye Your "ignorance" is really not your fault. Balašević writes so deep that even some simpletons who have it as native language still don't grasp the concept nor the true meaning of the song. In addition, in many cases, you need an. In-depth knowledge of the local traditions, customs, culture to get the references in the texts. It is truly one of the -if not THE hardest - poets to try to translate from ex-Yu. Balašević is in a class of his own there. So far above that it goes way over the head of many simpletons locally (sorry but i have no better word for those mainstreamers listening to the shallow turbo-folk etc) But with that said, with interest and right people to guide you through the Balašević universe you can surely start unpacking the enigma wrapped in a mystery.. Just keep at it.. You are on a good path👍💪🧔🏻

[@katarina777]

His mother is Hungarian, father Serbian. Wonderful, wonderful man.

[@aleksandarpopov6538]

Once again, congratulations on your efforts Professor Skye. And please what is the name of that film you mention in video? If anyone knows, please post it.

[@garyhound7246]

One correction: Lunjo is actually a girl's name. The song is about a guy whose life is really far from good but that one very special girl, named Lunja, makes it all seem better. There's a verse saying "Ovde sve štima od kad tebe ima", which I could freely translate as "Everything's in tune (or alright) here, as you are near". In chorus he says that she can even make swearing sound like poetry. It's actually a wonderful love song, perhaps you should give it another chance

[@daliborperkovic3918]

Hello. First some systematic advice on pronounciation that I don't know why nobody mentioned earlier. 1. Serbo-croatian letter "c" is *always* prononced not as "s", but the closest thing is "tz" or "ts". When you say "s" it's just plain wrong. Also, "č/ć" are literally pronounced as "ch" in "Charlie" or "change". 2. The majority of 2- or 3-syllable words (and a lot of the larger ones) in serbo-croatian MOSTLY have accent on the first syllable. It's not an absolute rule, there are exceptions, but once I actually started paying attention, I realised you'll make much less mistakes if you treat it as a rule. Also, you mentioned "I don't know why the Mexican music". Here is a good insight: www.pri.org/stories/2017-09-25/mid-60s-yugoslavia-mariachi-music-was-really-popular Unfortunately , this is a "cheap" text, I recall reading a very good and serious analysis on the topic a while ago, but I can't find it anymore.

[@daliborperkovic3918]

And some more comments. Firstly, you didn't notice that the first track on A and B sides are actually the same song with changed lyrics? ;) Secondly, "from Santa Fe to San Francisco" and "from Rio Grande to Guadalajara and all along the Mexican Bay" could be a reference to one of the main "Yugoslav ideology" songs "Od Vardara pa do Triglava", the first two verses literally frame geography of Yugoslavia: "From Vardar (river) to Triglav (mountain), from Đerdap (gorge) to Jadran (Adriatic sea)".

[@jelena0102]

Svašta se rodi u mutnoj vodi means All sorts of things are born in muddy waters

[@Feudable]

Dragi profesore, "Crni labud" je metafora za smrt. Pozdrav!

[@apach007]

RIP Balasevic

[@78manem]

🙁

[@unimpressedalchemist]

You should check out the new album from rapper Billy Woods and rapper/experimental/jazz instrumentalist Moor Mother. It's very political, dark, and poetic jazz/noise hip hop with amazing lyrics and production.

[@miljannyjets]

Love this guy

[@jist1377]

Man, your Balasevic in Bane voice might be the funniest thing I've ever seen on youtube 😂

[@alexandartheserb7861]

Medena vremena - honey times. You see, English word meadow is from Serbian word med, since its a place where bees collect material for honey :)

[@IvanaBoHe]

Bane is "usmeren i proveren" - the most important thing about him. To explain this I would need to write an essay on socio-political context of Yugoslavia. Maybe somebody is in the mood :D.

[@professorskye]

I'll ask my wife to explain it to me tonight over dinner.

[@DenisHavlikVienna]

I grew up with Đole and there are various reasons why I'm not eager of letting the foreigners to listen to his music. Basically, his music is about the texts and even a translation doesn't help - you have to understand the culture, the way of life and the type of humour we have. It's difficult and you are making amazingly good work at that. For the future covers, please play parts of the songs when you talk about them, it helps to form a bond between the song and the explanation. As for the question "why Mexico", it's IMO a wrong question. Answers provided by some other people here are just partially true. Sure, it was popular, but the real reason is that Đole has always been experimenting with different types of music and at that moment in time Mexican seemed like fun for him for whatever reason. This is quite nicely described on a song called "Marš", please do hear it. And yes, it's terrible music, LOL. Now, a couple of hints: 1) whenever you have a doubt that it could be about sex or about politics - it certainly is. 2) Bane is not a nice kid. He's an asshole. 3) His songs are like Matroschkas. Layer under layer under layer. Since you seem to be familiar with Brassens, think of his "Les copains d'abord". It's a nice song even if you don't understand French. Then when you do learn French or read a translation, you start understanding a bit what the song is about. A bit of classic education helps. Then you live in France for a couple of years and you start thinking as French and you understand it a bit better. Then you learn about his life and you get it a bit better. And then you end up reading full analysis of the song and you say "what the f*??" because you realize how much you still didn't understand. As for the "Cjelovečernji the kid", it's a bit like "Brave Margot". Not very deep, but but a lot of words play and associations.

[@sasakurtovic6850]

Still watching at 5:50 mark and you just asked for translation.. many many songs are translated here: lyricstranslate.com/en/%C4%91or%C4%91e-bala%C5%A1evi%C4%87-lyrics.html

[@cakinorac5979]

early his production he also commented, that he didn't like it. it was just some stupid idea ov publishing house. His voice was always like late work. deeper.

[@MV-fp1uq]

This album is not my favourite from Djole - too little balads, too much "goofie" songs, as you said. And music is not to my taste, but that's me. So let's put some comments for better understanding. - Celovecernji the Kid - seems like goofie song about Billy the Kid, famous gunslinger, put into Mexican landscape. Celovecernji means "whole evening event", mostly was used for TV program, or even maybe movie. I would say this is homage to "cowboy" movies, as we called them in Yugoslavia, that is Western movies, that were popular in 60s and 70s, when Balasevic was growing up. My guess. I fail to see any deeper meaning in lyrics other than literar translation, but I might be missing something. So one of his funny songs. As I said, not to my taste, but is part of his style. - maybe to repeat here - he was mixing musical styles for his songs a lot, and that was part of his image as author. Some songs were better some less good, but that mix of styles is also Balasevic. Music production I will not comment, I never paid attention to it so much, plus I am not an expert for that anyhow. - Vi ste jedan obican mis - love song, quite typical for Balasevic, where he with mix of humor and melancholia sing about older, hackneyed "cat" (let say, Djordje) who met a girl/women who pretended to be selfsufficient (that's the "word" around the city) but is, in fact, scared, lonely person, "a mouse", to which "a cat" offer not much but to be together since he (cat) for long time hunt for such mouse (woman). He put some thought about how a person should behave in the world if wants to stay true to self, but it is not so good by my opinion. He has better songs. - Love song about some "famme fatale" he saw. Music tries to follow that "fatale" tone. No much philosophy here really. - Blues mutne vode - in general, critics of life but I would say more critics of Yugoslav society of that times, when under socialist/communist regime, where we all should be more-less the same, massive stealing of public property already started, as introduction to decomposion of the country/society that will come few years later. Of course corruption is universal in our world, unfortunatelly, and time/period of history doesn't change that fact. So he describes how society function comparing kinds of people to fishes (naive/pray ones compared to hunter ones, or simply stupid but strong ones, who eat weak ones). So this historical and regional factor (when and where song was made) is not mandatory to understand meaning, but helps a bit to understand where (inspiration for) it came from. - BTW Djordje Balasevic can be considered as blues man, with important note that in Serbia blues means sad songs, while real bluesers from USA claim that blues sings about life, so not only sad things. But I really would qualify Balasevic as blues person, maybe a bit more by Serbian standard for blues, but he could fit into USA standard also, by lyrics (so if we leave music aside). Svirajte mi, jesen stize dunjo moja - one of his best and most popular songs, refer to bohemic song sung in Serbian old-stlye caffes/restorans called "kafana". Kafana is very important for our people, since you eat, drink there and sing and suffer! It is standard picture of Balkan/Serbian blues where man or woman suffer due to unhappy love. Again, we here in region believe that only we can feel and suffer so deep due to our Slavic soul. Many ex-Yu people will cry over this song and still listen to it many times over and over, masochistically, in order to hear and experience emotion song causes to them, often resonating (I use this word since I really thing it is good to describe it) with feelings and experiences person had in real life, when first love, or some not returned love, or lost love comes to person's mind causing emotional havoc, only amplified by the song. You will find many comments under this song "You can die from this (song)", "This is for heart attack" etc and then in addition "I love it", "Great" etc. So we as people love to suffer for love, and think we have soul for that. That is why this song is very popular. I am not 100% typical Balkan guy, I tend to incline to western rock music, and specially blues, but I also like the song very much, so it would be interesting to hear how someone who is NOT from Balkans experience this song - maybe it is funny to you, or even stupid. BTW weddings in Serbia, and Balkans mostly, are really full of drunkness, eating and bad taste (mostly in music). - Don Francisko long play - This song is, I would guess, about Yugoslavian president Tito - he is Don Francisko, THE MAIN GUY, drinking cigare and whiskey, chassing women (Tito was ladies man, who liked to live like a king). So this is clearly political song, very well hidden in English with Mexican music, althoug Tito was already dead for few years. You saw very interesing parallel to first side of LP, I didn't notice it, but I fail to see political motive in Celovecernji the Kid - if there is some, I miss it. Personally, I don't like that song. And it is Balasevic singing it. - Medena vremena - means Good times, literary "honey times", but we call marriage trip honeymoon, like USA. So this is not that, simply sing about good, old times, when all things were right, there was good old rock (you see, he grew up on it and that is why he ofter use it in his songs) and there was a girl called Martha around which all kids from the block used to "break their necks". Another one of his mediocre love songs spiced with humor, if you ask me. Not bad, but nothing special. Also quite typical for Balasevic, as I already mentioned several times here and there. And yes, things are always better when we were young - it is psychological effect. I don't think there is any politics here involved, pure nostalgic humorous love song. - Lunjo - again, one of typical Balasevic songs, nothing special about it. He praises Lunja, his companion soul (girl/woman/whoever). - Nikad kao Bane - Balasevic was really bad student, dissapointed his parents with not being good student, and he sung few times about this. He, real Balasevic, was not SO BAD, he was actually good guy, but he wanted to do his thing and not to go along the expected road to success. And he really lived his relaxed, being-his-own-boss life. So this is quite autobiographic, rebel song. - Neko to odgore vidi sve - one of his better songs, and you got it all right! Greetings and keep the good work!

[@MacakPodSIjemom]

Well, for the last song, I kindly disagree with both of you. In my opinion he sings that "somebody from above watches all" and gives everybody what he deserves, especially to those who do bad things - "postavi na svoje mesto, svako dobro, zlo još pre"..

[@alexandartheserb7861]

Second song "You are just small ordinary mouse" is allusion of rock fans (Mouses) who listen to his music and he is the Cat who lives from mouses :)

[@sarabrenko5943]

I think Black Swan is just referencing Swan's Lake

[@meryuk]

You're right that the mudy water blues is the best! 👍

[@meryuk]

Oh and Bane of course 😊

[@meryuk]

And 👍👍👍🙋 for the whole video!

[@wardpaine8194]

This was great!

[@alexandartheserb7861]

Third song "Black swan" is similar theme like Michael Jackson Dirty Diana.

[@nenad-seguljev]

you need to write a book about balasevic songs

[@Feynmansuper]

Celovečernje means the whole night.

[@sinisabosanac]

Kao cjelovečernji film.

[@alexandartheserb7861]

Celovečernji (whole night) the kid is sexual allusion, of his track of famous lover (who can bang- bang all night ;)) to take this title from him as best lover by duel like Ok coral movie or something. The kid could be allusion at some cowboy name like Billy the Kid or somthing. He also sa "wrom which side he hold pistol" but that is also sexual allusion for underpants and left-right posittion of "male gun". At the end he say "take him out so I can see how good you are", but this high expirience gentlmen say that he is not famous due to that but for lenght of his bullet (allusion that its not about size but but about all night lenght :)

[@stanojevicpedja]

That bullet is not from pistol

[@damirbasic8208]

Black swan is a simbol for death,im waiting you my black swan,we can go now..

[@MacakPodSIjemom]

No, it is not the meaning in this song.

[@fey9915]

Black swan event is a common saying in US tho :)

[@domacimacak7502]

pozitivni ste cesto (ameri), ali je uzasno koliko vam nedostaju koreni, kultura, duh...

[@Branistar]

Toby and BO are named after the German rappers?

[@nedirajmep]

OK...well done, but the thing is that most of the viewers are fom ex Yugoslavia, not from USA what you have in mind...

[@DrRoger]

Have you checked out the new playboi carti? Reaction has been very divisive/mostly negative but to me it feels like an exciting risk and a new direction for trap

[@manchy1252]

We love music and alkohol (Balkan) 😂😂🎧🎶🎷🎸🎶🍾🍾

[@stanojevicpedja]

All night the Kid 😁

[@dusanterzic3739]

Medena vremena: dolce vita.