Silvana Armenulić
| Silvana Armenulić | |
|---|---|
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Zilha Bajraktarević |
| Born | 18 May 1939 Doboj, Vrbas Banovina, Kingdom of Yugoslavia |
| Died | 10 October 1976 (aged 37) Kolari, SR Serbia, SFR Yugoslavia |
| Genres | Sevdalinka |
| Occupations | Singer, actress |
| Years active | 1955-1976 |
| Labels | PGP-RTB |
Silvana Armenulić (pronounced [silvǎːna armɛ̌nulit͡ɕ]) (18 May 1939 – 10 October 1976) was a Bosniak singer and one of the most prominent commercial folk music (neo-folk) and traditional Sevdalinka singers in former Yugoslavia. Her life was cut short when she died in a road accident at the age of 37, but she continues to be well regarded in the region, and recognized for her unique singing style and voice.
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[edit] Early Life
Armenulić was born Zilha Bajraktarević in Doboj to a Bosniak family with ten children. She started singing at an early age, but her father, Mehmed Bajraktarević (died 1965), a local cake shop operator, was not supportive of her singing career.
Silvana had a brother named Hajrudin Bajraktarevic (the only son of the family) who died about two weeks after being mauled by a dog in the 1940's. After her brothers death, her father found solace in alcohol and solitude, neglecting the family and his business. After her fathers cake shop closed, the family suffered greatly until Silvana moved to Sarajevo at the age of sixteen in 1955, where she lived with her aunt and sang in local kafanas for money. She also had eight sisters, three of which were singers: Mirsada, Dina and Abida. Eventually she moved to Belgrade, the capital of SFR Yugoslavia, in order to further her singing career. There she adopted the stage name Silvana after the Italian actress Silvana Mangano. She married tennis player Radmilo Armenulić in 1961, with whom she had a daughter named Gordana (born 13 January 1964). Silvana divorced Radmilo after seven years of marriage upon learning of his affair with her close friend. She wrote a song about that experience called "Sedam godina ljubavi" (translation: "Seven Years of Love").
[edit] Career
Her career took off rapidly and she became one of the biggest commercial folk stars in SFR Yugoslavia. This led to numerous and well-publicized country-wide singing engagements. She also appeared in many popular TV sitcoms such as Ljubav na seoski način and folksy movies such as Građani sela Luga.
In 1969 she and singer Toma Zdravković sang in the same group, and Zdravković wrote her biggest hit "Šta će mi život" (translation: "I Don't Want to Live"):
...We met a lot, in different towns of Yugoslavia, and in 1969, we sang in the same band. I was already a well known and requested composer. She was completely down. She was depressed all the time and wanted me to write her a song. But what? All of my songs were inspired by my sympathies and love-life, but we were good ol' friends. I had no inspiration. Until one day, I went drinking with my friends, we were drunk for three days in a row, and the fourth day I woke up at a hotel, went down to the lounge, ordered a cup of coffee and just like that, I was hungover and wrote "Šta će mi život". I recorded the song in the studio and wanted to use it for a festival coming up, but when she heard it, she wanted to have it. And what could I do? It was her song, inspired by her life, and her problems. I gave her the song and it was a bingo. I wish I had never written it. She died seven years later, it was like the song came true. It would have been better if she had never recorded that song. It would have been better if she had never become famous. She might still be alive...
The song became one of the biggest folk hits ever written in Yugoslavia and transformed Zdravković and Armenulić herself into superstars. But Armenulić's life ironically ended seven years later.[1]
[edit] Death
On 10 October 1976, after a concert, she died in a car accident at the age of 37 near the town of Kolari, along with her 25-year-old pregnant sister Mirsada (Mirjana) Bajraktarević[2] and violinist and Radio Belgrade folk orchestra conductor Rade Jašarević. Jašarević had fallen into a diabetic coma while driving the car, he had not known he was diabetic. Silvana was asleep in the backseat and Mirjana was sitting in the passengers side. The singer Lepa Lukić was supposed to be in the car with them, but refused to go, due to a severe headache.[3]
[edit] Discography
- Bez tebe mi život pust i prazan (1966)
- Kad jednom odem (1967)
- Naj - najlepši (1968)
- Otišo si bez pozdrava (1969)
- Šta će mi život (1970)
- Ostavite tugu moju/Život teče (1970)
- Majko, oprosti mi (1970)
- Majko, oprosti (1971)
- Jugo, moja Jugo/Kad se vratim u zavičaj (1971)
- Ja molim za ljubav/Rane moje (1971)
- Srce gori, jer te voli (1972)
- Sama sam/Ciganine, sviraj, sviraj (1972)
- Željna sam rodnog doma/A što ćemo ljubav kriti (1973)
- Silvana Armenulić i Predrag Gojković - Cune (1973)
- Da sam ptica (1974)
- Zaplakaće stara majka/Pamtiću uvek tebe (1974)
- Dani naše mladosti (1975)
- Ludujem za tobom/Ne sjećaj se više mene (1976)
- Dušo moja (1976)[4]
[edit] Non-Album Singles
- Krcmarice, daj mi vina (1967) duet with Slavko Perović
[edit] External links
- Bosnian writer Miljenko Jergović on Silvana Armenulić
- Silvana Armenulić at the Internet Movie Database
[edit] References
- ^ http://www.sarajevo-x.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=91319&start=25#p6415562
- ^ http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=1141398262630&set=o.84450589402&type=1&permPage=1
- ^ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1lb9DhxhrGw
- ^ http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.210393542360527.52769.210379415695273&type=1
