Baby Doll (singer)
Encyclopedia
Bebi Dol is a Serbia
n female pop
singer and performer. Her name is a deliberate corruption of the English
Baby Doll, which she also uses in some countries to credit her records.
called Tarkus. By 1979, she hooked up with media
artist Goran Vejvoda
, and drummer
Ivan "Vd" Vdović
to form a short-lived act, named Annoda Rouge, which never recorded any official releases. During the late 1979 she made her first studio recordings as a guest vocalist on the Igra staklenih perli
album Vrt svetlosti released in 1980 by PGP RTB.
career and, in collaboration with Vejvoda (with whom she was also involved romantically at the time), soon released a 7-inch single, "Mustafa" / "Na planeti uzdaha" for PGP RTB, which immediately got a lot of attention. The A-side track, "Mustafa", a unique Middle Eastern-sounding tune, was declared Song of the Year in 1980, and Bebi Dol received an award herself as Best New Act for the same year.
Encouraged by the early success, she started working on a full length debut album that eventually appeared in 1983 as Ruže i krv ("Roses and Blood"). In addition to getting the Best Debut Album of the Year award, it brought her further acclaim, as it gained exceptionally positive reviews, and good commercial reception. Other than the already well known hit "Mustafa", the additional tracks off the album that achieved sizable popularity were: "Rudi"
(later in 1995 re-included on her second album
Ritam srca in a remix
ed version called "Rudi (se budi)"), the title track, "Ruže i krv"; and "Lapis lazzuli", which came along with a highly innovative videoclip, following the colorful video revolution of the 1980s.
Then, somewhat surprisingly, considering her popularity in SFR Yugoslavia she took the lucrative offer for a singing engagement at Cairo
's Sheraton Hotel. In total, she ended up spending two years in Egypt
(between 1984 and 1986).
In 1986, she returned home, and won the main prize at the MESAM festival, with a song "Insh-Allah", again inspired by Middle-Eastern culture and music, recalling the original mood of her first smash hit "Mustafa". In 1987, Bebi Dol tried a second time for another the Yugoslav National Eurovision final, with song "Zrno nežnosti", taking the fourth spot in national contest. The following year, in 1988, she finished third, with "Zatvori mama prozore". She also took part in MESAM, with song "Slatke suze ljubavi" ('Sweet Tears of Love'), and took second place, later in 1988. In 1989, Bebi Dol appeared yet again at MESAM, winning third place, with a ballad
, called "Kad sreća odlazi". According to the jury, this was the best song of the Festival, and thus won the Special Prize.
, with the song "Brazil"
. She would become the very last artist to ever represent SFR Yugoslavia as a whole, which de facto ceased to exist later that year. However, Bebi Dol only took one point for the evening.
After this, Bebi Dol basically left the spotlight for four years, returning in 1995, with her second full length album
, Ritam srca ("The Rhythm of the Heart"). The album featured a few new songs, in dance
and disco
rhythms, with a touch of pop rock
, a couple of ballad
s, the MESAM song "Slatke suze ljubavi" from 1988, and the above mentioned remix
called "Rudi (Se budi)", as well as the Eurofestival song "Brazil". As for the latter, this appeared in its second version, re-entitled "Brazil (Bum bum bum, je je je"), the sub-title of which had been dropped, in order to participate in the 1991 International Eurofestival, because the "bum bum bum je je je" section, that was sampled, and repeatedly included, throughout the original song, from the beginning to the end, may be taken by many to recall the noise of bombs ("boom boom boom"), not to mention that the Serbian
"je je je" (either meaning a form of the verb "to be" - in fact, "is" - and a simple musically nice-sounding nonsense - something similar to 'yeh yeh', as in this case) would sound like English
'yeah yeah yeah', which might be taken by some as a "yes to war".
The most interesting moment of the 1995 album
is probably represented by Bebi Dol's cover version
of Madonna
's "Take a Bow", which was literally translated as "Pokloni se" in Serbian
. The Ritam srca full length work achieved significant popularity at the time, mainly promoted by its opening tune "Hajde da", the single
"Da pričamo o ljubavi" and its related videoclip, as well as the title track "Ritam srca", and one more cover version
of the evergreen
"Over the Rainbow
", also literally translated into Serbian
as "Iznad duge". This was followed by more public inactivity, during the late 1990s, before she finally reappeared in the early 2000s.
, titled Ljuta sam. However, the work was not well received, either by the critics, who had only good words for the record's production quality, or the general public, who did not love it so much. Only two tracks achieved modest radio
play: "Krv, sreća, suze i znoj" and "Smejem se".
She took part in Beovizija 2003
festival with the song "Tvrdoglava" and in 2005 she appeared on the Bajaga i Instruktori
album Šou počinje u ponoć in 2005 on the tracks "Bademi i so" and "Pesma slobode" (a cover version of Bob Marley
's "Redemption Song
").
In December 2006, she released a cover album
, either titled Čovek rado izvan sebe živi in Serbian
, and It's a man's man's man's world in English
. The record, which got plenty of airplay, includes new renditions of international classics in English
, such as "Help!
", "Papa's Got a Brand New Bag
", "Moon River
", and "Lush Life
".
In 2008 she participated in a televised competition to find the hosts of the Eurovision Song Contest
in Belgrade but was voted out in the early stages.
Serbia
Serbia , officially the Republic of Serbia , is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeast Europe, covering the southern part of the Carpathian basin and the central part of the Balkans...
n female pop
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
singer and performer. Her name is a deliberate corruption of the English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
Baby Doll, which she also uses in some countries to credit her records.
1970s: The early years
She started her musical activity during the late 1970s, in a bandMusical ensemble
A musical ensemble is a group of people who perform instrumental or vocal music. In classical music, trios or quartets either blend the sounds of musical instrument families or group together instruments from the same instrument family, such as string ensembles or wind ensembles...
called Tarkus. By 1979, she hooked up with media
Multimedia
Multimedia is media and content that uses a combination of different content forms. The term can be used as a noun or as an adjective describing a medium as having multiple content forms. The term is used in contrast to media which use only rudimentary computer display such as text-only, or...
artist Goran Vejvoda
Goran Vejvoda
Goran Vejvoda is an English-born, French-based, media artist ....
, and drummer
Drummer
A drummer is a musician who is capable of playing drums, which includes but is not limited to a drum kit and accessory based hardware which includes an assortment of pedals and standing support mechanisms, marching percussion and/or any musical instrument that is struck within the context of a...
Ivan "Vd" Vdović
Ivan Vdovic
Ivan "Ivica" Vdović also known as VD was Yugoslavian musician, drummer of Yugoslav rock bands such as Suncokret, Šarlo Akrobata and Katarina II....
to form a short-lived act, named Annoda Rouge, which never recorded any official releases. During the late 1979 she made her first studio recordings as a guest vocalist on the Igra staklenih perli
Igra Staklenih Perli
Igra Staklenih Perli were a former Yugoslav progressive/psychedelic rock band from Belgrade.- 1976-1985:...
album Vrt svetlosti released in 1980 by PGP RTB.
1980s: The beginning of solo career
She turned to soloSolo (music)
In music, a solo is a piece or a section of a piece played or sung by a single performer...
career and, in collaboration with Vejvoda (with whom she was also involved romantically at the time), soon released a 7-inch single, "Mustafa" / "Na planeti uzdaha" for PGP RTB, which immediately got a lot of attention. The A-side track, "Mustafa", a unique Middle Eastern-sounding tune, was declared Song of the Year in 1980, and Bebi Dol received an award herself as Best New Act for the same year.
Encouraged by the early success, she started working on a full length debut album that eventually appeared in 1983 as Ruže i krv ("Roses and Blood"). In addition to getting the Best Debut Album of the Year award, it brought her further acclaim, as it gained exceptionally positive reviews, and good commercial reception. Other than the already well known hit "Mustafa", the additional tracks off the album that achieved sizable popularity were: "Rudi"
Rudolph Valentino
Rudolph Valentino was an Italian actor, and early pop icon. A sex symbol of the 1920s, Valentino was known as the "Latin Lover". He starred in several well-known silent films including The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, The Sheik, Blood and Sand, The Eagle and Son of the Sheik...
(later in 1995 re-included on her second album
Album
An album is a collection of recordings, released as a single package on gramophone record, cassette, compact disc, or via digital distribution. The word derives from the Latin word for list .Vinyl LP records have two sides, each comprising one half of the album...
Ritam srca in a remix
Remix
A remix is an alternative version of a recorded song, made from an original version. This term is also used for any alterations of media other than song ....
ed version called "Rudi (se budi)"), the title track, "Ruže i krv"; and "Lapis lazzuli", which came along with a highly innovative videoclip, following the colorful video revolution of the 1980s.
Then, somewhat surprisingly, considering her popularity in SFR Yugoslavia she took the lucrative offer for a singing engagement at Cairo
Cairo
Cairo , is the capital of Egypt and the largest city in the Arab world and Africa, and the 16th largest metropolitan area in the world. Nicknamed "The City of a Thousand Minarets" for its preponderance of Islamic architecture, Cairo has long been a centre of the region's political and cultural life...
's Sheraton Hotel. In total, she ended up spending two years in Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
(between 1984 and 1986).
In 1986, she returned home, and won the main prize at the MESAM festival, with a song "Insh-Allah", again inspired by Middle-Eastern culture and music, recalling the original mood of her first smash hit "Mustafa". In 1987, Bebi Dol tried a second time for another the Yugoslav National Eurovision final, with song "Zrno nežnosti", taking the fourth spot in national contest. The following year, in 1988, she finished third, with "Zatvori mama prozore". She also took part in MESAM, with song "Slatke suze ljubavi" ('Sweet Tears of Love'), and took second place, later in 1988. In 1989, Bebi Dol appeared yet again at MESAM, winning third place, with a ballad
Ballad
A ballad is a form of verse, often a narrative set to music. Ballads were particularly characteristic of British and Irish popular poetry and song from the later medieval period until the 19th century and used extensively across Europe and later the Americas, Australia and North Africa. Many...
, called "Kad sreća odlazi". According to the jury, this was the best song of the Festival, and thus won the Special Prize.
1990s: Eurovision and commercial decline
The 1990s began with another try at MESAM, but this time, in the 1990 edition, she had to settle for tenth place. In 1991, Bebi Dol finally won the National Eurovision Contest, and went on to represent SFR Yugoslavia in RomeRome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
, with the song "Brazil"
Brazil (Bebi Dol song)
"Brazil" was a song of the Eurovision Song Contest 1991, performed in Serbo-Croatian by Bebi Dol, representing Yugoslavia....
. She would become the very last artist to ever represent SFR Yugoslavia as a whole, which de facto ceased to exist later that year. However, Bebi Dol only took one point for the evening.
After this, Bebi Dol basically left the spotlight for four years, returning in 1995, with her second full length album
Album
An album is a collection of recordings, released as a single package on gramophone record, cassette, compact disc, or via digital distribution. The word derives from the Latin word for list .Vinyl LP records have two sides, each comprising one half of the album...
, Ritam srca ("The Rhythm of the Heart"). The album featured a few new songs, in dance
Dance
Dance is an art form that generally refers to movement of the body, usually rhythmic and to music, used as a form of expression, social interaction or presented in a spiritual or performance setting....
and disco
Disco
Disco is a genre of dance music. Disco acts charted high during the mid-1970s, and the genre's popularity peaked during the late 1970s. It had its roots in clubs that catered to African American, gay, psychedelic, and other communities in New York City and Philadelphia during the late 1960s and...
rhythms, with a touch of pop rock
Pop rock
Pop rock is a music genre which mixes a catchy pop style and light lyrics in its guitar-based rock songs. There are varying definitions of the term, ranging from a slower and mellower form of rock music to a subgenre of pop music...
, a couple of ballad
Ballad
A ballad is a form of verse, often a narrative set to music. Ballads were particularly characteristic of British and Irish popular poetry and song from the later medieval period until the 19th century and used extensively across Europe and later the Americas, Australia and North Africa. Many...
s, the MESAM song "Slatke suze ljubavi" from 1988, and the above mentioned remix
Remix
A remix is an alternative version of a recorded song, made from an original version. This term is also used for any alterations of media other than song ....
called "Rudi (Se budi)", as well as the Eurofestival song "Brazil". As for the latter, this appeared in its second version, re-entitled "Brazil (Bum bum bum, je je je"), the sub-title of which had been dropped, in order to participate in the 1991 International Eurofestival, because the "bum bum bum je je je" section, that was sampled, and repeatedly included, throughout the original song, from the beginning to the end, may be taken by many to recall the noise of bombs ("boom boom boom"), not to mention that the Serbian
Serbian language
Serbian is a form of Serbo-Croatian, a South Slavic language, spoken by Serbs in Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Croatia and neighbouring countries....
"je je je" (either meaning a form of the verb "to be" - in fact, "is" - and a simple musically nice-sounding nonsense - something similar to 'yeh yeh', as in this case) would sound like English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
'yeah yeah yeah', which might be taken by some as a "yes to war".
The most interesting moment of the 1995 album
Album
An album is a collection of recordings, released as a single package on gramophone record, cassette, compact disc, or via digital distribution. The word derives from the Latin word for list .Vinyl LP records have two sides, each comprising one half of the album...
is probably represented by Bebi Dol's cover version
Cover version
In popular music, a cover version or cover song, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording of a contemporary or previously recorded, commercially released song or popular song...
of Madonna
Madonna (entertainer)
Madonna is an American singer-songwriter, actress and entrepreneur. Born in Bay City, Michigan, she moved to New York City in 1977 to pursue a career in modern dance. After performing in the music groups Breakfast Club and Emmy, she released her debut album in 1983...
's "Take a Bow", which was literally translated as "Pokloni se" in Serbian
Serbian language
Serbian is a form of Serbo-Croatian, a South Slavic language, spoken by Serbs in Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Croatia and neighbouring countries....
. The Ritam srca full length work achieved significant popularity at the time, mainly promoted by its opening tune "Hajde da", the single
Single (music)
In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...
"Da pričamo o ljubavi" and its related videoclip, as well as the title track "Ritam srca", and one more cover version
Cover version
In popular music, a cover version or cover song, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording of a contemporary or previously recorded, commercially released song or popular song...
of the evergreen
Evergreen
In botany, an evergreen plant is a plant that has leaves in all seasons. This contrasts with deciduous plants, which completely lose their foliage during the winter or dry season.There are many different kinds of evergreen plants, both trees and shrubs...
"Over the Rainbow
Over the Rainbow
"Over the Rainbow" is a classic Academy Award-winning ballad song with music by Harold Arlen and lyrics by E.Y. Harburg. It was written for the movie The Wizard of Oz, and was sung by Judy Garland in the movie...
", also literally translated into Serbian
Serbian language
Serbian is a form of Serbo-Croatian, a South Slavic language, spoken by Serbs in Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Croatia and neighbouring countries....
as "Iznad duge". This was followed by more public inactivity, during the late 1990s, before she finally reappeared in the early 2000s.
2000s: Partial comeback
In 2002, seven years after the huge success of Ritam srca, she finally released her long awaited third albumAlbum
An album is a collection of recordings, released as a single package on gramophone record, cassette, compact disc, or via digital distribution. The word derives from the Latin word for list .Vinyl LP records have two sides, each comprising one half of the album...
, titled Ljuta sam. However, the work was not well received, either by the critics, who had only good words for the record's production quality, or the general public, who did not love it so much. Only two tracks achieved modest radio
Radio
Radio is the transmission of signals through free space by modulation of electromagnetic waves with frequencies below those of visible light. Electromagnetic radiation travels by means of oscillating electromagnetic fields that pass through the air and the vacuum of space...
play: "Krv, sreća, suze i znoj" and "Smejem se".
She took part in Beovizija 2003
Beovizija 2003
Beovizija 2003 was the first edition of Beovizija. It was held from April 12 to April 14, 2003. Unlike the other editions of Beovizija, this wasn't involved in choosing the Serbo-Montenegrin entry for the Eurovision Song Contest...
festival with the song "Tvrdoglava" and in 2005 she appeared on the Bajaga i Instruktori
Bajaga i Instruktori
Bajaga i Instruktori are a highly popular Serbian and former Yugoslav rock band...
album Šou počinje u ponoć in 2005 on the tracks "Bademi i so" and "Pesma slobode" (a cover version of Bob Marley
Bob Marley
Robert Nesta "Bob" Marley, OM was a Jamaican singer-songwriter and musician. He was the rhythm guitarist and lead singer for the ska, rocksteady and reggae band Bob Marley & The Wailers...
's "Redemption Song
Redemption Song
The song urges listeners to "Emancipate yourself from mental slavery," because "None but ourselves can free our minds". These lines were taken from a speech given by Marcus Garvey in Nova Scotia during October 1937 and published in his Black Man magazine:...
").
In December 2006, she released a cover album
Cover Album
-Tracklisting:#Misono to Utaou! Animedley I # #...
, either titled Čovek rado izvan sebe živi in Serbian
Serbian language
Serbian is a form of Serbo-Croatian, a South Slavic language, spoken by Serbs in Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Croatia and neighbouring countries....
, and It's a man's man's man's world in English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
. The record, which got plenty of airplay, includes new renditions of international classics in English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
, such as "Help!
Help! (song)
"Help!" is a song by The Beatles that served as the title song for both the 1965 film and its soundtrack album. It was also released as a single, and was number one for three weeks in both the United States and the United Kingdom....
", "Papa's Got a Brand New Bag
Papa's Got a Brand New Bag
"Papa's Got a Brand New Bag" is a song written and recorded by James Brown. It was released as a two-part single in 1965, and is considered seminal in the musical genre of funk.-The hit single:...
", "Moon River
Moon River
"Moon River" is a song composed by Johnny Mercer and Henry Mancini in 1961, for whom it won that year's Academy Award for Best Original Song. It was originally sung in the movie Breakfast at Tiffany's by Audrey Hepburn, although it has been covered by many other artists...
", and "Lush Life
Lush Life (song)
"Lush Life" is a jazz standard with lyrics and music written by Billy Strayhorn from 1933 to 1938. However, the song was only performed privately by Strayhorn until he and vocalist Kay Davis performed it on November 13, 1948 with the Duke Ellington Orchestra at Carnegie Hall...
".
In 2008 she participated in a televised competition to find the hosts of the Eurovision Song Contest
Eurovision Song Contest
The Eurovision Song Contest is an annual competition held among active member countries of the European Broadcasting Union .Each member country submits a song to be performed on live television and then casts votes for the other countries' songs to determine the most popular song in the competition...
in Belgrade but was voted out in the early stages.
Studio albums
- Ruže i krv (1983)
- Ritam srca (1995)
- Ljuta sam (2002)
- Čovek rado izvan sebe živi / It's a man's man's man's world (2006)
- Sonične vibracije (2012)
Singles
- "Mustafa" / "Na planeti uzdaha" (1981)
- "Rudi" (1983)
- "Inšalah" / "Ruža na dlanu" (1986) - Special "Džuboks" magazine 7" single; appears on the A-side with "Inšalah", while on the B-side is ZanaZana (band)Zana is a popular music group from Belgrade, Serbia, which was especially successful during the 1980s in the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia.-Early years:...
song "Ruža na dlanu" - "Prove To All" / "How Good Not To Love" (1986)
- "Brazil" (1990) single
External links
- Dosadilo mi je da me vrebaju za neku korist, Blic, April 6, 2008
- Bebi Dol at Discogs
- Bebi Dol Videos