This is such a evergreen and classic written in stone now,that its forgotten what an uproar it got when it won pop first prize on pop festival "Zagreb '72".
Young singer (only 22 at the time) was well known and respected but up to this point mainstream audience never really warmed up to her. As lyric writer Ivica Krajač told me once, "in those early years people were still just getting used to her unique style of singing". Translated in commercial terms, Lisac was highly visible festival performer who obviously didn't fit in "family entertainment" group of colleagues - others were recording sunny bubble gum jingles and selling records, while Lisac (who could obviously sing circles around them) simply was not commercial.
This is where Karlo Metikoš steps in - huge star and a rock pioneer in a previous decade,somebody who proved himself in international charts and stages was so impressed with young lady that he decided to take direction of her career in his hands, as her composer. Convinced that she can sing anything, he not only dived head-on into composing material for her debut LP album (that would eventually turn into rock masterpiece) but submitted this song for pop festival "Zagreb '72". It was a complete make-over that presented Lisac in a different light, surrounded with lush orchestration and sounding like seductive siren (up to this point, on her recordings she was thunderous). Perhaps instinctively, Metikoš gave her stage to sound markedly different and be as sexy & mannered as she wants - never before Lisac was so breathtakingly weary and introspective like in this song, perfectly tailored for her (in fact, we could say that this is true beginning of Josipa Lisac we know). Bluesy "schlager" ballad, with beautiful orchestration (Ozren Depolo?) and vocal choir ("Melos" with Ksenija Erker) introduced her as a torch singer who paints the picture of disappointment and resignation. Interestingly enough, while simultaneously composing rock music for her album,Metikoš understood that for pop festival he needed different sound and came up with a classy blues that in itself was tribute to music from previous decade. From the orchestrated introduction to the very last note,it was perfect festival song. And it won.
Unfortunately the clique of usual commercial composers/performers was outraged - instead of congratulating Lisac on her victory, media was focused on criticism and expressing opinions that other singers were more deserving to win. That Lisac was too mannered, that it she wasn't even contender against some bigger names, that Metikoš actually copied "Never been to Spain" not by note and therefore he was plagiarist. It sounds completely ridiculous now but it went so far that some colleagues refused even to talk to Lisac. Very next February, her debut LP was released and put those same colleagues to shame - she continued for decades, with Metikoš at her side trough highs and lows, while most of performers on "Zagreb '72" are long forgotten now. With a few exceptions, they all belong to history while this song continued life as a evergreen and lives in cover versions even today.
Contemporary media coverage:
http://nada-knezevic.blogspot.com/2011/02/zagreb-72.html
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