I honestly hope that this blog won’t turn into list of obituaries but it seems that real life is catching up with me. Just the other day, while I was reading biography of Edith Piaf, I was struck with the thought that Piaf died at the exactly same age that I am right now. Add a recent death in a family and no wonder that my thoughts turn to philosophical musings about our lives and what we actually leave behind - we will be remembered for what we gave and did we managed to share our little spark of joy and beauty with others. Jadranka Stojaković in her small way enriched our lives with her gentle music and paintings, she was unassuming artistic soul and dreamer who worked quietly in her corner, noticed by few similar dreamers who recognized her for what she was.
Saddened with news about recent passing of this gifted artist, I couldn’t help but to put on some of her music and re-evaluate what she left behind.
While media still continues with their tiresome debates of her ethnicity (she was born in Sarajevo by parents of mixed heritage and raised in country that was Yugoslavia than)
for majority of us, music lovers, Jadranka Stojaković was our first and most prominent 1970s female singer/songwriter who somehow managed to thrive and work in business that mostly saw her as eccentric oddity, the girl with a guitar. Decidedly ignoring such show-biz trappings as sex-appeal and mini dresses, Stojaković lived in completely different world full of poetry and paintings and her strong, gentle and clear voice was like a lighthouse for every dreamer who found himself in her acoustic music. Because she was so different than her surroundings, it is no wonder that Stojaković eventually took a chance and started completely new life in distant Japan where they loved her for music without any questions about her nationality or ethnical background. That she eventually returned home and died in nursing home after long fight with sclerosis is truly heartbreaking but at the same time I am amazed with attitude of new generation of young journalists who, completely ignorant of who she was and what she meant to us, now scornfully comment about artist who was successful and respected during time they perceive as politically dark era like its her own blame that she lived than. By all accounts, this lovely and unassuming lady was true artist who loved music and truly touched our hearts, in fact as I am listening her now, she is still speaking to mine.
This first LP album is actually compilation of previously released tracks from early 1970s and finds Stojaković singing in various formats - although she was most comfortable on acoustic ballads like “Sve smo mogli mi”, where her clear voice is backed only by guitar, there was a fair amount of light pop aimed at radio and even one true expedition into rock (courtesy of Goran Bregović) on hit single “Čekala sam” that was joyous romp completely unexpected from such prim and proper girl. This album was probably much loved by certain generation who still might remember Stojaković for what she meant to them back than while they were still young and hopeful, however - nostalgia aside - singer actually blossomed later with album “Svitanje” that showed all her true colors and how much she matured as artist. That might be one of the finest singer/songwriter albums of Ex-Yu and definitely my favorite moment in her discography, although she continued to develop later under the influence of Far East music and haiku poetry.
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