It’s been a bit since we have seen Yugoslavia in the Eurovision Top 100 countdown, but they are back with 1968’s “Jedan dan.”
The 1968 contest was a great one, to the point where this website’s editor considers it a personal favorite. In total, The Euro Yard has four songs from that ESC on its list, and all of them more specifically land in the top 50. That’s about as high of praise that we can give one particular contest out of almost 70 of them.
As for this, we consider this as Yugoslavia’s best and most memorable entry. This is with all due respect to Riva, but these two singers did something in 1968 not done at Eurovision before, and not done since.
Vital Information: “Jedan Dan”
| Song | Jedan dan |
| English Translation | One day |
| Performed By | Lući Kapurso & Hamo Hajdarhodžić |
| Written By | Đelo Jusić, Stipica Kalogjera, & Stijepo Stražičić |
| Country | Yugoslavia |
| Year | 1968 |
| Language(s) Performed In | Croatian |
| How It Fared | Tied for 7th Place (8 Points) |
| Was It Fair? | A travesty |
What I Liked
My God, they’re minstrels! It’s impossible to do a song like this at Eurovision that isn’t fun, light, and memorable. There were also a lute and flute being played, to add to the overall picture.
Aside from the obvious uniqueness, the song was quite catchy. Tell me you can get through this without singing along every time they go “Je-dan dan.” The vocals were also pretty decent and it was easy to listen to the two of them sing.
Other Facts
- Kapurso and Hajdarhodžić were part of a band known as the “Dubrovnik Troubadours.” (Buhin, 2016) It had more than two members, but just these two got top billing. Three of them were backing singers or instrumentalists.
- Even though the juries whiffed on this song, 1968 was still one of Yugoslavia’s better finishes for a while. They would not surpass seventh place again until 1983.
- None of the three Yugoslavian songs we have on this list finished in the top five in their contests.
- This song tied with Belgium and Monaco for seventh place.
- Yugoslavia went last in the contest in 1968, in 17th position.
Get on Your Minstrel Garb and Watch
It’s on YouTube, as are most of the others.
References
Buhin, A. (2016). “A romantic, Southern myth”: One Day by the troubadours of Dubrovnik. Unl-pt. https://www.academia.edu/22653509/A_Romantic_Southern_Myth_One_Day_by_the_Troubadours_of_Dubrovnik
