I had released a slew of new tracks and done a bunch of touring for "Both Of Them Milenko". While I was enjoying a bit of post tour downtime I decided to release a cover song because I had never actually really attempted recording one before. I had recently become familiar with the Yugoslav new wave/punk movement of the early 80's. Among others I had become especially enamoured with a particular album called "Paket aranžman" (Package Deal). It was a three way split album featuring: Šarlo Akrobata, Idoli and my personal favourite contributors Električni Orgazam (Electric Orgasm). The song "Krokodili dolaze" (The Crocodiles Are Coming) has this simple approach to punk that I felt could be digitized in an interesting way. Lyrically the song is super simple but also loaded. It's a very relevant metaphor about "the crocodiles" coming to take you away. It contains this protest song vibe that manages to challenge authoritarianism, capitalism and examine the existential fear of loneliness. It's quite an amazing song. Which is why I wanted to cover it. Kosta helped me interpret the song through midi and we arranged the whole thing together.
There was a bit of backlash when I released it because I chose to cover such an iconic song from such an iconic album. However I think the backlash was fairly minimal because I held my own and really did the song justice (in my humble opinion).
This video is actually the first time that Kosta (my resident live member and co-collaborator) appears in Ensh lore!
For the video I collaborated with both Jelena Petkovic (who shot, directed and edited it) and my brother Aleks Vujosevic (who co-starred and co-directed it). We just wanted to get the vibe of how the song was recorded and give it a bit of a fun live feel. This was probably the most fun and laid back video I have ever been involved in making.
Below is the original 1981 version of the song/video by Električni Orgazam. Enjoy! Let me know what you think of both versions!
Lyrics (with translation):
Noc je, sam sam (it's night time, I'm alone)
vrati se, strah me je (Come back, I'm afraid)
Jer ja necu da sam sam (Cuz I don't wanne be alone)
jer krokodili dolaze (Cuz the crocodiles are coming)
Ko su oni (who are they?)
i sta hoce (what do they want?)
i sto me vode (why are they taking me?)
iz slobode? (away from freedom)
Jer ja necu da sam sam (Cuz I don't wanne be alone)
jer krokodili dolaze (Cuz the crocodiles are coming)
Nema vise nista (there isn't anything left)
nema vise nikoga (No one is left)
krokodili su pojeli sve (The crocodiles have eaten everything)
i tebe i mene (you and me)
i njega i nju (him and her)
Jer ja necu da sam sam (Cuz I don't wanne be alone)
jer krokodili dolaze (Cuz the crocodiles are coming)