“I am from Bosnia, Take me to America” - with wind instruments, guitars and a video clip showing a barbecue, Bosnia and Herzegovina has already achieved success with a hit song for the upcoming World Cup, the second in the history of this Balkan country, the French news agency France-Presse (AFP) writes in an article.
With several million views on multiple platforms by Tuesday, the song, a new version of an earlier hit by local rock band Dubioza Kolektiv, is becoming one of the most prominent fan anthems of the tournament, which begins on June 11.
In the video released at the end of May, musicians dressed in yellow jerseys dribble balls, play instruments and sing while kebabs – a traditional Balkan barbecued dish – are grilled over a fire.
– Our video, which probably cost six marks (three euros, 3.6 dollars), was recorded in the neighborhood, in a way similar to a favela in Colombia or Brazil – said Brano Jakubović, keyboardist and songwriter of the band.
– People recognized that aesthetic that this is actually what football is about – a worn ball and a goal drawn on the wall, and the poor (people) who play it – the 47-year-old told AFP.
The result was remarkable – more than a million views on YouTube, at least as many on Instagram, and the video spread around the world.
– We are present on social networks. But today it is much more difficult to get a million clicks, likes and views than five or ten years ago – pointed out the band’s bassist Vedran Mujagić.
“So when a million people watch a video in seven days and people from all over the world comment, you feel happy.”
The original song “USA”, released in 2011, talked about how “Bosnians and other people from Eastern Europe migrate to America in search of a better life and the American dream,” Jakubović explained.
“At the end of the song, Bosnians return home, because they realize that the American dream no longer exists.”
“Total Madness”
The refrain “I am from Bosnia, Take me to America” gained new momentum at the end of March, when the Bosnian national team qualified for the World Cup by eliminating Italy on penalties.
– It was complete madness – Jakubović recalled.
“The song was played on repeat in front of, I don’t know how many tens of thousands of people who gathered in Sarajevo to welcome the players after their victory in Zenica, some 70 kilometers northwest of the capital.”
A few days later, the group decided to add a few verses in the Bosnian language to recall the “national collective trauma” of 2014.
Edin Dzeka’s goal in the group game against Nigeria was disallowed for offside, a decision the referee later admitted was wrong.
Nigeria won 1-0, and although Bosnia defeated Iran in the final group game, the Nigerians advanced due to a better performance.
– Psychologists made good money after that offside, and the pharmaceutical industry also profited, because all Bosnians switched to heavy drugs – joked Jakubović.
“And we had to somehow offer a way out of that trauma through song.”
Bosnia and Herzegovina will play co-hosts Canada in the first game of Group B on June 12 in Toronto, before facing Switzerland and Qatar.
(Vijesti.ba)
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