Released 1997 Length 4:49 Producer(s) Vojnoizdavački zavod | Genre Military songs Writer(s) Rade Radivojević | |
Recorded Artistic ensemble of VJ | ||
"We Love You, Our Fatherland" (Serbian: Волимо те отаџбино наша / Volimo te otadžbino naša) is a 1997 military song written by Rade Radivojević. Vocals are sung by Serbian artists Leontina Vukomanović and Milan Šćepović and the music is performed by the Artistic Ensemble of the Yugoslav Army. The song was very popular in Serbia during the 1999 NATO bombing of Yugoslavia.
Origins
In the words of the composer Rade Radivojević, after the breakup of the Socialist Federative Republic of Yugoslavia, "the Army lost its symbols, hymn and everything such an institution needs to have", he was chosen to compose two songs for the celebration of the Army Day. Aside from this song, he also composed "The Heart Protects The Country" (Serbian: Земља се срцем брани / Zemlja se srcem brani). Despite the Army wanting to have the songs performed by opera singers, Rade managed to convince them that if these songs are to be listened at Military events, they have to be sung by young people. That is how Leontina Vukomanović and Milan Šćepović became the performers of the songs.
How it came to have this song played during the [NATO] bombing as something that should preserve the spirit of the people, I don't know to this day. I do know that someone found those songs at that time, and there wasn't a TV or radio station that wasn't playing it many times during the hour. However, when it started being played at political rallies, everything was out of my control