VOLIM TE

After the triumphant "Return of Indexi" concert held on February 22, 1975, in Sarajevo's Skenderija hall, expectations for the band were high. With a new lineup featuring Milic Vukasinovic on drums and Miroslav Maraus on keyboards, INDEXI, encouraged by excellent reviews from both the audience and critics, planned a major Yugoslav tour, and the press (again) reported on plans to record their first studio album, somewhere abroad, no less. Just before the concert, the band briefly visited the United States, where they purchased new equipment, including a famous Rickenbacker bass guitar for Fadil Redzic. And just when they were about to prove their renewed rock potential on a new record, largely hinted at by the presence of the energetic Milic, their fifth single on Diskoton label, their tenth overall (not counting EPs), appeared, representing a significant decline compared to the previous one. This can be explained by the fact that both compositions were tailored for pop (light schlager) music festivals, and neither of them is the work of the band members themselves.

The single opens with the composition "Volim te" (I Love You) by Belgrade schlager-maker Aleksandar Korac. It was specifically composed for participation in the Sarajevo festival "Vas slager sezone 75", which was held on April 12, and with its performance, INDEXI won third place. The success from two years ago was not repeated, however, and the song, to be honest, is significantly weaker than "Predaj se srce". As usual, Indexi try to embellish cheap pop songs with a more complex arrangement (their only authorial contribution on this single), which is also the case here, as the intro with a pronounced Maraus synthesizer solo and imaginative drumming by Milic in the bridge reflect their old "progressive" style. However, the chorus in which the phrase "volim te" is repeated ad nauseam, accompanied first by a quasi-comic effect of something that sounds like a kazoo, and then by clapping, is simply too banal and boring to hold the listener's attention. Bodo Kovacevic's guitar is relegated to the background, and Davor's solid performance is accompanied by somewhat heart-wrenching female backing vocals. Milic would later often admit that he was ashamed to sing backing vocals in the chorus of the song at concerts, so he tried to hide behind the hi-hat so that the audience would not see him, which would undermine his rock pedigree.

The B-side is occupied by the ballad "Ti si mi bila naj, naj" (You Were My Best), composed by Gabor Lendjel, the leader of the heavy-prog band TESKA INDUSTRIJA, with lyrics by poet Dusko Trifunovic, which INDEXI performed during the Opatija 75 festival, held in February 13-15. The leading instrument is the piano, and Davor's strong vocal performance is once again accompanied by female back vocals. In the bridge, the bass guitar and orchestral accompaniment of strings stand out, and a good and catchy melody was to ensure evergreen status for this song. However, it sounds too "saccharine" at times, and cannot be compared to the powerful ballad from the previous single "Bacila je sve niz rijeku".

The single was released in April 1975 (the matrix was cut on March 31) in an attractive but somewhat kitschy cover art design by Dragan S. Stefanovic. The colorfulness of the vivid colors is simply eye-catching, which may have been the goal. The front cover shows a double portrait of singer Davor from his 1972-73 phase when he wore long hair and a tuxedo with a bow tie, accompanied by a girl on backing vocals in the background. In the lower left corner, there is a miniature cartoon figure of a photographer (probably Stefanovic himself), which reflects the influences of the artwork from some BEATLES records from the late sixties (e.g. Yellow Submarine). The back cover is adorned with a drawing of a naked "hippy" girl surrounded by stars. This somewhat "psychedelic" cover (on the front picture, all the way to the right, a discreet "peace" sign is also incorporated!) certainly does not reflect the style of music that is packaged in it, but it was certainly a good commercial move, because the potential buyer in a record store could hardly just pass it by. On this record, the songwriting and instrumental absence of Bodo Kovacevic is noticeable (his guitar is mostly in the background), which classifies this INDEXI release into a purer pop-schlager genre. The single "Volim te" proved to be commercially successful, as it reached the 3rd position on the singles chart of the magazine Dzuboks during May and June 1975, and also reached a silver record certification.