{{short description|Yugoslav Rock Band}} {{Infobox musical artist | name = Metak | image = Yugoslav band Metak.jpg | caption = | landscape = | years_active = 1978–1981 | origin = Split, SR Croatia SFR Yugoslavia | genre = {{flatlist| *Hard rock *power pop *new wave }} | label = Diskoton, Jugoton, Suzy, Croatia Records | associated_acts = Jappa, Bijelo Dugme, Osmi Putnik, Crvena Jabuka, Ranko Boban, Che | past_members = Mirko Krstičević<br/>Ranko Boban<br/>Matko Jelavić<br/>Željko Brodarić<br/>Zlatko Brodarić<br/>Doris Tomić }} '''Metak''' (trans. ''Bullet'') was a Yugoslav rock band formed in Split in 1978.
The group was formed on the initiative of bass guitarist Mirko Krstičević and poet and lyricist Momčilo Popadić. The first lineup of the band featured, beside Krstičević, vocalist and guitarist Ranko Boban and drummer Matko Jelavić, the three soon joined by guitarist Željko Brodarić "Jappa". After the departure of Boban, Brodarić took over the vocal duties, and the group was joined by two new members, Željko Brodarić's brother Zlatko (guitar) and Doris Tomić (keyboards). After releasing two studio albums and gaining significant popularity on the Yugoslav rock scene, the group disbanded in 1981, the members continuing their careers in other fields of music: Željko Brodarić as a solo artist and successful producer, Krstičević as a composer of film and theatre music, Zlatko Brodarić as a studio musician and performer of instrumental music, and Jelavić as a popular pop singer.
==History== ===1978–1981=== The formation of Metak was initiated in the spring of 1978 by bass guitarist Mirko Krstičević (formerly of the band Che) and poet and journalist Momčilo Popadić.<ref name="janjatović194">{{cite book|last=Janjatović|first=Petar|title=Ex YU rock enciklopedija 1960-2023|year=2024|publisher=self-released / Makart|location=Belgrade|page=194}}</ref> The first lineup of the band also featured Sarajevo-born vocalist and guitarist Ranko Boban (formerly of the groups Ajan and Vozdra) and drummer Matko Jelavić.<ref name="janjatović194"/> The group was soon joined by guitarist Željko Brodarić "Jappa".<ref name="janjatović194"/> Jappa had previously, at the age of eighteen, performed with the veteran band Delfini, and in 1976 he formed the band Put (''Road'') with his brother Zlatko and brothers Boro Vasić (bass guitar) and Milo Vasić (drums).<ref name="janjatović194"/> Playing with other groups, the members of Metak had already gained significant experience, Boban had already achieved success as a songwriter—the songs he authored were recorded by popular acts like Zdravko Čolić, Seid Memić "Vajta", Biljana Petrović, Indexi and Cod—and Popadić had already published four books of poetry.<ref name="janjatović194-195">{{cite book|last=Janjatović|first=Petar|title=Ex YU rock enciklopedija 1960-2023|year=2024|publisher=self-released / Makart|location=Belgrade|page=194-195}}</ref>
The band had their first live appearance at the 1978 Split Festival, on which they performed the song "Šijavica" ("Morra") and "Gastarbajterska balada" ("Gastarbeiter Ballad"), the two songs soon after appearing on a 7-inch single.<ref name="janjatović194"/> As the festival organizers considered the name Metak too provocative, the group was announced as Meta (''Target'').<ref name="janjatović194"/> In the autumn of 1978, Ranko Boban was, alongside drummer Ipe Ivandić and two other musicians who worked on Ivandić's album ''Stižemo'', arrested for owing hashish and sentenced to a year in prison.<ref name="janjatović194-195"/><ref name="krstulovic32">{{cite book|last=Krstulović|first=Zvonimir|title= Bijelo Dugme: Doživjeti stotu|year=2005|publisher=Profil|page=32}}</ref> Metak continued their activity without him, with Brodarić taking over the role of the band's vocalist and his brother Zlatko Brodarić (guitar) and Doris Tomić (keyboards) joining the group as the new members.<ref name="janjatović195">{{cite book|last=Janjatović|first=Petar|title=Ex YU rock enciklopedija 1960-2023|year=2024|publisher=self-released / Makart|location=Belgrade|page=195}}</ref>
In 1979, the band released their first studio album, entitled ''U tetrapaku'' (''In Tetrapak'').<ref name="janjatović195"/> The songs composed by Krstičević featured lyrics written by Momčilo Popadić, and the songs composed by Zlatko and Željko Brodarić featured lyrics written by the latter.<ref name="janjatović195"/> The album brought energetic sound, with the songs "Tetrapak", "Miss Levi's (nema meni do Vinke)" ("Miss Levi's (Nobody But Vinka)"), and the ballads "Rock'n'roller" and "Htio sam noćas da ti pišem" ("I Wanted to Write to You Last Night") receiving large airplay.<ref name="janjatović195"/> Following the album release, Metak performed as one of the opening bands on Bijelo Dugme's concert at JNA Stadium in Belgrade.<ref name="janjatović195"/> In 1980, the group released the single "Da mi je biti morski pas" ("Wish I Were a Shark"), with lyrics written by Popadić, which would become Metak's biggest hit.<ref name="janjatović195"/>
For the band's second studio album, entitled ''Ratatatatija'', music was composed by Brodarić brothers and Krstičević, and the lyrics were written by Željko Brodarić and Popadić.<ref name="janjatović195"/> The album featured slight change in musical style, the group moving away from their initial hard rock and power pop sound and joining on the exuberant Yugoslav new wave scene.<ref name="glazba">{{cite web|first= Bojan |last= Mušćet |title= 40 godina novog vala: uskrsnuće |website= Glazba.hr |date= 23 November 2021 |access-date= 3 January 2025 |url= https://glazba.hr/citaj/40-godina-novi-val-uskrsnuce/}}</ref><ref name="music-box">{{cite web|first= Ambrozić |last= Dragan |title= KOLUMNA: Putovanje nakraj noći: Metak – “Split at Night” (1981.) (13/15) |website= Music-box.hr |date= 29 January 2023 |access-date= 3 January 2025 |url= https://music-box.hr/2023/01/29/kolumna-putovanje-nakraj-noci-metak-split-at-night-1981-13-15/}}</ref> After the recording sessions were finished, Željko Broadrić went to serve his mandatory stint in the Yugoslav People's Army, and the album was released in 1981 during his absence.<ref name="janjatović195"/> It brought well-received songs "Split at Night", "On voli strip junake" ("He Likes Comic Book Heroes") and guitar instrumental "Bijela soba" ("White Room").<ref name="janjatović195"/> At the end of 1981, the band ended their activity.<ref name="janjatović195"/>
===Post breakup=== Željko Brodarić would continue his career by releasing the solo album ''Majmuni'' (''Monkeys'') in 1982.<ref name="janjatović195"/> The album featured the songs originally written for Metak's never-recorded third studio album.<ref name="janjatović195"/> During the 1980s, he produced albums by prominent Yugoslav acts like Haustor, Regata, Animatori, D' Boys, Đavoli, Crvena Jabuka and others.<ref name="janjatović195"/> After living in Italy and England during the 1990s, he returned to Split, starting his jazz fusion trio Jappa Band in 2008.<ref name="janjatović195"/> Since 2016, he has been performing with his daughter Sara Brodarić Ševgić under the name Sara & Jappa.<ref name="janjatović195"/>
Krstičević continued his career as a composer of film and theatre music.<ref name="janjatović195"/>
Zlatko Brodarić continued as a studio musician.<ref name="janjatović195"/> He has released six solo albums of instrumental music: ''Between Perpendiculars'' (2000), ''Going West Looking East'' (2002), ''It's Chemical'' (2004), ''Dalmacija na gitari'' (''Dalmatia on Guitar'', 2021), ''Acoustic Guitar Vol.1'' (2022) and ''Acoustic Guitar Vol.2'' (2022), the latter three released on Bandcamp.<ref name="janjatović195"/> With his sons Gogi (drums) and Luka (bass guitar) he formed the band ''Dva Brata i Tata'' (''Two Brothers and Dad'').<ref name="janjatović195"/>
Jelavić continued his career as a pop singer-songwriter, releasing a number of successful albums.<ref name="janjatović195"/>
After Metak disbanded, Popadić continued to write lyrics for other artists, publishing one more book of poems and a book of autobiographical prose, essays and dramas.<ref name="janjatović195"/> He died in Split on 20 November 1990.<ref name="janjatović195"/> On 30 July 2005, a group of musicians from Split, including the Brodarić brothers, performed songs with Popadić's lyrics on a concert the recording of which was released on the album ''Čovik od soli 2'' (''Man Made of Salt 2'') in 2006.<ref name="janjatović195"/> The double compilation album ''Gold Collection'', released by Croatia Records in 2017, features songs by various artists with lyrics written by Popadić.<ref name="janjatović195"/> He was the subject of Toni Volarić's 2017 documentary film ''Pope, vrati se'' (''Pop, Come Back'').<ref name="janjatović195"/>
In 2019, Croatia record released the five-piece box set ''Splitska djeca – od zidića do vječnosti'' (''Children of Split - From Little Wall to Eternity''), featuring a previously unreleased live version of "Da mi je biti morski pas".<ref name="janjatović195"/>
==Legacy== The song "Da mi je biti morski pas" was covered by Croatian and Yugoslav hard rock band Osmi Putnik on their 1987 album ''Glasno, glasnije'' (''Loud, Louder''), by Serbian and Yugoslav funk rock band Deca Loših Muzičara, for Srđan Dragojević's 1994 film ''Dva sata kvalitetnog TV programa'' (''Two Hours of Quality TV Program''), and by Croatian rock band Lili Gee, for the 2023 White Shark campaign, dedicated to preservation of sharks.<ref name="janjatović195"/> The 1999 film ''Wish I Were a Shark'' by Split director Ognjen Sviličić was inspired by the song.<ref name="janjatović195"/> In 2006, the song was polled No.55 on the B92 Top 100 Yugoslav songs list.<ref>[http://www.b92.net/radio/100yunajboljih/ The B92 Top 100 Domestic Songs list at B92 official site] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070328190959/http://www.b92.net/radio/100yunajboljih/ |date=March 28, 2007 }}</ref>
The lyrics of the band's 1979 song "Nalazim nebo" ("I'm Finding the Sky"), authored by Željko Brodarić, are featured in Petar Janjatović's book ''Pesme bratstva, detinjstva & potomstva: Antologija ex YU rok poezije 1967 - 2007'' (''Songs of Brotherhood, Childhood & Offspring: Anthology of Ex YU Rock Poetry 1967 – 2007'').<ref name="antologija">{{cite book|last=Janjatović|first=Petar|title= Pesme bratstva, detinjstva & potomstva: Antologija ex YU rok poezije 1967 – 2007|year=2008|publisher=Vega media|location=Belgrade|page=170}}</ref>
==Discography== ===Studio albums=== *''U tetrapaku'' (1979) *''Ratatatatija'' (1980)
===Compilations=== *''Da mi je biti morski pas'' (1995)
===Singles=== *"Šijavica" / "Gastarbajterska balada" (1978) *"Ona ima svoju dragu mamu" / "Revolver" (1979) *"Da mi je biti morski pas" / "Rock'n'roller" (1980)
==References== {{reflist}}
==External links== *[https://www.discogs.com/artist/848081-Metak Metak] at Discogs
Category:Croatian rock music groups Category:Croatian new wave musical groups Category:Yugoslav rock music groups Category:Yugoslav hard rock musical groups Category:Musical groups established in 1978 Category:Musical groups disestablished in 1981