Under communism all spheres of cultural life in Bulgaria came under strict supervision from the state authorities. Pop music made no exception. Back in the late 1960s authors in popular music were given an assignment by government leadership to provide for greater diversity of themes and styles. Songwriters were advised to address folklore or comedy for inspiration. In this line Atanas Boyadzhiev and poet Bogomil Goudev created a very successful song that drew motifs from urban folklore. The song I Dreamt a Dream won the Grand Prix at the 1969 edition of The Golden Orpheus Festival. The song was performed by Margaret Nikolova and Kiril Semov.
In the late 1960s and early 1970s the Bulgarian pop music scene saw the rise of humorous songs. The song Grotesque by Alexander Yosifov on lyrics by Dimitar Tochev was about a two average guys traveling in Europe and declaring their patriotism. The song was however banned because control bodies decided it could be viewed as ironic to communist leader Todor Zhivkov.
We end our journey to the Bulgarian pop music achievements in the late 1960s and early 1970s with examples of songs based on youth themes. My Brother by Atanas Naumov is a good song based on a children’s theme. The most famous work in this vein was One Bulgarian Rose by Dimitar Vultchev written especially for the World Youth Festival held in Sofia back in 1968. It is still remembered today in the rendition of star Pasha Hristova.
Translated by Daniela Konstantinova
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