Dino was best-known to the public as a musician, more so than an actor, as he only took sporadic forays into acting over the years. His music had originally made him famous, earning him wide popularity across the regions of the former Yugoslavia. In the early 1980s, Dino and his brother Dean founded Kineski zid in 1980(Chinese wall or Great wall), a pop band named after the building in which the Dvornik family lived at that time in Split. It was the first domestic funk record released in Croatia. He had been a perfectionist by reputation, who would lock himself in the studio for months. However, differences between the interests of the band members and the public led the band to an early breakup.
Dvornik's influences included James Brown, Stevie Wonder and other funk artists. His unique style of music earned him the monikers "King of Funk" and "Funk Daddy". Dino was also known for his changing haircuts and his taste for stylish and trendy clothes. He was a born entertainer, who would keep his fans amused during and in between songs, making sure nobody would leave his shows unhappy.
He is one of the rare artists of the former Yugoslavia who maintained his popularity in the region after the wars. Dvornik had been emerging on the Yugoslav music scene when the war broke out. Privately, he had been praised by many for his honesty, and friendship in the true sense of the word, and he also had fans all over the world, particularly amongst people originating from the former Yugoslavia. Dvornik would play shows all over Europe and in the U.S. His biggest hit amongst many, arguably, is "Afrika" (taken from the album "Enfant terrible" (1997). His down-to-earth, endearing attitude was much appreciated by his fans. Dino was described as being friendly to all, often walking and living his life in full public view; never turning away from the attention of fans, and even joining them socially in the bars and cafés.
His popularity was built on a combination of intelligent song lyrics and energetic, wild stage performances. In this early stage of his career, he chose his haircut and outfit to resemble Morrissey from The Smiths. At Zagreb Fest in 1988 Dino first made a name for himself when he received the award for best debutant for his song "Tebi pripadam" (I Belong To You). The very same year, he released his first solo album, self titled "Dino Dvornik" followed by "Kreativni nered" (Creative Disorder) in 1989. Both became huge hits and made him a superstar in short time. After two other good albums, a studio and a live album, which went unnoticed because of the war in his country, Dino finally switched from funk to house music in the mid 1990s. His best-known song from that period is an ode to his hometown Split, Ništa kontra Splita, which he performed at the prestigious Split Music Festival in 1995, and eventually he won the main award for it. Dino released "Enfant Terrible" in 1997, his best selling and most awarded album to date. He has won several Porins, the most famous Croatian music award. Although he loved his hometown Split, he was living mainly in the Croatian capital of Zagreb for professional reasons. Dino was a supporter of Croatian football giants Hajduk Split.
Dvornik frequently expressed that the breakup of Yugoslavia had consequences on his album sales, since the market decreased and people focused on other music styles and different artists in their new originated countries during and after the war. He stood his ground on a smaller market against people who thought he was too unpredictable. The quality of his music always managed to prevail obstacles like these during his career.
He would rearrange parts on his tracks until everything was the way he thought was well enough to be shared with his fans. Dvornik was always anxious for his albums to be produced in high standard quality, something he was famous for ever since his early days in music. His most notable collaborations with other music artists in his country include those with Croatian music diva Josipa Lisac, and his Montenegrin counterpart and close friend, Rambo Amadeus. In his last years, Dvornik would often get behind the turntables and deejay in various clubs.
Over the years he became the subject of the media spotlight for allegedly struggling with substance abuse. He made several attempts at drug withdrawal and even though he succeeded each time, he admitted that the drugs had ruined his health and made his life a mess. Although he was a caring husband and loving father, he would still attend parties. Dino tended to create a warm atmosphere wherever he went, putting people instantly in a good mood. There have been many rumours about Dino Dvornik, mostly about his substance abuse and other shocking incidents such as apparently urinating on jury members from a gallery at an award show in the late 1990s as he did not approve with their selection of artists to be honoured. At a similar public event he was spotted running around in underwear in order to state his disgust towards the hypocrisy and petty bourgeoisie of some people attending the show.
In 2004 he starred in the movie A Wonderful Night in Split portraying a Split drug lord. The same year he became one of the first Croatian celebrities to start writing his own blog. He was later joined by his wife and his modelling daughter in doing so.
In 2006, he and his family became the stars of a Croatian reality show, Dvornikovi (The Dvorniks), an entertaining show in the manner of The Osbournes.
In 2008, Dino was working on his forthcoming album, Pandorina kutija (Pandora's Box). The album was nearing completion. He had already released the first single for the summer, Hipnotiziran (Hypnotized). The album is due for release in October 2008.
On September 7, 2008, just 18 days following the celebration of his 44th birthday, Dino died in his bed. He had overdosed on tablets on Hepatitis C that he was suffering from, and had been depressed greatly. The police have done an inspection, and found many anti-depressants in the house. His wife Danijela found him dead in bed in their apartment at 11:00. Three days later, Dino was buried at the Mirogoj cemetery in Zagreb.
Jače Manijače
Dino Dvornik Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Ubio te grom,
Otkad si me napastvovao,
U srcu si mom.
Udri jace, manijace,
Ti u ritmu tom,
Jer dok si me udarao,
Ne slusaj me, manijace,
Kad ti kazem stoj,
Jer ja zelim osjetiti,
Svaki misic tvoj.
Manijak, manijak,
To ne moze biti svak.
Kad ga vidim moje
Srce kuca tika-taka,
Kazem jace, jace, manijace,
Kazem jace, udri, manijace,
Djevojcice mlade,
Cuvajte vas brak,
Stuka zove kondora,
Ide manijak.
Svakoj ribi kad ga vidi,
Naglo skoci tlak,
I odozgo i odozdo,
On je pravi manijak.
On je dobar, on je jak,
On je pravi manijak,
Voli kozu, mrzi frak,
Gleda crtic Donald Duck.
Kazem, jace, jace, manijace.
Kazem, jace, udri, manijace.
The song "Jače Manijače" by Dino Dvornik portrays a story of a man who has been hurt badly by someone named Manijak, who has inflicted pain in his life. The singer of the song seeks revenge by urging Manijak to come at him with all his force so that the singer can hit back harder. This is evidenced by the repeated line "Udri jace, manijace" which translates to "Hit harder, Manijak."
The lyrics also suggest that the singer has fallen deeply in love with Manijak, despite the pain that he caused. This is apparent in the lines "Otkad si me napastvovao, U srcu si mom" which translates to "Since you assaulted me, you've been in my heart." This shows that the singer has been unable to forget Manijak, even though he caused him harm.
The last part of the song suggests a warning to young girls to beware of Manijak, emphasizing his strong and unpredictable nature. The lyrics "Djevojcice mlade, Cuvajte vas brak, Stuka zove kondora, Ide manijak" translates to "Young girls, protect your marriage, Stuka calls the condor, Manijak is coming." This further emphasizes the danger presented by Manijak, making the song a cautionary tale for the unwary.
Line by Line Meaning
Udri jace, manijace,
Hit harder, maniac,
Ubio te grom,
Thunder killed you,
Otkad si me napastvovao,
Since you harassed me,
U srcu si mom.
You're in my heart.
Ti u ritmu tom,
You in that rhythm,
Jer dok si me udarao,
Because while you hit me,
Nastao bi lom.
There would be chaos.
Ne slusaj me, manijace,
Don't listen to me, maniac,
Kad ti kazem stoj,
When I tell you to stop,
Jer ja zelim osjetiti,
Because I want to feel,
Svaki misic tvoj.
Every muscle of yours.
Manijak, manijak,
Maniac, maniac,
To ne moze biti svak.
Not everyone can be that.
Kad ga vidim moje
When I see him my
Srce kuca tika-taka,
Heart beats tick-tock,
Kazem jace, jace, manijace,
I say harder, harder, maniac,
Kazem jace, udri, manijace,
I say harder, hit, maniac,
Djevojcice mlade,
Young girls,
Cuvajte vas brak,
Protect your marriage,
Stuka zove kondora,
Stork calls the condor,
Ide manijak.
The maniac is coming.
Svakoj ribi kad ga vidi,
Every fish when it sees him,
Naglo skoci tlak,
Blood pressure suddenly rises,
I odozgo i odozdo,
From above and below,
On je pravi manijak.
He's a true maniac.
On je dobar, on je jak,
He's good, he's strong,
On je pravi manijak,
He's a true maniac,
Voli kozu, mrzi frak,
Loves goats, hates tuxedos,
Gleda crtic Donald Duck.
Watches the cartoon Donald Duck.
Kazem, jace, jace, manijace.
I say harder, harder, maniac.
Kazem, jace, udri, manijace.
I say harder, hit, maniac.
Contributed by Ellie W. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@dogeliminator
neki dan sam doznao da je ovo prvi Hrvatski spot prikazan na MTV-u...respekt...Dino Kralj crofunka...
@Denishosic
Bravo Respekt,,,
Živio i Ti i Internet,,, [ ;
@akayong7347
Crofunka? BALKANFUNKA!!!!
@SeeCapitalMarketsCom
Krivo si čuo
@jebojahoo
Točno. Ovo je bilo na MTV
@ThyraM1212
Bio je na MTVu, ali mislim da su prvi bili Psihici.
@MMimi-mg4qt
čujem da je Dino vrlo popularan ovih dana medju klincima u Beogradu i da nema zabava bez njegove muzike! super za napredak uprkos svim naporima da se sluša "folk" smeće
@Quantum_Mathematics
Ја сам из Београда слушам на дневној бази већ дуго дуго чак ширим и даље и упознајем нове генерације xD
@ChicagoRiders
Nebitno ko i di...prava muzika se uvik cijeni!! Pozdrav
@lazoyu3629
Ovih dana? Greska. Bio popularan kad je izasao a meni se cini da ti tad nisi bila rodjena. Pozz