YU Rock Mission – For a Million Years of Yugoslavia

YU Rock Mission was a collaboration of musicians from the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (SFRY) who recorded the song “Za milion godina” (For a Million Years) as a show of support for musician Bob Geldof’s efforts to aid the hungry in Africa. Geldof’s campaign culminated in the “Live Aid” concert on July 13, 1985.

In addition to the song “Do They Know It’s Christmas?” recorded by British artists and numerous projects by American musicians, many countries joined Geldof’s campaign, including Canada, Germany, Austria, Norway, and many others.

Yugoslavia was no exception. The most renowned artists from the Yugoslav rock and pop scene formed the Yugoslav “Aid” band called YU Rock Mission. The group recorded the song and music video, featuring artists such as Oliver Mandic, Zeljko Bebek, Marina Perazic, Momcilo Bajagic-Bajaga, Aki Rahimovski, Sladjana Milosevic, Dado Topic, Masimo Savic, Zdravko Colic, Jura Stublic, Pedja D’ Boy, and many other well-known musicians.

The single “Za milion godina” (For a Million Years) became a memorable hit in the former Yugoslavia. Vlatko Stefanovski played the solo guitar. Bora Djordjevic, the leader of Riblja Corba (Fish Stew), and Goran Bregovic from Bijelo Dugme (White Button) were not mentioned on the back cover of the record, but they participated in the televised performance of the song.

To conclude the campaign, Yugoslav musicians performed this song during an eight-hour concert on June 15, 1985, in Belgrade. The music video was shown on various television stations worldwide and on a large video screen during the “Live Aid” concert in London on July 13, 1985.