Draft:Suze Biserne

"Suze Biserne" is a song by Croatian pop band Magazin from the group's thirteenth studio album Nebo Boje Moje Ljubavi (1996). The song was written by Croatian lyricist and songwriter Vjekoslava Huljić and composed by Croatian record producer and composer Tonči Huljić while the production was finalized by Stipica Kalogjera. It was released as the first single from the band's album in 1996. It marked the band's first release with new lead singer Jelena Rozga.

An accompanying music video for the song was released in 1996 showing Rozga lip-syncing the lyrics on a swing, interspersed with scenes from the band performing the song. The band included the song on the set list of their live performances and when she emerged as a solo artist, Rozga also performed it live on her concerts and tours, the latest one being the Minut Srca Mog Tour. Several Croatian artists have covered the song, including Hana Huljić and Vanda Winter for the soundtrack of the TV series Stella in 2013 and Matija Cvek for a live acoustic performance in 2021. An orchestral rework of the song in both Croatian and English, titled "Suze Biserne" was reworked for Tonči Huljić & Madre Badessa Band's third studio album Inamorana (2021) released through Croatia Records.

Background
In 1996, Danijela Martinović who had served as the lead singer of Magazin decided to leave the group to pursue a solo career, after having performed in the band for fours years. Her position as lead vocalist in the band was succeeded by Jelena Rozga who debuted performing the song "Aha" on the 1996 Dora, the Croatian song contest for Eurovision that year, where she finished second. Only four months after the performance, the song "Suze Biserne" by Magazin was released with Rozga as the band's new lead singer. "Suze Biserne" was written by the duo Vjekoslava Huljić and Tonči Huljić while the arrangement was finalized by Stipica Kalogjera. It was included on the band's thirteenth studio album Nebo Boje Moje Ljubavi (1996).

"Suze Biserne" was submitted as the band's entry to the 1996 Melodije Hrvatskog Jadrana festival which also marked Rozga's debut live performance. That same year, the song received the award for Most Performed Song at the festival. Upon its release, the song was met with a mixed response from the audience. Nevertheless, through the years, the song gained in popularity and during an interview at the show Profil with Montenegrin TV channel Radio and Television of Montenegro, Rozga called it one of the "megahits" she recorded with the band.

Music video
A music video for the song was filmed and released in 1996. It features lead singer Jelena Rozga singing and dancing to the lyrics of the song in front of a house and while swinging on a swing. For several scenes she is dressed in a black skirt and a green T-shirt while in other scenes she is seen donning an orange dress. Shots of the band's other four members are also regularly interspersed in the video. In an interview in 2011, Rozga revealed that she spent six to seven hours swinging on the swing to film the music video. In the video, she also appears with a curly hair, which was a different hairstyle to what she always had before.

Live performances and cover versions
"Suze Biserne" was included on the set list of Magazin's live concerts during the period when Rozga served as the band's lead singer, including the one held in early December 2004 at the Sava Center in Belgrade, Serbia. A performance of the song was included on the band's live album Magazin Live recorded during a concert in Skenderija, Bosnia and Herzegovina in 2000. After establishing herself as a solo artist, Rozga continued adding "Suze Biserne" to her set lists, live concerts and gigs. On 19 April 2020, during the second in a series of seven concerts she held at home due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Rozga performed an acoustic rendition of "Suze Biserne" accompanied by musician Milan Terze on guitar. The video was initially streamed on Instagram Live and later on YouTube. In 2022 and 2023, the song was included on the set list of the singer's regional Minut Srca Mog Tour.

In 2013, Hana Huljić recorded a cover version of "Suze Biserne" together with musician Vanda Winter. This version was included on the TV series Stella which was broadcast on Nova TV. Her version of the song was well-received by the audience and Rozga, herself, who commented that "it is interesting to listen to how someone inspires new life into your songs, which just proves that a good song is always good, regardless of which arrangement it is performed in". On 11 March 2021, during a live performance at narodni radio's living room acoustic, Croatian pop singer Matija Cvek sang an acoustic version of "Suze Biserne". He later also added it to the set list of his live performances. His version of the song was described as "something completely different" and was well-received by listeners. "Suze Biserne" was also performed by Daria Kinzer, an Austrian singer of Croatian descent, who when she was 11 years old performed it at a talent show in Austria and won at the competition. In early 2023, a video of musician James Night covering the song's lyrics in English "as a joke" went viral only a few hours after he had posted it on social media.

2021 rework
On 16 April 2021, as a celebration of 25 years spent in the music industry and the release of her first song with Magazin "Suze Biserne", Rozga collaborated on its instrumental rework with the ethno and folk band Tonči Huljić & Madre Badessa band for their third studio album Inamorana (2021) released through Croatia Records. In addition to the Croatian-language version, the song was also translated to English under the title "Tears of Pearl" and made available for the foreign market.

During an interview in April 2021, Huljić announced that a concept for a music video of the rework exists. He was in charge of its screenplay which was directed by Vojan Koceić. It was filmed in the old parts of Split and features a young actress and radio presenter Petra Kapor. On 2 December 2022, Huljić released a stage performance video of the song together with an orchestra which was called "Tears of Pearl". Musician Hana Huljić was responsible for the orchestration. The video was not released as of 2024.