His career was marked by a dispute with Serbian singer Đorđe Marjanović during the Pjesma Ljeta (Song of Summer) touring festival in Tučepi in 1968. The performers wore T-shirts with Cyrillic lettering, and Vukov insisted that the text also appear in the Latin script.
The singer was banned from singing
He faced the threat of imprisonment, and three years later, the authorities of the former state banned him from performing in public. The ban lasted a full 18 years, during which time Vice sang almost in secret, primarily abroad.
His triumphant comeback in 1989 was marked by the gold-certified album Bella Italia!, a series of concerts at the Vatroslav Lisinski Concert Hall in Zagreb and a double live album released in 1990. Among the many beautiful songs he performed, one was dedicated to wine.
A song about wine on the B-side
It was not among his biggest hits. Released in 1971, it appeared on the B-side of the song Drink, Drink from the operetta The Student Prince. It is a unique piece. Here are the lyrics written by Tonko Jović, set to music by Zdenko Runjić, originally in Croatian, and later in English:
Vino, vino, vino...
U vinu istine nema, jer vino je najveća laž
A ipak, ono je vladar, a ja sam vjeran ko paž
Vino, vino, vino...
U vinu istine nema, al' mozak zna prevarit' tvoj
U vinu svi smo bar isti i svak' je svakomu svoj
Vino, vino, vino...
Još jednom čašom vina zalijevam grlo svoje
a drugi nek' se boje dal' će ga biti još
Vivo, vino vino...
U vinu istine nema i sreća potraje tek tren
Jer vino uzme ti brige i odmah vraća ih sve
Vino, vino, vino...
Sad zadnju ispijam čašu i napuštam grad ja svoj
A ispod te lažne te maske na kraju ostaje bol
Vino, vino, vino...
Još jednom čašom vina zalijevam grlo svoje
A drugi nek se boje dal' će ga biti još
Vino, vino, vino...
English version:
Wine, wine, wine...
There is no truth in wine, for wine is the greatest lie
And yet, it is the ruler, and I am loyal as a page
Wine, wine, wine...
There is no truth in wine, but it can fool the mind,
we are all the same, and belongs to each other
Wine, wine, wine...
With one more glass of wine, I soothe my throat While others worry if there will be any left
Wine, wine, wine...
There is no truth in wine,happiness lasts a moment Wine takes worries away, but soon bring them back
Wine, wine, wine...
I drain the final glass and leave my city behind
Beneath that false mask, only pain remains
Wine, wine, wine...
With one more glass of wine, I soothe my throat While others worry if there will be any left
Wine, wine, wine...