A Sampling of Contemporary Arabic Pop Songs and Ballads

Thu, 31 May 2007 10:08:17 GMT

I thought I'd take the opportunity to introduce you to a small selection of contemporary arabic music. I tried to select videos that have decent sound and video quality, but alas, the selection on YouTube is somewhat limited. Some of the songs are performed live at one of the many large, televised concerts/parties that is commonly held throughout Beirut on weekends. If there is one thing Beiruti's love to do, it's to dress up and go out for a nice meal and listen to good live music and generally have a good time. These concerts are fun for the whole family.

I've selected 5 artists, and 2 tracks from each artist, except for Nawal al-Zoghby... she gets three! Lemme know what you think about this music and these selections. Enjoy.

Artist: Nancy Ajram (lebanese)

Track: Ana Yalli Bahibak - "I'm the one who loves you"

Track: Lown Eiounak - "The colour of your eyes"

Artist: Haifa Wehbe (lebanese)

Track: Ana Haifa Ana - "I'm Haifa, I am"

Track: Kul Marra - "Every time" (performed live at a televised party)

Artist: Wael Kfoury (lebanese)

Track: Hobbak 3azaab - "Loving you is hardship"

It starts slow but picks up a third of the way into it. He sings to his absent love whom he is missing very much. It's very romantic.

Track: Tabki Eltoyoor - "The birds cry"

A painful song lamenting lost love.

Translated Lyrics:

The birds cry, flowers wither, sun sets and only darkness prevails
The words are lost, what a pity she was able to forget and her eyes went to sleep
A dream dies, and all I find is the wind
And misery is born and all whats left are wounds

Maybe Tomorrow she'll be back , I doubt she'll be back

The love died
I collect my wounds, my preoccupations and my sorrows
Stay up for nights while she sleeps
All the time we spent together were easy for her to forget
The honesty is gone, where is the trust
How many times with those hands did I cure my beloved
Who forgot all what we had
My sorrows are big, as big as mountains
The wounds are deep, depth of the seas
My mistake was being naive and always forgiving
I collect my wounds, my preoccupations and my sorrows
Stay up for nights while she sleeps

Artist: Nawal (Noelle) al-Zoghby (lebanese)

Track: Aghla al Habayib - "My Dearest Love" (performed live at a televised party)

Track: Albi Daa - "My heart (skipped a) beat"

Track: Al Layali - "The Nights"

It's a very beautiful song about reunited love. She really is a talented singer/songwriter. I just wish I could do it justice in the translation, which I really can't, but here goes anyway:

	Transliterated Arabic	English Translation
1	el layali ragga3itli taani, hobbi albi min gideed	The nights brought back to me the love of my heart anew
2	ba3di gheeba gaani, rah nadaani, khalla 3omri kullo 3eed	On his return he came to me, called for me, and filled my life with joy
	repeat 1,2	repeat 1,2
3	kunti fain ya? ya shaghilli hawaya.	Where were you? You, who stirs my desires.
4	kunti fain ya? yalli albak ma'aaya.	Where were you? You, whose heart dwells with me.
	repeat 3,4	repeat 3,4
5	layaali, layaali, layaali	Nights, nights, nights
	repeat 1,2	repeat 1,2
6	Lay, lay, lay. Lay la la ....	Lay, lay, lay. Lay la la ....
7	hobbak, ya ghali, ghayarli haali	Your love, my precious, has changed my outlook
8	ala shoqi laik, bas-ha wa banaam	I awaken and sleep to my longing for you
9	alimti rohi, tihwak ya rohi	You taught my soul, to love you my darling
10	wit dooq ma'aak agmal gharaam	and taste with you the most beautiful love
	repeat 7,8,9,10,3,4,3,4,5,1,2,6	repeat 7,8,9,10,3,4,3,4,5,1,2,6
11	law ghibti 'anni lahza Ibtewhashni	If you part for even a moment, I begin to miss you
12	w-andah 'alaik tool el sa'aat	and call out to you through the hours
13	wayyaak ya 'omri, ihlaw 'omri	With you my darling, my life is joyful
14	wa yirga'li beek 'omri elli faat	and with you, I regain the life I had lost
	repeat 11,12,13,14,3,4,3,4,5,1,2,1,2	repeat 11,12,13,14,3,4,3,4,5,1,2,1,2
15	Aaah, Lay, la, la...	Aaah, Lay, la, la...
	repeat 3,4	repeat 3,4

Artist: Amr Diab (egyptian)

Track: [Habibi, ya] Nour El Ein - "[Darling, o'] apple of my eye"

Again, starts slow, but picks up at about 2 minutes into the video. Good latin-influenced rhythms in this one.

LYRICS / TRANSLATION (courtesy felinabranca, YouTube. arabic and english sentences interleaved):
Habibi, ya nour el ain,
My darling, glow in my eyes,
Ya saakin khayali.
Who lives in my fantasies.
Aashek bakali sneen,
I've adored you for years,
Wala ghayraak fibali.
No one else is in my mind.
Habibi, habibi, habibi,
My darling, my darling, my darling,
Ya nour el ain.
Glow in my eyes.
Agmaal eyoun fil koon ana shoftaha.
The prettiest eyes I have seen.
Allah aleik allah,
God be with you,
Alla sihraha.
Because of their magic.
Eyounaak ma-ayaa,
Your eyes are with me,
Eyounaak kifayaa.
Your eyes are enough.
Tinawar layali.
They light up my nights.
Albaak nadally wa kaal,
Your heart called me and said,
Bet-hebenee.
That you love me.
Allah aleik allah,
God be with you,
Tamenteni.
You reassured me.
Ma-aak el bidaya,
You have the beginning,
Wa koul el hekaya.
And the whole story.
Ma-aak el bidaya,
You have the beginning,
Wa koul el hekaya.
And the whole story.
Ma-aak lil nahaya.
I'll be with you to the end

Track: Wala 'ala balu - "[I'm] Not Even On Her Mind" (aka. my lover doesn't care)

Fast beat, good for dancing or a good pacer for cardio workout

Track: Tamally Ma'aak - "Always With You"

Okay, so I couldn't resist putting another one here from this very talented artist. Beautiful strains of acoustic guitar.

Lyrics:

i am always with you even when you are far away
your love fills my heart
i am always with you
i am always thinking about you
never forget you for a moment
i miss you even when you are by my side
oh sweetheart
i miss you so much
and want you always before my eyes
i feel so lonely when you are away
even when surrounded by people
i miss you dearly
darling don't go away
i need you near me
you are my first love
with you here i have nothing to fear

Moroccan Hip Hop Song: Sma3ni

Wed, 30 May 2007 13:42:39 GMT

I came across this on YouTube while randomly surfing. It's really quite good. Has a great, sexy beat, and is tightly executed. The song is sung mainly in Moroccan with some French. Though Moroccan is a dialect of arabic, it's not a dialect that I can readily understand. Nonetheless, I really enjoyed the tune and bet you will too. The name of the song, Sma3ni, literally translates to "Hear Me".

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A Sampling of Contemporary Arabic Pop Songs and Ballads

Moroccan Hip Hop Song: Sma3ni