Identify this Middle Eastern song.

September 18, 2006 4:41 AM

MidEastMusicFilter: Ethnomusicologists and Middle Eastern-music fans, can you identify this song? And, in any case, can you tell me more about the style of music to which it belongs?
posted by mykescipark to media & arts (9 comments total)

The recording is really crackly, but it sure as heck sounds like a classic live recording, possibly one of the famous Thursday night broadcasts, of Umm (Oum) Kulthum (Kalsoum) from the late 1940s-early 1950s. The song sounds like a qasida, or some other sort of modern klassikiyah genre.

You can learn more about her from Virginia Danielson's fine biography, The Voice of Egypt or the documentary based on that book calledA Voice Like Egypt.

I'm not sure and don't have headphones to listen more clearly through the surface noise, but UK's voice is pretty unmistakable.
posted by fourcheesemac at 6:54 AM on September 18, 2006

This is defenitely not Oum Kulthum, even if it may sound like it, the singer is not singing in Arabic. It sounds Turkish to me!
posted by convex at 8:18 AM on September 18, 2006

My wife is Middle Eastern and is very confident that this is not Arabic, for whatever that's worth.
posted by teleskiving at 8:41 AM on September 18, 2006

The song is in Greek.* Maybe the admins will let you amend your post to reflect that so you can get better answers.

Greek popular music has been heavily influenced by Turkish and Middle Eastern music for centuries and this song is pretty typical. It does sound a lot like ME music, at least to this untrained Westerner, so it's easy to confuse the two.

This is a long shot since you probably would have tried this if you could but it sounds like it came off a shortwave radio -- if you know the frequency/time/date, the 'net has listening guides that'll get you the broadcaster from that information. Knowing that, maybe you could contact them (Voice of Greece would be a good bet) and see if they keep their playlists.

Sorry I don't know more about the song itself but maybe this'll help narrow your search.

*Well, at least the words I can make out: "esai dhen m'agapas" = "you don't love me." "dhen thelo ksana na se dho" = "I don't want to see you again." Sounds like a neglected woman's lament -- pretty standard slow pop song stuff. My late grandmother would be horrified that I can't translate the whole thing (my people were inventing shame when the rest of Europe was running around in bear skins) but alas, I'm not that good.
posted by Opposite George at 11:06 AM on September 18, 2006

Oh, and from the instrumentation it sounds like this recording is from no earlier than the late 20th century -- maybe that'll help narrow down the artist/style.
posted by Opposite George at 11:24 AM on September 18, 2006

I stand corrected. Laptop speakers made it hard to hear.
posted by fourcheesemac at 1:31 PM on September 18, 2006

On a hunch, try looking for track 8, "Μακριά μου να φύγεις", on this album: Δρόμοι που αγάπησα (live) by Ελένη Βιτάλη.

"Makria mou na figeis" ( = "Go far away from me") is the first line of your track's chorus, the singer (Eleni Bitali) apparently has quite a following, the date of the recording (1991) seems consistent with the arrangement/recording quality and it sounds live so this looks like it could be your song/recording.
posted by Opposite George at 3:30 PM on September 18, 2006

Thanks, all, for your help. Opposite George seems to have it, at least the song. I found a sound sample of another performer's version, and it appears to be the one. I had to buy Eleni Bitali's version on blind faith, but it's worth the investment. Hive Mind wins again!
posted by mykescipark at 6:05 PM on September 18, 2006

I love Eleni Vitali!
posted by evariste at 9:25 PM on September 18, 2006