"Misirlou" (Greek: Μισιρλού 'Egyptian girl' < Turkish: Mısırlı 'Egyptian'[1] < Arabic: مصر Miṣr 'Egypt') is a folk song dating back to 1927, originally as a Greek rebetiko composition influenced by Middle Eastern music. The song then gained popularity among Middle Eastern audiences through Arabic (belly dancing), Jewish (klezmer) and Turkish versions.
The song eventually gained worldwide popularity through Dick Dale's 1962 American surf rock version, which was responsible for popularizing the song in Western popular culture. Various versions have since been recorded, including other surf and rock versions by bands such as The Beach Boys and The Ventures as well as international orchestral easy listening (exotica) versions by musicians such as Martin Denny and Arthur Lyman. Dick Dale's surf rock version later gained renewed popularity through its use in the 1994 Quentin Tarantino film Pulp Fiction and again through its sampling in The Black Eyed Peas song "Pump It" (2006).
History[]
[edit]Composition[]
The earliest known recording of the song was by a rebetiko musician, Tetos Demetriades, in 1927. In 1930, Michalis Patrinos and his rebetiko band recorded a cover version in Athens, Greece.[2] As with almost all early rebetika songs (a style that originated with the Greek refugees from Asia Minor in Turkey), the song's actual composer has never been identified, and its ownership rested with the band leader. The melody was most likely composed collaboratively by the band, as was often the case at the time; the initial lyrics were almost certainly written by Patrinos himself. Patrinos, who originally lived in Smyrni, named the song "Mısırlı" or "Misirlou" which means an Egyptian Muslim girl, as opposed to Egyptian Christians who were referred to as Αιγυπτιοι (Aigyptioi) in Greek.
Initially, the song was composed as a Greek tsifteteli dance, in the rebetiko style of music, at a slower tempo and a different key than the orientalized performances that most are familiar with today. This was the style of the first known recording by Michalis Patrinos in Greece, circa 1930 (which was circulated in the United States by Titos Dimitriadis' Orthophonic label); a second recording was made by Patrinos in New York, in 1931.
The song's oriental melody has been so popular for so long that many people, from Morocco to Iraq, claim it to be a folk song from their own country. In fact, in the realm of Middle Eastern music, the song is a very simplistic one, since it is little more than going up and down the Hijaz Kar or double harmonic scale (E-F-G#-A-B-C-D#).
[edit]Later versions[]
In 1941, Nick Roubanis, a Greek-American music instructor, released a jazz instrumental arrangement of the song, crediting himself as the composer. Since his claim was never legally challenged, he is still officially credited as the composer today worldwide, except in Greece where credit is variably given to either Roubanis or Patrinos. Subsequently Bob Russell, Fred Wise and Milton Leeds wrote English lyrics to the song. Roubanis is also credited with fine-tuning the key and the melody, giving it the Oriental sound that it is associated with today. The song soon became an "exotica" standard among the light swing (lounge) bands of the day.
In 1943, Miriam Kressyn wrote Yiddish lyrics to the song. In 1944, Lebanese musician Clovis el-Hajj performed this song and called it "Amal". This is the only known Arabic language version of the song to date.
The song was rearranged as a solo instrumental rock guitar piece by Dick Dale in 1962. During a performance, Dale was bet by a young fan that he could not play a song on only one string of his guitar. Dale's father and uncles were Lebanese-American musicians, and Dale remembered seeing his uncle play "Misirlou" on one string of the oud. He vastly increased the song's tempo to make it into rock and roll. It was Dale's surf rock version that introduced "Misirlou" to a wider audience in the United States.
The Beach Boys recorded a Dale-inspired "Miserlou" for the 1963 album Surfin' U.S.A., solidifying "Miserlou" as a staple of American pop culture. A wealth of surf and rock bands soon recorded versions of the song, including the Ventures, Astronauts, Surfaris, and Bobby Fuller Four. Hundreds of recordings have been made to date, by artists as diverse asAgent Orange and Connie Francis (1965).
"Missirlù" was a 1967 Italian single, sung by Gino (Cudsi) and Dorine.
The song was sung by the Turkish singer Zeki Müren in 1971 as "Yaralı Gönül" with lyrics by Suat Sayın, a Turkish singer and composer. The Russian dobro player Eugene Nemov recorded an instrumental version in Moscow 2006.
In 1972 Serbian singer Staniša Stošić recorded song Lela Vranjanka with different lyrics, it is most famous version of Misirlou in Serbia.
Phil Woods plays a clarinet on Misirlou on the album Into The Woods
Dance[]
In 1945, a Pittsburgh women's musical organization asked Professor Brunhilde E. Dorsch to organize an international dance group at Duquesne University to honor America's World War II allies. She contacted Mercine Nesotas, who taught several Greek dances, including Syrtos Haniotikos (from Crete), which she called Kritikos, but for which they had no music. Because Pittsburgh's Greek-American community did not know Cretan music, Pat Mandros Kazalas, a music student, suggested the tune "Misirlou", although slower, might fit the dance.
The dance was first performed at a program to honor America's allies of World War II at Stephen Foster Memorial Hall in Pittsburgh on March 6, 1945. Thereafter, this new dance, which had been created by putting the Syrtos Kritikos to the slower "Misirlou" music, was known as Misirlou and spread among the Greek-American community, as well as among non-Greek U.S. folk-dance enthusiasts.
It has been a staple for decades of dances held at Serbian Orthodox churches across the U.S., performed as a kolo or circle dance. The dance is also performed to instrumental versions of "Never on Sunday" by Manos Hadjidakis – though in the Serbian-American community, "Never on Sunday" was popularly enjoyed as a couple's dance and actually sung in English. "Never on Sunday" was often one of only two songs performed in English at these dances, the other song being "Spanish Eyes" (formerly "Moon Over Naples") also internationally popular in its time.
The Misirlou dance also found its way into the Armenian-American community who, like the Greeks, were fond of line dancing, and occasionally adopted Greek dances. The first Armenian version of "Misirlou" was recorded by Reuben Sarkisian in Fresno the early 1950s. Sarkisian wrote the Armenian lyrics to "Misirlou" which are still sung today, however he wrote the song as "Akh, Anoushes" ("Ah, My Sweet") while later Armenian singers would change it to "Ah Anoush Yar" ("Ah, Sweet Lover"; Yar meaning sweetheart or lover, from Turkish).
[edit]Legacy[]
In 1994, Dale's version of "Miserlou" was used on the soundtrack of the motion picture Pulp Fiction thanks to a suggestion to Quentin Tarantino from his friend Boyd Rice.
More recently, the song was selected by the Athens 2004 Organizing Committee as one of the most influential Greek songs of all time, and was heard in venues and at the closing ceremony – it was performed by Anna Vissi.
In March 2005, Q magazine placed Dale's version at number 89 in its list of the 100 Greatest Guitar Tracks.
Lyrics[]
| Greek | Transliteration | Translation |
|---|---|---|
|
Μισιρλού μου, η γλυκιά σου η ματιά Φλόγα μου 'χει ανάψει μες στην καρδιά. Αχ, για χαμπίμπι, αχ, για λε-λέλι, αχ, Τα δυο σου χείλη στάζουνε μέλι, αχ.
|
Misirloú mou, i glykiá sou i matiá Flóga mou 'khei anápsei mes stin kardiá. Akh, ya khabíbi, akh ya le-léli, akh, Ta dyo sou kheíli stázoune méli, akh.
|
My Misirlou (Egyptian girl), your sweet glance Has lit a flame in my heart. Ah, ya habibi, ah, ya le-leli, ah (Arabic: Oh, my love, Oh, my night) Your two lips are dripping honey, ah.
|
|
Ladino lyrics (unrelated to original Greek lyrics) No pretendas mas que tu me amas Ni te sforses a vartir lagrimas. Yo ya lo supe que era por enganyar, Este es un fakto que no puedes niegar. Ahh, ahh, Missirlu Es muy amargo, ah, es muy amargo el sufrir, Ma no por este uno deve murir. Muchos anios te speri en vanedad Creendo ke tu amor es verdad. Me amurcates propio con una flor y me forsates a bivir con dolor. Ahh, ah, ah, ahh, Missirlu, Es muy amargo, ah es muy amargo el sufrir, Ma no por este uno deve murir. Algun dia sufrira tu korason I konoseras lo que es la trahision como yo yoro y tu yoraras, Y konsuelo nunca toparas. |
Turkish lyrics as sung by Zeki Müren[citation needed] (unrelated to original Greek lyrics) Yaralı bir gönülden başka Ne bıraktın bende hatıra Günah değil mi yazık değil mi bana Gel yeter artık sar beni kollarına Ah bu acı bu keder ne zaman biter Ah bu acı bu keder ne zaman biter
Bırak bu nazı bırak bu inadı Senin de gönlün daha dünden razı
Gidiyorum bahar gelmeden Usanmam seni özlemekten Hazinelerden daha değerlisin Inan sevgilim benim gözümde sen
Ah bu acı bu keder ne zaman biter Bırak bu nazı bırak bu inadı Senin de gönlün daha dünden razı
Yaralı bir gönülden başka Ne bıraktın bende hatıra
Günah değil mi yazık değil mi bana Gel yeter artık sar beni kollarına
Ah bu acı bu keder ne zaman biter Bırak bu nazı bırak bu inadı Senin de gönlün daha dünden razı |
|
French lyrics as sung by Dario Moreno (unrelated to original Greek lyrics) L'ombre peu à peu s'étend sur le sable, Et les caravanes prient à genoux. Une première étoile au ciel insondable, Evoque en moi soudain ton amour si doux. Ah, Misirlou ! Reine des reines, maîtresse de mon cœur, C'est toi que j'aime, c'est toi mon seul bonheur. Ah, Misirlou !
Le désert s'endore sous la lune calme, La piste d'argent conduit au bonheur. Bientôt apparaitront les altières palmes, Où vont faire leur nid nos deux tendres cœurs.
Ah, Misirlou ! Reine des reines, maitresse de mon cœur, C'est toi que j'aime, c'est toi mon seul bonheur. Ah, Misirlou ! |
French lyrics as sung by Dario Moreno (other version, related with Greek one) Misirlou, ton doux regard A allumé une flamme dans mon cœur, akh yakhabibi, akh ya leleli, akh, Tes lèvres de miel, oyme! Ah! Misirlou, beauté magique et enchanteresse
Je deviens fou, je ne peux plus souffrir Ah! Je vais te voler à l'Arabie
Ma Misirlou aux yeux noirs
Un seul de tes baisers allume une flamme en moi akh yakhabibi, un petit baiser de tes lèvres douces, oyme!
Ah! Misirlou, beauté magique et enchanteresse
Je deviens fou, je ne peux plus souffrir Ah! Je vais te voler à l'Arabie |