Guelbi Yabghik...
It is one of those days when I would like to share something with my friends.
I often drive with this song blasting in my car, along with Leonard Cohen's "Take This Waltz."
It is quite dear to me for many reasons. Cheb Mami is one of the few Algerian singers who have broken into the international music scene, some of you may remember his participation in Sting's song Desert Rose.
The Algerian words in Zucchero's Cosi Celeste may not make sense but here they are:
"Guelbi yabghik entiya, ma ghir entiya..." and "Hadiya eddiniya, li nabghih ma yabghini"
"My heart loves you, only you...." and "Sometimes in this life, those we love may not love us..."
Do you listen to music in your car?
I screamed and guess what?
19 Comments:
Hey Cream, that is just pretty cool! Thanks for posting, it was a pleasure.
That was a treat. Thanks for sharing him w/us.
wonderful, thanks.
sometimes I listen in the car, sometimes I don't. It's always about binging for me. I can't stop listening to some particular song or artist, I need it like I need water - or I drift away, and don't listen to anything in particular for weeks at a time.
sometimes, though, its as if certain songs feed a hunger I didn't even know was there.
L and Mary, glad you like it. I am biased because Cheb Mami is Algerian.
Hayden, I am the same in the car. I mostly listen to my favourite radio, BBC Radio Five. But when I get a CD I play it over and over again.
And I love to play my music very loud and, believe it or not, sing along...
Chokran, saha hoya, beautiful. Shows how music can break down all barriers. Old Cheb is a handsome devil innit? Reminds me of someone ... and those big fuzzy mamas at the back, BOTH reminded me of Aunty Marianne singing Handel's Messiah.
In the days when I had a car I used to like driving very fast on the motorway listening to Evanescence or Linken Park very loud ... now I have to listen to whatever the Brussels Metro is inflicting on us.
I love Leonard Cohen too, especially "First we take Manhattan" and "Dance me to the end of love". But not Radio Five Live! Too much footie.
Beautiful voice, gorgeous face and such a wonderful smile. Very cheeky.
Music, I am not constant, sometimes radio 2, sometimes local radio, sometime the CD which has been left in the car.
I quite like 70's Rock or Disco very loud but get embarassed when I have to slow down at the lights.
Eggselent.
I listen to music in my car but I only have a cassette deck (the car is 15 years old after all) and I've just about had it with my tapes.
Saha, Okhti!
"Dance me to the end of love" is another one of my favourite Cohen's songs.
Fuzzy but they didn't have any bananas on their head and I know you are fibbing about you and AM... I just know.
Five Live has lots of live debates but you'd be at work when they're on. ;o)
Welcome back, Dizzy!
He does have a great voice and a cheeky smile.
Yes, I know what you mean at the lights but what the hell, we are all young at heart.
Andrea, good egg! It's about time you joined the rat race, girl.
Youtube/Blogger wouldn't let me hear it... :o( I'll try again later.
Very nice Cream! I love to listen to music while I'm driving! It's very rare that I leave my studio but I love to drive down the canyon and sing loudly! My car is a 89 BMW 325i and it has a tapedeck so I listen to my old tapes.
Lettie, if at first you don't succeed, try, try and try again. ;o)
Wow, Val! An 89 BMW 325i! I bet it still brand new seen that you don't use it that often!
nice! I was in new york when sting and cheb mami were promoting the desert rose song. they were playing outside for a tv breakfast show. afterwards, the presenter went to interview sting, who was making the point that he wanted people to pay more attention to cheb mami's music b/c he's one of the biggest selling artists in France etc. I couldn't believe how rude the interviewer was though. he practically pushed cheb out of the way, saying 'excuse me sir', and ignored him throughout!
I love the composition of that song. It keeps building until it becomes a part of something much bigger than simply the musicians and the singers. It fills the soul. Suddenly you feel as if there is nothing but good in the world and everything will be alright. I LOVE songs like that. It's no wonder you blast it in your car. I'd do the same.
yes who can forget that voice- saw Sting do Desert Rose at a huge concert in a park in Florence.... ah the memories everytime i hear any voices that remind me of that performance i get goosbumps- another example of how we are much better together then separated or at war.
cream, cheb mami is new to me, so am interested in listening to more. amazon has such a large list, can you recommend your favorite?
Well, Marcos, I think we've come to understand the media now. I don' think that Mami would've made the American front pages...But Sting would!
Brian, you've just described why this song lifts me.
Ale, you lucky thing! Sting live in Florence! Yes, Cheb Mami has a very distinctive voice... And it is really nice to see the power of music when it brings people together!
Hayden, Cheb Mami sings mainly in Algerian. But you could start by listening to Desert Rose with Sting, then his next best one is Meli, Meli... But he tends to be an acquired taste.
;-) I ordered Desert Rose yesterday. I like the way he uses his voice in this clip. Will tuck away a note on Meli Meli for later, thanks!
Cheb Mami made Desert Rose..he gave it authenticity and his voice is so expressive..I love that song.
Leonard is of course Canada's Coolest Cat and has been for 4 decades.
Very interesting sad lyrics.
I listen to the CDs that I burn that feature my 22 favorite songs shuffled in different order to make it sound like a different CD...I have 4000 songs to choose from and sometimes I do themes 70s guitar solos or 90s techno or Female Nutcrackers or Dark Synth or Power Pop 80s...there is never enough time to listen to evrything.
I am in the process of sticking all my CDs on my laptop and halfway through, 2900 and counting... But as you say I know I won't be able to listen to the lot.
Desert Rose is included in all my restaurant compilations...
Come on then, HE, what are your all time 22?
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