Misirlou

Misirlou (Greek: Μισιρλού, "Egyptian Girl"; from Turkish: Mısırlı, "Egyptian";^[1] from Arabic: مصر‎, Miṣr, "Egypt"), is a popular Greek song with popularity in five styles of music: Greek rebetiko, Middle-Eastern belly dancing, Jewish klezmer, American surf rock, and international orchestral easy listening (exotica).

History

The song was first performed by the Michalis Patrinos rebetiko band in Athens, Greece in 1927. 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 İzmir, 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 (Asia Minor) 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.

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 S. Russell, N. Wise, and M. 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 maestro Clovis el-Hajj, an Arabic Lebanese musician, performed this song and called it "amal." This is the only Arabic version of this song.

In 1945, a Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, 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. The dance is also performed to instrumental versions of Never on Sunday by Manos Hadjidakis.

The song was rearranged as a solo instrumental 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'n'roll. It was Dale's version that introduced "Misirlou" to a wider audience in the United States as "Miserlou."

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#).

The Beach Boys recorded a Dale-inspired "Miserlou" for the 1963 album Surfin' USA, 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, Trashmen, and Bobby Fuller Four. Hundreds of recordings have been made to date, by artists as diverse as Agent Orange and Connie Francis (1965).

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. The beginning of the song also made an appearance in the 1996 film Space Jam, during a short scene parodying Pulp Fiction. 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. In 2006, his version once again found popularity, this time as the basis of The Black Eyed Peas' single "Pump It." Also in 2006, a cover of Dale's version was included as a playable song in the rhythm game Guitar Hero II.

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. Αχ, Μισιρλού, μαγική, ξωτική ομορφιά. Τρέλα θα μου 'ρθει, δεν υποφέρω πια. Αχ, θα σε κλέψω μέσ' απ' την Αραπιά. Μαυρομάτα Μισιρλού μου τρελή, Η ζωή μου αλλάζει μ' ένα φιλί. Αχ, για χαμπίμπι ενα φιλάκι, άχ Απ' το γλυκό σου το στοματάκι, 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. Akh, Misirloú, magikí, ksotikí omorfiá. Tréla tha mou 'rthei den ipoféro pia. Akh, tha se klépso més' ap' tin Arapiá. Mavromáta Misirloú mou trelí, I zoí mou allázei m' éna filí. Akh, ya khabíbi ena filáki, ah Ap' to glykó sou to stomatáki, ah.	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)[2] Your two lips are dripping honey, ah. Ah, Misirlou, magical, exotic beauty. Madness will overcome me, I can't endure [this] any more. Ah, I'll steal you away from the Arab land. My black-eyed, my wild Misirlou, My life changes with one kiss Ah, ya habibi, one little kiss, ah From your sweet little lips, 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 Muren[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 baisés allume une flamme en moi akh yakhabibi, un petit baisé 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

Other notable recordings

• Xavier Cugat recorded the song in 1944.
• Korla Pandit performed the song in 1951 for Snader Telescriptions [1]
• The Beach Boys recorded the song for the album Surfin' USA from 1963.
• Martin Denny and Arthur Lyman, founding fathers of Tiki and Exotica music, recorded two covers of the song.
• A Serbian version of this song titled Vranjanka (The Girl from Vranje) was created by Serbian singer Staniša Stošić. This version is widely sung across the territory of the former Yugoslavia; when Pulp Fiction appeared, to many it was a surprise to find out that the song was indeed Greek.
• The influential British Fingerstyle guitarist Davey Graham plays a fingerstyle guitar version on his albums Live at St Andrews' Folk Club 1966 and After Hours: Live at Hull University 1967. On the St Andrews' recording Graham introduces the song: 'I was in Greece last year, and I saw that the Greeks dance alone, which I thought was a bit queer at first; this is a tune, a song really, about a girl called Miserlou'.
• The song was covered by the Red Elvises for the film Six String Samurai.
• French-Algerian rock star Rachid Taha recorded an Arabic, drum'n'bass-inspired version, titled "Jungle Fiction".
• American ethnomusicologist Harry Smith made several recordings of Naftali Zvi Margolies Abulafia, a prominent Jewish orthodox rabbi who lived on New York's Lower East Side as he sang and told stories in Yiddish. On January 1, 2006, NPR presented a story on the efforts of his grandson Lionel Ziprin to preserve these recordings and played some of them in their story. One of the pieces sounds identical to the melody of "Misirlou". (The melody can be heard, beginning at 4:13.) NPR: A Grandson's Quest To Preserve His Jewish Heritage
• A version with Yiddish lyrics is often performed at weddings, and has been recorded by Klezmer Conservatory Band on their CD Dancing in the Aisles. The style is a hybrid of Ashkenazic Klezmer and Mizrahi (Jewish songs set to Arab melodies).
• The United States Library of Congress holds two recordings created in 1939, each sung a cappella by a different woman. [2]
• The Trashmen on their debut album, Surfin' Bird, in 1964.
• The song was sampled in The Black Eyed Peas song "Pump It."
• American Thrash metal band Dark Angel did a short rendition of "Misirlou" on their song Psychosexuality off of their 1991 album Time Does Not Heal.
• Australian string group Deep Blue rearranged the piece for string orchestra
• In 2011, 2Cellos covered this song, played as classical music. They are a cello duo consisting of Croatian cellists Luka Šulić and Stjepan Hauser.

Use in soundtracks

• In the opening scene of Pulp Fiction, a modified version of "Misirlou" by surf guitarist Dick Dale was used.
• In the soundtrack of the video game Red Alert, Frank Klepacki adapted an earlier song from the game series to the style of the Misirlou, as a tribute to it.
• A version of the song was used in the opening scene of the French film Taxi. And different versions in all three sequels, too. The fourth part used the version from The Black Eyed Peas.
• A version of the song cover by The Red Elvises was used in the soundtrack of the cult film Six String Samurai.
• "Misirlou" has been featured in the video game Guitar Hero II as well as Konami's Guitar Freaks and Drummania games.
• The Dick Dale version is used in the opening credits of the TV series Kitchen Nightmares.
• "Misirlou" is featured in the 2006 video game Rayman Raving Rabbids.
• A slower tempo version of it was used in a scene near a swimming pool in Season 2 episode of Mad Men, titled "Jet Set".
• It was used in the unrated trailer for the 2009 film The Hangover.
• The song Walk Don't Rango on the soundtrack of the Rango is a reference to Dick Dale's surf rendition of "Misirlou".
• In the opening and closing scenes of The Ruthless Four (Italian: Ognuno per sé), a 1968 Italian Western film directed by Giorgio Capitani and starring Van Heflin

References

1. ^ "Mısırlı". SesliSozluk Online Dictionary. Seslisozluk. http://seslisozluk.com/?word=M%C4%B1s%C4%B1rl%C4%B1&sbT=Search&ssQBy=0. Retrieved 2009-11-10. 
2. ^ The Arabic verse in the song is badly mispronounced - "ya leli" would be correct. This is probably because (a) Patrinos and his audience did not speak Arabic and/or (b) "ah ya leh-leli" has exactly the 5 syllables needed to fill the verse. The same sentence is very frequently used in Greek rebetiko songs (orientalism is a frequent theme).

External links

• Original (MP3) versions of Greek Song Misirlou
• Dick Dale's Extensive Explanation (with guitar tabs and standard notation)
• Yiddish lyrics for Misirlou with English translation
• Misirlou, from Klezmer to Surf Guitar (NPR Weekend Edition Sunday, January 8, 2006). (It should be noted that the program makes some patently incorrect statements - Rembetiko is not "a slow circle dance"; it does not have origins in Thraki; the Jews of Constantinople were Sephardim, not Askenazi, etc.)
• Playlist of a KGNU broadcast listing 25 performances of Misirlou.
• U.S. Library of Congress recordings.