Alissar Khoury, known as Elissa (Arabic: إليسا) is an Arab music star from … Read Full Bio ↴Alissar Khoury, known as Elissa (Arabic: إليسا) is an Arab music star from Lebanon. She was born on 27 October 1972 in Deir El Ahmar in the Bekaa region of Lebanon. She launched her career in 1998 with a breakthrough hit "Baddi Doub".

Elissa started off her singing career in the early 90s on a talent show, Studio el Fan, on LBC. After a long absence, she came back with a Spanish-Arabic single, titled “Badi Doub” in 1998. Her first album Baddi Doub was one of the largest selling albums in Lebanon and the Middle East, selling over 150,000 copies. "Baddi Doub" (Turkish: "Be Adam") featured a flamenco artist named Gerard Ferrer, with music by Ozkan Turgay.

Her second project in 2000 was a duet with Ragheb Alameh "Betghib Betrouh." The song was included in Elissa's second album W'akherta Ma'ak, which went on to sell more than 200,000 copies.

Later on, Elissa was featured with the international artist Chris DeBurgh in an Arabic-English song titled “Lebanese Nights”, which was written, composed and distributed by DeBurgh. He wrote this song while on his last visit to the country. He decided to sing it with a Lebanese singer, and chose Elissa. The song was recorded in London and released in DeBurgh's 2002 Album, Timing Is Everything.

Her third album Ayshalak was released in June 2002 supported by a video clip filmed in Paris by French director Fabrice Begotti, wardrobe and make up by Christian Dior. The video and song were huge successes, and with the aid of the composer/arranger Jean-Marie Riachi, Elissa was able to follow with another hit—"Ajmal Ehsaas" was Elissa's second single from Ayshalak. The video clip was directed by the Lebanese director, Selim El Turk.

Elissa’s fourth album, Ahla Donya was released in 2004. This was one of the fastest selling albums ever in the Arab world. This album was the first under Elissa's contract with Rotana, the music production company. The album included a variety of songs, such as Koll Youm Fi Omry, Erga' Lel Shoa', Hobbak Waja' (Inta Lameen) and Ahla Donya. The album received a 2005 World Music Award for best selling album in the Middle East and North Africa. In 2005, a Special Collector's Edition of the record was made available (1000 copies) with state-of-the-art packaging including a mini-biography.

Elissa is an official spokesperson for Pepsi. In 2006 she co-starred with Christina Aguilera in a Pepsi Cola advertisement. In early 2006, Elissa released her fifth studio effort, the album Bastanak, which has sold nearly 3.7 million copies, according to Rotana.

Say Goodbye
إليسا Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

There was a time
When you were everything to me and more
You set me free
I didn't want to let go that's for sure
I wait by the phone at night and I long to hear your voice
Are you all right
I know there's no turning back but I can't go on
I must let go

Chorus:
Say Goodbye
To all the memories
We shared just you and me
You'll always be in my heart

I close my eyes
And slowly feel the tears begin to fall
I don't know why
You played me like a fool left me alone
I wake from my dreams at night and the darkness fills my heart
I'm not alright
I know there's no turning back, but I can't go on
I must let go

Chorus (till end)

Overall Meaning

The song "Say Goodbye" by إليسا portrays the emotions of a person who has recently experienced a relationship breakup. The opening lyrics describe how the person's ex-partner was the center of their world and was everything to them. However, the individual had to make a difficult decision to let go even though they did not want to. The individual continues to long for the ex-partner and waits by the phone at night, hoping to hear their voice. The chorus revolves around the theme of saying goodbye to the memories that they once shared together, but the ex-partner will always remain in their heart.

In the second verse, the individual reflects on how they were hurt by the ex-partner, who played them like a fool and left them alone. The person's heart is filled with darkness, and they experience a lot of tears and sadness as a result of the breakup. The person comes to the realization that they can't keep living in the past and must let go of their former partner to move forward.

Overall, "Say Goodbye" is a powerful song that portrays the complex emotions of a broken heart. The song encourages individuals to face the harsh realities of their relationships and to move on to a new and better chapter in their lives.

Line by Line Meaning

There was a time
In the past, you were my everything and more

You set me free
You gave me freedom and independence

I didn't want to let go that's for sure
I struggled to move on from you

I wait by the phone at night and I long to hear your voice
I hope to hear from you and miss your presence

Are you all right
I am concerned about your wellbeing

I know there's no turning back but I can't go on
I understand that we can't get back together, but I am struggling to move on

I must let go
I need to accept that we are over and move forward

Say Goodbye
Let's end this and move on

To all the memories
I am letting go of all the memories we shared

We shared just you and me
Our memories were just between us

You'll always be in my heart
Even though we are letting go, you will always have a special place in my heart