Throughout his childhood he was influenced by the musics that were coexisting in Egypt. The sound of Arabic music entered into his life at that time and has continued until today as one of his biggest influences. At the age of ten, he was intrigued by Jazz and learnt to play the trumpet. As a young boy he also attended the choir of the Greek Byzantine church of Alexandria and sang for five years as a soloist.
However, when Artemios reached the age of fifteen, his life changed. It was the time of the Suez Canal crisis. His family left Egypt and immigrated to their homeland Greece. Artemios then had to work to support his family. During the day he attended school and, at night, he played the trumpet in various clubs in Athens. Two years later, his first band, "The Idols" was formed. Artemios played the Bass Guitar and sang backing vocals as well. One day, as the lead singer needed to rest, he asked Artemios to replace him for a few songs. That night, when Artemios sang "The House Of The Rising Sun" and "When A Man Loves A Woman" the audience was amazed. From then on Artemios was asked to sing again and again.
Within a short period, Artemios was making a sound reputation. It was at this time that he met the man who would later become one of his most successful composer, Lakis Vlavianos. From that meeting a new band was born, the "We Five", with Artemios as the lead singer.
In 1968 Artemios’s journey crossed the road of two other top Greek musicians, Vangelis Papatanassiou and Loukas Sideras. Their associationbecame one of the biggest musical events of the seventies in the form of "Aphrodite’s Child". This ambitious band decided to travel to the United Kingdom for better commercial prospects. Artemios--who had now shortened his name to Demis--would be the singer and the bass player, Vangelis the main composer as well as the keyboard player, and Loukas would play the drums.
However, they were refused entry to the United Kingdom for lack of a work permit. Instead, Aphrodite's Child travelled to Paris, arriving just as the city was going through the May 68 revolution. After a few concerts in some trendy Parisian clubs, a major company offered to record a song of theirs, one that was inspired by Pachelbel‘s canon called "Rain And Tears". This first album of Aphrodite’s Child sold over a million copies in France alone.
Nine months later, as Demis first daughter, Emily, was born, "Rain And Tears" was the top single all over Europe and a top 20 single in the United Kingdom. The band experienced a huge success for three years.
They then released their legendary last album “666”, after which, for various reasons, Aphrodite's Child decided to split up.
Since Demis was one of the main elements of the band, the record company offered him a chance to recorded his first solo single, "We Shall Dance", which was released on the album "On the Greek Side of My Mind". This album and the single jumped into the top five of all the national hit parades of Italy, Spain, France, Holland, Germany and Scandinavia.
Some months later, Demis met with his old friend of the "We Five", Lakis Vlavianos. Lakis was then going through an inspired period and wrote many songs which Demis recorded; these turned into a string of number one hits all over the world, including: "Forever And Ever", "My Friend the Wind", and "Velvet Morning".
After his second child, Cyril, was born in 1975, Demis toured the globe for eight years with his second wife and child. In Brazil, he packed a stadium of 150 000 people--an event that was achieved in that particular stadium twice only. (The other previous artist was Frank Sinatra.) In fact, Demis sold enough records to gain a name in the Guinness Book of records among the personalities of show business in the 70’s and the eighties. He was awarded more than a hundred golden, platinum, and diamond albums and cassettes.
His unique dressing style was often considered eccentric but Demis was following his instinct which told him that the music he was performing should match with the combination of looks between the glorious Byzantine Empire and the Arabic Caftan.
In 1978 his instinct told him again that he should retire for a while, thinking of new things concerning his career and life. And so he took his family to an area of the world where he was unknown, Malibu Beach, California. There, Demis lost over 50 kilograms. He returned to Europe and lived a quieter life between England and Greece, alone with his son, Cyril.
On June 14 1985, wile he was travelling from Athens to Rome, a decisive event occurred. Demis’s TWA airplane was hijacked by terrorists. After two days in that plane praying, Demis was held three days in the prison of Beyrouth with his third wife. Like many other survivors, he went through the shock of a traumatic experience. After that, Demis said he had never understood so well the importance of the nations living in peace and how precious life is when you see death so close. He felt more than ever that his contribution for a better tomorrow could be via music and so decided to return to the recording and performance scene.
He recorded twenty songs and compiled an album called "The story of Demis Roussos". With this album, Demis started to world tour again and found a nostalgic audience who had missed his magic voice. In 1986 Demis toured the USSR for three weeks and was invited to join important scientists, writers and artists at the forum for peace and disarmament in Moscow, during February 1987.
Later that year, during a tight TV schedule in Chile, Demis insisted on fitting in a visit to the Earth summit in Rio to get a clearer picture of the environmental problems, which were a main concern for Demis.
Since then Demis had been a regular visitor of the charts with singles such as "Quand je t’aime" and "On écrit sur les murs", and albums such as "Voice and Vision" and "Immortel".
Since 2008, Demis had been living in Greece by the sea. After being one of the most talented singers of his century, Demis was still working on more magical offerings, with the blessing of music and God.
He died aged 68, on the Hygeia Hospital in Athens on January 25, 2015.
Manuela
Demis Roussos Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Manuela, warum find' ich dich nirgendwo
Manuela, noch nie verliebte ich mich so.
Eine ganze nacht haben wir getanzt im
grossen carneval der liebe
und ich fragte nicht, ob du treu sein kannst, denn heiss war jeder kuss von dir.
Manuela, auf einmal war der morgen da.
waren es trânen, die ich in deinen augen sah?
Doch vielleicht wartet ein anderer und du musstest zu ihm geh'n, aber dass ich dich nicht vergessen kann, oh, das musst du doch versteh'n.
Eine ganze nacht glaubte ich daran, dass es so schön für immer bliebe,
doch der morgen kam, und das glück zerrann, oh Manuela komm zu mir!
The lyrics to Demis Roussos's song Manuela are about a man named Demis who is desperately searching for a woman named Manuela in Mexico. He laments that despite his efforts, he cannot seem to find her anywhere. Demis goes on to describe the passionate night they shared together during the grand carnival of love. He didn't even ask if she could be faithful to him because every kiss from her was hot. Suddenly, morning was upon them and Demis saw tears in Manuela's eyes. She left abruptly and Demis can't help but wonder if she had found someone else waiting for her. Despite everything, he cannot forget the night they spent together and pleas for Manuela to come back to him.
The song captures the essence of fleeting love and how even the best of moments can come to an end. Demis's lyrics express a deep sense of longing and holding onto memories of an unforgettable night. The song also seems to touch on the idea that love is not always predictable and can be chaotic.
Line by Line Meaning
Manuela, ich such' dich in ganz Mexico
I am searching for you in all of Mexico, Manuela.
Manuela, warum find' ich dich nirgendwo
Manuela, why can't I find you anywhere?
Manuela, noch nie verliebte ich mich so.
I have never been in love like this before, Manuela.
Eine ganze nacht haben wir getanzt im
grossen carneval der liebe
und ich fragte nicht, ob du treu sein kannst, denn heiss war jeder kuss von dir.
We danced all night at the great carnival of love and I didn't ask if you could be faithful, because every kiss from you was so passionate.
Manuela, auf einmal war der morgen da.
Manuela, suddenly morning arrived.
waren es trânen, die ich in deinen augen sah?
Were those tears I saw in your eyes?
und dann gingst du, wenn ich nur wüsste, was geschah!
And then you left, if only I knew what happened!
Doch vielleicht wartet ein anderer und du musstest zu ihm geh'n, aber dass ich dich nicht vergessen kann, oh, das musst du doch versteh'n.
Perhaps there is another man waiting for you and you had to go to him, but you must understand that I cannot forget you.
Eine ganze nacht glaubte ich daran, dass es so schön für immer bliebe,
doch der morgen kam, und das glück zerrann, oh Manuela komm zu mir!
All night I believed that it would stay so beautiful forever, but morning came and the happiness vanished. Oh Manuela, come back to me!
Writer(s): Cheick Amadou Tidiane Seck, Tony W. Allen Copyright: Because Ed., All Other Music
Contributed by Jonathan F. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Mossi parissmon
Manuela, ich such dich in ganz Mexico
Manuela, warum find ich dich nirgendwo
Manuela, noch nie verliebte ich mich so
Refrain:
Eine ganze Nacht haben wir getanzt
im großen Karneval der Liebe
und ich fragte mich, ob du treu sein kannst
den heiß war jeder Kuss von dir
Manuela, auf einmal war der Morgen da
waren es Tränen die ich in deinen Augen sah
und dann gingst du, wenn ich nur wüßte was geschah
Refrain:
Eine ganze Nacht...
Doch vielleicht war da ein anderer
und du mußtest zu ihm gehn
aber das ich nicht vergessen kann
oh.. das mußt du doch verstehn
Refrain:
Eine ganze Nacht...
Eine ganze Nacht glaubte ich daran
das es so schön für immer bliebe
doch der Morgen kam und das Glück zerrann
oh . Manuela komm zu mir.. lai lailai..
Maria Georgina Silva
Amo as imagens belíssimas dele cantando. Qta saudades .Adoro Demis Roussos. Show fantástico.
Lavínia Antonietti
Belissimo único maravilhoso encantador...
Annamaria Zora
Qualsiasi canzone,in qualsiasi lingua mi piace molto grazie Demis Roussos ⭐🙏❤️
Teresa Goluda
Moja największa MIŁOŚĆ ❣❣❣ - dziękuję DEMIS za wspaniałe przeżycia, wzruszenia. Moja miłość trwa....
Lavínia Antonietti
Muita paz e luz Demis Roussos onde estiver. Eterno em nossos corações
Fina Cayuela Padilla
Preciosa canción,tampoco yo la había oído.!!Un placer,gracias por compartir estos bellos tesoros de este grandisimo cantante...siempre feliz poder escucharle.
Carlo Solari
Demis 💚 canzoni 🎶 piene di ritmo, allegria 😄 che non ti stanchi mai di ascoltare, sempre il MASSIMO DELLA MUSICA 🎶 🎸 🌏 🌹 🌻
Maria Santos
Espetacular!
Angela Delfino
LINDO BELÍSSIMO TALENTOSO. SAUDADES
Leonardo Laguardia Marra
Denis Roussos irá marcar SEMPRE com suas musocas.