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.
Miss You Nights
Demis Roussos Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I can tell you
Times when innocence I'd trade for company
And children saw me crying
I thought I'd had my share of that
But these miss you nights
Are the longest
Stud my heaven
Southward burning
Lie the jewels that eye my place
And the warm winds
That embrace me
Jst as surely kissed your face
Yeah these miss you nights
Are the longest
How I miss you
I'm not likely to tell
I'm a man and cold day light
Buys the pride I'd rather sell
All my secrets
Are wasted affair
You know them well
Thinking of my going
How to cut the thread
And leave it all behind
Looking windward for my compass
I take each day as it arrives
But these miss you nights
Are the longest
Lay down all thought of your surrender
It's only me who's killing time
Lay down all dreams and themes once remembered
It's just the same
This miss you game
Yeah these miss you nights
Are the longest
The song "Miss You Nights" by Demis Roussos is a poignant and emotional song about the feeling of missing a loved one. The lyrics reveal a deep longing for the company of someone dear to the singer's heart. The opening lines describe how the singer has had many tough times in the past but nothing compares to the pain of missing someone. The next verse compares the stars and the warmth of the wind to the person he has lost, emphasizing how tangible the missing of someone can be. The verse adds that the secrets that the singer would have shared with the person are now lost and feels like a wasted affair.
The chorus speaks to the intense feelings of missing the loved one the most during the nights when the silence and stillness amplify the longing. The line "How I miss you, I'm not likely to tell" indicates the inability to express the depth of the feeling of missing someone. The subsequent verse talks about how the singer does not know how to let go of the memories of the past and take each day as it comes, which makes every night feel even longer.
Overall, "Miss You Nights" is a heart-wrenching song that resonates with anyone who has loved and lost, and where the feeling of missing someone feels almost overwhelming. It is a song that speaks to the soul and has the ability to conjure up intense and vivid emotions.
Line by Line Meaning
I've had many times
I have experienced many situations in my life
I can tell you
I can share my experiences with you
Times when innocence I'd trade for company
There have been times when I would give up innocence in exchange for companionship
And children saw me crying
Children have witnessed me crying because of my loneliness
I thought I'd had my share of that
I believed I had experienced enough loneliness
But these miss you nights
However, these nights where I miss you are the hardest
Are the longest
These are the longest nights I have experienced
Midnight diamonds
In the dark of night, there are shining stars
Stud my heaven
The night sky appears adorned with these stars
Southward burning
They appear to burn in the southern direction
Lie the jewels that eye my place
These stars seem to watch over me from above
And the warm winds
The gentle breeze
That embrace me
That seems to hold me close
Jst as surely kissed your face
As if it was a kiss for you
How I miss you
I miss you dearly
I'm not likely to tell
But I am hesitant to admit it
I'm a man and cold day light
As a man, I am conditioned to hide my emotions
Buys the pride I'd rather sell
Even though I want to show my emotions, my pride doesn't allow me to
All my secrets
My deepest feelings
Are wasted affair
And they are meaningless if I can't share them with you
You know them well
You understand me better than anyone else
Thinking of my going
When I think of leaving
How to cut the thread
How to sever our relationship
And leave it all behind
And leave everything in the past
Looking windward for my compass
I am directionless without you
I take each day as it arrives
I make the most of each day as it comes
But these miss you nights
However, the nights where I miss you are the hardest
Are the longest
These are the longest nights I have experienced
Lay down all thought of your surrender
But I still hold onto hope
It's only me who's killing time
I am the only one who is suffering
Lay down all dreams and themes once remembered
I have given up on my dreams
It's just the same
Nothing has changed
This miss you game
This feeling of missing you is a never-ending game
Yeah these miss you nights
These nights where I miss you are the hardest
Are the longest
These are the longest nights I have experienced
Contributed by Liam C. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Odete Matos
Essa música é lindíssima, maravilhosa! Chega a doer no coração de tão linda!!!
Sebastiana Pintore
La sua voce dolce e avvolgente,accarezza il cuore!!!!!!!!Demis per sempre😚😚
THE GREEKS OF THE WORLD
Η εξαισια φωνη σου και οι υπεροχες μελωδιες σου θα φωτιζουν την ψυχη μας παντοτινα .
💙🌿🇬🇷💐💙
Lavínia Antonietti
Muita luz Demis Roussos onde estiver. Eterno em nossos corações
Ana maria de souza oliveira Jesus eu confio em vós
Amoo essa música lindaa traduza ela para mim😍😍
Lucas Oficial
Essa voz encanta a todos lindo😢😢😢
Iracema Modesto
Linda! Linda música! Ouvir Demis é como estar no paraíso.
Angela Delfino
Que lindo era muito romantismo. Amo saudades.😪😪💔
Hussein Ahmed
"Miss you nights" is one of my favorite songs of Demis's later songs. From the uber-successful album MAN OF THE WORLD. He will always be missed. RIP Demis.
Maria Georgina Silva
Querido descanse em paz na luz Divina. Gratidão por tantas emoções interpretações maravilhosas .Amoooooo