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.
Mountains Beyond
Demis Roussos Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I’s a long and stony way
That we’ll walk so as to rest and play
We wait to shun off mankind
TO MOUNTAINS BEYOND
it’s a black and morning sun
That will mourn and walk on to this land
Dreams and socks in a suitcase
And we’ll fly a bird a phrase
TO MOUNTAINS BEYOND
Mountains beyond
Do we belong
To the grey side of your gleen
Mountains beyond
I sing your song
And see your river unseen unseen
Mountains beyond
Do we belong
In the low side of your streams
Mountain belong
We’ll drive headlong
In the river of your dreams
Guettos won’t stand on that shore
And the naked soldier has no sword
He’s just got an axe and plough
To shape up the woods below
TO MOUNTAINS BEYOND
The song "Mountains Beyond" by Demis Roussos is a contemplative piece that speaks of a journey through life that leads to self-discovery and escaping the world's pressures. The lyrics start by acknowledging that the path to rest and play is long and difficult, and that it's important to distance oneself from the rest of society in order to preserve the purity of one's dreams and kindness. The chorus that follows speaks of the mountains beyond, and questions if they belong there, and if they can find their place in the grey side of the mountain's green, the unseen river and low side of streams.
As the song progresses, the lyrics speak of a morning sun that will mourn and walk on to the land, and dreams put into a suitcase, and a bird's flight. These metaphors signify being free of worldly possessions and a desire for freedom. The mountains are presented as a symbolic end to this journey, where they will fully immerse themselves in nature's beauty and find a new sense of belonging. The last verse speaks of the hope of overcoming society's issues, such as poverty and war, represented by guettos and naked soldiers armed with only ploughs and axes to create a new world.
Overall, "Mountains Beyond" encourages listeners to take a chance and step outside of the status quo, to step away from the pressure to conform and create a better world for oneself and others.
Line by Line Meaning
I’s a long and stony way
The journey ahead is difficult and rocky
That we’ll walk so as to rest and play
Despite the challenges, we will continue on to find peace and happiness
We wait to shun off mankind
We seek to distance ourselves from the negative influences of society
That weak the dream and the kind
Those influences that discourage creativity and kindness
TO MOUNTAINS BEYOND
We aim to reach the mountains in the distance
it’s a black and morning sun
The future ahead may be dark, but there is hope for a new day
That will mourn and walk on to this land
Despite the sadness, the sun will continue to rise and set over the land
Dreams and socks in a suitcase
We bring our hopes and belongings with us on our journey
And we’ll fly a bird a phrase
We will communicate our message in a poetic, artistic manner
Mountains beyond
The distant mountains we seek
Do we belong
Are they our true destination?
To the grey side of your gleen
To the less glamorous side of your beautiful scenery
I sing your song
I am inspired by the mountains and their beauty
And see your river unseen unseen
We can sense the majestic river nestled within the mountains, even though we cannot see it yet
Do we belong
Do we truly fit in with the landscape?
In the low side of your streams
In the less impressive sections of the mountain streams
Mountain belong
We are destined to be a part of these majestic mountains
We’ll drive headlong
We will ambitiously pursue our goal of reaching the mountains beyond
In the river of your dreams
We will follow our dreams and desires, like a river flowing towards the mountains
Guettos won’t stand on that shore
Negative, divisive people are not welcome in our new land
And the naked soldier has no sword
We do not need violence or weapons to protect our new home
He’s just got an axe and plough
We will use simple tools to shape the land and make it our own
To shape up the woods below
Clearing the land and making it livable for ourselves and others
TO MOUNTAINS BEYOND
Our ultimate destination and goal, the distant mountains
Lyrics © MUSIC SALES CORPORATION, ALLO MUSIC EDITIONS
Written by: BORIS BERGMAN, ANARGYROS KOULOURIS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Lucas Oficial
Uma beleza sem igual em todas as fazes da vida Saudades eternas demis roussos te amo, muito muito descanse em paz gigante da música. .😴😴😴😴
Maria Georgina Silva
Demis é um ser iluminado que encantou nossas vidas.
Djane Lopes
Só sei que isso é bom pra caramba
Djane Lopes
Nossa escrevi tudo errado seria adoro
Djane Lopes
Adoge :)
Vinicio Ricardo Meirinho
Um genio!
SolitaryKid
The Magical voice of Demis Roussos🙏❤💓💓💓
renzo stellini
quando io ascolto questa bellissima canzone mi sono molto emozionato tantissimo
Margo Sipman
Wat een cadeau dit lied weer te horen!!!🥰🌟⭐✨💫🔥💕💕❤️❤️👢👢🥰🇱🇺
Sônia Maria Forgerini
saõ lindas essas musicas amo?