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.
My Reason
Demis Roussos Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Musique Musique
I sing to you ma jolie fille,
I hope you like the sound of ma musique.
I saw you pass by on the walk,
and couldn't find the words to talk,
so I will turn my feelings en musique.
Musique
I give you des chansons d'amour,
from ancient worlds and old folklore,
with memories and sound of ma musique.
Just walk beside me hand in hand,
to my Mediterranean land,
listen to the voice of ma musique.
I saw you smiling silently my way,
your eyes reflecting sunlight in my heart,
you look so happy, care-free and so gay,
so closed to me and yet so far apart,
I felt if I could take your hand
that you would really understand
the reason I sing ma chanson d'amour.
The lyrics to Demis Roussos's song My Reason center around the theme of music being the singer's way to express his feelings towards a woman. He offers her his music as a means of communicating his love to her since he finds it difficult to find the right words to express his emotions. With the mention of the "sun song" and the "Mediterranean land", the song brings forth a strong sense of the singer's cultural identity, which is further emphasized by the reference to ancient worlds and old folklore.
The lyrics convey the singer's longing to connect with the woman and express his feelings, fueled by the positive reaction he has received from her in the form of a smile. He believes that music transcends language barriers and can help him bridge the gap between himself and the woman, making her understand why he sings his love song.
Overall, the song My Reason is a beautiful love ballad that highlights the power of music in expressing emotions and breaking down barriers.
Line by Line Meaning
Musique Musique
I am introducing my music to you with excitement and enthusiasm.
I sing to you ma jolie fille, a sun song that is deep in me, I hope you like the sound of ma musique.
I am singing a song with deep emotions to express my love to you, hoping you will appreciate it.
I saw you pass by on the walk, and couldn't find the words to talk, so I will turn my feelings en musique.
I was too nervous to talk to you when I saw you, so I will express my feelings through my music instead.
Musique
I keep emphasizing the importance of my music to convey how much it means to me.
I give you des chansons d'amour, from ancient worlds and old folklore, with memories and sound of ma musique.
I present you with love songs from different cultures and traditions, each with its own memories and feelings.
Just walk beside me hand in hand, to my Mediterranean land, listen to the voice of ma musique.
I invite you to join me on a journey to my homeland, to experience the beauty and passion of my music together.
I saw you smiling silently my way, your eyes reflecting sunlight in my heart, you look so happy, care-free and so gay, so closed to me and yet so far apart,
I noticed you looking at me with a smile, and I felt my heart light up with happiness. You appear to be joyful and carefree, and although we are close in proximity, we are still distant emotionally.
I felt if I could take your hand that you would really understand the reason I sing ma chanson d'amour.
I believe that if I hold your hand, you will comprehend the true reason behind the love songs that I sing.
Lyrics © MUSIC SALES CORPORATION, ALLO MUSIC EDITIONS
Written by: HELEN BANKS, CHARALAMPE CHALKITIS, STYLIANOS VLAVIANOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@frederickstjohn8069
Songwriters Stelios Vlavianos - Harry Chalkitis - Charalampe Chalkitis
I sing to you my jolie fille
A sad song that is deep in me
I hope you like the sound of my música
I saw you pass by on the walk
And couldn’t find the words to talk
So I wrote down my feelings on música
I give you this chanson d’amour
From ancient worlds? & old folklore
With memories & sounds of my música
Just walk beside me hand-in-hand
To my mediterranean land
Listening to the voice of my música
I saw you smiling silently my way
Your eyes reflecting sunlight in my heart
You looked so happy, carefree & so gay
So close to me and yet so far apart
I felt if I could take your hand
That you would really understand
The reason I sing my chanson d’amour.
@richardtattersall647
Love the Greek Islands demis roussos reminds me of thus beautiful islands and the people, lovely sunny days
@liaqopiashvilil9109
❤❤❤❤❤🎉🎉🎉❤❤❤
@claudiamarianidamato9499
Demis the angel sent to bring joy and love to so many peoples life . I love you Demis forever and ever ❤️❤️ 🇬🇷 🇮🇹
@faboroma
que hermoso comentario 🤗
@annemarieoudaert8870
Ik hoor heel graag zijn liedjes van Demis Roussos
@annemarieoudaert8870
@@faboroma❤❤❤❤😅😅😅😅😢😢😢😢❤❤❤😂
@leonhavin698
Demis, while you are looking down on us from heaven...loved your voice since 1972...
@dianthe5756
un cantec atat de frumos. Din Romania cu drag!!!
@joseblanco521
Fabuloso
Muchas gracias Señor Demiss por dejar estas lindas canciones.
Saludos desde San José de Maipo
Chile
@mercurioazul6839
Y pasaran y pasaran las epocas, generaciones y modas, y esta hermosa melodia nunca perdera su vigencia y su hermosura........