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.
Oxygen
Demis Roussos Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I hold it there, so deep inside me
'Til I'm about to burst
I speak each word as if it is Your name
I move my lips ... I see the whisper
Stir the gentle flame
Your heart beats and so does mine
And I know I'm alive
You are my oxygen
I breathe You in
I breathe You out
You are my oxygen
You are my love
You are what life's about
I take each breath as if it is my last
You never know what came so slowly
Could leave us, oh, so fast
I take each step as if it is to You
I hear Your voice
I feel Your presence
In everything I do
My soul sleeps, Your love revives
Our hearts meet
And I know I'm alive
You are my oxygen
I breathe You in
I breathe You out
You are my oxygen
You are my love
You are what life's about
The air is thick, the flower sweet
The shadow comes down
Tonight the moon is at my feet
And I breathe You in
I breathe You in to me
I'm nobody without You
If You were not here what would I do
You are my oxygen
I breathe You in
Oh I breathe You out
You are my oxygen
You are my love
You are what life's about
You are my oxygen
I breathe you in
I breathe you out
You are my oxygen
You are my love
You are what life's about
You are my oxygen
You are my love
You are what life's about
(You are my oxygen
)
The lyrics to Demis Roussos's song "Oxygen" convey a deep and personal relationship with the divine. The singer in the song takes each breath as if it is their first and their last, emphasizing the preciousness and fragility of life. They hold those breaths inside, cherishing them deeply. The singer speaks each word as if it is the name of a higher power, moving their lips and feeling the gentle flame of the divine within. They believe that their heart beats as one with this higher power, and that the love it embodies is what keeps them alive. The singer breathes in this love and sees it as their oxygen, the very sustenance that keeps them going.
The song is a beautiful tribute to the idea of a higher power or divine force, and to the idea that love and connection are essential to our survival. The lyrics convey a deep sense of gratitude and reverence for this force, which the singer sees as a fundamental part of their being. The melody is sweet and tender, matching the gentle, loving sentiments of the words.
Line by Line Meaning
I take each breath as if it is my first
I cherish every breath I take
I hold it there, so deep inside me
I savor the sensation of breathing in
'Til I'm about to burst
I feel so alive that I'm almost overwhelmed
I speak each word as if it is Your name
I put my heart into everything I say
I move my lips ... I see the whisper
I am aware of the power of my words
Stir the gentle flame
My words have a positive impact on others
Your heart beats and so does mine
We are connected by our love
Your love moves
Our love is always present
And I know I'm alive
Our love makes me feel truly alive
You are my oxygen
Our love is the source of my life
I breathe You in
I take in your love
I breathe You out
I share your love with the world
You are my love
Our love is the reason for my existence
You are what life's about
Our love gives my life meaning
I take each breath as if it is my last
I never take my life for granted
You never know what came so slowly
Life can change in an instant
Could leave us, oh, so fast
We must appreciate every moment
I take each step as if it is to You
I walk with purpose and intention
I hear Your voice
I am guided by your love
I feel Your presence
I am never alone
In everything I do
Our love is always with me
My soul sleeps, Your love revives
Our love gives me a sense of renewal
Our hearts meet
Our love brings us closer together
And I know I'm alive
Our love makes me feel truly alive
The air is thick, the flower sweet
I am surrounded by beauty
The shadow comes down
The darkness of life is always present
Tonight the moon is at my feet
I am filled with wonder at the world around me
And I breathe You in
I take in the beauty of life
I breathe You in to me
I let your love fill me up
I'm nobody without You
Our love gives me a sense of purpose
If You were not here what would I do
Our love is the foundation of my life
Contributed by Jacob M. Suggest a correction in the comments below.