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.
Race To The End
Demis Roussos Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Man running along
Each step that he's taking
A step to his soul
The passion and courage
It takes to be there
The spirit of freedom
Alive in the air
Whenever the running man awakes
To chalenge, to glory
He knows he can turn the key once more
To unlock the soul
The way becomes clearer, the way is complete
The need, that of winning
Admit no defeat
The circles together
Hold hands to the sky
The freedom of running
The freedom to fly
Let no man surround himself with pain
But use it to free him
The game is to learn, to live again
To try to the end
A race to the end
The lyrics of Demis Roussos's song Race To The End are inspirational and significant, triggering various interpretations. The song depicts a man's journey towards freedom through running. Each step that he takes is like a step to his soul, indicating that running impacts not only the physical, but also the emotional and spiritual aspects of his being. It requires courage, passion, and endurance to keep going, and the spirit of freedom permeates the air, filling him with an undying spirit to keep going.
The song goes on to encourage the runner to never admit defeat, but instead use the pain to free him or herself as a means of learning and growing stronger. The need to win is also of significance, but it should not define the experience. Rather, the process of running - the way - is what is important. The circles coming together and holding hands to the sky represents the sense of unity and camaraderie among runners. It is a reminder that running is also a social activity that brings people together.
Overall, the song is about achieving the ultimate freedom through running. The runner's journey is a race to the end, not only to reach the finish line, but also to find oneself, to learn, to live fully, and to attain an undeniable sense of freedom.
Line by Line Meaning
There is but one freedom
The true freedom is the one that comes from within oneself.
Man running along
Man is a continuous traveler through his life's journey.
Each step that he's taking
Each step we take must be taken with purpose and meaning.
A step to his soul
Our actions, even the small ones, tend to define our soul.
The passion and courage
To achieve true freedom, one must have the passion and courage to pursue it relentlessly.
It takes to be there
All the sacrifices and hardships are necessary to reach it.
The spirit of freedom
The inner spirit of a person, which is free from any external restraints, is essential to achieving freedom.
Alive in the air
There is a sense of liberation, of new possibilities, that can be felt in the air.
Whenever the running man awakes
Every time one wakes up to a new day, they have the opportunity to chase their dreams once again.
To challenge, to glory
The pursuit of glory requires taking on the toughest challenges.
He knows he can turn the key once more
No matter how hard the fall, we have the power to pick ourselves up again and keep going.
To unlock the soul
We have the power to rejuvenate our souls if we believe in ourselves.
The way becomes clearer, the way is complete
As we progress on this race toward our dreams, the path ahead will become clearer, and our purpose more defined.
The need, that of winning
The need to overcome challenges and achieve victory is what drives the human spirit.
Admit no defeat
The pursuit of freedom and glory demands no surrender ever.
The circles together
Friends and family will fist bump, stand up, support,and be with you at every step of this race.
Hold hands to the sky
Together, we can conquer every challenge and reach for the stars.
The freedom of running
One can find a sense of freedom while running towards their dreams.
The freedom to fly
Once we break free from the shackles that hold us back, we can soar with freedom.
Let no man surround himself with pain
We must not let the pain from past failures dictate our current actions.
But use it to free him
Use the experience of the pain to propel oneself further and harder towards success.
The game is to learn, to live again
Life is a game of learning to rediscover passion after every failure.
To try to the end
Giving up is not an option on this race to success.
A race to the end
This life is a race to pursue one's dreams until the very end.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: . VANGELIS, JON ANDERSON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Maria Lins
Maravilhoso vc sublime melhor cantor melhor intérprete do mundo 😍💋💋🇧🇷 gênio extraordinário impagável patrimônio da humanidade 🇧🇷🇧🇷🌹
Ademir Sacoman
Essa música toca fundo o meu coração, pois passei momentos difíceis na minha vida e essa musica me faz lembrar! Esse cantor deixa muitas saudades!
Maria Aparecida
Sem palavras...só ouvir e admirar👏👏👏❤❤❤🇧🇷🇧🇷🇧🇷🇧🇷❤❤❤❤
Odeneide Barbosa Félix
ESSA MÚSICA É LINDA LINDA LINDA CHEGA DÓI DE TANTA SAUDADE DEUS MEU DEUS!!!!😭😭🙏🏻🌷🖤
Maria Lins
Essa voz mágica mexe com nosso sentimento, nosso ser profundamente 🥹🥹🇧🇷 música linda com essa voz mágica é tudo de bom ☺️😍🇧🇷
Iracema Modesto
O gênio da música romântica, a voz mais linda de todas.
Maria Georgina Silva
Querido, a voz rouquinha e única. Inesquecível. Amo.
Maria Lins
Linda demais 🤩😍😍😍 não é mesmo? Aí ai...
Iracema Modesto
Que bela interpretação, energia, potencia, ao mesmo tempo a voz doce de DEMIS ROUSSOS.
Angela Delfino
Amado Demis Roussos cantou brilhou e Encantou o mundo de carisma e romantismo. Saudades Eterna. Amo muito. ❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤