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.
Rain & Tears
Demis Roussos Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Rain and tears are the same
But in the sun you've got to play the game
When you cry in winter time
You can pretend
It's nothing but the rain
How many times I've seen
Rain and tears are the same
But in the sun you've got to play the game
Give me an answer God
Sign me an answer God
Rain and tears both are shown
But in my heart there'll never be a sun
Rain and tears are the same
But in the sun you've got to play the game
The song "Rain and Tears" by Demis Roussos is a melancholic tune about the duality of life. The lyrics speak about how rain and tears are the same, both representing sadness and sorrow. However, in the sun, you have to play the game, meaning that you have to put on a brave face and pretend everything is okay. The line "Give me an answer God, sign me an answer God" is an appeal for divine guidance during difficult times.
The song also highlights the pain of a broken relationship. The line "How many times I've seen tears running from your blue eyes" suggests that the singer has been witness to someone's heartbreak. The final lines of the song reveal a particularly bleak outlook, "Rain and tears both are shown, but in my heart, there'll never be a sun." This ending implies that the singer's heart will remain forever broken, and that true happiness is unattainable.
Line by Line Meaning
Rain and tears
Both represent sadness and sorrow.
Rain and tears are the same
Both carry the same feeling of sadness and sorrow.
But in the sun you've got to play the game
When life is happy, you should enjoy it without letting sadness ruin it.
When you cry in winter time
When you feel sad and alone.
You can pretend
You can try to hide your sadness and show the world that everything is okay.
It's nothing but the rain
Your tears are just like rain, falling from the sky.
How many times I've seen
The singer has witnessed the person's sadness many times before.
Tears running from your blue eyes
The person is crying and their tears are falling from their blue eyes.
Give me an answer God
The artist is asking for guidance from a higher power to help them understand the situation.
Sign me an answer God
The artist wants a clear sign or answer to help them know what to do.
Rain and tears both are shown
Sadness can manifest itself in different ways, like crying or being depressed.
But in my heart there'll never be a sun
The artist's heart is always heavy with sadness.
Rain and tears are the same
Once again, both represent sadness and sorrow.
But in the sun you've got to play the game
Still emphasizing the importance of enjoying life's happy moments.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: EVANGELOS PAPATHANASSIOU, GERARD BERGMAN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@user-wm1ub6pn7i
Rain and tears are the same
But in the sun
You've got to play the game
When you cry in winter time
You can pretend
It's nothing but the rain
How many times I've seen
Tears coming from your blue eyes
Rain and tears are the same
But in the sun
You've got to play the game
Give me an answer of love
I need an answer of love
Rain and tears in the sun
But in your heart
You feel the rainbow waves
Rain and tears both I shun
For in my heart
There'll never be a sun
Rain and tears are the same
But in the sun
You've got to play the game
@asridiansari3627
Orang indonesia mana jempolnya.
Sewaktu SD dulu tiap pagi bapak ku slalu muter lagu ini,jdi udh mendarah daging...
Bpk ku meninggal 3 taun yg lalu.
Dan inilah lagu kenangan dia..
Selalu sedih tiap mendengar lagu ini..
😭😭😭
@udinsedunia571
Sekarang umur anda brp?
@asridiansari3627
@@udinsedunia571 37 taun bang.
@Brokodoiy13
tpi sdh menikah belum Mba
@user-pz1fy6xl7x
Hadeeer mas..hadeeeeer di tahun 2024 neh
@bettyl9847
When I first heard of this beautiful song, I was 16 at a party! The song touched the bottom of my heart and I fell in love with it ever since! And now I’m 60! Rain n Tears is by far the greatest and the most beautiful sad song in this century Tears would cloud up my eyes when I listen to it over and over; its so powerful that it brings back a lot of memories, love and feelings I had been through! Thank you Demis RIP 💖🌷
@fatlo8400
Hi Betty, your story almost the same with mine, but I listened the song in early 70s, and now I'm 66. God blesses you.
@c0179614
It was 1977, I heard it in the radio. I was amazed too, I was a teenager, I don't know the content. I am 58 now.
@nitagultom473
My husband passed and my tears fall like rain. I love this song...thank you Demis RIP
@dineiamassuia8524
Muito lindas as suas palavras! It s beautifull tou words! Y love Thais sonho!👏👏👏👏👏