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.
Rebecca
Demis Roussos Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Rebecca, breathe me the old song,
It makes me feel right in a world so wrong.
Rebecca, breathe me the old land,
Rebecca, help me to your star,
It shines right away, where ever you are.
Rebecca, let your mind no more,
Run over stars shaking your door.
Rebecca, back in our school days,
We would play at separate yards,
And then deep in the same haze,
We met up with faceless guards.
Hum hum hum hum hum hum
Rebecca Rebecca .
Rebecca, breathe me the old song,
It makes me feel right in a world so wrong,
Rebecca, breathe me the new land,
Where you now sleep out of hand...
Rebecca, back in our school days,
We would play at separate yards,
And then deep in the same haze,
We met up with faceless guards
Hum hum hum hum hum hum
Rebecca Rebecca
The song "Rebecca" by Demis Roussos is a nostalgic ode to a past love who once shared happy moments with the singer. The lyrics express a desire to reconnect with the past and remind the singer of a time where everything felt right in a world that often feels wrong. The song mentions Pentecost cakes, a traditional dessert eaten during the Christian holiday of Pentecost, which suggests that the singer and his love shared a cultural background. Rebecca is asked to bring back the comforting songs and reminiscences of their shared memories.
The song is full of imagery and metaphors. The star that Rebecca is asked to help guide the singer towards is likely a symbol of hope and guidance. The phrase "shaking your door" is also symbolic and possibly represents a disruption or an awakening in the singer's life. The faceless guards mentioned in the song could be interpreted as the obstacles that often stand in the way of love and happiness.
Overall, "Rebecca" is a touching tribute to a love that once was, and a testament to the power of nostalgia and longing.
Line by Line Meaning
Rebecca, breathe me the old song,
The singer asks Rebecca to sing an old song that brings comfort in a world of chaos.
It makes me feel right in a world so wrong.
The old song gives the singer a sense of rightness and purpose in a world that is filled with negativity.
Rebecca, breathe me the old land,
The singer asks Rebecca to remind him of the beauty and simplicity of their old homeland.
With pentecost cakes in our hand.
The Pentecost cakes symbolize the joy that the artist feels in reliving fond memories of the past with Rebecca.
Rebecca, help me to your star,
The artist asks Rebecca to lead him towards her star to help him find his way in life.
It shines right away, where ever you are.
Rebecca's star is a guiding light, always present and helping the singer find his way, no matter where he may be.
Rebecca, let your mind no more,
The singer asks Rebecca to stop worrying and overthinking, and instead find peace in the present moment.
Run over stars shaking your door.
The artist urges Rebecca to stop obsessing over her problems, and instead open her doors to new and exciting opportunities.
Rebecca, back in our school days,
The artist reminisces about their happy school days.
We would play at separate yards,
Despite being in separate classes, the artist and Rebecca were able to enjoy their time together at school games and activities.
And then deep in the same haze,
As they grew older, Rebecca and the singer found themselves facing similar challenges and uncertainties in life.
We met up with faceless guards.
This metaphorical language implies that the artist and Rebecca faced obstacles that seemed insurmountable and daunting.
Rebecca, breathe me the old song,
The singer repeats the earlier line to emphasize the importance of finding comfort in the past and in their shared happy memories.
It makes me feel right in a world so wrong,
The old song provides solace and comfort in a world that seems full of problems and chaos.
Rebecca, breathe me the new land,
The singer asks Rebecca to lead him towards new and exciting opportunities and experiences.
Where you now sleep out of hand...
This line implies that Rebecca has passed away, and the artist seeks comfort in their shared memories and in her guidance towards a new life.
Rebecca, back in our school days,
The repetition of this line emphasizes the importance of childhood memories in providing solace and comfort in times of adversity.
We would play at separate yards,
This line again emphasizes that childhood memories form a bedrock of shared experience and joy between the singer and Rebecca.
And then deep in the same haze,
This line also represents the idea that difficult experiences can be shared, leading to a stronger bond between people.
We met up with faceless guards
This line again emphasizes the challenges that the artist and Rebecca faced, and how they conquered them together through support and shared experience.
Lyrics © MUSIC SALES CORPORATION, ALLO MUSIC EDITIONS
Written by: BORIS BERGMAN, CHARALAMPE CHALKITIS, STYLIANOS VLAVIANOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@melissapace2907
I named my daughter Rebecca because of this song.❤️
@agnespentz7589
God bless you
@rachelbrodkin9290
You are not alone! So did my sister!
@luitxi0116
Really? That's so cool... 😊
@Teuti
And my Son is Called DEMIS 😍
@margosipman2799
Wat is dit een mooi lied!! Op m,n l p zitten gewoon krassen zoveel heb ik de naald teruggezet!! Grandioos!!! Nummer!!🥁🎹🎸🎺🎷🎤🎶💕💕💕🦜🦜🇱🇺🇱🇺
@arifbenfaid2376
This is no music, it's pure gold!
@KriniRina
В 88 году в Ленинграде была на его концерте...плакала под эту песню...от счастья.
@marinacastro.5475
Sin palabras, es una canción bellísima. Demis tenia una voz magistral, con mucho color y matices, es un dolor que nos dejaras sin tu arte y presencia. Te quiero por siempre, griego de mi corazón ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️🌹🌹🌹🌹
@user-vt8vz7yo8s
слушал бы его с утра довечера.И мне посчастливилось побывать на его концерте!