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.
Schönes Mädchen aus Arcadia
Demis Roussos Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Ein kurzer Traum vom Glücklichsein
Oh, er ging viel zu schnell vorbei
Es kam der Abschied für uns zwei
Nun denke ich nur noch daran
Wie ich dich wiedersehen kann.
Ich will immer bei dir sein
Denn seit ich in deine Augen sah
Träum' ich Tag und Nacht von dir
Tag und Nacht von dir allein.
Den letzten Tanz vergess' ich nie
Ich hör' noch heut die Melodie.
Wo ich auch bin, was ich auch tu'
Die Sehnsucht lässt mir keine Ruh'
Erst wenn ich wieder bei dir bin
Bekommt mein Leben einen Sinn
Schönes Mädchen aus Arcadia
Ich will immer bei dir sein
Denn seit ich in deine Augen sah
Träum' ich Tag und Nacht von dir
Tag und Nacht von dir allein.
Schönes Mädchen aus Arcadia
Oh, ich muss dich wiederseh'n.
Ich komme wieder nach Arcadia
Und ein ganzes Leben lang
Werd' ich nie mehr von dir geh'n
Werd' ich nie mehr von dir geh'n
The song "Schönes Mädchen aus Arcadia" by Demis Roussos is a love song about a man who met a beautiful girl from Arcadia in the sunshine. Although their happiness was brief, he cannot forget about her and thinks only of how to see her again. The song takes the listener on a journey of the man's longing to be with her again, with the memories of their last dance and the melody lingering in his mind. The man's life only has meaning when he is with her, and he dreams of being by her side day and night.
The song's lyrics convey a deep sense of love and longing, and it highlights the significance of meeting someone special, even if it's just for a brief moment. The song also presents a desire to be with someone who has captured the heart and taken over the thoughts of the singer. The use of the phrase "Schönes Mädchen aus Arcadia" (Beautiful Girl from Arcadia) gives an exotic charm to the song, and the singer's desire to never leave her side creates a romantic aura that makes this song a beautiful love ballad.
Line by Line Meaning
Wir trafen uns im Sonnenschein
We met each other under bright sunlight
Ein kurzer Traum vom Glücklichsein
It was a brief dream of happiness
Oh, er ging viel zu schnell vorbei
But it passed by much too quickly
Es kam der Abschied für uns zwei
The time came for us two to say goodbye
Nun denke ich nur noch daran
Now I only think about
Wie ich dich wiedersehen kann.
How I can see you again.
Schönes Mädchen aus Arcadia
Beautiful girl from Arcadia
Ich will immer bei dir sein
I always want to be with you
Denn seit ich in deine Augen sah
Because ever since I looked into your eyes
Träum' ich Tag und Nacht von dir
I dream of you day and night
Tag und Nacht von dir allein.
Day and night, you alone.
Den letzten Tanz vergess' ich nie
I will never forget the last dance
Ich hör' noch heut die Melodie.
I still hear the melody today
Wo ich auch bin, was ich auch tu'
Wherever I am, whatever I do
Die Sehnsucht lässt mir keine Ruh'
The longing never leaves me in peace
Erst wenn ich wieder bei dir bin
Only when I'm with you again
Bekommt mein Leben einen Sinn
Will my life have meaning
Oh, ich muss dich wiederseh'n.
Oh, I have to see you again.
Ich komme wieder nach Arcadia
I will come back to Arcadia
Und ein ganzes Leben lang
And for my entire life
Werd' ich nie mehr von dir geh'n
I will never leave you again
Contributed by Alexandra O. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@tangoteflon1050
mein Vater hat immer gesagt Demis hat eine engelsgleiche Stimme,im Januar ist mein Vater an Corona gestorben und ich sitze nun hier und höre Demis und schwelge in Erinnerungen .Bin 38 und liebe diese griechischen einflüsse in der Musik!
@kassetten_apparat7123
Gott hab dein Vati selig. Viel Kraft dir
@tangoteflon1050
@@kassetten_apparat7123 Danke, das ist lieb =)
@fjdnrncnfnnenw7543
Lijepa pjesma. Tvoj otac je bio u pravu. Neka počiva u miru Božjem.
@bontgenkurt6722
Mein Gott, es ist 40 Jahre her, und die Freud ist geblieben. Mein Leben war gut, meinem Schöpfer trete ich mal gerne entgegen. Für dieses Leben kann ich mich nur bedanken.
@ich9905
Alles Gut ich weiß was fu meinst. ..............
@melancholia5854
@Gisela Wuschek du MUSST ja nicht an GOTT glauben, tust mir leid....
@NOS2IeX
Hier kommt Kurt
@renatejung4395
Ich werde ihn immer lieben, so eine Stimme wird es nie mehr geben
@Strandpirat
Ich stimme Dir zu. Als meine Mutter früher immer sagte, sie höre ihn so gern, dachte ich als Kind immer "Hm, naja geht so ne!" Aber dieses Timbre in der Stimme und die Klangfarbe sind einzigartig und ich liebe seine Stimme heute so wie meine Mutter früher.