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.
Sometimes When We Touch
Demis Roussos Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And I choke on my reply,
I'd rather hurt you honestly
Than mislead you with a lie.
For who am I to judge you,
In what you say or do,
I'm only just beginning
And sometimes when we touch,
The honesty's too much,
And I have to close my eyes and hide.
I want to hold you till I die,
Till we both break down and cry.
I want to hold you till the fear in me subsides.
Romance with honest strategy
Leaves me battling with my pride,
But through the insecurity
Some tenderness survives.
I'm just another writer,
Still trapped within my truth,
A hesitant prize-fighter,
Still trapped within my youth.
And sometimes when we touch,
The honesty's too much,
And I have to close my eyes and hide.
I want to hold you till I die,
Till we both break down and cry.
I want to hold you till the fear in me subsides.
At times I'd like to break you,
And drive you to your knees.
At times I'd like to break through,
And hold you endlessly.
At times I understand you,
And I know how hard you try.
I've watched while love commands you,
I've watched love pass you by.
At times I think we're drifters,
Still searching for a friend,
A brother or a sister
But then the passion flares again.
And sometimes when we touch,
The honesty's too much,
And I have to close my eyes and hide.
I want to hold you till I die,
Till we both break down and cry.
I want to hold you till the fear in me subsides.
The song "Sometimes When We Touch" by Demis Roussos portrays a complex relationship where the singer finds it difficult to express his love for his partner in fear of hurting her. The lyrics suggest that the singer prefers to be honest, even if it causes pain, rather than leading his partner on with false promises. He acknowledges his own insecurities and is open about how sometimes his fear of being vulnerable prevents him from fully expressing his love.
The lyrics convey a deep sense of longing and passion, as the singer yearns to hold his partner till he dies, so they both break down and cry, and the fear in him subsides. He compares their relationship to being like "drifters", searching for a friend, a brother, or a sister, but with the passion between them always flaring again. The singer is aware of the challenges in their relationship and that love can be difficult, but he is still hopeful that some tenderness will survive, even with his own uncertainties.
The song speaks to the complexities of relationships and the difficulty of being honest and vulnerable with those we love. It shows that love can be painful at times, but it is worth it in the end to hold onto that love and cherish it. The lyrics and music combine to make a beautiful, emotional ballad that resonates with many.
Line by Line Meaning
You ask me if I love you
You ask me if I have romantic feelings for you
And I choke on my reply,
And I hesitate and struggle to respond
I'd rather hurt you honestly
I would prefer to be truthful and risk hurting you emotionally
Than mislead you with a lie.
Than deceive you with false information or emotions
For who am I to judge you,
Because I am not in a position to criticize, assess or evaluate you
In what you say or do,
In your words or actions
I'm only just beginning
I am still in the early stages of discovering, realizing and comprehending
To see the real you.
To see your true essence or identity
And sometimes when we touch,
Occasionally when we physically connect
The honesty's too much,
The sincerity or frankness is overwhelming or intense
And I have to close my eyes and hide.
And I need to shut my eyes and conceal my emotions or vulnerability
I want to hold you till I die,
I want to embrace you for the rest of my life or until the end of my existence
Till we both break down and cry.
Until we both succumb to intense emotions and cry
I want to hold you till the fear in me subsides.
I want to hug you until my apprehension or anxiety diminishes
Romance with honest strategy
Love with a transparent and truthful plan
Leaves me battling with my pride,
Makes me struggle or fight against my self-assurance, complacency, or vanity
But through the insecurity
However, despite the lack of confidence or assurance
Some tenderness survives.
Some affection or gentleness persists
I'm just another writer,
I am only one among many writers
Still trapped within my truth,
Still confined or confined by what I believe or consider to be truthful
A hesitant prize-fighter,
A timid or cautious warrior or fighter
Still trapped within my youth.
Still confined or confined by my younger years or past experiences
At times I'd like to break you,
Sometimes I would want to emotionally or mentally destroy you
And drive you to your knees.
And make you feel overwhelmed, defeated or helpless
At times I'd like to break through,
At other times, I want to penetrate, connect with, and have a profound bond with you
And hold you endlessly.
And embrace you endlessly or forever
At times I understand you,
Occasionally I comprehend, appreciate and empathize with you
And I know how hard you try.
And I know how much effort or energy you exert
I've watched while love commands you,
I have observed how love motivates, influences or directs you
I've watched love pass you by.
I have witnessed how love eludes or avoids you
At times I think we're drifters,
Sometimes I think we are wandering aimlessly or devoid of direction
Still searching for a friend,
Still seeking someone to be your companion or ally
A brother or a sister
A sibling or someone who treats us like one
But then the passion flares again.
But then the fervor, enthusiasm or ardor reignites again.
Lyrics © OLE MEDIA MANAGEMENT LP
Written by: STEVIE WONDER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Maria Lins
Demis Roussos linda voz ...insubstituível...chega doer sua ausência...adeus você foi uma obra prima de Deus.
Maria Lins
Demis Roussos a Voz.... Tremenda Voz.... Isso é absurdo de lindo!!!
Yinetté Tamara
UNA DE MIS MELODIAS PREFERIDAS EN LA MARAVILLOSA VOZ DE MI AMADO DEMIS DESCANSA EN PAZ NUNCA TE OLVIDAREMOS.
Fina Cayuela Padilla
!!!siempre vivo en nuestro corazón..siempre bello,grande Demis!!!!!!!!!!!!!!España 2019
Šárka Vodecká
tuhletu píseň u nás zpívá Kája Gott oba mistři jí zpívají dokonale
GHegazy1
@bikrubigny hi is it possible that you share it ... i love watching Demis live :-)
Maria Lins
Existiu cantor mais amado que Demis Roussos....?? Nao existe voz mais linda que a dele e romantica .. Viva demis.
Angela Rodriguez
Ohhhh hermoso video yo Amo sus canciones
Anna Mazzucchelli
Bellissima anche la versione in italiano genio della musica
7IceBlue
How many videos have you copied from Radar , kaily and others, you think it is okay to copy other's people work?