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.
Tell Me Now
Demis Roussos Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Pardon me if i disturb you for a little while
I won't keep or delay you
Can't afford your time
What happened to your smile
Are you so blind you can see
All the things that bind you
Tell me now ...now tell me...
Where's the time you should have taken
For a friendly sign
Were you ever half mistaken
Did you care to find
Look at your hands and tell me
How many times they gave
More than your share
If once free shall you try
And save me
And trouble times are over
Here comes a bright new day
And trouble times are over
Tell me what to say
Tell me now... tell me now...
Pardon me but you seem worried
Could I be the cause
Of reflections left in flurry
Is it just because
You saw it all before you
But never dared to try
You ran away now tell me
Can you find a reason
Tell me now tell me now (bis)
The song "Tell Me Now" by Demis Roussos is an expression of concern and caring for someone who seems to have lost their way. The lyrics start with an apology for disturbing the listener, but the singer quickly moves on to express their feelings of urgency, stating that they cannot keep or delay the listener. The singer then proceeds to ask the listener about their troubles, wondering why they seem to have lost their smile.
The chorus of the song is a plea for the listener to speak up and tell the singer what is going on. The singer asks where the listener's time has gone and if they have ever been mistaken about anything. The singer then urges the listener to look at their hands and recognize all the times they have given more than their fair share. The song's final verse is an assurance that the singer will be there to help the listener, even if they are in trouble.
Overall, "Tell Me Now" is a poignant and empathetic plea for communication and understanding. The singer expresses concern for the listener and is eager to help them find their way back to a happier place. The song's message is one of hope and encouragement, urging the listener to speak up and share their troubles so that they can be resolved.
Line by Line Meaning
Pardon me if i disturb you for a little while
Excuse me for bothering you momentarily
I won't keep or delay you
I won't take up too much of your time
Can't afford your time
I understand your time is valuable
But if you cared to tell me
But if you are willing to share
What happened to your smile
What made your smile disappear?
Are you so blind you can see
Are you oblivious to what's holding you back
All the things that bind you
All the things that are keeping you tied down
Tell me now ...now tell me...
Please open up and tell me what's going on
Where's the time you should have taken
You missed out on taking the time to connect with others
For a friendly sign
To show a sign of kindness
Were you ever half mistaken
Were you ever uncertain and second-guessed yourself
Did you care to find
Did you try to find the truth
Look at your hands and tell me
Reflect on your actions and tell me
How many times they gave
How many times have you given
More than your share
More than what was expected
If once free shall you try
If given a chance, will you try
And save me
And help me get through tough times
And trouble times are over
The tough times have passed
Here comes a bright new day
A new and better day is ahead
Tell me what to say
Tell me what you need to hear
Pardon me but you seem worried
I'm sorry but you appear to be anxious
Could I be the cause
Did I contribute to your worries
Of reflections left in flurry
Of thoughts that are overwhelming
Is it just because
Is it only because
You saw it all before you
You witnessed it happening before your eyes
But never dared to try
But you were too afraid to act
You ran away now tell me
You left, now please explain
Can you find a reason
Can you figure out why you acted that way
Tell me now tell me now (bis)
Please open up and tell me what's going on (repeat)
Lyrics © ALLO MUSIC EDITIONS
Written by: Robert CONSTANDINOS, Argyris KOULOURIS, Stylianos VLAVIANOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@MrDidaxi
Holy moly! It’s been quite a while since I last listened to this gem!