Artemios Roussos was born on June 15, 1946 in Alexandria, Egypt, and died o… Read Full Bio ↴Artemios Roussos was born on June 15, 1946 in Alexandria, Egypt, and died on January 25, 2015 in Athens, Greece. As George and Olga’s first son, he was of Greek extraction. Three years later, his younger brother Costandinos, was born.

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.

Time and Tide
Demis Roussos Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Time and Tide

Time and tide
Your rolling rhythms
Are the music of my past
Hard times move slowly
While the good times move so fast
The good times move so fast

Roll on time and tide
Your summer sunlight
Seems to melt away disguise
Reflects the warmth of summer
In a young girl's eyes,
In a young girl's eyes,

And love
There's love enough for two
Every morning
Come let us taste it
Find the love
In a life so quickly through
An April morning
We must not waste it.

Time and tide
I've watched your perfect sunsets
slip into the waves
Your light has gone,
Your beauty, mind and memory saves
My sweet memory saves.

Time and tide
Your rolling rhythms
Are the music of my past
Hard times move slowly
While the good times move so fast
The good times move so fast.

And love
There is love enough for two
Every morning
Come let us taste it
Find the love
In a life so quickly through
An April morning
We must not waste it.

Find the love
Find the love

Overall Meaning

The song "Time and Tide" by Demis Roussos, released in 1978, is a love song which reflects on the passage of time and the importance of cherishing the good moments in life. The lyrics talk about the rolling rhythms of time and tide, which are the music of the singer's past. The hard times move slowly while the good times seem to pass in the blink of an eye. The singer urges the listener to find love, reminding them that every morning is an opportunity not to be wasted.

The rolling rhythms of time and tide are metaphors for the way in which life unfolds. The perfect sunsets and the summer sunlight which melts away disguise are moments of beauty which leave a lasting impression on the singer's memory. The warmth of summer reflects in a young girl's eyes, providing a reminder of the beauty of life. However, time and tide wait for no one and the singer acknowledges that the good times move so fast, urging the listener to seize every moment of happiness.

The repetition of the phrase "find the love" is a call to action for the listener to actively seek out love and to cherish it when they find it. The song is a reminder that life is precious and that it is important to appreciate the good times while we can. "Time and Tide" is a song that encourages us to live in the present and to make the most of every moment.

Line by Line Meaning

Time and tide
The unstoppable flow of time and the ocean's tides

Your rolling rhythms
The continuous and inevitable movements of time and the tide

Are the music of my past
The sound of time and tide remind the singer of his past

Hard times move slowly
The difficult periods of life feel slow and never-ending

While the good times move so fast
The happy moments of life seem to pass by too quickly

Roll on time and tide
The singer observes time and tide as they continue to move forward

Your summer sunlight
The warmth and brightness of the summer season

Seems to melt away disguise
The pleasant weather reveals the true nature of things

Reflects the warmth of summer
Radiates and shares the pleasant feelings of summer

In a young girl's eyes
The innocence and beauty of youth that can be seen in someone's gaze

And love
The feelings of affection and connection to someone

There's love enough for two
The love that exists can be shared by two individuals

Every morning
Every new day that brings new opportunities

Come let us taste it
Let us experience the goodness of life and love

Find the love
Discover and appreciate the love that exists around us

In a life so quickly through
Given how fast life passes, we must make the most of every moment

An April morning
A reference to a specific moment in time

We must not waste it.
We should seize every opportunity and not let it pass by

I've watched your perfect sunsets
The singer has witnessed the beauty of the setting sun as a symbol of the passing of time

slip into the waves
The sun sets over the ocean, disappearing into the waves

Your light has gone,
The light of day has disappeared, with night approaching

Your beauty, mind and memory saves
The memory of the beauty of life and its experiences is something to treasure

My sweet memory saves.
The singer cherishes the sweet memories of their past experiences

Find the love
A call to action to embrace and experience the love available in life

Find the love
Reiterating the need to find and appreciate the love that surrounds us

Writer(s): Paul Hamilton Williams

Contributed by Nathan N. Suggest a correction in the comments below.

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what the heck ??? he's not dead dude lol, where do you get these bizarre things from ?

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