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.
When a Child Is Born
Demis Roussos Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
A tiny star lights up way up high
All across the land dawns a brand new morn
This comes to pass when a child is born
A silent wish sails the seven seas
The winds have changed whisper in the trees
And the walls of doubt crumble tossed and torn
A rosy hue settles all around
You've got the feel you're on solid ground
For a spell or two no-one seems forlorn
This comes to pass when a child is born
And all of this happened
Because whe world is waiting
Waiting for one child
Black, white, yellow, no one knows
But a child that would grow up and turn tears to laughter
Hate to love, war to peace
And everyone to everyone's neighbour
Misery and suffering would be forgotten forever
It's all a dream and illusion now
It must come true, sometimes soon somehow
All across the land dawns a brand new morn
This comes to pass when a child is born
The song "When a Child Is Born" by Demis Roussos is a beautiful and inspiring hymn that speaks of the great hope and joy that comes with the birth of a child. The lyrics of the song suggest that the birth of a child brings a new beginning, a fresh start, and a chance for redemption. The first stanza, “A ray of hope flitters in the sky. A tiny star lights up way up high”, describes the arrival of a new day, as the birth of a child illuminates the world with a powerful and positive light. This light brings a sense of hope, and as the walls of doubt crumble, people can begin to believe that anything is possible.
The second stanza, “A silent wish sails the seven seas. The winds have changed whisper in the trees”, shows how the arrival of a child can be felt throughout the world. The idea that a silent wish is sailing the seven seas is a powerful metaphor for the idea that the birth of a single child can have a profound impact on the entire planet. The winds of change are blowing, and people are beginning to believe that a better world is possible.
The final stanza, “And all of this happened. Because the world is waiting. Waiting for one child. Black, white, yellow, no one knows. But a child that would grow up and turn tears to laughter”, is perhaps the most powerful of all. It suggests that the world is waiting for a transformative event, something that will change the course of history for the better. That event is the birth of a child, who will grow up and become a beacon of hope, love, peace, and joy for all people.
Overall, the song "When a Child Is Born" is a beautiful and uplifting tribute to the power of new life and the endless possibilities of the future. It speaks to the deep-seated human desire for hope, love, and peace, and it suggests that all of these things are possible if we just begin with a single child.
Line by Line Meaning
A ray of hope flitters in the sky
A feeling of optimism arises at the beginning of a new life.
A tiny star lights up way up high
The arrival of a new child symbolizes a bright and shining future.
All across the land dawns a brand new morn
The birth of the child signals the start of a new era.
This comes to pass when a child is born
The positive changes in the world happen when a new child is born.
A silent wish sails the seven seas
The world holds out hope for a better future because of the birth of a child.
The winds have changed whisper in the trees
A sense of change and transformation is present in the world because of the child's birth.
And the walls of doubt crumble tossed and torn
Uncertainty and hesitancy about the future fade away due to the arrival of the child.
A rosy hue settles all around
A sense of happiness and contentment envelops the world after the birth of the child.
You've got the feel you're on solid ground
People feel confident about the future because of the child's birth.
For a spell or two no-one seems forlorn
A time of happiness and joy dawns upon the world because of the child's birth.
And all of this happened
All the positive changes in the world are the result of the birth of the child.
Because the world is waiting
The world holds out hope for a better future through the birth of the child.
Waiting for one child
The arrival of one child can bring about positive change in the world.
Black, white, yellow, no one knows
The child could come from any race or nationality, but their impact on the world would be significant.
But a child that would grow up and turn tears to laughter
The child would grow up to be a source of happiness and joy for people.
Hate to love, war to peace
The child's positive impact on the world would be to end hatred and war and promote love and peace.
And everyone to everyone's neighbour
The child's impact would be to bring people closer together and promote community.
Misery and suffering would be forgotten forever
The child's presence would bring about an end to suffering and pain forever.
It's all a dream and illusion now
These changes are a distant dream and not yet a reality.
It must come true, sometimes soon somehow
There is hope that these changes will come true, but it's not clear how and when they will happen.
All across the land dawns a brand new morn
The child's birth heralds a new dawn for humanity.
This comes to pass when a child is born
The arrival of a new child is the catalyst for all the positive changes that can happen in the world.
Contributed by Sophie E. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Consuelo Sánchez saavedra
Es imposible no dejar caer lágrimas escuchando esta voz tan hermosa, dónde estés serás un ángel cantando a la eternidad. 🙏🙏🙏
Lavínia Antonietti
Adorável Demis Roussos. Muita paz e luz onde estiver. Eterno em nossos corações 💕
marise
A mais linda interpretação dessa música é com Demis roussos esplêndido.
❤
GRAZIELLA GIULIETTI
Amo profondamente questa voce che è come una bacchetta magica che porta gioia a chi l'ascolta.
Cleunice Ameida
🙋sensacional este homem cantava com o coração
Yves Stoeckel
La voix, la musique c'est merveilleux, sublime 💓💓
PP59LILLE
Chanson interprétée magnifiquement avec plein d'émotion quel chanteur nous ne sommes pas prêt de t'oublier❤❤
Vera Lucia Oliveira Rigolon
Belíssima essa canção de adoração à Jesus,nessa belíssima voz, inesquecível Demis Roussos
odilia de abreu
Que hermoso la voz de demis hace que la navidad sea más linda, hasta siempre querido amigo sigue cantando con los Anjeles, usted siempre estará en nuestros corazones
Angelines Igorre
Nire bihots kutuna Afrodita semeak taldekoak hizin zerenetik .