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.

White Sails
Demis Roussos Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

White sails... White sails...
Mast runing high,
Run and knock in every door
Tell the women not to cry...

Here they come...
I can see most everyone,
In the early morning sun

I can hear the sing from men.

See how the come
Trough the wind and the ocean waves...
See how they stand so mighty.
One hundred days
Since they went for beyond the sea
Leaving us in empty anxiety...
How many tears did we cried
Waiting for this day,
In our dark imagination...
How many hopes of return do they now fulfilled
In this happy celebration.

White sails... White sails...
Mast runing high,
Run and knock in every door
Tell the women not to cry...
White sails... White sails...
Mast runing high,
Run and knock in every door
Tell the women not to cry...

Here they come...
I can see most everyone,
In the early morning sun
I can hear the sing from men.
In every churchs bell of echo in every home...
Spread the good news around you.
Tell everyone that the men have at last return...
And that every wish has come true.
How many days did we pray for each one of them
In our only expectation...
How many hopes of return do they now fulfilled
In this happy celebration.
White sails... White sails...
Mast runing high,
Run and knock in every door
Tell the women not to cry...

Here they come...
I can see most everyone,
In the early morning sun
I can hear the sing from men.

(Merci à Maria pour cettes paroles)

Overall Meaning

The song "White Sails" by Demis Roussos tells the story of a group of sailors who have been away for over a hundred days, leaving their loved ones behind in anxiety and uncertainty. The chorus, "White sails... White sails... Mast running high, run and knock in every door, tell the women not to cry," sets the scene of the sailors returning home, trying to spread the good news while comforting their wives and families. The lyrics describe their triumphant return, standing so "mighty" despite the treacherous journey through wind and ocean waves.

The verses of the song focus on the emotions of those who have been left behind. The first verse depicts the singer observing the sailors in the early morning sun and hearing their joyful singing. The second verse talks about the anticipation and anguish felt during the long wait for their return. The third verse speaks of the relief and happiness as the news spreads that the men have finally come home.

Overall, "White Sails" is a song about the joy of reunion and the emotional toll that separation can take on families. The soaring vocals and triumphant melody capture the feeling of relief and happiness at the end of a long wait.

Line by Line Meaning

White sails... White sails...
The sails of the returning ship are white, which signals a safe return home.

Mast runing high,
The mast is standing tall, indicating that the ship has withstood the challenges of the sea.

Run and knock in every door
The news of the ship's arrival should be spread to everyone, and people should go and inform others.

Tell the women not to cry...
The women who have been waiting anxiously for their loved ones to return should be reassured that they have come back safely.

Here they come...
The ship and the men are approaching and can be seen from afar.

I can see most everyone,
Most of the people in the community are present to welcome the returning ship.

In the early morning sun
The arrival of the ship and the men is happening in the early hours of the day.

I can hear the sing from men.
The men on the ship are singing out of joy for their safe return.

See how the come
The ship and the men are approaching, and the community is taking notice.

Trough the wind and the ocean waves...
Despite the challenges of the wind and waves, the ship and the men have made it back home.

See how they stand so mighty.
The men have returned with strength and dignity after facing the dangers of the sea.

One hundred days
The journey has taken a long time and has been full of uncertainty and worry.

Since they went for beyond the sea
The men have been beyond the sea for a significant period of time.

Leaving us in empty anxiety...
The family and loved ones left behind have been worried and anxious about the safety and well-being of those who are returning.

How many tears did we cried
The waiting and worrying have caused many tears to be shed.

Waiting for this day,
The community has been waiting for the day when the ship and the men would return.

In our dark imagination...
The fear of the unknown and the worst-case scenarios have been playing in the minds of those who have been waiting.

How many hopes of return do they now fulfilled
The hope for the safe return of the loved ones has been fulfilled, and many wishes have come true.

In this happy celebration.
The arrival of the ship and the men is a happy occasion that is being celebrated by the community.

In every churchs bell of echo in every home...
The bells of the church and the joyous sounds can be heard in every home, indicating that the community is celebrating this happy occasion.

Spread the good news around you.
The good news of the safe return of the men should be shared with everyone around.

Tell everyone that the men have at last return...
People should be informed that the long wait for the return of the men has finally ended.

And that every wish has come true.
The safe return of the men has fulfilled many wishes and prayers of the community.

How many days did we pray for each one of them
The community has been praying for the safe return of each and every man on the ship, and their prayers have been answered.

In our only expectation...
The only expectation of the community was the safe return of their loved ones, and that has been fulfilled.

Contributed by Elizabeth S. Suggest a correction in the comments below.

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