Eleni Dimou (real name Eleni Gkikodimou / Ελένη Γκικοδήμου) was born in Ath… Read Full Bio ↴Eleni Dimou (real name Eleni Gkikodimou / Ελένη Γκικοδήμου) was born in Athens. She graduated from the National Conservatory and started her singing career at the age of 16. In 1980 she performed during a radio session to promote the work of new composers, where she sang songs from Dimitris Lekkas. That same year, she participated in the Thessaloniki Music Festival, ending third. The following year she returned with the song ’Mia Agapi stan ki anti’ (‘A love like this’), written by Sasha Manetas and won the first price. In 1981 she also appeared participated in Manos Loizou’s international concert tour.

Her first album ‘Mila mou apla’ (‘ Just speak to me’) was a collaboration with new singers Manolis Lidakis and Melina Tanagri, based on songs composed by Taki Bougas with lyrics from Antonis Andrikaki. With every following album, Dimou’s popularity increased, thanks to her modern, natural and flexible interpretations, combining the more traditional Greek roots with western pop style.

In 1986 she collaborated with Lakis Papadopoulos on her album ‘Kata bathos alepou’ (‘Basically fox’). With her by that time already highly acclaimed husky, sultry voice she sang both ballads and pop-rock songs. In this periode of time, she collaborated with famous artists like Georgios Dalaras and Mikis Theodorakis.

Her 1988 album ‘Prosopika’ (‘Personal’), recorded with G. Spanos, was both artistically as commercially a great success. In the next decade Dimou keeps releasing new albums regularly, always combining Greek folk music with western arrangements and world music influences. In 1990 she released the album ‘Pathis’ (‘Passions’), on which she chanted byzantine hymns on a requiem by D. Papostolou.

In the second half of the nineties, popularity and album sales decreased. A new generation of Greek pop singers seemed to have taken her place. Dimou seemed to be stuck between Greek folk and modern pop, unable to rejuvenate herself. Around the start of the new millennium, inspiration and creativity seemed to have returned, resulting in more frequent album releases and collaborations with international artists like Alpha Blondy, Salif Keita, The Christians, Gipsy Kings and Linton Kwesi Johnson.

In her almost thirty year spanning career, Eleni Dimou recorded more than 20 albums, nine went gold and three platinum in Greece. She is married to producer and engineer Akis Golfidis and the couple have a son named Anthony.

Kokkina Fota
Eleni Dimou Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Μη με ψάχνεισ στα σαλόνια
Είμαι αέρασ στα μπαλόνια
Σπίτι μου όπου κι αν πασ
Και τησ νύχτασ ο βραχνάσ

Με φευγάτουσ κάνω χάζι
Τίποτα δε με τρομάζει
Και μεσ τα κορμιά τα ξένα

Ψάχνω κάτι από σένα

Τα κόκκινα τα φώτα
Για μένα φίλε ρώτα
Στα κόκκινα φανάρια
Δικά σου ψάχνω χάδια

Μη με ψάχνεισ στα σαλόνια
Στα πολύχρωμα σεντόνια
Δρόμοσ είμαι σκοτεινόσ
Μοιάζω με το καθεστώσ

Δε με πλάνεψαν οθόνεσ
Λάμπω μέσα από τισ σκόνεσ
Και με μάτια μεθυσμένα
Ψάχνω κάτι από σένα

Τα κόκκινα τα φώτα
Για μένα φίλε ρώτα

Στα κόκκινα φανάρια
Δικά σου ψάχνω χάδια

Overall Meaning

These lyrics are from the song "Kokkina Fota" by Eleni Dimou. The song speaks about the singer's desire to escape reality and find solace in a different world, symbolized by the color red and the lights that come with it. The lyrics express a longing for connection, both physical and emotional, and a search for something meaningful in a dark and chaotic environment.

In the first verse, the singer declares that they cannot be found in the usual places, such as the living rooms. They feel like a floating presence, like air inside balloons, detached from their surroundings. The singer emphasizes that their home is wherever they go, and the night brings out their hoarse voice, suggesting a sense of rawness and vulnerability.

The second verse reveals the singer's adventurous and fearless nature. They are not afraid of anything and enjoy playing with elusive and fleeting encounters. They mention searching for something from the other person's body, which could imply a desire for intimacy or a deeper connection beyond physical appearances.

The chorus repeats the phrase "the red lights" and urges the listener to ask about them. The color red often symbolizes passion, desire, or danger. It is a recurring theme throughout the song. The singer associates the red lights and traffic lights with their search for affection and tenderness, implying that they are looking for these qualities from the listener.

In the third verse, the singer advises against looking for them in comfortable spaces such as colorful sheets. They present themselves as a dark path, resembling an unknown and mysterious realm. The singer mentions not being influenced by screens or distractions, but rather shining through the dust, suggesting a desire for authenticity and a deep connection that goes beyond superficial appearances.

The final chorus repeats the previous lines and emphasizes the search for affection and tenderness from the listener, using the imagery of the red lights and traffic lights once again. The overall message of the song seems to convey a yearning for a genuine and intimate connection amidst a chaotic and superficial world.

Line by Line Meaning

Μη με ψάχνεισ στα σαλόνια
Do not look for me in the living rooms

Είμαι αέρασ στα μπαλόνια
I am the air in the balloons

Σπίτι μου όπου κι αν πασ
My home wherever you go

Και τησ νύχτασ ο βραχνάσ
And at night the hoarseness

Με φευγάτουσ κάνω χάζι
I play coy with the fleeting ones

Τίποτα δε με τρομάζει
Nothing scares me

Και μεσ τα κορμιά τα ξένα
And among the foreign bodies

Ψάχνω κάτι από σένα
I am searching for something from you

Τα κόκκινα τα φώτα
The red lights

Για μένα φίλε ρώτα
Ask for me, my friend

Στα κόκκινα φανάρια
At the red traffic lights