George Wassouf started singing very young at the age of 10 years old in his hometown Kafroun that consequent to Mashta Al Helou in Tartous, Syria on different occasions such as marriages, parties, hotels, etc. Shortly thereafter he moved to Lebanon where he started singing and his popularity grew. It was at the age of 16 years old when he became known as "Sultan El-Tarab" as called by the famous international Actor Omar Sharif, Arabic for "The Sultan of Singing", with his classic song "el-Hawa Sultan".
People at that time thought of him as being the only one who could provide tarab with his magical and crystal voice that was very sharp and high-pitched when he was young and matured into the deep, commanding voice that he is now known for. A few of his first songs include "Hawa Sultan", "Rohi ya Nesmah", "Helif el-Amar", "Law Naweit" are the ones that really brought him up to fame.
The family name "Wassouf" is first of all the name of a statue God that was worshipped in the middle ages (around 1500 b.c.). Wassouf's magical voice was discovered by his first manager and producer "George Al-Khouri". This happened when Wassouf was 12 years old - he was singing at a wedding party. George Wassouf also got married very young at the age of 21 to Shalimar, who is originally from Sierra Leone. They have three children: Wadee', Hatem, and George Jr. His oldest son's name is Wadee', which is why he is known as Abu Wadee'.
George Wassouf has produced more than 30 albums and has performed concerts all around the world. Started from the famous Lebanese show which fired the fame of many Lebanese singers "Studio El Fan" 1980 when he was only 16 years old, surprisingly he was called at this time "Sultan of Tarab". The Song "Hilef il Amar" made a massive hit in the Arab world, although Wassouf was quite young at that time. However Wassouf was able to rise to the rank of "king" of Arab Tarab. Many Singers are jealous of wassouf , and that's why they try to copy his unique style and performance. Some of the younger singers who attempt to copy his style are George al-Rassi and Wael Jassar. Wassouf is one of the few singers that were able to attract millions of fans in a short period of time. In addition, Wassouf is not only famous in the Arab World but is also known in Europe and the States as one of the Best Arabian Singers.
According to his life and his fame he should have been called also "The King of Rumors" as he lived a life that was filled with rumors about his love life, his health and so on that it was told once earlier in 2001 that he died of an overdose.
He doesn't like to shoot his songs into video clips although he had some successful hits in the early 1990s, he used to say about this: "I don't feel I can act ... I really can't... I only find myself when I'm on the stage ... singing, but the video clip forces me to act".
On June 2002 , Sultan Al Tarab Released his new album "Salaf Wi Dein", which made a huge success in both the Arab world and abroad.
Ghalabah Fil Hob
George Wassouf Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
عشقنا الناي والرّبابة نصبّر نفسنا
غلابة في الحب غلابة، يا قلّة بختنا
عشقنا الناي والرّبابة نصبّر نفسنا
ده الحب خطير، محتاج تفكير
ده الحب خطير محتاج تفكير
طب يلاه نصبّر نفسنا
غلابة يا قلة بختنا
حاولنا نحب الحب وكنّا عارفين المسألة
لاقينا الحب بيبعد عنّا وديّه المشكلة
حاولنا نحب الحب وكنّا عارفين المسألة
لاقينا الحب بيبعد عنّا وديّ المشكلة
ولا جاه يوم في بالنا، إنّه ده راح يجرى لنا
ولا جاه يوم في بالنا، إنّه ده راح يجرى لنا
ده الحب خطير، محتاج تفكير
ده الحب خطير محتاج تفكير
طب يلاه نصبّر نفسنا
غلابة يا قلة بختنا
غلابة في الحب غلابة، يا قلّة بختنا
عشقنا الناي والرّبابة نصبّر نفسنا
غلابة في الحب غلابة، يا قلّة بختنا
عشقنا الناي والرّبابة نصبّر نفسنا
ده الحب خطير، محتاج تفكير
ده الحب خطير محتاج تفكير
طب يلاه نصبّر نفسنا
غلابة يا قلة بختنا
يا دنيا ليه بتفرّقي فينا وسرّك عندنا
ما تخلّي الفرح يطير حوالينا ونشوف الهناء
يا دنيا ليه بتفرّقي فينا وسرّك عندنا
ما تخلّي الفرح يطير حوالينا ونشوف الهناء
ونفكّر في حالنا وننسى اللي جرى لنا
ونفكّر في حالنا وننسى اللي جرى لنا
ده الحب خطير، محتاج تفكير
ده الحب خطير محتاج تفكير
طب يلاه نصبّر نفسنا
غلابة يا قلة بختنا
غلابة في الحب غلابة، يا قلّة بختنا
عشقنا الناي والرّبابة نصبّر نفسنا
غلابة في الحب غلابة، يا قلّة بختنا
عشقنا الناي والرّبابة نصبّر نفسنا
ده الحب خطير، محتاج تفكير
ده الحب خطير محتاج تفكير
طب يلاه نصبّر نفسنا
غلابة يا قلة بختنا
The lyrics to George Wassouf's song "Ghalabah Fil Hob" speak to the struggles of love and the difficulties that come with it. The repeated line "Ghalabah fil hob ghalabah, ya qilla bakhitna" (scarcity in love, scarcity, oh, how unlucky we are) sets the tone for the entire song, emphasizing the challenges that the singer is facing. The song speaks to the importance of patience and perseverance in the face of these challenges, as the singer urges himself to "sabr nafsna" (be patient with ourselves) and think carefully about the love he is pursuing.
The second stanza speaks to the disconnect between love and reality. The singer acknowledges that he was aware of the difficulties of love going into the relationship, but still found himself struggling when love pulled him away "bay’ed ana wadeh" (far from me). The third and final stanza acknowledges the hardships, but urges the listener to find joy and happiness despite these difficulties, saying "yafakkar fi halna" (think about our situation) and forget about what has happened in the past.
Overall, the song speaks to the complexity of love and the importance of perseverance and a positive attitude in the face of obstacles.
Line by Line Meaning
غلابة في الحب غلابة، يا قلّة بختنا
Love is scarce for us, we have little luck
عشقنا الناي والرّبابة نصبّر نفسنا
We endure ourselves in love with the flute and the lute
ده الحب خطير، محتاج تفكير
Love is dangerous, it needs to be thought through
طب يلاه نصبّر نفسنا
So let's endure ourselves
حاولنا نحب الحب وكنّا عارفين المسألة
We tried to love, and we knew what it meant
لاقينا الحب بيبعد عنّا وديّه المشكلة
We found that love pushes us away and that's the problem
ولا جاه يوم في بالنا، إنّه ده راح يجرى لنا
We never thought that this would happen to us
يا دنيا ليه بتفرّقي فينا وسرّك عندنا
Oh world, why do you divide us and keep your secret from us?
ما تخلّي الفرح يطير حوالينا ونشوف الهناء
Don't let happiness fly away from us and allow us to see joy
ونفكّر في حالنا وننسى اللي جرى لنا
Let's think about our current situation and forget what has happened
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: Ibrahim Al Durwani
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Hoda
on Garahouna
Besides the explanation given above to which i'm not so inclined, this is obviously a love song, meaning that a loving person sings to his careless, unkind lover. The first line says so: the lover hurt the poet with her eyelashes. This is a common metaphor in persian/arab poetry. It simultanously appreciates the beautiful lashes of lover and complains how this beauty along with unkindness hurts him deeply.
As you see, this implication is basically related to the literary context and culture.