He started his career back in the 1960s. Barakat has arguably established a genre of his own in both the way he sings and composes, which made him one of the most esteemed and popular stars in Lebanon. He has toured Australia, South America, Canada, and the United States.
Melhem Barakat mainly performs in colloquial Lebanese, a feat he has always defended, criticizing his fellow Lebanese peers for favouring the Egyptian dialect for commercial purposes. Although his popularity is rather modest in Egypt, where non-Egyptian music material generally receives lukewarm mass appeal, Melhem has achieved huge stardom in most Arab countries, most notably in Syria, Jordan, and Lebanon.
Barakat started singing more than thirty years ago. He participated as an actor and singer in many of the Rahbani Brothers' musicals and operettas; some Lebanese even saying that he established himself as one of the strongest voices in the country.
He also appeared in many Lebanese movies back in the 1980s. Some of his hits from the 1980s were “Kboush El Touti” and “Wahdi Ana (I am alone).”
During the 1990s, Melhem Barakat acted with Lebanese dancer Dani Boustros in a Lebanese theater play titled Wemsheet Bee Tariki (I walked my way).
Since the year 2000. Melhem Barakat had several hit songs, such as “Habibi Enta,” which was later sung by his ex-wife May Hariri. He also collaborated with current famous singers such as Najwa Karam, Karol Sakr, Shatha Hassoun, and Majida El Roumi.
Melhem Barakat, a Lebanese singer, was born in 1942 in Kfarshima, Lebanon. He grew up with the sound of Egyptian composer and singer Mohammed Abdel Wahab. Still a child, Melhem many people around him thought that he showed a special talent while singing in school parties. One day, he composed a text from the school journal and sang it first before his classmates and teachers, who appreciated his performance and then became one of the leading names in the Lebanese musical scene, who believed that he was an exceptional talent and had a charming voice. His career had many successes. His best-known works were “Amarine,” “Abouha Radi,” “Farah Ennass,” and “Habibi Inta.”
Sallem Alayha
Melhem Barakat Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
ع أرض الحبايب
وإن شفتها سلِّم عليها ياهوى
سلِّم عليها يا هوى ... واحكي لها قلبي هوى
كان الهوى يحكي معي ... بطل يحاكيني الهوى
سلّم عليها . عليها
سلّم عليها . عليها
سلّم عليها ياهوى
لاتنكر الماضي الهني ... وأيام عشناها سوا
سلِّم عليها يا هوى ... واحكي لها قلبي هوى
كان الهوى يحكي معي ... بطل يحاكيني الهوى
سلّم عليها . عليها
سلّم عليها . عيها
سلّم عليها ياهوى
The opening lines of Melhem Barakat's "Sallem Alayha" express a deep sense of longing and attachment. The singer implores the one he loves not to leave, asking for reassurance that she will remember him and their love even when she is far away on the "land of loved ones". He asks that if she sees him, she greets him warmly and speaks lovingly to his heart. The singer has a deep emotional connection to his love, and his desire to connect with her and be remembered is palpable throughout the song.
As the song continues, the singer reflects on the ways that love has changed him. He speaks of how his heart used to sing with his love, but now it no longer responds in the same way. Despite this, he still implores his love to remember the happy times they shared together, and to greet him warmly if they meet again. Throughout the song, the singer's love for the woman remains steadfast and unchanging, even as time and distance threaten to pull them apart.
Overall, "Sallem Alayha" is a heart-warming and emotional song about the enduring nature of love. It speaks to the power of memories and the deep attachments that people can form with one another, even if they are separated by time and space.
Line by Line Meaning
مني أمانة تروح
My dear, I entrust you with a mission to go and visit my loved ones.
ع أرض الحبايب
On the land where my beloved ones dwell.
وإن شفتها سلِّم عليها ياهوى
If you see them, deliver my greetings to them, my dear love.
سلِّم عليها يا هوى ... واحكي لها قلبي هوى
Deliver my greetings to them, my love... and tell them that my heart beats only for them.
كان الهوى يحكي معي ... بطل يحاكيني الهوى
The love used to speak with me, but it doesn't respond anymore.
سلّم عليها . عليها
Deliver my greetings to her, to her.
سلّم عليها . عليها
Deliver my greetings to her, to her.
سلّم عليها ياهوى
Deliver my greetings to her, my dear love.
سلّم عليها وانحني ... وبرموش عينيها اعتني
Deliver my greetings to her and bow down... and be careful with her eyelashes.
لاتنكر الماضي الهني ... وأيام عشناها سوا
Do not deny the happy past, and the days we spent together.
Contributed by Madelyn W. Suggest a correction in the comments below.