Melina Aslanidou was born in Stuttgart though she soon returned with her fa… Read Full Bio ↴Melina Aslanidou was born in Stuttgart though she soon returned with her family to Greece and grew up in Giannitsa.
Her first contact with music was in an early age when she started participating in the local choir and later on in the musical school events. In her 18 years she went to Thessaloniki for studies and later on she started singing in small student venues.
In 1996 she met Christos Mitrentzis, a remarkable Greek traditional musician and she collaborated with him in the following years. Together they took part at the WOMAD FESTIVAL in Berlin as representatives of the Greek traditional music.
In 2001 the group “Oi Apenantoi” is created where she is the frontwoman and they released the cd single “To Parelthon Thimithika”” and the song “Ti sou kana kai pineis” became a great hit.
In 2002 she withdraws from the group and starts working in Athens by collaborating with the famous Greek singer George Dallaras in live concerts and tours in Greece and abroad.
In 2003 she participated in the album of Nikos Antipas, Giannis Spathas and Lina Nikolakopoulou “Oposdipote Parathiro” with the song “Nai tha po” which climbed at the top of the radio charts.
In April 2003 she released her first album “To perasma” and in the summer of the same year she toured through Greece with Dimitra Galani.
In 2004 she appeared for the whole season in the live concerts of Eleftheria Arvanitaki and then she toured in the summer with the same set.
At the end of 2004 she cooperated with Giannis Kotsiras in his live shows.
In 2005 she released a CD single with three songs under the title “Treis Euhes” while in the end of the same year she released her second album “Paihnidi Einai”. Meanwhile she cooperated with Orpheas Peridis in a series of concerts in Athens and Thessaloniki.
In 2006 she appeared for a few shows next to the great Greek singers Dimitris Mitropanos, Glykeria and Stelios Dionisiou.
In the summer of 2007 she released the CD single “Psila Takounia” and she toured with Kostas Makedonas all over Greece. In wintertime she cooperated with Manos Pirovolakis and Giorgos Karadimos in a series of live performances in Athens.

To Tsigaro Vari
Melina Aslanidou Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Οι κουρτίνες κλειστές
στο δωμάτιο σκιές
στο δωμάτιο σκιές
μαύροι κύκλοι σε κρύσταλλα μάτια
Με πονάει που με θες
οι φωνές δυνατές
οι φωνές δυνατές
αγωνία, στην άμμο παλάτια

Στο δωμάτιο σκιές
μαύροι κύκλοι σε κρύσταλλα μάτια

Το τσιγάρο βαρύ
Ποιος να πει, τι να πει
Το τσιγάρο βαρύ
Βιαστικα θα ντυθώ και θα φύγω
Με μια στάλα ντροπή
στο φευγάτο φιλί
Με μια στάλα ντροπή
Σ' άγαπώ που μ' αγάπησες λίγο
Το τσιγάρο βαρύ
Βιαστικα θα ντυθώ και θα φύγω

Αναμμένες φωτιές
άγνωστές μου σπηλιές
Αναμμένες φωτιές
Ένας ίλιγγος με παρασέρνει
Δεν ακούω τι λές
Σε πληγώνει και κλαις
Σε πληγώνει και κλαις
πυρετός η στιγμή που απομένει

Αναμμένες φωτιές
Ένας ίλιγγος με παρασέρνει

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Melina Aslanidou's song "To Tsigaro Vari" speak to the feeling of being trapped, both emotionally and physically. The first verse describes a dark, closed room with shadows and black circles in crystal eyes. The loud voices and anxiety in the air suggest a tense or even dangerous situation. The chorus repeats the phrase "the heavy cigarette" which can be interpreted as a metaphor for the burden of the circumstances they find themselves in. The singer wants to escape, quickly and with some shame, after a fleeting kiss and a small amount of love given.

In the second verse, the singer describes unfamiliar fiery caves and being swept up in a whirlwind. The pain of a loved one's words and tears are ignored, as they are too consumed by the feverish moment that remains. Perhaps the burning caves and whirlwind represent overwhelming emotions that are too much to handle or a chaotic environment that is difficult to navigate. The repetition of "the heavy cigarette" throughout the song suggests that smoking is a coping mechanism for the singer, but it also represents something that is weighing them down.

Line by Line Meaning

Οι κουρτίνες κλειστές
The curtains are closed

στο δωμάτιο σκιές
Shadows in the room

μαύροι κύκλοι σε κρύσταλλα μάτια
Black circles in crystal eyes

Με πονάει που με θες
It hurts me that you want me

οι φωνές δυνατές
Loud voices

αγωνία, στην άμμο παλάτια
Anxiety, palaces in sand

Το τσιγάρο βαρύ
The cigarette is heavy

Ποιος να πει, τι να πει
Who can say, what to say

Βιαστικα θα ντυθώ και θα φύγω
I'll dress quickly and leave

Με μια στάλα ντροπή
With a drop of shame

στο φευγάτο φιλί
In the fleeting kiss