Mouskouri's family lived in Canée, Crete, where her father, Constantin, worked as a film projectionist in a local cinema. Her mother, Alice also worked in the same local cinema as an usherette. When Mouskouri was three, Constantin moved the family to Athens. Mouskouri's family worked extremely hard in order to send Nana and her elder sister, Jenny, to the prestigious Athens Conservatoire. Mouskouri had displayed exceptional musical talent from the age of 6. However her sister, Jenny, appeared to be more the more gifted of the two. In fact Mouskouri only had one 'working' vocal chord (rather than the normal two). This a rare condition gives her voice its particularly original timbre.
Mouskouri's childhood was colored by the Nazi occupation of Greece. Her father became part of the Nazi resistance movement in Athens. Mouskouri began singing lessons at age 12. Despite the flaw in her vocal cords, Mouskouri took singing lessons regularly. During the Nazi German occupation, her family no longer had the financial means to pay for her singing lessons. But her teacher saw that she had a certain talent and continued to give her lessons free of charge. As a child, she listened to radio broadcasts of American jazz singers such as Frank Sinatra, Ella Fitzgerald, and Billie Holiday as well as French chanson stars like Edith Piaf.
In 1950, she was accepted at the Conservatoire. She studied classical music with an emphasis on singing opera. The young Mouskouri committed herself into classical music studies with a passion, perfecting her vocals with extraordinary self-discipline as well as taking piano and harmony classes. After 8 years at the Conservatoire, Mouskouri was encouraged by her friends to experiment with jazz music. She soon began singing with her friends' jazz group at night and they even managed to get a radio slot. However, when Mouskouri's Conservatory professor found out about Mouskouri's involvement with a genre of music that he considered to be absolutely worthless, he flew into a fury and prevented her from sitting her end of year exams. Consequently, the Conservatoire expelled her. Mouskouri's dreams of becoming an opera singer were dashed.
Mouskouri left the Conservatoire and began performing at the Zaki club in Athens. She began singing jazz in nightclubs with a bias on Ella Fitzgerald repertory. It was at the Zaki in 1958 that Mouskouri met the famous Greek composer Manos Hadjidakis. Hadjidakis was immensely impressed by Nana’s original voice and immediately offered to write songs for her. He became her mentor. In 1959 Mouskouri performed Hadjidakis' Kapou Iparchi Agapi Mou (co-written with poet Nikos Gatsos) at the inaugural Greek Song Festival. The song won first prize, and Mouskouri began to be noticed. At the 1960 Greek Song Festival, she performed two more Hadjidakis compositions, Timoria and Kiparissaki. Both these songs tied for first prize. Mouskouri soon ventured further and participated at the Mediterranean Song Festival, held in Barcelona where she performed Kostas Yannidis' composition Xypna Agapi Mou. The song won first prize. Her wins attracted interest from several international record companies. Mouskouri wound up signed a recording contract with the Paris-based Philips-Fontana axis.
In 1961, Mouskouri performed the soundtrack of a German documentary about Greece. This resulted in the German-language single Weisse Rosen aus Athen ("The White Rose of Athens"). The song was originally adapted from a folk melody by Hadjidakis. It became an enormous hit, selling over a million copies in Germany. The song was later translated into several different languages and it went on to become one of Mouskouri's signature tunes. Mouskouri married Yorgos Petsilas in 1961. Mouskouri and Petsilas have two children, son, Nicolas born in February 1968 and daughter, Hélène born in 1970. In 1974, Mouskouri and Petsilas separated and she moved to Geneva, Switzerland. In 1975, Mouskouri and Petsilas were officially divorced.
In 1962, she met renowned American song producer Quincy Jones. Jones got her to go to New York to record an album of American jazz titled, The Girl From Greece Sings. Following that she scored another hit in the United Kingdom with My Colouring Book.
In 1963, she left Greece to live permanently in Paris, France. Mouskouri performed Luxembourg's entry in the Eurovision Song Contest that year, À Force de Prier. The song became an international hit, and helped win her the prestigious Grand Prix du Disque in France. Mouskouri soon attracted the attention of French composer Michel Legrand, who composed her two major French hits Les Parapluies de Cherbourg (1964) and L'Enfant au Tambour (1965).
In 1965, she recorded her second English-language album that was released in the United States entitled, Nana Sings. Jamaican-American Calypso musician Harry Belafonte heard and liked the album. Belafonte brought Mouskouri on tour with him through 1966. They teamed for a live duo album entitled, An Evening With Belafonte/Mouskouri. During this tour, Belafonte told Mouskouri to remove her signature black-rimmed glasses when on stage. She was so unhappy with the request that she wanted to quit the show after only two days. Finally, Belafonte relented and respected her wishes to perform with her glasses.
Mouskouri's 1967 French album Le Jour Où la Colombe ascended her to superstardom in France. This album featured many of her French songs, Au Coeur de Septembre, Adieu Angélina, Robe Bleue, Robe Blanche and the French pop classic Le Temps des Cerises. Her rendition of Guantanamera was very well received. Mouskouri made her first appearance at Paris' legendary Olympia concert theater in 1967, with a repertoire blending French pop, Greek folk, and Hadjidakis numbers.
In 1968, Mouskouri turned her attention to the British market and hosted a variety show called Nana and Guests. In 1969, she released her first full-length British LP, Over and Over. It became a smash hit that spent almost two years on the U.K. charts. Mouskouri spent much of the 1970s on the road which helped to broaden her worldwide popularity to levels. In France, she released a series of top-selling albums that included Comme un Soleil, Une Voix Qui Vient du Coeur, Vielles Chansons de France, and Quand Tu Chantes. She also recorded a successful version of Habanera, from Bizet's opera Carmen. She continued to release highly received albums in Europe, including her 1975 album Sieben Schwarze Rosen which was a significant success in Germany, and her English-language album Book of Songs that sold millions of copies worldwide.
In 1979, Mouskouri had another English-language album named Roses and Sunshine. This album was very well received in Canada. She scored a worldwide hit in 1981 with Je Chante Avec Toi, Liberté, which was translated into several languages after its widespread success in France. The momentum from this album also helped boost her following German album, Meine Lieder Sind Meine Liebe. In 1984, Mouskouri returned to Greece for her first live performance in her homeland since 1962.
In 1986, Mouskouri recorded Only Love, the theme song to a BBC TV series that went on to top the U.K. charts. The song was also a hit with its French version, L'Amour en Héritage. That same year, Mouskouri made a play for the Spanish-language market with the hit single Con Todo el Alma. The song was a major success in Spain, Argentina and Chile. She released five albums in different languages in 1987, and the following year returned to her classical conservatory roots with the double LP The Classical Nana (aka Nana Classique), which featured some of her favorite opera excerpts.
Mouskouri's 1991 English album, Only Love: The Best of Nana Mouskouri became her best-selling release in the United States. She spent much of the 1990s with her rigorous global touring schedule. Among her early 1990s albums were spiritual music, Gospel (1990), the Spanish-language Nuestras Canciones, the multilingual, Mediterranean-themed Côté Sud, Côté Coeur (1992), Dix Mille Ans Encore, Falling in Love Again: Great Songs From the Movies. Falling in Love reunited her with Harry Belafonte on two songs.
She recorded several more albums over 1996-1997, including the Spanish Nana Latina (which featured duets with Julio Iglesias and Mercedes Sosa), the English-language Return to Love, and the French pop classics, Hommages. In 1997, she staged a high-profile Concert for Peace at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine in New York. This concert was later released as an album, and aired as a TV special on PBS in the U.S.
Mouskouri was appointed a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador in October 1993 [1]. She took over from the previous ambassador, American actress Audrey Hepburn. Mouskouri's first U.N. mission took her to Bosnia to draw attention to the plight of children affected by Bosnian war. She was deeply moved by her experience in Bosnia and went on to give a series of fund-raising concerts in Sweden and Belgium.
Mouskouri represented Greece in the European Parliament from 1994 until 1999 as a member of the largely conservative New Democracy party.
In 1993, Nana recorded a new album, Hollywood. It was produced by Michel Legrand. Hollywood was a collection of famous film songs. It served was not only a tribute to the world of cinema, but also as a personal reference to childhood memories of sitting with her father in his projection room in Crete.
Between December 11-14, 1997, Mouskouri gave four triumphant performances at the Olympia in Paris to celebrate the 40th anniversary of her singing career. Also in 1997, Mouskouri resigned from her position as a European MP. She explained that a fervent pacifist, she refused to back wars.
Mouskouri currently lives in Switzerland with her second husband, André Chapelle whom she married on January 13, 2003. She still performs about 100 concerts each year. In 2004, her French record company released an unprecedented 34-CD box set of more than 600 of Mouskouri's mostly French songs.
For 2005 and 2007, she plans a farewell concert tour of Europe, Australia, Asia, South America, the United States, and Canada. During an interview with The Australian newspaper, when asked why this would be her final concert series, Mouskouri said she wanted to retire on a high note. "I never thought that I would grow that old. It is better really to stop while you are standing well on your feet. I just want to be proud and in very good form and thank the audience for all this love," she said.
Mamma
Nana Mouskouri Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Wandering far from his home
Most of his family were with him then
And nothing but life did they own
Tortured by war in their native land
Their only recourse was to flight
Tracing the path of the sun by day
And led by the north star at night
Not knowing if that was the way
And none of the children could understand
And this little boy used to say
Hey, hey, hey
Mama , where do we go from here
Mamma, why can' t we stay
Mamma, is daddy very near
Mamma, why do you pray
Down came the winter, the food was scarce
The people were falling like flies
Disease helped starvation make matters worse
And parents resorted to lies
Hush, your mamma will soon be well
Though all they can do is to wait
And one little boy hears the doctor tell
The others he thinks it' s too late
It' s too late
Mamma, he whispers quietly
Mamma, you' re looking old
Mamma, why don' t you answer me
Mamma, your hands feel cold
He rushes out into the chilly night
He can' t believe what he has been told
The tears in his eyes start to blur his sight
And freeze on his face with the cold
But in the next camp, ther is a mother mild
Who' s mourning a son passed away
And fate brings the cries of the little child
To her just as he starts to say
Hey, hey, hey
Mamma, she knows what she must do
Mamma, she thinks of her
Mamma, I must take the place of you
And take him into my care
Mamma, oh oh...
The song Mamma by Nana Mouskouri tells the heart-wrenching story of a little boy and his family's journey as refugees escaping a warzone. The lyrics describe the boy's confusion and concern as they wander far from home with nothing but their lives. They are constantly troubled by the war in their native land, which forces them to flee and seek refuge in a new land, which they hope will be their promised land. They are unsure of the path they are taking and are guided by the sun during the day and the north star at night. The little boy is curious about the journey and asks his mother questions like "Mama, where do we go from here?" and "Mamma, why do you pray?"
The harshness of their journey is highlighted as the song progresses. They face famine, disease, and a lack of resources. They are forced to resort to lies to keep their children's hopes up, telling them that their mother will soon be well, though it doesn't seem likely. The little boy is devastated when he learns that his mother is dying, and his emotions are captured in the heartbreaking lyrics "Mamma, he whispers quietly, Mamma, you're looking old, Mamma, why don't you answer me, Mamma, your hands feel cold."
The song ends on a hopeful note as another mother, mourning the loss of her son, takes the little boy into her care. The lyrics suggest that the new mother knows what she must do as if it were fate, and the little boy's cries reach her just as he starts to say "Hey, hey, hey." She takes the little boy into her care, becoming his new mother, and in doing so, helps to ease his pain and that of his family.
Overall, Mamma is a poignant song that speaks to the universal themes of love, loss, and the human struggle to survive, even in the most difficult of circumstances.
Line by Line Meaning
This is the tale of a little boy
The story is about a young boy who is trying to survive in wartime.
Wandering far from his home
He is a refugee who had to flee his own country.
Most of his family were with him then
He was not alone, he had his family with him during his journey.
And nothing but life did they own
They had nothing but each other and their lives.
Tortured by war in their native land
They were suffering from the war in their own country.
Their only recourse was to flight
Their only choice was to flee for a better life.
Tracing the path of the sun by day
They followed the sun to be able to travel during the day.
And led by the north star at night
They followed the north star to navigate during the night.
Onward they pressed to the promised land
They continued to move forward to find a safer place to live.
Not knowing if that was the way
They were uncertain if they were going in the right direction.
And none of the children could understand
The children were too young to comprehend their situation.
And this little boy used to say
The young boy used to ask his mother questions about their journey.
Mama , where do we go from here
The boy asks his mother about their next destination.
Mamma, why can' t we stay
The boy wants to know why they can't settle down and stay in one place.
Mamma, is daddy very near
The boy is concerned about his father's whereabouts.
Mamma, why do you pray
The boy wants to know the reason behind his mother's prayer.
Down came the winter, the food was scarce
The harsh winter made it difficult to find food.
The people were falling like flies
The people were dying rapidly due to the harsh conditions.
Disease helped starvation make matters worse
Sicknesses spread, making the situation more dire for them.
And parents resorted to lies
The parents had to lie to their children in order to keep them calm and hopeful.
Hush, your mamma will soon be well
The mother lies to her child about her health to make him feel better.
Though all they can do is to wait
They can only wait and hope for the best.
And one little boy hears the doctor tell
The boy overheard the doctor saying something negative about his mother.
The others he thinks it' s too late
The boy believes it is too late for his mother to recover.
Mamma, he whispers quietly
The boy speaks to his mother quietly.
Mamma, you' re looking old
The boy notices his mother's condition and is worried for her.
Mamma, why don' t you answer me
The boy is upset that his mother isn't responding to him.
Mamma, your hands feel cold
The boy is concerned that his mother's hands are cold, a possible sign of sickness.
He rushes out into the chilly night
The boy runs outside into the cold night.
He can' t believe what he has been told
The boy is in disbelief of what he heard from the doctor.
The tears in his eyes start to blur his sight
The boy is crying, making it difficult for him to see clearly.
And freeze on his face with the cold
His tears freeze onto his face because of the freezing temperature.
But in the next camp, ther is a mother mild
There is another mother in the next camp.
Who' s mourning a son passed away
This mother is grieving the loss of her own son.
And fate brings the cries of the little child
The crying boy's voice is carried by fate to this mother.
To her just as he starts to say
She hears the boy starting to talk.
Mamma, she knows what she must do
The other mother knows what she needs to do to help the boy.
Mamma, she thinks of her
She thinks of her own son as she decides to help the boy.
Mamma, I must take the place of you
The other mother decides she needs to take care of the boy as if he was her own son.
Mamma, oh oh...
The boy keeps repeating the word 'Mamma' out of sadness and need for a mother figure.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
tapas haldar
Thanks. Waiting for long for this song. Here is the lyric for the interested:
Mama
Nana Mouskouri
This is the tale of a little boy
Wandering far from his home
Most of his family were with him then
And nothing but life did they own
Tortured by war in their native land
Their only recourse was to flight
Tracing the path of the sun by day
And led by the north star at night
Onward they pressed to the promised land
Not knowing if that was the way
And none of the children could understand
And this little boy used to say
Hey, hey, hey
Mama , where do we go from here
Mamma, why can' t we stay
Mamma, is daddy very near
Mamma, why do you pray
Down came the winter, the food was scarce
The people were falling like flies
Disease helped starvation make matters worse
And parents resorted to lies
Hush, your mamma will soon be well
Though all they can do is to wait
And one little boy hears the doctor tell
The others he thinks it' s too late
It' s too late
Mamma, he whispers quietly
Mamma, you' re looking old
Mamma, why don' t you answer me
Mamma, your hands feel cold
He rushes out into the chilly night
He can' t beleive what he has been told
The tears in his eyes start to blur his sight
And freeze on his face with the cold
But in the next camp, ther is a mother mild
Who' s mourning a son passed away
And fate brings the cries of the little child
To her just as he starts to say
Hey, hey, hey
Mamma, she knows what she must do
Mamma, she thinks of her
Mamma, I must take the place of you
And take him into my care
Mamma, oh oh
Jer Githi
Still makes me teary eyed 45 years after first hearing this song. Truly a golden voice 😭
Emily Osimbo
This song always made me cry as a child, and still wets my eye. May God protect all the children caught up in unnecessary wars that they dont even understand.
Evelyn Desouza
Beautiful voice and lovely words Hearing this song after many years
Ryan Horner
I heard this song when I was 10 years old, It made me cry. Just heard it again. Made me cry like I was 10 years old. Peace please.
Business News
Nana éternelle magnifique voix
Dat Nguyen
Such a beautiful voice 🌹
Marina Featherby
Lovely music. Lady with the golden voice.
John Smith
The voice of an angel 😇 ❤️
Shalu Saraf
so melodious .. Remembering school days when we sang together.
Mueni Muasya
Such nostalgia.
I first heard this here tune when I was about nine and I never forgotten it.always made so sad, still does to this day.
Thank you for putting it up on the tube.