Banna was born in Nazareth, where she graduated from Nazareth Baptist School. She lived in Nazareth with her three children.
She died on 24 March 2018, aged 51, in a hospital in her hometown of Nazareth, Palestine following a lengthy and brave battle with breast cancer, which she openly shared with her numerous fans through social media. She met her husband, Ukrainian guitarist Leonid Alexeyenko, while studying music together at the Higher Music Conservatory in Moscow and they married in 1991, and divorced in 2010.
Banna first achieved popularity in the early 1990s, after recording her own versions of traditional Palestinian children's songs that were on the verge of being forgotten.
Banna also composed her own songs and set Palestinian poetry to music. Her message is often focused on the suffering of Palestinians. Her music is described as "haunting, emotional, at times bordering on kitsch." She described her music as a means of cultural self-assertion:
A part of our work consists of collecting traditional Palestinian texts without melodies. So that the texts do not get lost, we try to compose melodies for them that are modern, yet inspired by traditional Palestinian music.
In this way, Banna does more than mimic the traditional techniques and representations of the pieces she interprets. She blends them with modern singing styles because,
Oriental singing techniques are mostly ornamental… But my voice is more two-dimensional, thicker. I try to write songs that fit my voice. I want to create something new in every respect. And that includes bringing people elsewhere closer to the music and soul of the Palestinians.
She performed live in the West Bank and she reached audiences in Gaza through live webcasts. She performed her first concert in Syria on 8 January 2009 and also performed in Tunisia on 25 July 2011. Her first concert in Beirut took place on 22 March 2012.
Banna's popularity in Europe began after Norwegian music producer Erik Hillestad invited her to participate on the CD Lullabies from the Axis of Evil (2003) and Norwegian singer Kari Bremnes, who also took part on this production in a duet with Rim Banna, invited her to Oslo. Banna accepted the invitation, and the two artists did a show together.
The album, dubbed "a musical antiwar message to U.S. President Bush from female singers in Palestine, Iraq, Iran, and Norway," brings these women together with others from North Korea, Syria, Cuba, and Afghanistan, to sing traditional lullabies from their lands in duet form with English-language performers whose translation allows the songs to reach a Western audience.
The Mirrors of My Soul, which was dedicated to all the Palestinian and Arab political detainees in the Israeli prisons, is a stylistic departure from her previous body of work. Produced in cooperation with a Norwegean quintet, it features "Western pop styling" fused with Middle Eastern modal and vocal structures, and Arabic lyrics.
Although the style differs from previous recordings, the subject matter has basically remained constant. The album includes "songs of despair and hope" about the lives of "a struggling people, and even a song about late Palestinian leader and PA president Arafat in a way that is both thoughtful and subtle".
Discography
Jafra (1985)
Your tears Mother (1986)
The Dream (1993)
New Moon (1995)
Mukaghat (1996)
Al Quds Everlasting (2002)
Krybberom (2003) Rim Banna & SKRUK
Lullabies from the Axis of Evil (2003 – Various female artists)
The Mirrors of My Soul (2005, Valley Entertainment)
This was not my story (2006) Rim Banna & Henrik Koitz
Seasons of violet (2007)
Songs across Walls of Separation (2008 – Various artists from the Middle East, Africa, Central America, North America, and Europe)
April Blossoms (2009) an album for children, was dedicated to the children martyrs in Gaza
A Time to cry (2010), was recorded in one of the houses in Sheikh Jarrah under constant threat of eviction from the part of their house (with three Palestinian singers)
"Tomorrow" (Bokra) 2011, a single song of the American legend composer Quincy Jones, who chose Rim Banna to represent Palestine in this project which will be released in an Album and a video clip in September 2011
Revelation of Ecstasy and Rebellion (2013); produced by Bugge Wesseltoft
Songs from a Stolen Spring (2014, Valley Entertainment/Kirkelig Kulturverksted - Various Artists), featuring "Break Your Fears"
Stranger In the Gulf
Rim Banna Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
وكنت دورة أسطوانة
هي دورة الأفلاك في عمري
تكوّر لي زمانه في لحظتين من الأمان
وإن تكن فقدت مكانه
هي وجه أمي في الظلام
وصوتها، يتزلقان مع الرؤى حتى أنام
وهي النخيل أخاف منه إذا ادلهمّ مع الغروب
فاكتظّ بالأشباح تخطف كلّ طفل لا يؤوب
من الدروب
الشمس أجمل في بلادي من سواها
والظلام حتى الظلام هناك أجمل
الشمس أجمل في بلادي من سواها
والظلام حتى الظلام هناك أجمل
فهو يحتضن العراق
وا حسرتاه، متى أنام؟
وا حسرتاه، متى أنام؟
فأحسّ أن على الوسادة من ليلك الصيفي
طلاّ فيه عطرك يا عراق
فأحسّ أن على الوسادة من ليلك الصيفي
طلاّ فيه عطرك يا عراق
بين القرى المتهيّبات خطاي والمدن الغريبة
غنيت تربتك الحبيبة
وحملتها فأنا المسيح يجرّ في المنفى صليبه
وحملتها فأنا المسيح يجرّ في المنفى صليبه
الشمس أجمل في بلادي من سواها
والظلام حتى الظلام هناك أجمل
الشمس أجمل في بلادي من سواها
والظلام حتى الظلام هناك أجمل
فهو يحتضن العراق
فهو يحتضن العراق
يحتضن العراق
The lyrics of Rim Banna's song "Stranger In the Gulf" are rich in meaning and emotion. The song is about the longing for one's homeland and the struggle of being a stranger in a foreign land. The opening lines suggest a trip to a café where the singer hears the voice of her country, Iraq, like music on a record player. She is reminded of the fleetingness of time and the transience of life. The memory transports her to a moment of safety where she sees the face and hears the voice of her mother, whom she relies on to feel secure even in the darkness of night. This passage poetically portrays how memories of the homeland and loved ones can bring comfort and hope even in the most uncertain and dangerous moments.
The next few lines of the song reflect the fear and uncertainty that comes with living in a foreign land. The singer describes her fear of palm trees at sunset, as they seem to harbor ghosts who steal children from the streets. This line captures the sense of isolation and vulnerability that comes from being an outsider in a new place. It also points to the trauma and violence that people are exposed to in times of war and displacement.
The final lines of the song express deep longing for the homeland and a heartfelt plea to be reunited with the country, even in sleep. The repeated phrase "when will I sleep?" suggests a restless and troubled mind, unable to find peace or comfort. The song ends with a lament for the absence of the homeland, and a recognition of the need to hold on to memories and love in the face of pain and loss.
Line by Line Meaning
بالأمس حين مررت بالمقهى، سمعتك يا عراق
Yesterday while passing by the cafe, I heard your voice, Iraq
وكنت دورة أسطوانة
هي دورة الأفلاك في عمري
I was a vinyl record, rotating in cycles of the universe throughout my life
تكوّر لي زمانه في لحظتين من الأمان
وإن تكن فقدت مكانه
هي وجه أمي في الظلام
وصوتها، يتزلقان مع الرؤى حتى أنام
وصوتها، يتزلقان مع الرؤى حتى أنام
Time curls up for me in two moments of safety, and even if it's lost its place, it's my mother's face in the darkness and her voice slides through my visions until I sleep
وهي النخيل أخاف منه إذا ادلهمّ مع الغروب
فاكتظّ بالأشباح تخطف كلّ طفل لا يؤوب
من الدروب
And the date palms, I fear them when they sway at sunset, for they fill with ghosts that snatch every child that doesn't go home from the streets
الشمس أجمل في بلادي من سواها
والظلام حتى الظلام هناك أجمل
الشمس أجمل في بلادي من سواها
والظلام حتى الظلام هناك أجمل
فهو يحتضن العراق
The sun is more beautiful in my country than elsewhere, and even the darkness there is more beautiful because it holds Iraq
وا حسرتاه، متى أنام؟
وا حسرتاه، متى أنام؟
فأحسّ أن على الوسادة من ليلك الصيفي
طلاّ فيه عطرك يا عراق
فأحسّ أن على الوسادة من ليلك الصيفي
طلاّ فيه عطرك يا عراق
Oh how sorrowful, when will I sleep? When will I sleep? I feel your fragrance, Iraq, lingering on my summer pillow
بين القرى المتهيّبات خطاي والمدن الغريبة
غنيت تربتك الحبيبة
وحملتها فأنا المسيح يجرّ في المنفى صليبه
وحملتها فأنا المسيح يجرّ في المنفى صليبه
Between the apprehensive villages and the strange cities, I sang to my beloved homeland, and I carry it like Christ carrying his cross in exile
فهو يحتضن العراق
For it embraces Iraq
Writer(s): בנא רים ז"ל, 1
Contributed by Chloe F. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@thaar1959
@@depp.-1611 سمعت تلك لورا فداء لورا الغواني !
سمعت اسمر عبر مثل الكمر عالي سماه زاهي بهاه لما تدغدغ وجنته نسمة هواه !
ويا مركب الهند يا بو دكلين ياليتني كنت ربانه !
محمد عبدة فنان خليجي يغني بنمط خاص
وطريقه خاصة به لايشبهه أحد !
وذكر شيء لا ينفي عداه !
مع احترامي الشديد للفنان محمد عبدة
وللفن والشعر في بلدان الخليج العربي ونحن
نؤمن بأن الفن ليس ملك لأحد حتى وأن افتخرت انت وأنا به كونه نابع من جذورنا كعرب وكوطن واحد فهو يبقى للجميع !
@indefinitemistynights
Translation:
Yesterday, as I passed by a café,
I heard you, oh Iraq,
And you were there in the revolution of a vinyl record
that very much resembled the revolution of my life's orbits.
An entire lifetime was thus condensed in two moments of safety,
And even though safety no longer occupies a place in my heart,
I see it as my mother's face in tenebrous darkness,
And I hear it in her voice, both of which mesh with visions,
Lulling me to sleep.
And I see it in palm groves that inspire fear in me
should they cast their shadows when the sun sets,
And as they become crowded with ghosts that take away any child that fails to return home.
The sun is more beautiful in my homeland than in anywhere else,
And darkness -- even darkness there is more beautiful,
For it holds Iraq in its embrace,
And oh, my woe, when will I sleep?
My woe, when will I sleep...
So that I can feel upon my pillow a breeze that carries your scent from those lovely summer nights, oh Iraq?
As my frightened footfalls led me into foreign lands that feared me,
I sang the melody of your beloved soil,
And I carried it with me, with a vision of the Christ,
Dragging his cross in exile...
@sjadsjad9395
احببتك فيك عراق روحي واحببتك انت فيه
يا انتما مصباح روحي انتما
واتى المساء
لو جئت في البلد الغريب الي ما اكتمل اللقاء
الملتقى بك والعراق علي يدي هو الملتقى
شوق يخض دمي اليه
كان كل دمي اشتهاء
جوع اليه كجوع كل دم الغريب الى الهواء
شوق الجنين اذا اشرآب من الظلام الى الولادة
الشمس اجمل في بلادي من سواها والظلام
حتى الضلام-هناك اجمل فهو يحتضن العراق
@moaedhoseen8125
كلما تمر علي ازمة من الازمات التي لا تمر دون تأخذ شيئا جميلا من عندي واكاد اكون خاليا من اي جمال .اتذكر قول الامام علي ع لا راحة في الدنيا ولا حيلة في الرزق
@U7475O5H
الاغنية اسمعها بدون كلل ولا ملل
الكلمات والقوافي تجسد مُعاناة العراق متمثلة ببدر شاكر السياب
والصوت والنبرة تجسد معاناة فلسطين متمثلة بريم البنا
الرحمة على روحهما
@fedaaalameh5729
لو لم اكن فلسطينية لكنت عراقية
بدر شاكر السياب روعتك وروعة العراق
@user-oe5yh7iq9f
هاي فلسطينيه
@princessstares8372
والنعم منك ومن اهل فلسطين نتشرف بيكم
@husseindiwan3847
رحلت مسرعة كما هي نهاية السياب
وظل ابداعهما
الحياة قاسية
رحيل المبدعين مؤلم
@husseindiwan3847
واحسرتاه
متى انام
نام السياب
و نامت ريم بنا الله يرحمهما
@user-rf2vn4nz4e
الله .. العراق جبل من الصمود مع صوت الصمود كيف لا يتجملان معاً 🌹🌹🌹 انت العراق
@linawalee
فلسطينية
@0zwain
من اعظم ما كتب السياب لروحه المغفره والسلام ولروحكِ الطاهره ايضا 💔🇮🇶