After having taken piano lessons, Vangelis began his professional musical career working with several popular bands of the 1960s such as the Forminx and Aphrodite's Child, with the latter's album 666 going on to be recognized as a psychedelic classic. Throughout the 1970s, Vangelis composed music scores for several animal documentaries, including L'Apocalypse des Animaux, La Fête sauvage and Opéra sauvage; the success of these scores brought him into the film scoring mainstream. In the early 1980s, Vangelis formed a musical partnership with Jon Anderson, the lead singer of progressive rock band Yes, and the duo went on to release several albums together as Jon & Vangelis.
In 1981, he composed the score for the Oscar-winning film Chariots of Fire, for which he won an Academy Award for Best Original Score. The soundtrack's single, the film's "Titles" theme, also reached the top of the American Billboard Hot 100 chart and was used as the background music at the London 2012 Olympics winners' medal presentation ceremonies. Vangelis also received acclaim for his synthesizer-based soundtrack for the 1982 film Blade Runner.
Having had a career in music spanning over 70 years and having composed and performed more than 50 albums, Vangelis is considered to be one of the most important figures in the history of electronic music.
Vangelis was born 29 March 1943, in Agria, near Volos, Greece. Largely a self-taught musician, he reportedly began composing at the age of three. His earliest memory is "playing piano, some percussion and whatever else that was available that made a noise. Right from the start, I was only interested in playing my own music". He refused to take traditional piano lessons, and throughout his career did not have substantial knowledge of reading or writing musical notation. When he was six, Vangelis's parents enrolled him at a specialist music school in Athens. He recalls "I was lucky not to go because music schools close doors rather than open them". He studied painting, an art he still practices, at the Athens School of Fine Arts.
In 1989 received Max Steiner Award. France made Vangelis a Knight of the Order of Arts and Letters in 1992 and promoted to Commander in 2017, as well Chevalier de la Legion d’ Honneur in 2001. In 1993 received music award Apollo by Friends of the Athens National Opera Society. In 1995, Vangelis had a minor planet named after him (6354 Vangelis) by the International Astronomical Union's Minor Planet Center (MPC) at the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory; the name was proposed by the MPC's co-director, Gareth V. Williams, rather than by the object's original discoverer, Eugène Joseph Delporte, who died in 1955, long before the 1934 discovery could be confirmed by observations made in 1990. In 1996 and 1997 was awarded at World Music Awards.
NASA conferred their Public Service Medal to Vangelis in 2003. The award is the highest honour the space agency presents to an individual not involved with the American government. Five years later, in 2008, the board of the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens voted to make Vangelis an Honorary Doctor, making him Professor Emeritus at their Faculty of Primary Education. In June 2008, the American Hellenic Institute honoured Vangelis with an AHI Hellenic Heritage Achievement Award for his "exceptional artistic achievements" as a pioneer in electronic music and for his lifelong dedication to the promotion of Hellenism through the arts. On 16 September 2013, he received the honour of appearing on the Greek 80 cent postage stamp, as part of a series of six distinguished living personalities of the Greek Diaspora.
Tales of the Future
Vangelis Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
yah al-bil kou-rou-dil menyaah
is-bahl kou-tul - ham-mahn ou-saw
ahl-bi yam-mil kaw-lil laah
is-bahl ahl-bi I'm-mil mous-saw heenal - my-dil
has-bi kaw-lahl arah-baw heena yas'a-lou-na il 'araw-til
- eehl laah
fis-'ahm mil kaw-waah-reeh yaah
mi-'aa-nihl kou-laah- aah - leeh - aah
Ay-nah ou-saw kooh nahn min kah-rah-baw
has-di khamf 'alah ay-nahl musam-meh il-lah tou-lihl
kah-reeb
has-dihl kou-toh ub-beehl ul-ou-saw
wah oul-leel-arah-baw - wah oul-leel-arah-baw -
wah oul-leel-
yaa hub-bi al-mas-daw-nih ah-naay as-dee lil-kou-ral
yaah
mis-'aal bar'oun-nih
ya 'es-ta-khal-lahl 'am-duh uhm-mee a-raah kah -
yum-mi yam-mah
as-dee naa-bi yam-mah - al-kharou-si yam-ma
as-ta-wou lee il-lee yam-mah li-laah
uk-rou 'ou-lee il-oh-daah daw-wah
oul-lee ya ahl-bi
oul-lee ya um-mee
oul-lee ya sa-hib
The lyrics to Vangelis's song Tales of the Future are written in an invented language that is meant to sound exotic and otherworldly. The words themselves have no particular meaning, but they are arranged in a way that creates a sense of mystery and wonder. The repeating phrases of "has-di khamf 'alah" and "oul-lee" add a sense of urgency and pleading to the song, as if the singer is trying to communicate something important but can't quite find the right words.
Overall, the song has a dreamlike quality that is enhanced by the use of synthesizers and electronic instrumentation. The melody is simple and repetitive, but it gradually builds in intensity as more layers are added. The effect is mesmerizing and hypnotic, making the listener feel as if they are being transported to another world.
Overall, the lyrics and music of Tales of the Future are meant to evoke a sense of wonder and awe at the mysteries of the universe. The song creates a sense of anticipation for the future and all the possibilities it holds, while also acknowledging the uncertainty and fear that can come with the unknown.
Line by Line Meaning
Ibal lahl arou-sah om-yah-lee
I woke up to the beginning of the day, opening my eyes with a brand new start
Yah al-bil kou-rou-dil menyaah
I scanned through the wall looking outside for any sign of light
Is-bahl kou-tul - ham-mahn ou-saw
The humid air tried to hug me as I walked through the dunes
Ahl-bi yam-mil kaw-lil laah
My heart beats in rhythm with the universe, full of wonder and mystery
Is-bahl ahl-bi I'm-mil mous-saw heenal - my-dil
The sun started to rise, illuminating the horizon with its warmth and power
Has-bi kaw-lahl arah-baw heena yas'a-lou-na il 'araw-til - eehl laah
Everyone asks for more time, yet everything is determined by the will of the universe
Fis-'ahm mil kaw-waah-reeh yaah
The music of the wind fills the air with its melody
Mi-'aa-nihl kou-laah- aah - leeh - aah
From a hundred miles away, I can feel the embrace of the earth
Ay-nah ou-saw kooh nahn min kah-rah-baw
I wonder where we come from and where we are going, like a caravan in the desert
Has-di khamf 'alah ay-nahl musam-meh il-lah tou-lihl kah-reeb
Fear holds us back from experiencing the divine that is so close, yet so far
Has-dihl kou-toh ub-beehl ul-ou-saw
The darkness that surrounds us can be transformed into light and hope
Wah oul-leel-arah-baw - wah oul-leel-arah-baw - wah oul-leel-
And all the nights and days that have passed are memories of the past, but they still shape our present and future
Yaa hub-bi al-mas-daw-nih ah-naay as-dee lil-kou-ral yaah
Oh lover of the dawn, where are you going to lead me today?
Mis-'aal bar'oun-nih ya 'es-ta-khal-lahl 'am-duh uhm-mee a-raah kah - yum-mi yam-mah
The stars up above shine so bright, as my mother tells me stories of the past and the future
As-dee naa-bi yam-mah - al-kharou-si yam-ma
I sense the arrival of a new day, where the sun will rise again
As-ta-wou lee il-lee yam-mah li-laah
I surrender myself to the will of the universe and its creator
Uk-rou 'ou-lee il-oh-daah daw-wah
I raise my hands in prayer, hoping for guidance and strength
Oul-lee ya ahl-bi
I call out to my family
Oul-lee ya um-mee
I call out to my mother
Oul-lee ya sa-hib
I call out to my friends and companions
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: EVANGELOS PAPATHANASSIOU
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind