Misirlou  

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=== Composition === === Composition ===
-The earliest known recording of the song was by the [[rebetiko]] musician Theodotos ("Tetos") Demetriades ({{lang-el|Θεόδοτος ("Τέτος") Δημητριάδης}}) in 1927. Demetriades, an [[Ottoman Greeks|Ottoman Greek]], was born in [[Istanbul]], [[Ottoman Empire]], in 1897, and he resided there until he moved to the [[United States]] in 1921, during a period when most of the Greek speaking population [[Greek genocide|fled]] the emerging Turkish state. It is likely that he was familiar with the song as a folk song before he moved to the United States. As with almost all early rebetika songs (a style that originated with the Greek refugees from Asia Minor in [[Turkey]]), the song's actual [[composer]] has never been identified, and its ownership rested with the band leader. Demetriades named the song "Misirlou" in his original 1927 [[Columbia Records|Columbia]] recording, which is a Greek assimilated borrowing of the regional pronunciation of "Egyptian" in Turkish ("Mısırlı"), as opposed to the corresponding word for "Egyptian" in Greek, which is {{lang|el|Αιγύπτιοι}} (''Aigyptioi''). Later, in 1930, Michalis Patrinos, another [[Ottoman Greeks|Ottoman Greek]] from [[Izmir]], [[Ottoman Empire]], and his rebetiko band recorded a [[cover version]] in [[Athens]], [[Greece]].+The earliest known recording of the song was by the [[rebetiko]] musician Theodotos ("Tetos") Demetriades (Θεόδοτος ("Τέτος") Δημητριάδης) in 1927. Demetriades, an [[Ottoman Greeks|Ottoman Greek]], was born in [[Istanbul]], [[Ottoman Empire]], in 1897, and he resided there until he moved to the [[United States]] in 1921, during a period when most of the Greek speaking population [[Greek genocide|fled]] the emerging Turkish state. It is likely that he was familiar with the song as a folk song before he moved to the United States. As with almost all early rebetika songs (a style that originated with the Greek refugees from Asia Minor in [[Turkey]]), the song's actual [[composer]] has never been identified, and its ownership rested with the band leader. Demetriades named the song "Misirlou" in his original 1927 [[Columbia Records|Columbia]] recording, which is a Greek assimilated borrowing of the regional pronunciation of "Egyptian" in Turkish ("Mısırlı"), as opposed to the corresponding word for "Egyptian" in Greek, which is Αιγύπτιοι (''Aigyptioi''). Later, in 1930, Michalis Patrinos, another [[Ottoman Greeks|Ottoman Greek]] from [[Izmir]], [[Ottoman Empire]], and his rebetiko band recorded a [[cover version]] in [[Athens]], [[Greece]].
Initially, the song was composed as a Greek [[tsifteteli]] dance, in the [[rebetiko]] style of music, at a slower [[tempo]] and a different [[key (music)|key]] than the orientalized performances that most are familiar with today. This was the style of recording by Michalis Patrinos in Greece, circa 1930, which was circulated in the [[United States]] by the [[Orthophonic]] label; another recording was made by Patrinos in [[New York City]] in 1931 as well. Initially, the song was composed as a Greek [[tsifteteli]] dance, in the [[rebetiko]] style of music, at a slower [[tempo]] and a different [[key (music)|key]] than the orientalized performances that most are familiar with today. This was the style of recording by Michalis Patrinos in Greece, circa 1930, which was circulated in the [[United States]] by the [[Orthophonic]] label; another recording was made by Patrinos in [[New York City]] in 1931 as well.
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=== Later versions === === Later versions ===
-In 1941, Nick Roubanis, a [[Greek-American]] music instructor, released a [[jazz]] instrumental arrangement of the song, crediting himself as the composer. Since his claim was never legally challenged, he is still officially credited as the composer today worldwide, except in Greece where credit is given to either Roubanis or Patrinos. Subsequently, [[Bob Russell (songwriter)|Bob Russell]], [[Fred Wise (songwriter)|Fred Wise]] and Milton Leeds wrote [[English language|English]] lyrics to the song. Roubanis is also credited with fine-[[musical tuning|tuning]] the [[key (music)|key]] and the [[melody]], giving it the Oriental sound that it is associated with today. The song soon became an "exotica" standard among the light swing (lounge) bands of the day.{{cn|date=March 2019}}+In 1941, Nick Roubanis, a [[Greek-American]] music instructor, released a [[jazz]] instrumental arrangement of the song, crediting himself as the composer. Since his claim was never legally challenged, he is still officially credited as the composer today worldwide, except in Greece where credit is given to either Roubanis or Patrinos. Subsequently, [[Bob Russell (songwriter)|Bob Russell]], [[Fred Wise (songwriter)|Fred Wise]] and Milton Leeds wrote [[English language|English]] lyrics to the song. Roubanis is also credited with fine-[[musical tuning|tuning]] the [[key (music)|key]] and the [[melody]], giving it the Oriental sound that it is associated with today. The song soon became an "exotica" standard among the light swing (lounge) bands of the day.
[[Harry James]] recorded and released Misirlou in 1941 on [[Columbia Records|Columbia]] 36390, and the song peaked at #22 on the U.S. chart. [[Harry James]] recorded and released Misirlou in 1941 on [[Columbia Records|Columbia]] 36390, and the song peaked at #22 on the U.S. chart.
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In 1946, pianist [[Jan August]] recorded a version of the song on [[Diamond Records]] (Diamond 2009), which reached #7 on the Billboard Jockey charts in the U.S. In 1946, pianist [[Jan August]] recorded a version of the song on [[Diamond Records]] (Diamond 2009), which reached #7 on the Billboard Jockey charts in the U.S.
-In 1962 [[Dick Dale]] rearranged the song as a solo [[instrumental rock]] [[guitar]] piece. During a performance, Dale was bet by a young fan that he could not play a song on only one string of his guitar. Dale's father and uncles were [[Lebanese American|Lebanese-American]] musicians, and Dale remembered seeing his uncle play "Misirlou" on one string of the [[oud]]. He vastly increased the song's tempo to make it into [[rock and roll]]. It was Dale's [[surf rock]] version that introduced "Misirlou" to a wider audience in the [[United States]].{{citation needed|date=March 2019}}+In 1962 [[Dick Dale]] rearranged the song as a solo [[instrumental rock]] [[guitar]] piece. During a performance, Dale was bet by a young fan that he could not play a song on only one string of his guitar. Dale's father and uncles were [[Lebanese American|Lebanese-American]] musicians, and Dale remembered seeing his uncle play "Misirlou" on one string of the [[oud]]. He vastly increased the song's tempo to make it into [[rock and roll]]. It was Dale's [[surf rock]] version that introduced "Misirlou" to a wider audience in the [[United States]].
-[[The Beach Boys]] recorded a Dale-inspired "Misirlou" for the 1963 album ''[[Surfin' U.S.A.]]'', solidifying "Misirlou" as a staple of American pop culture.{{citation needed|date=March 2019}}+[[The Beach Boys]] recorded a Dale-inspired "Misirlou" for the 1963 album ''[[Surfin' U.S.A.]]'', solidifying "Misirlou" as a staple of American pop culture.
=== Dance === === Dance ===

Revision as of 17:51, 20 March 2019

"Misirlou" was rearranged as a solo instrumental guitar piece by American musician Dick Dale in 1962. Dale's father and uncles were Lebanese-American musicians who were a part of the nightclub scene. Although they were Arab, they, like other performers, played the music of all the main cultures which made up the nightclub patrons—that included Greek music and Misirlou. During a performance, Dale was bet by a young fan that he could not play a song on only one string of his guitar. Later that night, he remembered seeing his uncle play "Misirlou" on one string (actually a double string) of the oud. He tried to imitate that style on his guitar, but vastly increased the song's tempo to make it into rock'n'roll, and the result was the famous Dick Dale "Miserlou". It was Dale's version that introduced "Misirlou" to a wider audience in the United States as "Miserlou."

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"Misirlou" is a song from the Eastern Mediterranean region. The earliest known recording of the song is a 1927 Greek rebetiko / tsifteteli composition influenced by Middle Eastern music. There are also Arabic (belly dancing), Armenian, Persian, Indian, and Turkish versions of the song. This song was very popular from the 1920s in the Greek American and Armenian American communities who settled in the United States of America as part of the Ottoman Empire diaspora.

The song was a hit in 1946 for Jan August, an American pianist and xylophonist nicknamed "the one-man piano duet". It gained worldwide popularity through Dick Dale's 1962 American surf rock version, originally titled "Miserlou", which popularized the song in Western popular culture. Various versions have since been recorded, including other surf and rock versions by bands such as the Beach Boys, the Ventures and the Trashmen, as well as international orchestral easy listening (exotica) versions by musicians such as Martin Denny and Arthur Lyman. Dale's surf rock version later gained renewed popularity when director Quentin Tarantino used it in his 1994 film Pulp Fiction, and again when it was sampled in the Black Eyed Peas song "Pump It" (2006). The Martin Denny cover also helped the song resurge in popularity, when it was sampled in the Season 2 episode of Mad Men, "The Jet Set". A cover of Dale's surf rock version was included on the Guitar Hero II video game released in 2006.

Contents

History

Name

Misirlou (Μισιρλού), due to the suffix "ou", is the feminine form (in Greek) of Misirlis (Μισιρλής- a surname) which comes from the Turkish word Mısırlı, which is formed by combining Mısır ("Egypt" in Turkish, borrowed from Arabic مِصرTemplate:Lrm Miṣr) with the Turkish -lı suffix, literally meaning "Egyptian". Therefore, the song is about an Egyptian woman.

Composition

The earliest known recording of the song was by the rebetiko musician Theodotos ("Tetos") Demetriades (Θεόδοτος ("Τέτος") Δημητριάδης) in 1927. Demetriades, an Ottoman Greek, was born in Istanbul, Ottoman Empire, in 1897, and he resided there until he moved to the United States in 1921, during a period when most of the Greek speaking population fled the emerging Turkish state. It is likely that he was familiar with the song as a folk song before he moved to the United States. As with almost all early rebetika songs (a style that originated with the Greek refugees from Asia Minor in Turkey), the song's actual composer has never been identified, and its ownership rested with the band leader. Demetriades named the song "Misirlou" in his original 1927 Columbia recording, which is a Greek assimilated borrowing of the regional pronunciation of "Egyptian" in Turkish ("Mısırlı"), as opposed to the corresponding word for "Egyptian" in Greek, which is Αιγύπτιοι (Aigyptioi). Later, in 1930, Michalis Patrinos, another Ottoman Greek from Izmir, Ottoman Empire, and his rebetiko band recorded a cover version in Athens, Greece.

Initially, the song was composed as a Greek tsifteteli dance, in the rebetiko style of music, at a slower tempo and a different key than the orientalized performances that most are familiar with today. This was the style of recording by Michalis Patrinos in Greece, circa 1930, which was circulated in the United States by the Orthophonic label; another recording was made by Patrinos in New York City in 1931 as well.

The song's oriental melody has been so popular for so long that many people, from Morocco to Iraq, claim it to be a folk song from their own country. In fact, in the realm of Middle Eastern music, the song is a very simplistic one, since it is little more than going up and down the Hijaz Kar or double harmonic scale (E-F-G#-A-B-C-D#). It still remains a well known Greek, Klezmer, and Arab folk song.

Later versions

In 1941, Nick Roubanis, a Greek-American music instructor, released a jazz instrumental arrangement of the song, crediting himself as the composer. Since his claim was never legally challenged, he is still officially credited as the composer today worldwide, except in Greece where credit is given to either Roubanis or Patrinos. Subsequently, Bob Russell, Fred Wise and Milton Leeds wrote English lyrics to the song. Roubanis is also credited with fine-tuning the key and the melody, giving it the Oriental sound that it is associated with today. The song soon became an "exotica" standard among the light swing (lounge) bands of the day.

Harry James recorded and released Misirlou in 1941 on Columbia 36390, and the song peaked at #22 on the U.S. chart.

In 1946, pianist Jan August recorded a version of the song on Diamond Records (Diamond 2009), which reached #7 on the Billboard Jockey charts in the U.S.

In 1962 Dick Dale rearranged the song as a solo instrumental rock guitar piece. During a performance, Dale was bet by a young fan that he could not play a song on only one string of his guitar. Dale's father and uncles were Lebanese-American musicians, and Dale remembered seeing his uncle play "Misirlou" on one string of the oud. He vastly increased the song's tempo to make it into rock and roll. It was Dale's surf rock version that introduced "Misirlou" to a wider audience in the United States.

The Beach Boys recorded a Dale-inspired "Misirlou" for the 1963 album Surfin' U.S.A., solidifying "Misirlou" as a staple of American pop culture.

Dance

In 1945, a Pittsburgh women's musical organization asked Professor Brunhilde E. Dorsch to organize an international dance group at Duquesne University to honor America's World War II allies. She contacted Mercine Nesotas, who taught several Greek dances, including Syrtos Haniotikos (from Crete), which she called Kritikos, but for which they had no music. Because Pittsburgh's Greek-American community did not know Cretan music, Pat Mandros Kazalas, a music student, suggested the tune "Misirlou", although slower, might fit the dance.

The dance was first performed at a program to honor America's allies of World War II at Stephen Foster Memorial Hall in Pittsburgh on March 6, 1945. Thereafter, this new dance, which had been created by putting the Syrtos Kritikos to the slower "Misirlou" music, was known as Misirlou and spread among the Greek-American community, as well as among non-Greek U.S. folk-dance enthusiasts.

It has been a staple for decades of dances held at Serbian Orthodox churches across the U.S., performed as a kolo or circle dance. The dance is also performed to instrumental versions of "Never on Sunday" by Manos Hadjidakis – though in the Serbian-American community, "Never on Sunday" was popularly enjoyed as a couple's dance and actually sung in English. "Never on Sunday" was often one of only two songs performed in English at these dances, the other song being "Spanish Eyes" (formerly "Moon Over Naples") also internationally popular in its time.

The Misirlou dance also found its way into the Armenian-American community who, like the Greeks, were fond of line dancing, and occasionally adopted Greek dances. The first Armenian version of "Misirlou" was recorded by Reuben Sarkisian in Fresno the early 1950s. Sarkisian wrote the Armenian lyrics to "Misirlou" which are still sung today, however he wrote the song as "Akh, Anoushes" ("Ah, My Sweet") while later Armenian singers would change it to "Ah Anoush Yar" ("Ah, Sweet Lover"; Yar meaning sweetheart or lover, from Turkish).

Legacy

In 1994, Dick Dale's version of "Misirlou" was used on the soundtrack of the motion picture Pulp Fiction, prominently featured over the opening titles.

The song was selected by the Athens 2004 Olympics Organizing Committee as one of the most influential Greek songs of all time, and was heard in venues and at the closing ceremony – performed by Anna Vissi.

In March 2005, Q magazine placed Dale's version at number 89 in its list of the 100 Greatest Guitar Tracks.




Unless indicated otherwise, the text in this article is either based on Wikipedia article "Misirlou" or another language Wikipedia page thereof used under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License; or on research by Jahsonic and friends. See Art and Popular Culture's copyright notice.

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