This isn't a book review but I wanted to post this anyways. Its a song I recommend, which I used to enjoy listening to a few years back and I wanted to share because I think the concept behind the lyrics are beautiful and Sting, like many, is quite an underrated artist. The song overall is very poetic with a mix of themes relevant to 'Alf Leila Wa Leila' ( The tale of A Thousand and One Nights).
It's by Sting but also features Ashwarya Rai ( a Bollywood actress), in some versions of the video although I'm not sure of her relevance considering the theme is middle eastern and not Indian; perhaps it could be because of her exotic looks and exceptional beauty. Anyway, enough of my digressing and back to the lyrical meaning.
Sting originally wrote the lyrics inspired by a beautiful enigmatic Arab woman when he discovered the meaning of the Arabic lyrics of a song written by an imprisoned Nigerian song writer, Cheb Mami. The story Mami told seemed to match and fit in perfectly with his own.
Mami's Arabic intro and backing tell the story of an egyptian traveller who fell in love with a mysterious and secretive woman he met in a village. The woman then disappeared and still haunts his soul. The idea of a "desert rose", that Sting sings of, is metaphorical for the woman he longs for but can't have because really, there are no roses in the desert.
No comments:
Post a Comment