The newest Mach Was theme is to do someting with your favourite summer song. I don’t think I have a singular favourite summer song, I like very many songs, so I had no idea where to start. Then today I was in my car and I was playing the song Ya Rayah by an Algerian-French singer called Rachid Taha. It had been a while since I had last listened to it but I did today, it made me happy, and the song feels like summer to me:
So, I’m turnig this into my Mach Was theme, which is now about a few Rachid Taha songs that I enjoy, By the way, the title of this post contains the words “Do something” in Arabic, (according to Google Translate, in any case). 🙂
Like a lot of music I discover, I first discovered this song in a movie, some 7 or 8 years ago. I first heard it in this scene in this Simon Baker movie called Something New:
I really like that movie, by the way. It’s about a black woman falling for a white guy, trailer is here, but this post is about music and not movies, so I’m moving on.
I don’t listen to a lot of Arab music, but this one just caught me, I loved it. I’m thinking it’s got something to do with spending my childhood in Israel, something about it just sounded familiar and happy and sunny to me. I could just imagine this playing out loud from a car in sunny Jerusalem. To me this is a perfect summer song.
I went on to listen to more music by Rachid Taha and for at least one summer played it a lot in the car, until Mr Esther and the kids could tolerate it no more. The music is somewhat repetitive, some songs are quite long and it’s a bit like Arab music meets pop, dance and rock music. I have no idea what the songs are about, but here are a few more of Taha’s songs that I really like:
In this following song called Habina, the middle part of this song slows down (at just before 4 minutes) and sounds like a prayer chant:
One of my absolute faves of his is this one, which is basically trance music:
And this is him performing Barra Barra live. I am just now seeing that this song was apparently also used in the movie Black Hawk Down (I’ve never watched that movie). The lyrics have a bleak meaning, I see, which is I guess fitting for such a movie.
And some more songs:
Apparently Taha died last year (I didn’t know that, read it on Wikipedia). May he rest in peace!
Thank you for the (summer) music, Rachid!
Esther thank you for these summer songs! I confess the only thing familiar in the post was
Black Hawk Down which I’ve seen several times hard movie to watch on many levels.
Glad if happy times were remembered of youro summers in Israel. I think summer songs do that bring happiness and memories of joy!!
I’m sorry too that Rachid had passed away.
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No one I know knows who Rachid Taha is (except for an ex co-worker of mine), he’s not that known at all here in The Netherlands and I think even less so in the huge US. So you’re forgiven. 😉
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ahh thank you Esther… I am very relieved!! I loved these videos though so many thanks
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Thanks Esther ! I remember that I wrote something about Rachid and “Ya rayah” a few years ago
https://imaladybutterfly.wordpress.com/2015/08/26/les-chansons-qui-me-hantent-ya-rayah/
I was so sad when I heard he passed away last year. He was an iconic figure of the French rock/punk stage of the 80’s (with his band Carte de Séjour). So sad…
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I wondered whether you’d know him, he’s bound to be more known in France than over here. 🙂
I had no idea he song had so many versions, cool. Thank you for sharing!
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Thank you, I didn’t kmow the music of Rachid Taha. Sounds good!
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Yes, there’s some good stuff there. 🙂
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Den Film kenne ich nicht, die Musik auch nicht, hört sich aber sehr interessant an 🙂 Werde noch eine Weile reinhören ❤
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