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Today’s offering whisks us off to Lebanon with a song of wayfaring mystery. Originally released as a single in 1970 and sang in French, for those who do not understand, the lyrics seem to transcend translation and instead communicates with enticing, wavering tones.
To the best of my knowledge, Fawez was from Lebanon and performed Shish Boura (b/w Leila Leila), but the song itself was written by a Lebanese composer, arranger, songwriter, conductor, and producer called Elias Rahbani. In a career spanning decades, Rahbani established himself as one of Lebanon’s premier composers and would go on to collaborate with some of the Arab world’s most iconic artists. Shish Bourak and Leila Leila were among Rahbani’s earliest compositions and are good examples of the French-Arab style that become popular in the late 60’s, early 70’s. These compositions show Rahbani’s diverse and eclectic musical identity and how he was tapping into the latest international music trends.
As for Fawez, I have not been able to find any information on him and it looks like this single was his only release. Both songs on this single were performed with the Orchestre Rahbani and both songs were written by Elias Rahbani. Sadly, I’ve just found an article about Elias Rahbani, paying homage to him after his passing from Covid-19 earlier this year..It’s a great read and if you are appreciating his music, it’s worth listening to more! I fully intend to explore more! Listen and enjoy above.
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