Three Great Songs From The Arab Revolutions' Soundtrack

Three Great Songs From The Arab Revolutions’ Soundtrack

by Nick Kimbrell

The revolutions in the Arab world have been texted, tweeted, and Facebooked. They’ve been written and televised. They also have a soundtrack. Ever since the Tunisian street vendor Mohamed Bouazizi set himself on fire as a protest in Sidi Bouzid last December, uprisings have spread across the region and they’ve been accompanied by music.

Many of the most inspiring songs are far from new. The Egyptian national anthem, “Biladi, Biladi, Biladi,” composed by Sayed Darwish after the First World War — another revolutionary period in Egypt’s history — has taken on an entirely new meaning. As have the Tunisian national anthem, “Humat al-Hima” (penned in part by Abdul-Qasim Al Shabi, whose poem “To the tyrants of the world” was recited at protests) and the nationalistic ballads of Egyptian icon and enchantress Oum Kalthoum. But a number of new songs have emerged during the uprisings, often written by those participating. Some are touching, some are tinged with menace, others are undeniably hilarious. Here’s a sampling.

With his attractive lady bodyguards and massive traveling tents, Muammar Gaddafi has long been the easily satirized bête noire of Western politicians. But as protests and rebellion spread across Libya in February, Gaddafi’s rhetoric turned murderous. In a February 22 speech, the man who has ruled Libya for the last four decades threatened a frightening campaign of national cleansing — “shebr shebr, beit beit, dar dar, zenga zenga” (“inch by inch, house by house, home by home, alleyway by alleyway”). Israeli DJ Noy Alooshe saw the phrase as a unique opportunity for a club hit. Although Gaddafi would act on his brutal promise, the song undercuts the tyrant in its own way. (A clean version is available for those distracted by the dancer.)

If you find yourself in one of Lebanon’s increasingly popular anti-sectarian marches, as rice falls from the balconies Rayess Bek’s new track “Thawra” will be blaring from the street speakers. Rayess Bek is the undisputed don of Lebanese hip-hop. He made “Thawra” (‘Revolution”) for the Lebanese protesters, creating much of it from their actual chants. The song is punctuated by the word “Thawra,” but also by the now famous chant that has spread across the region: “As-shaab yureed isqaat an-nizam” (“the people want the fall of the regime”).

Egypt’s revolution is the hallmark of the “Arab Spring.” For weeks protesters braved violence and a long-feared security apparatus to bring an end to Hosni Mubarak’s 30-year presidency. While folk songs and patriotic hymns dominated the demonstrations, Egyptian musicians Amir Eid and Hany Adel’s compelling gentle rock song “Sout al-Horeya” (“Voice of Freedom”) proved very popular. The ballad pairs shots of the Tahrir protests with videos of protesters singing the lyrics and voiceovers. More than a million people have listened to the song on Youtube. Above is the version with English subtitles.

This, of course, is just a sampling of the variety of songs born from the string of 2011 Arab revolutions. But the uprisings are far from over. Whether more protests anthems spring up — perhaps from Yemen, Bahrain, or Syria — remains to be seen.

Nick Kimbrell is a journalist and screenwriter. He lives in New York but spends a fair amount of time elsewhere. He’s worked as a reporter for Beirut’s Daily Star and a correspondent for The National. Look out for the film he wrote — when it has a new name he’ll share it.