Misirlou

History

It was sung for the first time in 1927 in Greece ¹ by the rebetiko orchestra of Michalis Patrinos ^{[ref. necessary]} . It is difficult to determine who composed the music, especially since it could be a more or less traditional oriental melody ^{[ref. necessary]} ; indeed its rather simple melody essentially returns to a rise and a descent of the modes Hidjazkiar and Hidjaz widespread in oriental music ^{[ref. necessary]} . As a result, several communities ^[Which?]Sometimes claim paternity.

Arrived in New York at the end of the 1920s , the song was first performed in 1927 by a certain Tetos Demetriades, and other interpretations followed, notably by Nick Roubanis , a Greek-American composer who recorded in 1943 a version more ” orientalizing “than the original,; he is the first to be credited as “composer” of music ² .

A dance was created in 1945 by a group of students from the University of Pittsburgh , taking steps in the syrtos . Unlike music, the dance has remained unchanged since then.

The melody of the song is widely popularized in the 1960s by the instrumental version of guitarist Dick Dale , in full wave of surf music . He arranges it as a guitar solo, following the request of a fan who wanted him to play an entire piece on a single string . This is how Misirlou becomes famous in Western culture.

There are many times of Misirlou , including the Beach Boys on their album Surfin ‘USA .

The use of this version by Quentin Tarantino for the music of his film Pulp Fiction in 1994 brings the song up to date, while the surf music was out of date for thirty years. The following year, Rachid Taha and Steve Hillage adapt it under the title Jungle Fiction on the album Olé Olé . The version of Dick Dale is repeated in the movie Taxi ; a remixed version of this version by the Black Eyed Peas ( Pump It ) appears in Taxi 4 , and finally another version more faithful to that of Dick Dale in Taxi 3.

Misirlou was sung at the closing ceremony of the Olympic Games of Athens in 2004 .

Appearance in the movies

Notes and references